If you are a tea seeker like I am whenever you travel, you cannot miss out on the unique Portland experience of the teahouse in Lan Su Chinese Garden's Tower of Cosmic Reflections. Operated by Tao of Tea, the teahouse within the gardens offers traditional Chinese tea service set in as tranquil a location as you might be able to find within the downtown city walls. The two-story building where this spot of respite rests is structured in line with the rest of the beautiful architecture in the gardens - gleaming shingled roof, dark wood accents, and features of teas and their assorted accessories. I made my way upstairs to situate next to an open window overlooking the gardens and happened to also be able to see parts of the cityscape beyond the peaceful walls. The teahouse offers tea in several types of services whether you are seeking casual, traditional, individual, or even group enjoyment.


You will have to consider that venturing to this tea spot involves an admission ticket to the gardens themselves. However, what is there to lose by entering such a place? It is built with peacefulness and tranquility in mind. We often miss out on quiet moments with the hustle and bustle of the real world that we seek these types of havens. Visit these gardens to get a taste of that calm. Not only is this a garden in Chinese fashion but it is actually nearly the mirror of another garden in China itself, built by the same planners and with the same intent of introspection. As I moved from section to section in the gardens before reaching the teahouse, I could see each of the essential five elements of Chinese garden planning laid out - rocks, water, plants, architecture, and poetry.

Inside the teahouse, I realized the menu was more than just a menu; it documented processes of growing, cultivating, and processing teas to form the various types we know and love. Extensive descriptions of tea types and flavor profiles followed with each listing, informing the ignorant but eager tea learner of what to expect and what to look for. There was also a separate menu for the tea drinker who was looking for accompanying bites both sweet and savory. I saw the likes of moon cakes and tea eggs alongside each other. Personally, my intent was to turn this experience into my lunch for the day too so I opted for food with my view.


I decided that my inability to make a concrete decision was due to my fascination with all of the types and serving styles there so to sate that interest, I chose to do a flight. Their flights focus on different categories (white teas, green teas, etc) and my pick referenced my setting. A Pu-erh Tea Flight ($16 for one person) it was in Gaiwan Ceremony Style. This traditional method gives one the ability to brew according to individual taste and uses a gaiwan (specific cup). There were several vessels presented once the setting was placed in front of me so I immediately looked lost and had to ask for direction. My server was kind enough to demonstrate and throughout the demonstration, emphasized the importance of keeping all of the vessels hot to "warm the soul."

The steps were hypnotic to watch. A black cast iron teapot with a raised patterned exterior set upon an open flame tea warmer housed just-below-boiling water. One wash is needed from the loose leaves which is dumped into a rinse bowl. The second pour over the leaves is agitated with the gaiwan lid several times so the liqueur leeching from the leaves can properly be infused. You pour the tea from the gaiwan to a spouted vessel, using the lid as your strainer. This miniature pitcher then pours into a petite teacup into which approximately four to five pours can be made. Each loose leaf tea bundle in the flight produced four gaiwans-worth which each produced four to five cups worth. To say I had a lot of tea is an understatement. I believe I had refilled my teapot thrice by then end of the service.

With each pour, the intricacy of each tea changed. I savored each cup as best I could, sipping gently and letting each initial mouthful wash over all of my inner cheeks and tongue to best understand every nuance. It was easy to slip into a contemplative mode when directly in my line of sight was the view of calming, beautiful rock and plant formations surrounding lotus-topped placid lakes. I haven't been versed in pu-erh teas before but there is an allure to these types because of their history.


