Still getting used to taking blog pictures without feeling like a creeper

Yamazaru

May 31, 2017

Background:
Yamazaru opened in March of 2017 in the ever-booming South End neighborhood of Charlotte. The location could not be more perfect, as it's right next to Sycamore and within walking distance of tons of breweries that have limited menu options, or even just the occasional food truck. Yamazaru is owned by the sushi gods behind Ru Sans [read our review on what we consider the best sushi in Charlotte], so naturally we went in with high expectations.

However, we tend to make the mistake of going to a new spot too soon, and making rash judgments when they are still figuring out their service groove, and this visit was no exception. We visited Yamazaru on a Friday night in late April with Jason's brother, Adam, and his awesome girlfriend Emily. Despite some service snafus, we had a great time due to the awesome company and banging sushi. Check it out...

Eat This:
Here we have your basic Japanese restaurant Americanized house salad with ginger dressing. It was alright. I actually prefer the crappy iceberg lettuce to this fancier stuff. #whitetrashtendencies

Yamazaru Roll
Crab salad, avocado, tuna, baked eel, and scallops

Green Dragon, Tamago Nigiri, Angry Spider, and Salmon Avocado Rolls

Dessert:
We did not eat any desserts at Yamazaru, but we for sure went to Golden Cow Creamery after, which is conveniently just down the road!

Clearly not the ice cream from our visit that evening (hence the sunlight), but what can we say? We go here a lot.

Drink:
We shared some cold, unfiltered, sparkling sake! It was good, but I think it had the alcohol content of fruit juice. Yawn. On a Friday night I just don't want to feel feelings anymore, okay alcohol?

Atmosphere:
Yamazaru is super compact, as obviously real estate is at a premium in South End. Much like Ru Sans, it's a little difficult to navigate where to stand while you are waiting for your table. This is no big deal in nice weather, but of course when it's cold and/or rainy it means everyone is huddled awkwardly by the host stand. It was nice weather when we went, but we still huddled awkwardly by the host stand because we were hungry, and you know, out of sight out of mind, etc.

Oh! Yamazaru means "monkey" in Japanese, and we enjoyed the hidden monkeys splashed around the decor!

Ohx2--look for the booth that is one-sided and faces a wall. Look for it, but try not to be sat in it. Especially if you're with a co-worker or something. Awk sauce nation.

I don't know where to stand/Hi, Adam and Emily!

South End Hospitality:
Ughhh, we had terrible service on our first visit, unfortunately. Everyone was polite, but the servers seemed like they were still dealing with the madness of how busy they were. Our host sat three parties ahead of us who came in after us, and, once we were sat, we waited at our table for about 20 minutes without being greeted. I would definitely chalk this up to them working out the kinks of opening up a new restaurant. I am sure it will get better!

Frankie's Notes:
Jason and Emily are super chill in the face of slow service--Adam and I? Not so much; I have lots of white trash tendencies, like enjoying Dave & Buster's on occasion; If the host can feel you breathing on them, you'll be eating faster--that's just simple restaurant math; South End is so hip with its painted magic carpets and brewery yoga classes; No seriously, take how often you think Jason and I go out to eat for dessert in the average week and multiply it by four to get an accurate count.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Firestorm Pizza

May 24, 2017

Background:
Firestorm Pizza is a build-your-own pizza and salad concept started by Chris Berman. Berman has three locations of Firestorm, one in Winston-Salem, one in Mooresville, and his newest spot in Northlake which opened in January of 2017. I visited the Northlake location with my dearest friend Daniela after Firestorm so generously invited me out to sample some of their pizza.

What makes Firestorm stand out? The customer service, cleanliness, and the quality of the food and beverages. We had the best time making our own pizza with the fun staff at Firestorm!

Oh no--creepy blogger syndrome happening again!

Eat This:
Once we all got outfitted with gloves and hats, we got to go behind the counter at Firestorm to actually make our own pizzas! On a typical visit, the friendly staff will do all of this for you without you lifting a finger, but it was awesome to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the pizza gets made.

The process begins with the dough. You can get regular white flour, whole wheat, or gluten-free dough. The dough rounds are flattened using this nifty little dough press!

