Chef Jay Terauchi

Chef Jay Terauchi A Los Angeles food consultant by day,
food eater at night. Follow my food adventures.

It’s late night and I just got off of work…I wanted a BLT, but would settle for sub sandwich.The Italianofrom Fat Sal’s ...
06/07/2026

It’s late night and I just got off of work…

I wanted a BLT, but would settle for sub sandwich.

The Italiano
from Fat Sal’s in Culver City (Open till 3 am)

A sandwich walks into a bar and the bartender says,
“We don’t serve food.”
Ba Dum Ba

With Ham, Salami, Pepperoni, Provolone, Sweet Peppers (or Hot Peppers), Shredded Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Vinaigrette, and Italian Spices on a Hero.

Not all heroes wear capes, some wear deli paper…
Ba Dum Ba

It’s Sandwich Saturday!
OK, a couple hours after…

Dim Sum and Then Some…In my efforts to visit as many favorites before I move out of the San Gabriel Valley for a while, ...
06/05/2026

Dim Sum and Then Some…

In my efforts to visit as many favorites before I move out of the San Gabriel Valley for a while, Dim Sum Express is one of them.

I liked that they open early and almost no waiting,
cause I either go early or off-hours,
AND I wanted some dumplings for breakfast fast.

Life is short, eat the har gow first…
The har gow here are large.

Dim Sum
from Dim Sum Express in Monterey Park.

The good thing, I was feeling steamed, not stressed.

They said to go out with a bang…My last day as a San Gabriel Valley resident and I wanted something I wouldn’t have for ...
05/29/2026

They said to go out with a bang…

My last day as a San Gabriel Valley resident
and I wanted something I wouldn’t have for awhile.

So, I headed to Bachan’s Take Out in Monterey Park
for a late lunch / early dinner.

Teriyaki Steak Plate (Large)
comes with 3 scoops of Rice, Mac Salad, Tsukemono and Teriyaki Sauce.

It was good and I’m glad that I ordered it, but the
Chashu Plate was calling my name. It said, “Ray, order the Chashu Plate.” First of all, my name isn’t Ray and why am I discussing my meal choices with a styrofoam container???

Happy Thursday!

It’s Aloha Friday!Since I was packing to move today, I didn’t eat. So, I opted for the Mayjah Poke Bowl (2 choices).Ahi...
05/23/2026

It’s Aloha Friday!

Since I was packing to move today, I didn’t eat.
So, I opted for the Mayjah Poke Bowl (2 choices).

Ahi Shoyu and Ahi Limu over Rice
at Ry’s Poke Shack in Pasadena.

Ahi Shoyu: Ry’s signature shoyu blend, onion, green onion, toasted sesame oil, simple and classic.

Ahi Limu: Shoyu blend, fresh ogo (seaweed), inamona (roasted kukui nuts), onion, and green onions.

I grew up with traditional poke and prefer to have it like that today. I’m glad to see poke evolving, but you need to understand what the basics are first. We used to pick wild Ogo from the shores on Maui when I was younger.

Hopefully my relocation away from the San Gabriel Valley won’t be for long, but I had my fill to hold me over until I move back.

Happy Aloha Friday!
,

“Life is like a burrito – you never know what you’re gonna get, but it’s usually delicious.” ~ UnknownAsada Burritofrom ...
05/21/2026

“Life is like a burrito – you never know what
you’re gonna get, but it’s usually delicious.”
~ Unknown

Asada Burrito
from Tijunanzo in East Los Angeles.

Served with Pinto Beans, Cilantro, and Onions, with a salsa that has a 45 yard kick.

Tijuanazo gets their tortillas from Tijuana and uses prime meats for their delicious tacos and burritos.

The salsa is no joke, so I’m glad I got it on the side.

