Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse Review The Extinction Curse adventure path for Pathfinder Second Edition is a thrilling and captivating addition to the popular tabletop role-playing game. It is set in the circus-themed world of Glariana, a place full of magic, wonder, and danger. The adventure path follows a group of circus performers who find themselves caught in the middle of a mystery that threatens the existence of their world. As they travel across different locations, they must investigate various clues, solve puzzles, and uncover the truth behind the sinister forces at play. What sets Extinction Curse apart from other adventure paths is its unique blend of intrigue, combat, and exploration. Players are given agency to make meaningful choices that affect the outcome of the story.
Magic Wok in Artesia Closes :-( …UPDATE!
They're still closed as of this writing, but it doesn't seem long that they might reopen…or at least we hope so.
Yet in reading their latest posts, there was a hint on the real reason why it closed. It said:
The gossips are that they closed us up that is not true. We decided to closed the store. We had an employee, you might say a whistleblower but at this moment I cannot discuss it yet till we settle this issue.
Thank you for asking…
“The Magic Wok Restaurant is close (sic) effective 9-29-14. We are taking a long vacation and R and R. Thank you for your support and patronage.”
My last meal there, serendipitously, was a day before, on 9-28-14. Apparently, it has been closed ever since. Calling the place earlier this week pretty much gets a message that repeats what's on the note.
This isn't the first time the Southland was deprived of what many consider (this writer included) the BEST Filipino restaurant in California. There was a fire that gutted the place in 2006.
Let's hope they are really on vacation. Let's hope the rumours I heard from Filipino friends and relatives that they're actually closing because of a sickness in the family isn't true. Let's hope that they reopen soon. Let's hope that they will be there in time to take the annual orders of crispy pata for Christmas.
Note: If anyone involved with the restaurant can give us a date on when the restaurant will re-open, drop us a line, won't you? Or just comment!
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Before becoming an award-winning restaurant critic for OC Weekly in 2007, Edwin Goei went by the alias “elmomonster” on his blog Monster Munching, in which he once wrote a whole review in haiku.
Magic wok artesia
Ask a Filipina where to find the best Pinoy cooking in town and she’ll point you to her mother’s home. Ask her where to find an adequate substitute and she’ll suggest Magic Wok in Artesia.
Elena Pulmano converted a former Chinese fast-food outlet into a homey spot for honest Filipino cooking in 1979, but kept the restaurant’s moniker out of convenience. After a decade of feeding the community the crispiest pata in town, Ms. Pulmano handed the reins to her nephew Rudy and his wife, Marivic Abuyen, in 1989. Other than a fresh coat of paint and a few new menu items, not much has changed at Magic Wok since it debuted over 30 years ago.
The crowds still go gaga for the crispy pata, a bone-in leg of pork that’s brined, boiled, and fried till blistered and golden. The sisig is also wildly popular. Bits of skin-on pork, carrots, and scallions are sautéed and seasoned with a heavy dose of garlic, black pepper, and citrus.
For me though, the jewel at Magic Wok is the impossible-to-pronounce-without-a-smile binagoongang baboy, a punchy marriage of deeply fermented shrimp paste (bagoong alamang) and tender and caramelized bits of pork. This dish isn’t for everyone, but if your tastes swing toward the funky, sweet, fatty, and fermented, this pig’s for you (and me).
Magic Wok
11869 Artesia Boulevard
Artesia, CA 90701
Phone: 562-865-7340
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The Find: Magic Wok in Artesia
Magic Wok is a porcine palace, a restaurant where the pillars of Filipino cooking are fortified by all things pork. Kids chomp on shards of pig skin as crisp as potato chips, grandparents leisurely ladle hunks of pork from sour tamarind soups — the homey restaurant went whole hog long before quivering cubes of pork belly cropped up on happy-hour menus and bacon became an almost de rigueur dessert.
Perhaps even more than most, Filipino cooking is a tradition that you’ll be told time and again is best experienced in the home. Restaurants, it’s often said, simply can’t replicate the custardy feel of an aunt’s cassava cake or the loving, peanut butter-rich base of a mother’s kare kare. But out on the periphery of Artesia’s Little India, Magic Wok has been making this familial food for decades.
The restaurant has never been one to be bothered by timeworn trappings — its drop ceiling, wood paneling and even its name (a holdover from when the space once housed a Chinese fast-food chain) all came with the place. Nor is it now concerned with visibility, as after a recent strip-mall remodel, Magic Wok is without a sign. Those searching out this hog heaven for the first time need only look for the constant crowds to find it.
AdvertisementCrispy pata is the masterwork of Magic Wok’s pork oeuvre. When a fire temporarily closed down the restaurant a few years ago, crispy pata was the dish for which everyone’s appetites began to ache. And crispy pata is still the entrée you see on every table: a bone-in leg of pork fried to a beautiful brown.
