Naga Naga Ramen

Last night, the wife decided to come along with me to my rec league basketball game in Alhambra. This is about 55 miles from home. What can I say? I love the game.
Anyway, it was a late game which meant we better find a place to eat afterward. We stumbled upon Naga Naga Ramen.

The decor is very conteporary. There are some booths mixed in with a bunch of bar height community tables. We got to sit around one of the two giant aquariums. It's kind of like sitting at a sushi bar, but replace the sushi bar with a huge tank. Does that make any sense?

We started with the sizzling squid. The calamari is sauteed on a hot plate with soy sauce, green onion, and seaweed. It wasn't quite what we were expecting. We were hoping to get something that would be less greasy than your typical fried calamari. This was still a bit oily for us. Don't get me wrong, the flavor was great, but the oil didn't have to be there. Maybe they should saute it, then serve it in a regular dish rather than leaving it in the oil.

For the ramen dishes, you get to pick the broth, noodles, and meats. I headed for the "Revolutionary Ramen" section of the menu. These are considered non-traditional dishes. This is the Beef & Kimchee Ramen. It has thin slices of beef, kimchee (spicy pickled cabbage), a spicy kimchee broth, and yellow curly ramen noodles (I would guess egg noodles). I enjoyed the fact that the soups don't come out boiling like in traditional korean restaurants. They serve it and you can dig right in. This soup was quite enjoyable. It had just enough of a spicy kick with out me having to worry if my ass will be on fire later. I think the beef could have been prepared a little better. It was almost shredded. How about nice slices of beef just like the menu suggested? They could take a cue from Vietnamese beef pho.

The wife went with the Seafood Tomyum Ramen, also from the "Revolutionary Ramen" section. This has the Thai Tomyum broth which is your typical lemon grass, hot and sour soup. It included shrimp, calamari, and imitation crab. I am not a fan of imitation crab. Why can't these restaurants ever get the real stuff? The imitation crab never looks or tastes like real crab. But, I guess that's a topic for another discussion. This also included the same curly ramen (I still think they are egg noodles). You can never go wrong with the Tomyum broth. It was interesting to see it served as a main dish. It's one of those things where you go to a Thai joint and have it as a starter. But, all it has is the shrimp, mushrooms, and lemon grass. And you think to yourself... I wouldn't mind having this as a meal. Naga Naga Ramen fulfills that wish.

They serve up great soups which really hit the spot on those chilly nights. If you're ever in the mood for something a little more than that boring Chicken Noodle (don't get me wrong, chicken noodle is delicious)... then head on over to Alhambra.


Naga Naga Ramen
46 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91801
(626) 585-8822
www.nagaramen.com



I'm from LA Trick

Triunfo Tacos

For the past few weeks I've been on this street taco binge. I'm talking about those tacos you would get after a long night of debauchery in the clubs of Tijuana. You know, right before you crossed back over the border. So, I told my coworkers how I needed a street taco fix. But, San Diego was too far to go from Orange County during lunch. Luckily, one of my coworkers understood exactly what I was looking for.

She knew of a little taqueria not far from our office. It was great. The menu was simple. Pick the meat you wanted in your taco. That's it. All the tacos were $1.09.

I went for my personal favorite Al Pastor. Then got back in line for some Carne Asada, Cabeza, and Lengua. Every taco is topped with some chopped cilantro, onions, and salsa. They also throw some sliced radishes on the plate as well.

The Al Pastor was nicely marinated. If you don't know, it is marinated pork. It is a little spicy, but nothing too serious.

The carne asada is pretty standard issue. Nothing unique with their marinade. I think a little more lime juice would do them some good.

Now for the Cabeza (cow head). It was like eating the skin off the face of the cow. It was kind of chewy. I tried to see if there was any distinct flavor to the meat, but they pretty much douse this taco with a ton of salsa verde (green salsa).

The lengua (cow tongue) is soft and tender, kind of like a good steak. But, I think this meat is just boiled. So it basically takes on the flavor of the salsa.

For $1.09 per taco, I'll definitely be frequenting this joint at lunch times to come.
But, I'll be sticking to the Al Pastor.
There was one meat I have yet to try... Buche (chitlins, i.e. intestines). Maybe next time... maybe.

El Triunfo Taqueria

1840 S Standard Ave
Santa Ana, CA 92707

(714) 836-1990



I'm From LA Trick