Romantics aside, the tea here is fantastic and appeals to the dreamer, the relaxer, the creative. Cursory glances told me they were curated well with enough of variety to touch on any drinker's preferences. They also feature so many plates that can meet your needs. I enjoyed the cool Taoist Delight Noodles ($8 - Chinese rice noodles, longevity mushroom, garlic sauce, roasted sesame, ginger carrot, and soybean topping) with their pressed tofu triangles because of the generous amounts of vegetables included, sprinkled with black and white sesame seeds, and flavored subtly in sesame oil. Slivers of mushrooms added additional umami to each bite and the grated carrots lent satisfying crunchiness. I also eagerly asked for Pickled Bamboo Shoots ($4 -young shoots of tropical bamboo) and Chinese Steamed Dumplings ($6 - six vegetable dumplings seasoned with ginger and fermented black bean sauce). Finger foods really but soul satisfying.

How else should one enjoy tea? I eagerly anticipate my next return. I don't think I could ever make a future trip to Portland without coming back here. If you'd like to visit them yourself, they are located at 239 Northwest Everett Street, Portland, OR 97209.

The proliferation of fast casual restaurants and widespread reach of more multicultural types of these betrays the constant go-go-go nature of our culture and desire for variety. Whether it is the build it how you want it outlook or the dressing up of what used to get away with bare minimum design and layout, restaurants are rolling in this direction and pushing out food that meet the needs of working people. Not only is the variety a demand from scrutinizing diners but the sourcing also is. Buzzwords kick in. Restaurants need to meet those desires. We see with the new opening of another Luna Grill this to be true. Cerritos recently welcomed the newest Luna Grill location, a Mediterranean fast casual chain that has proven itself in San Diego, Orange County, Dallas, and now areas of Los Angeles.


This particular one is set in a plaza across from the Cerritos Mall where plenty of other fast casuals reside. It is decorative inside, conveying a modern feel. Families took up a lot of the booths, and the vast menu made it a little difficult to come up with a decision right off the bat with so many great choices. We eventually managed to make our selections and were not expecting the quantity that each plate loaded us with.

We began with a small appetizer of their Falafel ($3.75 - four rounds of handcrafted falafel topped with tahini sauce), a traditional Mediterranean item that has versatility in how it is enjoyed - snack, in a wrap, on a full plate, etc. They came drizzled with a tahini sauce at four to the plate but looked quite dark to me. These mounds of chickpeas and blended herbs are typically deep-fried, and these were no exception. They had a good crunch but were a tad saltier than expected.


The plates were enormous once we got to our entrees. Each came with heaping amount of sides and accompaniments. The side salad with each felt under-dressed because of the great amount of vegetables. Between the choice of carrot slices or a grilled tomato, we found that it depended more on your preference as one is crunchy and seasoned while the other is slightly juicy and smoky. They said that their most popular plate was the chicken kabob but our eyes were already on the lamb kabob and gyro plates. All choices were part of their Signature Plates menu which come with house salad, basmati rice, pita bread, cucumber-yogurt dip, and choice of carrots or grilled tomato. We had the Lamb Tenderloin Kabob ($13.50 - marinated grass fed lamb) and Gyros ($11 - blend of beef, lamb, and traditional spices). The lamb ended up being slightly tough but not too much so. The rice, fluffy and plentiful, made for a great base for each of the meats. Each shaving of the gyro meat was flavorful and soft, playing well with the rice. The pita was slightly tough.

When it came to desserts, these were miniature but for good reason. Laden with the sweetness of syrup and perhaps honey, our Mini Baklava ($1.50) was weighed down with stickiness but tasty. I preferred the Mini Chocolate Nut Roll ($1.50) in this case though because the chocolate cut through the saccharine sweet. Overall, congratulations to Luna Grill on their latest expansion. You can find them at 11261 183rd St, Cerritos, CA 90703.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

Since 2008, the barrel-aged craft beers of The Bruery have been delighting Orange County drinkers with punny names and carefully planned, tasty brews. What started off as a project by Patrick Rue who got interested in brewing and decided to forego a career in law turned into an operation that steadily grew. The original stomping grounds were just about twice the size of a modest administrative office and tucked away in a parking lot in Placentia but as the consumer base expanded, so did The Bruery which is now considered the biggest barrel aging and biggest barrel conditioning brewery in the nation with six warehouses to boast about. At any point in time, they house at least four thousands oak barrels!