Once your dough is flat, it is perforated so it doesn't bubble up in the pizza oven.

Then, it's on to the most fun part--picking your toppings! Toppings are included in one flat cost at Firestorm--so feel free to load up!

Aunt Ms. Coach D AKA The Real Jewcan loading up those toppings!

Then it's into the oven for your little baby pizza! They start the pizzas near the back of the oven so the crust cooks up nicely, and then they move the pizza around for optimal browning.

In addition to pizza, Firestorm offers salads which you can also create yourself, and, my personal favorite thing at any pizza joint--garlic knots!

Dessert:
Firestorm also bakes up their own chocolate chip cookies. We didn't try one on this visit, but we were definitely tempted. Next time!

They also offer Cheerwine and root beer floats!

Drink:
In addition to the above floats, we can't forget about the beer! One of the coolest parts of Firestorm's concept is their tap system. They have twelve regional beers on tap and they have a nifty card system that they use to charge you for how much beer you want. You load up your card with a dollar amount, and then you can scan your card, which will keep track of how many ounces you have purchased. If you want more, no big deal! Just go back and load up your card again! This is a fun way to get to try lots of different options--maybe you could get a half glass each of two varieties you have your eye on! I tried SweetWater's "Goin' Coastal" pineapple IPA. It was super delicious, and I don't typically like beer!

Atmosphere:
The Firestorm at Northlake is very clean and has lots of cool touches--one of my favorite parts was that they offered "half boxes" by the utensil area so you didn't have to bother with going back up to the counter to get a box for the rest of your pizza.

Italiano Hospitality:
The staff at Firestorm were so kind and knowledgeable, and they were very patient with having so many bloggers and Instagrammers invade their store during peak dinner hours. I could tell we weren't getting special treatment--everyone who came in while we where there was receiving the same level of awesome service.

Frankie's Notes:
The weirdest part of going to blog events is having to introduce yourself with your blog name or Instagram handle; In this vein, a very special shout out to the gal behind "Put It In Your Mouth;" There is a lot of pressure to make a good looking pizza when you are surrounded by so many creative types--I feel like my pizza deserves a gold star for effort; A pour-your-own tap counter is like a Coke Freestyle for grown-ups; I always wish fruity beers tasted more like fruit juice, and I am disappointed when they taste more like beer; Do they make alcoholic fruit juice?

Disclaimer: This meal was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are our own, and we were not compensated for this review.

Animal

May 17, 2017

Background:
Animal is owned by LA powerhouse restaurateurs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo. The duo also owns Petit Tois, Trois Mec, Son of a Gun, and Jon & Vinny's. Animal, opened in 2009, was Shook and Dotolo's first restaurant, and it still makes nearly every "best of" list for Los Angeles cuisine.

True to its name, Animal focuses on meat-heavy dishes and adventurous ingredients for the hungry cave man inside of us all. Their menu staples include crispy fried pig ear, veal brains, rabbit larb, sweetbreads, and foie gras biscuits. For dessert they don't let up and their most notable offering is a bacon chocolate crunch bar. So, basically, vegans should stay far, far away from Animal, but I am guessing they would have figured that out based on the moniker alone.

We visited Animal for brunch, so we kept our fare a little lighter than the options listed above, but our experience left us eager to come back for the full dinner experience whenever we are in the area again.

Why were we in LA for all of this great eating? Why, so Jason could run a race, obviously. Here he is rocking the Disneyland Star Wars Half Marathon!

Eat This:
Tamago Scramble
Bone marrow sushi rice, Japanese pickles, arare

I loved this dish so much. It was light but filling, and the tangy soy flavor meant I could not stop eating it. What's arare? You've probably seen them a million times--they're those little soy rice crackers.

Image courtesy of Snack Treasures Hawaii — Image courtesy of *Snack Treasures Hawaii*

Hamachi Tostada
Fish sauce vinaigrette, peanut, avocado

The tostada was described by our server as one of the most popular (and lightest) dishes on the menu. Its bright, fresh flavors did not disappoint!

