Yard House: A Full Rack

Just to let you know upfront this will be a pretty extensive review very much like the one I did for Taps Fish House and Brewery.  If you haven't read the review for that place, definitely check it out by clicking here. 

Now where do I begin with Yard House (YH)....Just a mental note, this will be my third visit but my first review.  From what I recall service was average and the food is pretty good.  Can't really remember what I ordered in the past but I can tell you exactly what I got this time around.  By the way, we also ordered a lot of food here so hopefully you can keep up with me by the end of this entry, if not, feel free to just scroll through the images and their respective reviews if something looks interesting to you.

First the appetizers...

Grilled Artichoke

Great appetizer especially if you haven't had grilled artichoke's before.  I love spinach and artichoke dip so I had no doubt that I wouldn't like this starter.  What's unique about this dish is that you break a piece of the artichoke wedge off of it's stem, dip the bottom of the wedge into the aioli dipping sauce, bite into the wedge and slowly scrape off the artichoke off of the skin with your teeth.  I thought that was genius!  Just being able to discover new ways to eat foods just fascinates me.  Not knowing this any sooner just surprises me since I've been to countless restaurants and this is the first time for me.

As far as taste, it was good.  Squirt the lemon on top of the wedges and you are good to go.  The chips were excellent since they kept it's crispy texture throughout the night.

Ahi Poke Bowl

I'd pass on the ahi poke bowl.  This dish consisted of raw, marinated ahi tuna with sliced carrots and daikon atop of two deep-friend wonton chips with a slice of avocado on the side, which was weird to me. It would have been better if they incorporated the avocado into the dish instead of it being a sidekick.  Sharing this dish was a little bit harder because of that reason.  Everyone's forks are trying to break up a piece of the avocado, some bigger than others, but if they were already diced to proportion then maybe there wouldn't be that problem.  

Out of all the raw dishes, this one was a bit tasteless.  I think you really have to rely on the marinade in this one because the carrots, daikon, and the wonton doesn't do much for the ahi tuna.  Also, if everyone in your party took a large portion of the avocado, you're basically S.O.L.  I'll give it a try again next time only if someone else decides to get it.

Spicy Tuna Roll

Died and went to heaven.  Only thing that kind of threw off the dish was the edamame but who cares, they sort of fell off of the roll and I really didn't bother to eat them with the spicy tuna after the first bite with it.  The mushy texture from the avocado + spicy tuna and the hard bite into the soybean didn't do much for me.  The dish itself is still heavenly especially if you are a avid sushi eater.  For an American restaurant, they did a pretty good take on a spicy tuna roll.

Truffle Fries

The truffle fries are a must here.  I adore french fries so when they are fried in truffle oil with shredded parmesan and herbs to finish it off?  It was to die for.  I can just imagine myself going to YH just for their truffle fries.  Okay, maybe with the Spicy Tuna Roll too. ;)

And the entrees...

Ahi Crunchy Salad

I love salads that have a strong sesame dressing.  Maybe it's because I'm Asian, but what can you do.  Greens were fresh, wontons crunchy, and the ahi tuna was nicely seared.  Don't mind getting this again the next time I'm feeling like I want a light salad for din din.

Pepper Crusted Filet

The boyfriend ordered the pepper crusted filet after the waitress had recommended it to us.  I've had wayyy better steak.  Kind of disappointed to see this on the not-so-good side of the review because I was pretty stoked after having all those delectable appetizers to start with minus the ahi poke tuna bowl.

St. Louis Style Ribs

NOW THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!  I did a review on the baby back ribs at The Stinking Rose, but that place had some dry a** ribs.  YH did good.  My baby back ribs were sweet, tangy, moist and finger-lickin', mother-may-I-have-some-more, gooooooood!

With my FULL rack of baby back ribs!

I usually like carbs on the side whether if it's rice or bread with my meat but it's all good since the creamed corn and the beans made up for it.  I don't like beans unless if they're in my Chipotle burrito but that's about it, but these beans had a sweet taste to it.  The cilantro is a plus (since I love that stuff!).  The creamed corn comes close to a second when it comes to this dish.  After I had eaten as much as I could, I see forks coming left and right going after my creamed corn!  Sharing is caring but internally, I was struggling to let my boyfriend and his sister-in-law take some.  Next day when I took my leftovers to work, I only had like a mini, clear plastic sauce containers you dispense ketchup in at a Burger King.  Sad, but I couldn't let it go to waste!

Last image is just a piece of artwork hung right behind me.  I'm starting to show bits and pieces of the restaurant so that you can somewhat have an idea how it's going to be.  This artwork doesn't sum up the entire setting, but it caught my eye.  That and I felt that the bandit was going to steal my food!  Not this time cowboy!

<3 Lina Chen

13881 Peyton Dr.,  Chino Hills, CA 91709

 909.631.2200.  http://www.yardhouse.com

Yabby Hut

Needless to say my experience at Yabby Hut was more like "Crappy Hut."

As soon as you walk in, there is this potent cajun smell that fills the air of the restaurant.  It's strong, but it's absolutely great especially for a food-lover like me.  We were immediately seated at a booth where the waitress placed a big white sheet of paper covering the table and handed us plastic bibs with an image of a lobster in the middle.  There's no plates or utensils so expect a messy table with cajun spices all over your fingertips.

I ended up getting crawfish mixed in with their "Hot" (pro) cajun spices which was a bit more heat than what I had anticipated.  I can withstand spicy foods, this was a little unbearable.  The natural desire for it runs through my blood, but the "hot" was just too much to bear.  By the end of the night, the lining of my lip was red and plumpy as if I had undergone lip surgery and my tongue was on fire!  My best friend Sujin ordered the same thing as I had and all I can say is that she ate it like a boss.  So this is just a warning for those who like (or don't like) their foods extra spicy!

