By Lucy Derby, 3L

If you ever get tired of free pizza on campus, why not take a short stroll across the street to try different types of Asian cuisine at affordable prices.  Below are the best lunch specials that are literally a few steps from our school.  Listed in order from lowest- to highest-priced lunch specials.

Keungama Tofu House ($5.99)
This restaurant specializes in Soondubu, a traditional Korean spicy silken tofu soup, that can be filled with ingredients like seafood (shrimp, clams, oysters), beef, pork, or Korean dumplings.  Soondubu for $5.99 is a steal, especially since black rice and various traditional banchan dishes (appetizers) are served alongside.  There is nothing like a piping hot and spicy flavorful soup to re-energize after those morning classes.  Other $5.99 lunch specials include the blue mackerel fry or the spicy beef broth with cabbage and sprouts.  Of course, you can also order off of the lunch menu for other items.  Keungama Tofu House uses no MSG and is also vegetarian-friendly as they offer vegetable based soups that stay true to quality and taste.
3020 Wilshire Blvd., #119, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 387-5334

Moo Dae Po II Korean B.B.Q. ($6.99)
This spanking-new Korean BBQ joint across the street from the Westmoreland building and next door to OB Bear is drawing crowds with its new and shiny, contemporary décor.  While it offers a limited menu for lunch, the lunch box specials are the highlight.  For $6.99, you can order a lunch box with your choice of galbi, bulgogi, or chicken that comes with rice and various banchan dishes.  Each order also comes with a clear, flavorful beef soup that is savory, yet refreshing.  The spacious dining area is complete with flat screen TVs and most importantly, effective ventilation should you desire to opt for the $16.99 all-you-can-eat barbeque special that runs all day.
3014 Seventh St,, Los Angeles, CA 90005 (213) 381-9990

Pata’s Café Thai Cuisine ($6.95 - $9.95)
The only Thai restaurant within walking distance is literally right across the street as you cross Wilshire Place.  Popular with students and local businesses, this café offers affordable specials that include a small cup of cabbage soup and a standard salad.  $6.95 dishes include chicken or beef curry, basil land chili stir fry, panang chicken or beef, pad thai, pad see ew, and more.  The higher-priced items are more entrée-style dishes like deep fried filet of catfish, steamed mussels, and seafood with garlic or basil.  While this is certainly not the most authentic Thai food, it is passable and hits the spot when you are craving Pad Thai or Tom Yum Kai (spicy and sour chicken lemongrass soup).
3012 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 382-2804

Wasabi Japanese Noodle House ($8.95 - $10.95)
Located conveniently across the street at the Wilshire Vermont Station Plaza, this corner restaurant serves lunch and dinner specials with sushi, ramen, udon, teriyaki, rice, and more.  During lunch, choose from two- or three-item bento box combos, served with a choice of California or spicy tuna roll, miso soup, rice, and salad.  Served in traditional Japanese bento boxes, you can mix and match from a list of options, which includes chicken, beef, or salmon teriyaki, shrimp and vegetable tempura, chicken, pork, or fish katsu, gyozas, and California, spicy tuna, or salmon rolls.  The portions are just right leaving you feeling full, not heavy.  Happy Hour is from 3:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. with $1 sushi (four-piece salmon or spicy tuna rolls, limit 2 rolls per person) and $2 beers (small Asahi).
3183 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 186, Los Angeles, CA 90010 (213) 384-7484

When your partner says, “I thought we were going out for a steak dinner?” it does not mean Carl’s Jr.  It could, however, mean impressing your date by taking him or her to the new Fleming’s Steakhouse at L.A. Read the full story

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, folks. And we all know what that means. Read the full story

It’s clear; my submissions to the “suggestions box” in the Tea Room haven’t elicited any response. One can only assume it is either not checked or not cared about. Not the type of not cared about where the suggestions are tossed, but the kind of not cared about like a Judge Posner or Easterbrook analysis where the costs outweigh the benefits, and therefore, the assertions must be disregarded. True, I don’t know much about running a business. Read the full story

Past accusations that there is no “yo” in their “fro-yo” has done little to shorten the lines at our nearby PINKBERRY. Although, no yogurt means no healthy bacterial cultures, which means no benefits to your health, something about the creamy, tarty goodness has captured consumers in what has to be called a pseudo-health craze fad that is still going strong. Pinkberry has done to yogurt what Starbucks has done to coffee - ingeniously coaxing their consumers to open their wallets for a product they didn’t know they needed at a price that would make you do a double-take.

Tempting, no?

Like any true icon, Pinkberry is not without its imitators. The presence of our local Pinkberry has transformed the social scene of Koreatown. The result is a “berry-something Pinkberry wannabe” on every other corner. Any coffee shop wanting to remain competitive is probably not without a yogurt machine either. There are several yogurt shops in the vicinity that may satisfy your tart tooth just as well as Pinkberry. BOBATIME on the corner Seventh Street and Vermont Avenue; CAFÉ AMERICANO, which serves Polar Monkey on Wilshire Boulevard and Wilton Place; SNOWBERRY on Western Avenue and Sixth Street; and ICEBERRY on Wilshire Boulevard and Western Avenue are all decent alternatives. And that is good for the yogurt-loving consumer who wants a variety of choices.

But do any of them really beat out the famous berry of the pink variety? What kind of new spin can be made to a product famous for being “plain”? The answer is: nothing. True, there are other flavors such as green tea, coffee, mango, or whatever berry is in season. But can the now over-commercialized yogurt ever reach a fullness and depth of flavors as it reveals itself onto your taste buds? Can any variation of yogurt have that sinful “je ne sais quoi” feeling that makes you, upon first bite, let out an involuntary “mmmm”? Can yogurt make you scream?

I, for one, really don’t think so.

Yogurt can’t make you scream like the real thing can. There’s a reason we scream for ice cream. And the following places will show you why. Here are the top picks for the best ice cream in town.

Check out ICEPAN at La Brea Avenue and Santa Monica Boulevard. The ice cream is made right in front of you with no added preservatives. Just choose your flavor and milk. Yes, milk. On a diet? You can cut the fat by choosing non-fat milk. Lactose intolerant? They have soy milk! Icepan may be a little far away from your home away from home (aka the SW library), but the banana ice cream with soy milk is quite honestly to die for.

If nutritional facts aren’t your main concern when consuming frozen delights, and a little adventurous fun is what you seek, check out SCOOPS at 712 N. Heliotrope Drive. The unconventional, inventive, and inspired flavors of ice cream are deliciously creamy indulgences. A must-try is the house specialty: brown bread - which is most likely the only flavor you know you’ll be able to get your hands on. Other than that, flavors change daily, making every visit an eagerly awaited surprise. Keep an eye out for salty dark chocolate, vanilla Jack Daniels, Oreo maple, bacon caramel, and strawberry basil, to name a few. And just when you thought the enticing flavors were alluring enough to warrant a trip, check out their prices. Two scoops for $2.50. Irresistible. No wonder there is always a line out the door.

With choices like these, there’s no excuse but to give your tart tooth a break and indulge your ever-so-neglected sweet tooth. Accept the imitation no more.

Written by Jeannie Y. Kang, 3L