Chicken Liver Toast

My love for chicken liver toast is undying, and this was the hands down best I have ever had. I always feel like my body is getting healthier and stronger when I eat chicken liver, and while that immediate feeling is most definitely in my head, organ meats are legitimately filled with so many good nutrients and healthy fats. Those of you who still believe in the fat/cholesterol myth? Put down your fat free yogurt and get #woke. It's not the 90s anymore, ya'll.

Dessert:

Cinnamon Roll

Drink:
It was brunch, so it was all coffee, all the time. They also had a mint infusion (just straight up mint and hot water) that changed my life. I started buying mint on the regular when we returned to NC. Mint is great for your digestion!

Atmosphere:
Hip and cozy spot. It was a sleepy Sunday morning, and even though we had reservations we probably didn't need them as it wasn't crowded at all. The vibe was very relaxed and inviting.

LA Baby Hospitality:
Our service was a little slow, which was odd considering they weren't busy, but we weren't in a rush, so we didn't mind just relaxing with our coffee/tea and enjoying the morning at a leisurely pace. The servers were super friendly and offered great recommendations.

Frankie's Notes:
Jason bought the bright green race shirt so he would be easy to spot; Apparently literally everyone else had the same idea--all races now seem to be a sea of bright green, at least from this spectator's perspective; Disney security is no joke--I tried to jump a barrier to follow Jason to the finish and I almost got tazed; Don't taze me bro; Fat is your friend and his name is Bob the Fat Fairy; LA is a super awesome place filled with the best food and art; But seriously, why do we chase that cat?

Check out this pretty picture of Laguna Beach! And no: I didn't see Lauren Conrad; yes: I am still upset about it.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Kato

May 10, 2017

Background:
Kato is an unassuming spot in a strip mall in West Los Angeles. Kato is unique in that it offers a sophisticated tasting menu at a reasonable price ($50 per person). Chef and owner Jonathan Yao opened Kato in June of 2016 to rave reviews. We visited in January of 2017 with an old friend of mine from high school (Hi, Zach!) and his lovely girlfriend. Kato's vision is awesome, because you get quality food for a reasonable price and it's not your typical night-long tasting menu experience--we were able to get in and out and onto a comedy show at The Upright Citizen's Brigade!

Eat This:
We started with this lil' seaweed sandwich---it was super-charged with umami to get the evening started off properly!

It's filled with secrets (mostly because I can't remember what was in it)

Wagyu Tartare

Hamachi Crudo with pickled cucumber and nori mozuku sauce

Ocean trout with charred cabbage

Duck with plum sauce

Uni & crab porridge

Dessert:
Dessert was my absolute favorite course (I promise that this is not always the case (just usually), but this rose granita with buttermilk pudding was out of this world! I wanted five more.

Drink:
Kato did not have their liquor license yet on our visit, so we had some really awesome Jasmine tea topped with a sweetened condensed milk foam--basically the best version of Thai tea ever.

Image courtesy of Yelp — Image courtesy of *Yelp*

Atmosphere:
Kato is a very intimate spot (read: small), and the fact that it's tucked away in a strip mall makes you feel as though you are a food secret agent and you've found some sort of hidden gem, so that's exciting. The tables and decor are sparse--the focus is on the food, not the ambiance.

Hi, I'm sparse!/image courtesy of Yelp — Hi, I'm sparse!/image courtesy of *Yelp*

LA Baby Hospitality:
The servers were nice, and they were understanding of our lateness (LA traffic is seriously no joke), but we could tell that they were trying to move us in and out quickly, probably because they had someone else slated to use the table, which again, is totally on us for being late. There isn't really much reason to linger though, as Kato doesn't yet serve alcohol. Seriously, who wants to talk to their friends sober for longer than it takes to eat a meal? Does that make me an alcoholic?

Frankie’s Notes:
LA strip malls are probably where we will find a portal to another dimension; When your old high school friends are LA chic, does that make you fancy, too?; Seriously, I hope Elon Musk realizes his vision for an underground tunnel below LA's highways, because that situation is bananas; It actually makes me mad that they stopped traffic to film that dance scene for the opening of La La Land--like, seriously, these locals go through enough--get a proper set, Ryan Gosling; It's not Ryan's fault directly, but I am going to need him to apologize to me in person; "Hey girl, this traffic is really messed up, but I appreciate your flexibility in a stressful situation."

