To Cook or Not to Cook...

That is the question. I've never attempted sea scallops before. But since Josh really enjoys them, I thought I'd give Iron Chef Cat Cora's recipes a shot. The recipe I tried was really simple and the success of the dish would be dependent upon the freshness of my ingredients. That said, I hit up fancy shmancy Whole Foods for my seafood.

Pictured: Sea scallops served over field greens... they would have been perfect had I not undercooked my first batch... Gosh, how was I supposed to know? The critters I picked up were unexpectedly ginormous!

Mmm.

Debra: You need to write a review.
Josh: I'm not your slave. I don't want to right now.
Debra: You're mean. I hate you.
Josh: You don't smell like Korea when you leave. You can get round if you come eat here too much. Hahaha.

Josh's favorite Korean BBQ joint in LA. Super yummy. Be sure to order the kalbi and seafood pancake!

Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont
Los Angeles

It's Better with Butter

"God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well." - Voltaire

Together my college bff Kathy and I consumed nearly a pound of butter at the new Santa Monica bistro, Anisette. Having walked in with no reservations, we felt lucky to have found bar seating. The restaurant set-up is really charming. High ceilings, dark wood, dim lighting, bustling... For a second there, I felt as if I'd been transported to Paris. So wonderful.

Kathy and I ordered the mussels (creamier than we'd anticipated but yummy), steak frites (there were three sauce options and we chose the red-wine reduction option... an excellent choice), and a side of hericot verts (they were swimming in butter, but neither of us complained).

Service was slow, but the waitress' fab attitude more than made up for it.

Anisette Brasserie
225 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90407
(310) 395-3200

One Time...

Two times...

Clementine is so good that I'm featuring it yet again. The food there is fresh, simple, and "comfortable."

Pictured: Grilled shrimp and calamari salad (I highly recommend it), cauliflower and broccoli with almonds and shallots, the most delicious meatloaf I've ever had the pleasure of eating (another dish I highly recommend), Mrs. Miller's cookie (a coconut oatmeal raisin cookie offering just the right amount of chewiness), and ginger-limeades.

Love, love, love this place.

Clementine

Reunited...

... and it feels, so good...

Grubbed with with le cougar cub and my cousin, Albert and his fiance, Marie a couple weekends ago. (The power couple - Albert, a doctor-in-training, and Marie a recent U.Chicago law school graduate - has moved back to Cali!)

Marie suggested a cute Thai restaurant in Pasadena. A good call, as Josh and I hadn't left the west side in ages. Pity that the ambience at Saladang Song outshined the food.

Pictured: Soft shell crab...

Saladang Song
363 S. Fairoaks Avenue
Pasadena

浪人 - Ronin

Josh and I were typing up reviews for Ronin at the same.

This is what Josh had to say:

Prior to a riveting performance by Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison at the Largo, Debra and I had dinner with our friends Casey, Dianne, and Kathy at an izakaya joint called Ronin.

We were delighted by the pleasant selection of both hot and cold tapas. Of course, the ladies enjoyed the complementary warm chocolate cake dessert served with a shot of homemade milkshakes.

And this is what I had to say:

Before catching Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisine's show at the Largo Theater, fellow foodie Kathy, le cougar cub, Casey, Dianne, and I dined across the street at Ronin. Though located next to a sketchy strip club with a blazing neon NUDE NUDE NUDE GIRLS sign, Ronin ROCKS!

The plates here are meant to be shared. With five people in our party, we tried pretty much everything!

Highlights?
The taco shimi (ahi tuna sashimi, avocado, and grilled shitake served on cumin-seasoned flour tortilla chips that come stacked like a napoleon... delish!), the curry fried chicken (yum, yummy, yum), Ronin fried rice (sticky rice topped with a fried egg!), and decadent chocolate cake served with berries and a mini (shot-glass-sized) vanilla smoothie (it was served complimentary, which made it all the more delightful!)...


Whereas most restaurants located on La Cienega are pretentious, over-priced, and outright crappy, Ronin defies the norm. The plates were beautiful, fresh and delicious, service was incredibly friendly, and the restaurant was clean and perfectly lit... gosh, I can't stop raving about this place.

I'll definitely be back.

Pictured: Ronin fried rice. The other photos I took didn't come out due to the dim lighting. Boo.

Ronin Izakaya Bistro
359 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310) 289-8404

Clementine

If it's good enough for Reese Witherspoon, it's good enough for us!

Josh and I were finally able to dine at upscale neighborhood cafe, Clementine yesterday. Tucked away in a random location, the restaurant comes highly recommended by Pulitzer Prize winning food critic, Jonathan Gold. But more importantly, my classmate, Robby had mentioned it various times as well. Josh and I had tried popping in on two other occasions, but the place was always closed! We admittingly dropped in on two straight Sundays... but yesterday, on a Wednesday, in the company of our dear friend, Jeannine, we were fortunate enough to finally enjoy lunch there.

The sandwich Josh ordered had him wondering, "How'd they do that?!" (the answer was "butter") and the refreshing summer salad I'd ordered had me thinking, "I could eat this for every meal!" (But of course I could. The "healthy" salad I'd ordered came tossed with amaaaazing bacon!) Overall? The ingredients were simple, but the combination of fresh farmers market faire made for uber-happy customers.

I look forward to returning.

Pictured: Josh's Clementine Combo consisting of "today's sandwich" (a turkey melt), a mixed green salad, and choice of cookie or drink. Also pictured is my summer salad.

Clementine
1751 Ensley Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 552-1080

Spanish Sushi

I love, love, love tapas. That said, when Josh told me that our b-school Spaniard, Daniel recommended Bar Pintxo, I just had to go.

The tapas served at this cozy, tiny tapas bar were like none that I'd had during my visit to Barcelona. Sitting atop a high stool, I consumed some of the largest tapas I'd ever seen. Check out the photos. I liken them to mega nigiri sushi.

Pictured (from left to right):

TOP: Simple and classic grilled bread rubbed with fresh tomato and topped with serrano ham, the same simple and classic grilled bread topped with foie gras, caramelized onions and apple, and once again, the same bread topped with smoked salmon wrapped around a hearty serving of dungeness crab.

MIDDLE: The special. Homemade flatbread topped with olive oil, figs, caramelized onions, and arugula.

BOTTOM: mushroom, jamon, and diced veggies

Detailed review to come.

Bar Pintxo
109 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-2012