Warning: this burrito may cause serious cravings,
cause I’m still thinking about it 9 hours later…

I FINALLY figured out what to do with my Disney name tag from many years ago.If you didn’t know, I spent my first 10 yea...
05/21/2026

I FINALLY figured out what to do with my Disney name tag from many years ago.

If you didn’t know, I spent my first 10 years after college working in Advertising at The Walt Disney Studios in Burbank.

I didn’t work at Disneyland, but if I did, I would’ve worked The Jungle Cruise or as a Ghost Host in The Haunted Mansion.

Regardless, a studio-specific “window” for my name tag isn’t available. But most people wouldn’t know the difference anyway...

Old Skool Cantonese…Shrimp with Lobster Sauce Lunch Special from Chinese Garden Restaurant in Montebello.Served with an ...
05/20/2026

Old Skool Cantonese…

Shrimp with Lobster Sauce Lunch Special
from Chinese Garden Restaurant in Montebello.

Served with an Eggroll, Egg Drop Soup, Crunchy Noodles, and I like Ketchup with my Shrimp.
Otherwise, it’s Hot Mustard for me.

This reminds me of an episode of Big Bang Theory:

Sheldon spots “Shrimp in Mobster Sauce” on a restaurant menu and theorizes it either contains actual chunks of deceased mobsters or is just the kind of sauce a mobster likes.

Sheldon: Wonders if the restaurant is a front for organized crime or if the sauce contains actual deceased mobsters.

Leonard: Points out it’s clearly just a typo on the menu.

Raj: Argues it means it’s simply the kind of sauce that mobsters enjoy.

Howard: Dismisses both theories entirely.

Regardless, it was a delicious old skool Cantonese lunch.

A typical Monday,an early morning after closing the night before, a long day filled with issues and dealing with Monday ...
05/19/2026

A typical Monday,
an early morning after closing the night before, a long day filled with issues and dealing with Monday customers who didn’t want the weekend to end (is my guess).

On the way home, I was magically stopped at the signal in front of Helms Bakery complex, so I drove into the parking lot and found a space by the parking lot side of .

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
~ Federico Fellini

Tagliatelle with Bolognese
at Pasta Sisters in Culver City.

A Bolognese with ground beef and aromatic vegetables slowly cooked in red wine and tomato sauce over Fresh Tagliatelle. I opted not to order the Burrata Cheese this time, wanted to save room for the bread, I wasn’t disappointed.

The bonus was the “Oh My” olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip for the bread service. 👍

“When in doubt, eat pasta. That’s my motto.”
~ Vince Vaughn

I’m going to try his motto again this week,
For Research Purposes Only, of course…

Monday is now over, returning back to regular programming.

After a 14 hour day,I was NOT going to eat at work…So, I headed to Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver Cityfor a Hot Pastrami o...
05/17/2026

After a 14 hour day,

I was NOT going to eat at work…

So, I headed to Johnnie’s Pastrami in Culver City
for a Hot Pastrami on a French Roll. I was hungry enough for a whole sandwich (vs. half) and a potato salad Togo to head home and watch the end of the Dodger game.

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Johnnie’s Pastrami,
I usually get a chili dog or chili size. But tonight, I was hungry enough for a Hot Pastrami.

Happy Sandwich Saturday!

It’s Sandwich Saturday!On my way back from the hike in Malibu,I stopped at a couple of places I wanted lunch at,but two ...
05/16/2026

It’s Sandwich Saturday!

On my way back from the hike in Malibu,
I stopped at a couple of places I wanted lunch at,
but two of them were closed, too early in the AM.

Plan C…

Italian Salumi Sandwich
at in Santa Monica.

With Mortadella, Capicola, Sopresatta, Coppa, Salami, Provolone Cheese, Giardiniera, Arugula, Aioli, and Dijon on a Baguette.

It’s been about 3 years since I’ve worked in the area and missed the sandwiches at A Cut Above, this is my favorite here.
“Too few people understand a really good sandwich.”
~ James Beard

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Los Gatos, CA

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