Thursday, December 7, 2023

Curiosity 43: LA – teppanyaki

We spent five hours on the road today—mostly on 101, which at the LA County line became the 101. Toward the end of our journey we found ourselves crawling through Calabasas, in the San Fernando Valley, when Google suggested we exit the eight-lane freeway and wind our way into Woodland Hills, where we have a converted-garage Air BnB room for a few days. 

It was 3:15, and so many cars! It made me feel like a country bumpkin.

At 5, for dinner, we headed down twisting Don Pio Drive through a neighborhood of neat homes, to connect with Ventura Boulevard. And oh, the choices of restaurants! Most of them in a single shopping center! Thai, sushi, Vietnamese, Greek, and Korean fusion; Urban Plates, Curry Up Cafe, Noah's Bagels, Fatburger & Buffalo Express. We settled on Something Fishy, for teppanyaki—which we don't get in Monterey (that I know of). And it was a treat, to watch the chefs do their culinary performances, among such a diversity of diners. We had halibut and shrimp, cooked to perfection.

This city life is okay. At least when it comes to dining options. I'm not crazy about the traffic, though.

Here are a couple of pictures I took of our chef as he made a little volcano out of half an onion, then (humorously) blew a train whistle while dismantling the volcano, which by then was destined for our plates.


Tomorrow, we'll be eating literally next door to Something Fishy, at a Persian place known as Shirin—a family reunion. The whole world is available to our taste buds here. It's amazing!

And on our twisting way back through the Don Pio Road neighborhood, we enjoyed all the gaily decadent Christmas displays. The holiday spirit is in full swing here.



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