First, the leg is brined, then boiled and finally fried. The delicate process ends with the skin annealing just long enough for patches of blistery bubbles to cool into a crisp golden armor. The skin has an allure all its own — its addictive crunch is so powerful you can feel each bite reverberate through your brain. Underneath is a stratum of slightly gamey, supremely tender meat that falls off the bone on its own accord. Using a fork is futile — crispy pata mandates that you get your hands dirty.
Sisig is a more manageable option. It isn’t served in the typical sizzling skillet, but Magic Wok’s version is still excellent. Fatty bits of fried pork are chopped into dice-sized bites, tossed with flecks of ginger, scallion and peppers and united by a tart squeeze of citrus. But sisig can be dangerous. Whereas your crispy pata consumption naturally slows as your fingers work around the bone, there’s no such speed bump to stop you from scooping up the entire plate of sisig.
Pork doesn’t hog every meal. Bistek Tagalog is a fine alternative, strips of steak varnished with soy sauce and vinegar, as is the classic chicken adobo. Still, if you prefer, there’s a vast pork world to explore here, one in which dinuguan, an oil-black pork blood stew, represents the outer limits.
You can allay potential cardiological concerns with one of the restaurant’s lighter dishes. Pinakbet, a stir-fry of bitter melon, squash, okra, eggplant and string beans, yields a bounty of produce. It’s held together with bagoong alamang, a funky, purplish fermented shrimp paste that is the dish’s defining flavor but not an overwhelming one. There’s also the palate-cleansing sinigang na baboy, a sour tamarind soup that can wipe away all traces of crispy pata with one spoonful.
Halo-halo — a sundae of shaved ice, jackfruit, gelatinous agar-agar, sweet red beans, ube ice cream and more — is a reliable dessert, though you can also make do with a finishing sip of calamansi juice, which refreshes like a tangerine-sweetened limeade.
Regardless of the hour, a crowd is assured at Magic Wok. You can call ahead for takeout, but there’s no to-go menu here. Orders must instead be recited by rote. Diners calling in their orders decide by cycling through all the memories they’ve accrued here, often as complete an edible history as any whipped up in a family kitchen.
Magic WokLocation: 11869 Artesia Blvd., Artesia, (562) 865-7340
Price: Entrees, $4.99 to $8.99; soups, vegetable and noodle dishes, $4.99 to $5.75; drinks and dessert, $1.75 to $3.55
Best dishes: Crispy pata, sisig, sinigang na baboy, pinakbet
Details: Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Lot parking. Credit cards accepted.
For The Record: In an earlier version of this story, the headline incorrectly referred to the restaurant as Happy Wok. It is the Magic Wok.
Players are given agency to make meaningful choices that affect the outcome of the story. The path also introduces new mechanics, such as the ability to build and manage your own circus, adding a fun and immersive layer to the gameplay. The writing and storytelling in Extinction Curse are top-notch, with well-developed characters and an engaging plot.
The pacing is excellent, with each chapter of the adventure path offering its own unique challenges and surprises. The artwork and maps are stunning and help bring the world of Glariana to life. The gameplay itself is a perfect balance of strategy and creativity. The combat encounters are challenging and dynamic, requiring players to think tactically and make use of their abilities. The exploration sections encourage players to think outside the box and use their problem-solving skills to progress. Overall, Extinction Curse is a must-play for Pathfinder enthusiasts. It offers an exciting and immersive experience that keeps players engaged from start to finish. Whether you're a seasoned player or new to Pathfinder, this adventure path is sure to provide hours of thrilling gameplay. So gather your friends, sharpen your swords, and get ready to embark on an unforgettable journey in the world of Glariana..
Reviews for "The Extinction Curse Revealed: A Pathfinder 2e Adventure Path Review"
- John Doe - 1 star - I was really disappointed with Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse. The storyline felt disjointed and the characters were forgettable. The gameplay mechanics were confusing and it felt like there were too many arbitrary rules to follow. Overall, the game just felt lackluster and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone looking for a captivating role-playing experience.
- Jane Smith - 2 stars - While Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse has its strengths, I found it to be overly complex and difficult to navigate. The character creation process was overwhelming with too many options to choose from, making it hard to create a unique and interesting character. The combat system also felt clunky and unintuitive, which took away from the overall enjoyment of the game. I was hoping for a more streamlined and user-friendly experience, but unfortunately, Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse fell short for me.
- Mike Johnson - 2.5 stars - I had high hopes for Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse, but it didn't live up to my expectations. The pacing of the story was slow and it took too long to get to the more exciting parts of the adventure. The artwork and illustrations were mediocre at best, which was disappointing considering the price of the book. Additionally, the campaign felt repetitive and lacked the depth and variety I was hoping for. Overall, I found Pathfinder 2e Extinction Curse to be a mediocre and underwhelming gaming experience.