So where does Bruery Terreux fit in? This space with a large tasting room is dedicated to producing farmhouse-style wild ales and sours. We hopped onto the opportunity to take a free tour of the establishment that opened July 8th and after Josh, our #bowtietourguide, went over the safety issues and distributed certified safety goggles, we and a few others were on our way.


Wildly Traditional Bière

Because Bruery Terreux (named for its French translation as "Earth") focuses on wild and sour ales, it had to be a separate production house from the original Bruery spaces; cross-contamination is tricky when you deal with sours and can often ruin beers not intended to become sours. We learned a bit about how the common beer styles (stouts, lagers, etc) are relatively young in the grand scheme of brewing history, sitting at just a few hundred years old, while Belgian styles and others that depend on wild yeast like at Bruery Terreux have been around the longest. What propelled The Bruery to this fashion of brewing was when their Oude Tart (Flemish red ale aged 12-18 months in red wine barrels) received multiple high-level awards and recognition. Despite sours taking more time, dedication, and risk, they do have a strong fan base. For Bruery Terreux, their ales must be aged at least 6-12 months in barrels and make use of the wild yeast brettanomyces (called Brett by brewers).

After some branding background, we gathered in their fermentation room which was filled with steel fermenters and thousands of barrels ranging from 59-gallon wine barrels to 88/120-gallon puncheons to the behemoth 7,750-gallon foeders. Not on premise? A mash tun and kettle which means that Bruery Terreux is not technicallya brewery; rather, it's a fermentation space that gets wort from the other warehouses and brings those to their tasty, beer-y forms in a few weeks' to months' time before the long aging, fermenting process. Josh pointed out that beers in the Bruery Terreux brand are, at minimum, a year old.


Part of the tour did have interactive components as we tasted two types of beers made at Bruery Terreux and sniffed our way around various covered flasks of bacteria. The strains of brettanomyces (lambicus and claussenii) got their rounds through the crowd of us as did lactobacillus and the overall blend of each type (smelled like cherry pie!). We also explored the differences between wooden fermenters (the foeders at Bruery Terreux) and steel fermenters, learned the various hoop names for barrels and the risks for pressure building up, and examined the bottling machines that get together the delicious brews everyone loves. I'd love to share more but where's the fun in that? You'll have to take 30 minutes out of one of your days soon to join the charismatic and informative Josh on a free tour of the place, and ask all the questions you want answered.


All the talk of beer had us hankering for our own libations. The extensive tap list in the tasting room section of Bruery Terreux featured brews from both brand lines and very reasonable prices per taster in a flight. We decided to focus mostly on the sours available but couldn't resist a few stouts in the way. Expect $1-$2 per taster which is plenty if you're doing a full five-rack as we did. The wide seating area inside opened up to an even bigger patio with access to the rotating food truck parked outside, a smart move for anyone wanting to stay a while and try several varieties. We ended up leaving with hefty bottles of their Share This: Coffee and Or Xata alongside the newfound knowledge about the new space.

Find Bruery Terreux at 1174 N. Grove St., Anaheim, CA and make sure you get your free sneak peek into how they do things there.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

She told me there was a place nearby that did a cheese "omakase" she had been eyeing. I looked down at the enormous and deliciously smothered al pastor burrito in front of me and said, "Let's do it." The burrito would have to be boxed up. I had barely gone through a third of the monster before my stomach was reaching for the towel to throw in but I couldn't reach that point. Not before I experienced this cheese spot. My friend said it was called Chizu, and I smirked at the Japanese styling of the name.

I had to ask how there could be a cheese omakase if cheese isn't a native product of Japan but when we entered the establishment, we could see that Chizu was designed to represent that look and feel. It was set up like a sushi bar inside with bar seating around display cases of various cheeses. Multicolored paper cranes were the accents sitting above each case, and a modest display of sakes and bottled beers lined the shelving behind the counter. We eagerly stared at the hunky cheese chunks and sat down to experience what Chizu had to offer. The verdict: cheese heaven.