Rating: 4 out of 5

Image courtest of Notey — Image courtest of *Notey*

Here's Looking at You

May 3, 2017

Background:
Here’s Looking at You opened in LA’s Koreatown in July 2016 and was immediately a hit. Its star chef, Jonathan Whitener and front of house manager Lien Ta, who are also co-owners, have crafted a fun, hip little spot that manages to stand out in a neighborhood with no shortage of great restaurants. Both Whitener and Ta worked at another acclaimed LA restaurant, Animal, which we also visited on this trip--that review will be coming soon!

Here's lurking at you? Here's larking at you?? Glare sad face :/

We loved the vibe at HLAY, the space is cozy and the feel is laid back, but the cuisine is innovative and high-end.

Eat This:

**Avocado**

***Market citrus [persimmon], nori, hazelnut, champagne vinegar***
**The texture of the avocado the persimmon paired beautifully, and this was a nice light dish to round out everything else we ordered!**

**Young Yellowtail**

***Tamarind, serrano, radish, cilantro, banana blossom***
**When we see tamarind on a menu, it’s a no-brainer--we are ordering it. Also, did you know that bananas even have blossoms? I sure didn’t. But I liked it.**

**Beef Tartare**

***Red chili, ramps, yolk, turnip, cress, charred bread***
**Like tamarind, tartare is a dish we always order. This one was one of my absolute favorites, and by far my favorite dish of the night--until we got to dessert, that is!**

**Duck Breast**

***Blood mole, onion, Asian pear, natural jus***
This was our first foray into blood mole--the traditional Mexican sauce is typically made with chili peppers, nuts, and sometimes chocolate. This mole was made with, well, blood from the duck. Crazy stuff! We enjoyed it.

**White Trout**

***Khmeli suneli, hummus, snap peas, lemon, cilantro***
**The trout was fried, and spiced with khmeli suneli, a traditional Georgian spice. The hummus was a fab complement to the light and spicy breading on the fish.**

Dessert:

However, our main attraction was the bar pie--our server told us that they only serve one flavor of bar pie a day, and it can only be ordered at the bar (naturally). Their bar pie has won many awards in LA for being a top dessert, and we knew we had to try it. Plus, it was banana cream pie that day, which is maybe the best kind of pie, except for coconut cream, duh.

We started staking out the bar like creepers as soon as we began finishing up our main course (before we even finished dessert #1). I hopped up to steal some spots, only to be rebuffed--people had already been waiting for those seats. Embarrassment. Defeat. #barpiefail.

The hosts picked up on our persistence, and just decided to make it easy for us so we could get the pie and get outta there and stop bugging their patrons. Shame? No way. It was pie time!

Love love love.

Drink:
The cocktail menu is detailed and creative--I wished I could have tried every single one, but that would have surely involved a visit to the hospital, so we stuck with these two:

**Folk Hero**

***Persimmon leaf-infused tequila, winter citrus, yuzu, honey, Swiss Violette***

**Highway Mile**

***Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Amaro Sfumato, fresh lemon, black sesame syrup***

Atmosphere:
Intimate and trendy. We liked the picture of Morrissey on the wall, which our server let us know was a controversial picture--apparently Morrissey modeled for clothing company Supreme and wanted his photos to not be published after he found out that Supreme was sponsored by White Castle (Morrissey is an outspoken leader in the vegan community).

Morrissey probabbblyyy wouldn't want us eating that tartare

LA Baby Hospitality:
The server we had was so awesome--he explained everything thoroughly (including pop culture/Morrissey), and came around the perfect amount to check on us. Also, we really appreciated the server and host’s help in getting us a seat at the bar for some bar pie! Thanks, guys! Sorry we made it weird!

Frankie’s Notes:
Naming restaurants after great movie lines is such a clever idea--I would like to name a Hawaiian bakery after a line from Lilo & Stitch; It would be called: "If I gave Pudge tuna, I would be an abomination;" That fish is looking right into my soul; Morrissey is silently judging all of the diners; Cold hard fact? Even if "Bar Pie" was a fight to the death, Jason and I would still would have succeeded in eating it; No one died though; But I am saying they could have; Seacrest out.