Fish Grill [[Los Angeles]]

Fish Grill is a kosher restaurant specializing in grilled fish dishes. I recently went with Anam, Cecily, and Micah (who actually adheres to a kosher diet) to hang out and not have to worry about Micah not being able to eat anything (there was a pretty disastrous encounter at a recent cafe). Cecily was the lone wolf, ordering the grilled cod. Anam, Micah, and I ordered the fish taco dish, which is served with two large tacos (either grilled or deep fried, or one of each), a side of coleslaw or salad, and another side of baked potato, french fries, or rice.

What I liked about this super casual dining place (you order in the front and pick it up when it's ready) is that they give you A LOT of food for a good price. Our plates were brimming with fries and salad and other stuff for only $9.

The fried fish taco was pretty tasty, although I would have wanted a little more lime or cilantro taste. Although Micah's grilled fish taco looked great, mine was a little too burnt and so I barely touched it. Good thing I ate the fried fish one first because I was already stuffed! The fries were really crunchy, almost reminiscent of the In-n-Out fries in terms of freshness.

Food coma!

Carnage!
Fish Grill (one of four locations)
9618 W Pico Blvd # 508
Los Angeles, CA 90035

(310) 860-1182

Café Bizou [Pasadena]

Although I was only a quick hop away from Andi, I didn't want to bother/lure her away from premium grad school studying. Thankfully, I had a few hungry friends who wanted to take advantage of Pasadena Restaurant Week with me. We decided to go to Café Bizou, which has been around for awhile and probably written about a hundred times. But since we can rarely afford luxuries, let alone an ~expensive~ meal, on our pithy budgets, $25 for a 3-course meal was right up our alley.

First up, two types of bread. A nutty raisin bread which was not great, and a sort-of sourdough bread, which was bland. I suppose this is fine since it made it harder for me to be full before our meal.

We all got the lobster bisque to start. It was creamy and not too heavy. However, the lobster bits were really tiny--at least in my portion. Of course, I shouldn't compare it to the best lobster bisque I had ever had over at Craftsteak...but still. Couldn't you have spared a lobster bit bigger than half an inch in diameter?

For the main course, my friend Jessica and I ordered the same thing, steak au poivre, cooked medium rare as it should. The slices were thin enough and cooked just right, but I felt it was over-peppered towards the end. Perhaps I'm not used to this much pepper. It was served with a creamy brandy sauce, which tasted great with the mashed potatoes which were also creamy and fluffy. Usually I eat the veggies given, especially since these ones were dark and obvs good for you. But uh, who decided to cook spinach with NOTHING but pepper? Bland...and peppery. Broccoli was bland as well, but I suppose a dip in the brandy cream sauce would have done the trick.

Queenie ordered the lobster tagallini pasta. I don't think I've ever had black pasta before, so I decided to try one noodle. It does have it's own taste, although subtle. Interesting, and I can imagine, would pair well with the lobster vodka sauce.

Alicyn ordered the Alaskan halibut, served with mashed potatoes and a trio of veggies (carrots, snow peas, and green beans). Alicyn said that the green beans tasted the best. As for the tomato garlic sauce, it was light enough that the halibut really could stand on its own.

My favorite part of any meal: dessert! Everyone but me (because I'm a rebel) ordered the flourless chocolate cake. Alicyn, lover of all chocolate, really liked it and said that it melted in her mouth. I tried it, and I could tell it was flourless, but still tasty. Not my favorite though. The homemade whipped cream was great.

And my dessert, homemade tiramisu. The first bites were very rum-heavy, in a good way. After the initial bites, the rum gave way to the light flavors of coffee, chocolate, and mascarpone cheese. Really airy, and tasted great with the vanilla and raspberry sauces. Probably my favorite part of the meal.

Café Bizou
91 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 792-9923 | www.cafebizou.com/

Classic Sole Meunière

Each day, I'll post one of the dishes I cooked for Mother's Day since putting all the recipes in one post may be too overwhelming.

This is the fish dish, the classic sole meunière. I slightly adapted it from Epicurious, changing the portion size and cutting out most of the butter.

What you'll need:
Fish:

• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 2 sole fillets (which is enough for 4 people when used in a menu and not as a main course)
  
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil

Sauce:

• small slice of unsalted butter; enough to cover the sauce pan when melted.
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

What to do:
Fish:
1. Rinse and dry fish. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Then, dredge fish on both sides with flour. Remember to shake off excess.
2. Heat oil on medium-heat until the oil is hot. Add fish and cook until golden brown on bottom (about 2-3 minutes). Turn over fish and cook until the center is opaque.
3. Plate and drizzle with sauce.
Sauce:
1. Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and cook until golden.
2. Remove from heat. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Spoon sauce over fish.