san gabriel valley

Day 246: 626 Night Market

Grilled Squid at the 626 Night Market.

Grilled Squid at the 626 Night Market.

The final 626 Night Market of the year is this weekend. Pictured above is one of my favorite foods there: grilled squid. While it’s not as good as Gerry’s Grill, it’s my go-to food at these outdoor shindigs.

The 626 Night Market is a huge Asian-themed food festival, but it’s much more than that: there’s vendors of all sorts, live music, DJs, artists, and a great people-watching scene, as well as a growing number of non-Asian food choices. It gets bigger every year and, honestly, you’re better off going to any of the nearby San Gabriel Valley eateries to get quality Asian food at non-festival prices (aka cheaper).

Still, for only $3 (and free parking), it’s worth it for the entertainment value alone. I can only handle a few hours of the madness, though, since these days I’m more of a eat-my-squid-and-go-home type of guy.

Day 128: Ajisen Ramen

Ajisen Ramen

Ajisen Ramen

We celebrated an early Mother’s Day with my mother-in-law tonight at Ajisen Ramen in Rowland Heights. It doesn’t compare to the legendary Daikokuya and other top ramen spots in Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley, but Ajisen is always satisfying and I like the modern decor of this Japanese-based chain restaurant.

After inhaling the baby octopus and fried tofu appetizers (both were delicious), we dove right into our ramen. I went with the Premium Pork Ramen this time and left a happy camper. There are many excellent ramen shops in the area (Ramen Yukino Ya and Foo Foo Tei, to name just two), but Ajisen has never let me or my family down.

Day 68: The Mall

De Cafe Baristas

De Cafe Baristas

I was in Monterey Park the other night, with about an hour to kill. I had a few things I wanted to get done for work, so I Yelped coffeehouses in the area and stumbled upon De Cafe Baristas in the Atlantic Times Square Plaza. A few minutes later and I had scored a parking spot (not easy to do, apparently) and wandered through the outdoor mall.

It’s a great space and I was instantly impressed. It has a city-like feel to it, with apartments towering above the retail and restaurant spots. As I walked to the coffeehouse, I was excited to see the eating options: 101 Noodle Express, Curry House, and Lee’s Sandwiches, to name a few. Having been to so many malls and shopping centers with the typical Sbarro/Panda Express/Jamba Juice food courts, this was like a breath of fresh air. Just thinking about the beef roll and scallion pancake at 101 Noodle Express makes my mouth water.

And, yes, I loved De Cafe Baristas. Read more in my Yelp review.