#dineLA just started Friday July 13 and what better way for me to kick it off than with my boyfriend at EMC Seafood & Raw Bar (Santa Anita Mall location). For just $49pp, we had a killer menu that was more than worth it! In case you guys don’t already know, dineLA occurs twice-three times a year as a 2wk “restaurant week” in which over a hundred of restaurants in LA county participate to showcase their special menus of cultural diversity in prix fixe. It is a GREAT way to try even nicer places for a steal without killing your wallet! Let me walk you through the first place we ate at. 🙂
Oyster Sampler. Chef’s Choice. 3 Kinds. To start off, each person gets to sample 3 oysters of Chef’s Choice! Our waiter was too busy to tell us which oysters the chef chose for us, but each oyster was thoroughly cleaned and neatly shucked. All tasted fresh!
Scallop Carpaccio (Yuzu Kosho, Ponzu, EVOO, Smoked Sea Salt) & Salmon Carpaccio (Lightly Seared, Truffle, Ponzo, Black Tobikko). Each person gets 2 pieces of scallop and salmon carpaccio! The scallops were extremely tender, soft and smooth. The yuzu and EVOO gave a citrus-y edge that was nicely complemented with the salty finish from the sea salt. The salmon was very tender and so lightly seared to give that smoky finish. I really enjoyed the truffle flavors added on and the black tobikko gave that slight crunchy contrast to the smooth salmon.
Uni Pasta. Uni Cream Sauce, Dried Seaweed, Fish Roe. Uni pasta has always been my favorite here out of all other restaurants! Not as much as a steal as the other main entree menu options, but still a bang for your prix fixe buck! It was topped with 2 whole pieces of fresh uni. The sprinkled seaweed was still crispy after being stirred. The sauce was extremely creamy! The fish roe throughout the sauce added a crunchy texture that I very much appreciate.
Look at its creaminess!
Charred Whole Lobster (Cull). With Vegetables. When you hear “whole lobster,” you must get it! What better deal?! Any fool wouldn’t pick lobster!!! What we both appreciated the most with this lobster was the fact that it was sliced in half for you (not only for the easiness to eat but also for the presentation). Furthermore, the huge hunk of claw was perfectly cracked into so that it was easy for us to break it off and enjoy the WHOLE CHUNK OF CLAW MEAT! How satisfying is that?! Now I hate myself for not taking a picture of it… On the side we have some boiled kale with light seasoning and some crispy sliced potatoes on the side! Thank you for the full macros on this one!
Tiramisu. The tiramisu was a bit disappointing to me. It was still frozen! I couldn’t even pierce my fork in because it was still frozen.. Tiramisu was meant to be soft and fluffy.. After letting it melt a bit, the tiramisu tasted better..
Key Lime Pie. Mixed Berries. Now I liked the key lime pie! Cheaper by $1 but tasted much better, the key lime pie really threw me in for a surprise! I never was a fan of key lime pie, but this was so good! The thick crust was a delight to crunch on in comparison to the smoothness of the slightly tart key lime taste..
This is the first of many dineLA experiences for me this round. I am not letting my hectic school and work schedule be a food block for me so stay tuned! Apologizes for the lack of blogging lately. I honestly did not have to go out to eat, but for dineLA I will make time! 🙂
