To Die For

I've posted about this downtown gem before, and I'm going to do it again.
Nickel's Smac and Cheese (yes, Smac and Cheese, not Mac and Cheese) to die for.
Killer with a shot of hot sauce.

Wash down with a Bananina. (A banana soda. Sounds gross? Try it and get back to me.)

Nickel Diner
524 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013-1422
(213) 623-8301

MORE.

I adore Joan's on Third.
Though I'm not fond of the lack of table service (meaning, I don't like having to wait in line to order at the counters and then having to hover like vultures over other Joan's patrons in order to snag a table), I absolute love the food. Fresh, seasonal, clean flavors.

Tad pricey? Yeah. But I still think everything served is well worth the price paid.

Above photo: spinach and mushroom quiche, vegetarian lasagna, tomato and mozzarella salad (SO GOOD), and a choco-cupcake.


Joan's on Third
8350 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-2285

Cheaper Than Airfare

An extremely handsome French brasserie with a beautiful bar that my fiance would envy.

Went for dinner with my cousin and her friend, and we were seated upstairs. The ambience upstairs may not be as nice as the ambience downstairs (the soft, "gold" lighting downstairs would make any person's skin look flawless), but in exchange one is provided the opportunity to hold an actual conversation. (It can get really loud on the ground floor!)

Our chummy server was a tad strange. He kept on touching the shoulder of my cousin's friend - which probably wouldn't been okay if it weren't for the fact that my cousin's pal is OCD, and wanted to punch the server. But anyway.......

The food. The food was terrific. I ordered the duck. YUM. My cousin ordered the mussels. Even yummier. LOOOOOOOOVED the skinny frites that accompanied her mussels.

Profiteroles for dessert. I'm actually not a huge fan of cream puffs, but ice-cream puffs drenched in chocolate? I can do this.

An overall pleasant experience. I'd totally return, but there wasn't any one item that made me yelp, "I'll be back tomorrow!"

Anisette Brasserie
225 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-3200

Too Cool For School

I rarely hang out in Silverlake as I'm hardly cool or hip enough to do so; But last week, when my vintage-loving cousin was in town, I decided to venture beyond my comfort zone and spent an entire day mingling with Silverlake's boho-chic.

Our morning began at Casbah Cafe. I'd been there once and totally dug the Moroccan vibe but hadn't ordered any food, and was therefore, wary of putting in a review. This second time around, I ordered their sweet corn salad, mint tea and strawberry tart. (I shared with my cousin.) The salad was extremely fresh and refreshing - just as I'd hoped and expected. But what I didn't expect was the perfectly crusty and chewy consistency of the rolls that accompany the salad. YUM! The mint tea was also nice. Not as sweet as traditional Moroccan mint tea (yes, I've been), but still good. As for the strawberry tart, I don't think I'd ever order it again. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't all that great either.

An overall pleasant experience. We'd stopped on by around 11am, yet even at that hour, the cafe was already full of nerd-wannabes with books and laptops sprawled before them. My cousin and I sat outside and pretended that we weren't actually sitting at a cafe located alongside a big street when we actually were.

Great place to brunch/lunch if you plan on shopping in the neighborhood. Speaking of shopping, there's a shop within this cafe! I didn't get a chance the fare out though. Next time?!

Pictured: Hummus salad that Josh ordered the first time we went to Casbah Cafe.

Casbah Cafe
3900 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 664-7000

Top Scallop

Was in the Bay Area this past weekend, and le cub had the foresight to make reservations at Absinthe, the Hayes Valley brasserie run by Top Chef Season 5 contestant, Jamie Lauren. Throughout that season, my man and I longed to try her scallops. She was always making them!! So often that an exasperated Fabio was caught on camera exclaiming, "This is Top Chef! Not Top Scallop!"

Anyhoo, our Absinthe experience was a good one. The French Onion soup (the best I've ever had) was well-seasoned and perfect, considering the chilly evening weather. The oyster shooters were also lovely. Go Bloody Mary! And the main course... the scallops. They were so delicious that my picky fiance declared them the best he'd EVER had.

Service left much to be desired, and the dessert menu was lame. We didn't order any. Rare, as I'm such a dessert junkie. But boy, were the savory items yummy!

I look forward to returning.
Absinthe
398 Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Photos to come.

Town's End Restaurant and Bakery

Brunch with old friends in my old stomping ground, SOMA.
I loved the complimentary basket of fresh-baked scones and muffins served to us at Town's End. And Josh's eggs benedict? YUM!
Nothing uber-unique about the fare served at Town's End, but always a solid showing.

Town's End Restaurant and Bakery
2 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 512-0749

Five A's

That's the name of the restaurant, er cafe. FIve A's!
Le cub and I don't understand why the reviews for this joint are so awful. The food here is incredible. Just like that which is served back home in Taiwan. So authentic. Loved all the "small dishes" served at the beginning of the meal like the braised peanuts & marinated cabbage (pictured), the knife-cut noodles (pictured), the fried pork chop (pictured), and ooh, the "saliva" chicken (devoured)! I can't wait to return.

Five A's Cafe
1851 El Camino Real, Burlingame, CA

Mmm... Burger

One of the best burgers in town :)
RIght up there with In N' Out, Father's Office and The Counter...
That which differentiates Apple Pan's burgers from the rest (for me, at least) is the hearty serving of crisp, refreshing lettuce sandwiched in the juicy (oh-so-juicy) burger...

Yum, yummy, yum!

Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Fill Me Up

Perfectly-cooked breakfasts :)
Enough said.