Once you order your food, the waitress will then bring out a big plastic clear bag full of yummy-goodness full of whatever you ordered whether it be craw fish, shrimp or other seafood items along with a cob of corn soaked in the spicy juices.  I guess what I didn't like the most is putting in the effort to get small amounts of meat.  In this case, that's what you have to do.  It's just not really worth it to me--taking the time to peel the shell, eat the meat of the body (which is so much smaller than the head), and to suck on the crawfish's head to get the brain juices (only if you like it).  According to the waitress It takes at least 2 lbs. minimum to fill an average persons stomach.  The crawfish were tiny and $8 per pound, mainly because we came during off season.  The value to me just wasn't there.

I feel like I had higher standards for Yabby Hut due to word of mouth of how "amazing their crawfish is" and the constant "I want to go to Yabby Hut" from others only skewed my perspective.  I won't completely disregard them since I feel like I haven't given them a fair chance, but I plan to go again only when the crawfish are in season, large, and actually worth eating.  I'll also make sure to order "mild" (amateur) instead of hot.  Also, I believe Yabby Hut is the original crawfish joint in Colorado, so there's really no other place to compare it to other than the Boiling Crab her in Cali.  Have to admit though, the Boiling Crab is better.  Hands down.

<3 Lina Chen

3355 South Yarrow Street  E-131, Lakewood, CO 80227
303.985.0231.   www.yabbyhut.com

Guppy Tea House

Guppy Tea House is this cute little hang out off of Azusa Ave. and Colima Road in Hacienda Heights.  So what I've noticed about SoCal is that there are well-known places amongst the Asian community all throughout the Los Angeles area.  My friend Lisa lives more towards the west side of southern California and she mentioned that both her and her friends from UCLA would drive all the way out to Hacienda Heights just for a bite to eat at Guppy House which can take about 30 minutes to an hour to drive.  So when I told her I've never been there before, she immediately said "we have to go here someday."  Although Lisa has taken me to Guppy House before, we went again last night after our intense work out.

The food at Guppy House wasn't all that pleasing, but I think people mainly go there because of their famous gargantuous shaved ice and their brick toasts, which I haven't yet tried.  The setting of the restaurant itself is also kind of neat which makes it a cool spot to get together.  Once you walk in, there's a ton of trees alongside of the walls.  There are green-leafed vines hanging above with blue lights emitting from the ceiling.  At night the atmosphere is calm because of the cool hues from the blues and there are mini fish tanks mounted on the walls with all different kinds of fishes inside of them.

Lisa got the Super Spicy Dumpling Soup.  Let me tell you, this dish was no joke.  It really was super spicy.  Like super duper SPICY!  It was also very tangy and sour which I didn't like very much.  The dumplings are served separately from the noodles and soup.  Corn is set aside for those who would like the option to add it in their dish.  Both Lisa and I concluded that we didn't care for this dish because of the zesty flavor.  The ingredients really didn't work well together.  The dumplings alone weren't all that bad either.

On the side we also ordered the popcorn chicken.  I often yearn for deep-fried foods so it was no surprise to see me getting the popcorn chicken at Guppy House.  Even though there are so much to choose from, that was what I wanted in the end.  The popcorn chicken here is lightly battered and fried until golden brown.  They use pepper and garlic to flavor the chicken but also sprinkle a refined chili powder atop of the chicken while it's crispy hot.  Most places don't do that, but I think that may be the a Chinese version, which I've slowly grown accustomed to since my move here.

To see what else they have click here for a list of their entire menu!

The food there isn't all that wonderful but I do hope that the dessert's as delicious as people deem them to be, especially the brick toast and their shaved ice...  Oh well, next time.

<3 Lina Chen

P.S.  I forgot to bring my camera to the restaurant and so these images are directly from www.foodspotting.com. 

7188 Colima Road, Hacienda Heights, CA 91745

626.965.7288.  www.myguppyteahouse.com

Quick Fix: Niu Rou Mian

Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you, niu rou mian (牛肉麵) also known as beef noodle soup.  This quintessential Chinese/Taiwanese dish consists of braised beef soaked in a soy sauce-tomato broth and is complimented with Chinese sauerkraut and various greens such as spinach, green onions, bok choy, and more.  The niu rou mian shown above is actually a dry version where there is no soup base and the noodles are thick.

Ever since I've moved out to California, this has been a part of my every day diet.   Colorado's Chinese/Taiwanese population doesn't compare to that of California, but there is a particular place that does serve niu rou mian which is Lao Wang's Noodle House on Federal Boulevard.  The restaurant is owned by an old couple so the service is slow and parking is extremely hard to find, but if you are curious what niu rou mian is, then go there.  For me, it's the same feeling I had when I discovered pho!

I just recently had dinner with my boyfriend and his mom at a local Chino Hills Chinese restaurant called the Peking Deli, off the 71 near Chino Hills Parkway.  The Peking Deli is catered towards the Chinese palette which I love because the foods much more authentic and it reminds me of the times when I was in Taiwan the summer of 2008.  The beef was tender and juicy, the sauerkraut bitter, but it help compliment the entire dish.  I didn't care for the greens that they used but overall, it's good.  Flavorful.  Inexpensive.  Close to home.  Perfect for when I'm craving for this dish.  Nom nom nom...

<3 Lina Chen

4183 Chino Hills Parkway, Chino Hills, CA, 91709
909.393.0359