Nikuman-Ya UPDATE - Gardena

I still love these big, fluffy bao. The regular pork is sweet and pure, and the seafood bao with its deep fried jumbo shrimp will forever be my favorite. 

Melty Cheese Buns? What’s not to like? Pork and melty cheese. I like the plain pork better but these have a thinner wrapper if that’s what you prefer. 

Add a Chicken Teriyaki Baowich to my faves. Crispy fried chicken, a fluffy steamed bun instead of bread. Yes, all the yes. 

I love the Crab Fried Rice, personally, but it won’t be the first choice for those who don’t dig the fishier flavors, though this one is more subtle. 

The Stir Fried Yakisoba Noodle is not their best. Not bad as stirfry of carbs, but not enough to make you pause. 

Chicken Wings are a newer offering. Small and not very filling but I love a good crispy wing. Nagoyan is a teriyaki with a dash of white pepper and umamix is wake-up garlic chili soy sauce. 

Mitsuwa gets all the attention but this Tokyo Central food court is formidable. The South Bay’s best bao are joined by family favorite Beard Papa and newcomer Michelin-started Ramen Tao, making up an A-list that’s impossible to argue. 

Brilliant Boa – Santa Monica

My latest reviews have been introspective, giving you a glimpse at the inner workings of my mind. And my, what a strangely scary sight it’s been. It looks like my wheels are turning but in an inexplicably eccentric manner, and more often than not, I think I’m just grinding the gears. I may just be marching to the beat of my own, very strange drum, but historically, all geniuses had a couple of screws loose so I’d like to think that my compulsions and quirks which will one day result in a bounty of brilliance…I can only hope.

If wishes do come true, then Boa’s chef must have a mind like mine because the pure genius of the Goat Cheese Baklava actually left me speechless. For those of you who know me, yes, apparently that is possible. I’ve had good baklava, but this stuff is the perfect balance of decadence, a taste bud tug-of-war between two equally strong teams. The soft, smooth chevre is pitted against the crunchy, nutty-salty pistachio, all folded into flaky layers of perfect pastry to keep the combination crisp.

“I shouldn’t have splurged on that mind-blowing steak”, said no one ever, and believe me a steak from Boa is worth the price.  The appetizer was well-balanced, but there was no balance to the NY Strip, which is simply a slab of the best steak ever. Meaty juices squeeze out with each slow, meaningful chew. Use your fork to mash the entire clove of roasted garlic into a mush, mash it under each Herbed Butter-rubbed bite, and I swear it made every eccentric wheels in my head stopped turning. Want less subtle flavors with your meat? The Bleu Cheese crust makes a heavenly coating, and the Peppercorn dipping sauce is herbed butter with a bite.

The steak was amazing, and I ate every bite, but all beef this mind-blowing-ly intense needs a break like the Chipotle Lime Corn, a golden grill jump-started by tangy lime and a slightly spicy chipotle kick.

It takes a lot to unexpectedly blow my mind, and I didn’t expect to be so impressed by the non-meat dishes at a place that specializes in steak. The thing is, if all the weirdly-turning wheels in my mind can one day culminate in half the brilliance I saw at Boa, maybe my life of awkward silence wouldn’t have been for nothing.