Tito Rad's Grill (Woodside, NY)

Special thanks to JL for recommending this authentic Filipino restaurant in Queens!  We tried a number of traditional dishes, all of which were pretty good.  (If taking public transportation, this place is very close to the 46 St. and 52 St. stations served by the local 7 train.)

Lumpiang Shanghai (fried spring rolls made from vegetable, ground pork, and shrimp; served with a sweet and sour dipping sauce)


Inihaw na Tuna Belly (grilled tuna belly)


Barbeque Chicken


Crispy Pata (deep fried pork knuckles with ginger and garlic)


Pancit Palabok (rice noodles with shrimp sauce served with bacon, shrimp, crushed pork rinds, and hard boiled egg)


Ginataang Sitaw, Calabasa at Okra (sauteed string beans, squash, okra, shrimp, and pork served in coconut milk)


Tito's Delight (leche flan, ube, cassava cake)

Boiling Point (Pasadena, CA)

Went to a Taiwanese hot pot restaurant for lunch while in Pasadena (Old Town).  Note that the Taiwan Spicy Hot Pot only comes in the "flaming" level of spice, so consider yourself warned.  To go with your meal, tea/milk can also be ordered at a discount from their sister shop Jin next door (hint: ordering milk helps with the spicier soup bases).

Taiwanese Spicy Hot Pot

Kinjiro (Los Angeles, CA)

Joined some friends for a birthday dinner (tasting menu) in the Little Tokyo neighborhood of Los Angeles.  The food was great (special mention to the uni, beef, and cod)!  There was also a wide selection of sake on the menu.  Definitely a neighborhood gem.

Uni, Scallop Blue Crab with House-made Ponzu Jelly


Kinjiro Ceviche (includes Octopus, Shrimp, Snapper, Scallops, Mango)


Kinjiro Japanese Wagyu Carpaccio with Arima Sansho


Seared Uni (Santa Barbara Sea Urchin)


Warm Organic Baby Spinach & Organic Mushroom Salad


Kinjiro Free-range Chicken Maki-age (Fried Chicken)


Thick-cut Prime Beef Tongue


Australian Wagyu Chuck Rib Kalbi


Black Cod with Saikyo Miso


Steamed Manila Clams (with Ginger)


Kinjiro Agedashi Homemade Tofu


Kinjiro Squid Ink Udon

Fely J's (Makati, Philippines)

A recommended Filipino restaurant in Makati's Greenbelt complex (2/F, Greenbelt 5).

Sizzling Sisig (tender pig's minced cheeks, sauteed in spices and served in a sizzling plate)


Fried Calamari


KKK (Kare-Kare Klab: ox tripe, ox tail, and vegetables stewed in peanut sauce served with sauteed bagoong)


Gising Gising (kangkong stems stewed with shrimp in coconut cream)


Crispy Patang Bawang (deep-fried pork leg)


Tilapia with Sweet Plum Sauce


Lola Ising's Adobo (crisp pork adobo with garlic)


Bam-I (Iloilo-style sauteed pork, seafood, and vegetables with miki and sotanghon noodles)

Usagi (San Mateo, CA)

This restaurant is a little off from the main downtown area of San Mateo, but is pretty good for Japanese comfort food.

Corn Soup or Salad (comes with main course)


Spicy Cod Roe Cream Pasta


Beef Curry Rice with Pork Cutlet


Chicken Curry

Little Shanghai Restaurant (San Mateo, CA)

It was a pleasant surprise to find this Shanghainese restaurant in San Mateo.  Most of the food seemed pretty authentic, although the soup dumplings were a little dry inside (will try these again in the future before passing final judgment).

Stir-Fried Shrimp (水晶虾仁)


Pork Wrapped with Stir-Fried Tofu (红烧豆腐包)


Soup Dumplings (小笼包)

China Stix Restaurant (Santa Clara, CA)

Another go-to dimsum place in the South Bay.

Steamed Pork and Shrimp Dumplings (烧卖); Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (虾饺); Cold Tofu with Preserved Egg (皮蛋豆腐); Chicken Feet (凤爪)


Beef Tripe (牛肚); Rice Rolls with Shrimp (虾肠粉)


Beef Ball (牛肉丸); Fried Turnip Cake (萝卜糕)