Is it foolish to be so enamored by what essentially is just a cheese shop with an expert behind the bar? Were we romanticizing these rinds too much? Who cares? It was an intimate experience that allowed us to focus our attention on the wheels at hand. Separated by what we assumed to be rind types, the cheeses tempted us from our vantage point at the bar. There was just one couple in the restaurant at the time but the limited seating would have still kept Chizu small had it been at full capacity. The options we had for omakase (letting them put together the choices) were $25 for 1-2 people, $35 for 2-3 people, $45 for 3-4 people, $60 for 4-6 people, or writing down how much you want to spend total. It was customizable, and after we shared what some of the cheeses we already liked were, they went to work to pick the best pieces. In the meanwhile, we could have chosen food pairings such as their Salami Board, Duck Board, Quince Paste, and Olives but opted to do the cheese straight.


We each went with the $25 choice with the intent to share. My friend's spread was:

• Casatica di Bufala, Water Buffalo, Italy ($4 - bloomy rind, yeasty, sweet, custard)
• Their explanation: Because this cheese is made from buffalo milk, it is aged longer than a lot of other cheeses and is therefore firmer. It has a naturally bloomy rind and is flash-pasteurized for 15 seconds at 145°F.
• Our reaction: The rind was crunchy and hard while the main part of the cheese was semisoft with a creamy mouthfeel. It paired superbly with dried blueberries.
• Camembert Le Pommiers, Cow, France ($4 - bloomy rind, mushroom, butter, broccoli)
• Their explanation: Camembert is usually mass produced so its fragile texture becomes rubbery and flavor becomes secondary to production. This one is made low and slow so that it would maintain its natural consistency. 
• Our reaction: The description note of "broccoli" made so much sense as the cheese was very "funky" in flavor. It paired well with tomato jam and was very smooth.
• L'Amuse Gouda, Cow, Holland ($5 - firm, salted brown butter, cocoa, crunchies) 
• Their explanation: This Gouda is aged for two years in Holland and gets its color from annatto seed. Don't eat the rind on this one as it was covered in wax. Protein crystals have developed in it because of the long aging process.
• Our reaction: It had a taste that resembled a milder aged sharp Cheddar, and its hardness was accentuated by the protein crystals. It's definitely a great hard cheese.
• Carbicharme, Raw Goat, Belgium ($5 - washed rind, sweet, funky, umami) 
• Their explanation: This style used to be done by Trappist monks so was taken care of very carefully. Today, it comes from a co-op in Belgium where people raise the goats healthily and work together. The flavor is quite unique. 
• Our reaction: This was definitely unique with a little bit of woody flavor to it. No wonder it's one of their favorites!
• Wrangeback, Raw Cow, Sweden ($5 - alpine, sharp, caramel, nutty) 
• Their explanation: This cheese comes from Sweden and is similar to Cheddar in taste and texture. It's the oldest Swedish cheese type from the country and considered alpine (the source cows are herded up the mountain throughout the year to make sure their feed is consistently great)
• Our reaction: There were crunchy protein crystals in this that highlighted its nuttiness; we brought this out even more so when we enjoyed it with candied almonds.

My spread was beautifully put together too and brought back a cheese I hadn't had in a long time but loved when I first tried it:

• Grand-Mere Adrienne Tomme de Chevre, Goat, France ($5 - bloomy rind, fudgy, tangy, bright)
• Their explanation: In translation, it means the goat cheese of grandmother Adrienne. This cheese's rind is naturally formed but before the mold comes up, the rind is coated in smoky oak ash to give it a distinctive coloring.
• Our reaction: Calling it ashy is no joke. The rind gave it a very unique, smoky flavor and the cheese was pleasantly smooth, fully coating the mouth in its creamy brightness.
• Idiazabal, Raw Sheep, Spain ($3 - firm, lightly smoked, slightly gamy, caramel) 
• Their explanation: As a Spanish sheep cheese, Idiazabal is a good cousin to Manchego which you (Minerva) liked. In addition, its origin is cool. Spaniards would age this in the attics of their homes and when they would light fires, it would lightly smoke the cheese. Now as a DOP-protected cheese, every cheese has to be lightly smoked to be given this name.
• Our reaction: This is one that I've had before and really, really enjoyed then. Both of us had to save a portion of this to finish the night with because its slight smokiness and savoriness had us wanting more.
• Sartori Raspberry Bellavitano, Cow, Wisconsin ($3 - washed rind, raspberries, brown butter, sharp)
• Their explanation: This is an American cheese from Wisconsin that has been washed in a raspberry lambic. A lot of cheeses are washed in beer and sometimes saltwater but this one is done with a lambic; this gives a sweeter taste that is complementary to the body of the cheese.
• Our reaction: Wow. The raspberry flavor really shone through not just in the scent of the cheese but with each bite. It went beautifully well with candied hazelnut and the meadowfoam Willamette Valley honey we had. Because of the strong berry taste, the cheese could have just been dessert on its own.
• Capra Stagionato, Goat, Italy ($4 - washed rind, funky, creamy, coconut) 
• Their explanation: We know this one is from Italy but information about it is actually hard to find. 
• Our reaction: This has quite a musty rind and a tartness typical of goat cheese but somewhat stronger.
• Chiriboga Blue, Cow, Germany ($6 - blue, lemon curd, dense, buttery) 
• Their explanation: Though you don't favor Blues, this is a Blue you need to try. It is not overpowering and balanced in its creaminess and "Blue" flavor. Eat it with the cherries.
• Our reaction: If Blue cheese were like this one, we'd definitely have more of them. This cheese went very well with cherries and candied pecans. It had the characteristics of a Blue cheese without too much of the funky pungency; it also melted in your mouth effortlessly.

To make sure that my friend got to try it too, I chose a slice of Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk, Cow, California ($6 - washed rind, pungent, bacon fat, creamy) because I knew it to be a wonderful cheese that should be had.

Overall, what a fantastic experience at Chizu from the expertise to the variety to the ambiance. Not only were there plenty of flavor profiles to cater to but the eatery also had origin stories for the cheeses without being pedantic. I'm certainly one who enjoys learning and tried to ask a lot of questions about how the cheeses are made and how rinds are defined. If you're interested in giving Chizu a try, find them at 1126 SW Alder St, Portland, OR 97205 in downtown and maybe even pop on next door to the Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library too.

Photography by Minerva Thai. 

"When I dip, you dip, we dip..."

Oh, not that kind of dipping. Though I'm sure they wouldn't object too much if you started dancing out of joy at Yojie Japanese Fondue. Downtown Santa Ana has just welcomed a new kid on the block in the form of Japanese cuisine and hip design. Yojie Japanese Fondue is a franchised restaurant that allows for local flair to shine through, and the location in Santa Ana has taken advantage of this with their layout and inclusion of local artists' work. If you're wondering what Japanese fondue is, the group refers to their shabu shabu and sukiyaki that way - the interactive dining experience of "cooking" your food yourself in a hot pot set on an inlaid burner.


Located right next door to the infamous Yost Theater, Yojie can be a fun pre-show dining experience or even after-show as it is open late in the evenings. Think fresh, quality ingredients and fun interaction while at dinner. They also have quite an array of sake to choose from and cocktail menu (not available when we visited). The seating wraps around the whole restaurant from front to back in bar-style with sleek, natural overtones likely to accentuate their ingredient choices. If you're interested in art, you'll be happy to know that local artists' work line the walls and eventually purchasable features will be showcased.


We were invited to preview the restaurant just moments before the grand opening. When it comes to options at Yojie, one choice is to go "swish swish" (shabu shabu) by cooking your protein and vegetable selections in boiling water before dipping those in the savory sauces they present. This seemed the more health-conscious route as it is simple but still flavorful depending on how you wish to dip each bite after it's cooked. The other option is sukiyaki which lets you cook your proteins and vegetables in a premixed "broth" made of a combination of soy sauce, sugar, and mirin. This style also presents diners with a fresh egg for additional dipping. Duc went this way as it is the sweeter of the two options.

The wagyu beef slices we both got with our meals were so marbled, we almost didn't want to cook them at all. However, they did perfectly release their fattiness into the broth and add a great mouthfeel to the vegetables already brewing in the pots. I also appreciate the generous amount of vegetables with each meal! The experience ended with raindrop cakes, a recent fad among dessert-seekers these days. Personally, we would have been just dandy ended with our tender wagyu beef and more of that sesame-based dipping sauce!

Find Yojie at 303 N Spurgeon St, Santa Ana, CA 92701.

Photography by Duc Duong. More available on Facebook here.

Healthful, balanced, and flavorful - traits sought by many menus. It looks like BRIO Tuscan Grille is shooting for the trifecta themselves with the introduction of their new Moderno menu, an incorporation of modern flair to classic, traditional dishes. The recent shift has introduced 13 new entrees to the restaurant's repertoire along with options based on diner habits; for example, shared plates and multi-course choices are now more readily available for guests. We were recently invited in to the Irvine Spectrum location see what new dishes BRIO had prepared for the Moderno menu as well as how they might have tweaked the community's favorites.


To give their appetizers a look-see, our picks to begin were their staple Calamari Fritto Misto ($11.95 - peperoncini, aioli, pomodoro) and new Chef's Seasonal Bruschetta ($11.95) which, this time, was inspired by caprese salads and featured fresh mozzarella and tomatoes. The times that I have had their calamari still proved the consistency of BRIO to deliver their fried squid with a great crunch and well-paired sauces. The bruschetta came out on a wide board and enticingly presented. They were hefty morsels that featured fresh tomatoes and basil per bite; we enjoyed the brightness of flavors.


For entrees, Duc turned to one of the new seafood options: Crab Crusted Salmon ($22.95 - roasted vegetables, farro, quinoa, lemon vinaigrette) with a side from the Moderno menu as well - Sicilian Cauliflower (capers, peperoncini, pine nuts, breadcrumbs). We had been curious what it would mean to crust salmon in crab, and what came out could be described as a flattened crab cake on top of thick salmon. The two together were hearty and placed atop the always-filling farro, made for a balanced and satisfying dish. We also enjoyed how well the cauliflower was roasted, the tart pops of flavor from the accompanying capers, and the crunch from breadcrumbs. It's a side dish you shouldn't neglect.

My own choice was their Fresh Catch of the Day ($MARKET - chef's select) which was a halibut that evening topped with some roasted tomatoes and peppers. I paired this with their Roasted Tomato Basil Fettuccine (fresh pasta, roasted garlic, Reggiano) and the addition of a single Jumbo Lump Crab Cake (+$6.95) only to realize later that the same crab mixture was in Duc's pick. The fresh catch that day was very simple at just a lone piece that was slightly dry but fair. With the fettuccine, the offering became more wholesome, and the inclusion of a crab cake was a welcomed addition for its flavor and overall weight.


Though we were hitting our stomach limit, one thing I always remembered about BRIO was that they have tempting desserts in small enough shareable sizes to justify trying one. They bring out samples to view of each type so you can determine what fits your fancy. We opted for their Caramel Mascarpone Cheesecake ($3.95 - anglaise sauce, vanilla whipped cream), a luxuriously smooth and rewarding dish that makes you want to keep digging into it. If you're interested in chasing down the Moderno menu yourself at the Spectrum, visit BRIO at 774 Spectrum Center Drive, Irvine, CA 92618 next to the Del Frisco's Grille and Nordstrom.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.