Ford's Filling Station
9531 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232-2618

Move Over Kogi

At $1.75 a pop, El Tonayense's tacos are quite the bang for one's buck. Street food at its best! Be sure to down the jalapeno provided with your taco. Ridonkulously tasty. Wish this truck existed in Los Angeles...

El Tonayense
22nd St and Harrison St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 559-6127

Aloha

This place serves up Hawaiian comfort food so freakin' delicious that people actually order (and not just talk about ordering) seconds. Our friend Larry treated Josh and I to brunch here, and we just fell in love with the simple, but spectacular flavors. While the ambience of the restaurant leaves much to be desired, the food... OH, the food. And the service. Eggggg-cellent!

I don't even know what it was that I ordered. The friendly staff - a supposedly 48=year-old Japanese surfer dude recommended some sort of egg-sausage concoction with a kick (hot sauce), and I just went with it. DELICIOUS!!! And yes, my scramble was served with sweet Hawaiian bread and brown rice.

For dessert, be sure to order a Hawaiian shaved ice. If you don't know what flavor you'd like, enjoy them all!!! I did :)

The Beach Hut
3713 Highland Ave # 5
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266-3272

The One That Started it All

Josh and I recently returned to the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco to buy a new mattress for his new place. While there, we couldn't resist stopping by our fav teeny-tiny neighborhood gem, SunStream Coffee. To think that it was their Brazilian acai bowl that inspired the creation of this food blog... ahhh.

SunStream Coffee
2884 Geary Blvd
(between Collins Street and Wood Street)
San Francisco, CA 94118

Heart Attack on a Plate

This little hut serves food that'll clog your arteries. And for that, I am grateful. Get a load of these chili cheese fries. Delicious. A perfect hang-out spot before a Giants game. And ooh, the owners are super dog-friendly. Beans got a piece of bacon :)
Oh, how I miss San Francisco.
As does Beans, I'm sure.

Java House Coffee Shop
40 Pier
San Francisco, CA 94107-2123

Fish Are Friends, Not Food

Yeah, right!

Uber-fresh seafood at uber-kind prices. For about US$15.00, we were able to enjoy the above-pictured hearty portion of fresh, raw fish. Incredible.

Sydney Fish Market
Sydney New South Wales
Australia

Bills

My all-time favorite breakfast destination in the whole-freaking-world.

I am in love with Bill Granger's ricotta hotcakes paired with honey butter.
And the corn-fritters... YUM!!!!!!!!

Josh and I should've stayed for seconds.

A Sydney must-eat.

bills
433 Liverpool St
Darlinghurst NSW 2010, Australia

Fit For a King, er Emperor

Sydney's Chinatown has got to be the cleanest Chinatown that either of us have ever stepped foot in. Seeing that we'd paid a visit to the Sydney Fish Market earlier that day, we knew that one couldn't possibly go wrong ordering seafood in this city. Josh and I indulged and ordered a fresh steamed fish. Parrot Fish. We'd never tried it before, and since it came highly-recommended, we decided to give it a go.

The staff at Emperor's was excellent. Once we placed our orders, our waiter disappeared and returned to show us the live fish that they were about to steam per our request. I was torn between wanting to feel joy, knowing that we were about to enjoy a really fresh meal, and guilt, knowing that Josh and I had just placed a death sentence on the lil' guy. Whatever. The little guy was delicious, and did not go to waste. We ate every last morsel on our fish plate. Yes, it was that good.

The salted pepper fried shrimp were also amazing - though different from the sort I'd had in the past. The shells on the shrimp had been removed, making for a more calamari-like dish that what Josh and I had expected. Yum, yummy, yum!

And then there were the veggies. Not the least bit oily. Perfectly seasoned.

I felt as if I were back in Hong Kong.
And that's a good thing.

Emperor's Garden Seafood
100 Hay St
Sydney, 2000

Hugo's

Let the photos speak for themselves. A beautiful meal with a beautiful view. Josh and I walked into Hugos by accident. Located IN the Ferry building, Hugos is a sun-drenched restaurant/bar with a handsome beach house vibe. Josh and I opted for a seat facing the harbor - gorgeous view and breeze- and enjoyed one of 'em "I can't believe we're here" and "How lucky are we?!?" moments as we scarfed down our perfectly-cooked and seasoned scallop appetizer along with one of Hugo's award-winning pizzas. You must eat here if you're in Sydney.

Hugos
Shop 1, Manly Wharf
East Esplanade
Manly NSW 2095
Manly Beach

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

"In 1974, chicken king, Colonel Sanders, stopped at Harry’s and enjoyed the food so much that he ate three ‘pies and peas’ while leaning on his walking stick in front of the caravan." - quote from Harry's site.

Dude, if it's good enough for the Colonel, it's good enough for me!

On our first day touring Sydney, Australia, Josh and I decided to by a pass for a Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour. During our second circle of Sydney, I noticed that we were near a "must-eat" cafe I'd read about in my guidebook... Harry's Cafe de Wheels. Always the participatory mate, Josh hopped off the bus with me to enjoy a lunch of Aussie meat pie. We ordered the "Tiger" pie which is, in someways similar to a chicken pot pie. Only better! Josh and I both enjoyed our small beef pie topped with peas, mashed potato and gravy...

Someone should open up a cart here in Los Angeles.

Harry's Cafe de Wheels
Corner Cowper Wharf Roadway & Brougham Road
Woolloomooloo, NSW 2011

Reservations a Must

Reservations are a must at Mario Batali & Nancy Silverton's critically acclaimed Pizzeria Mozza. Le cub, Tiff and I arrived at the pizzeria for our 3:30pm reservation (alas, we're D-listers) still full from a hefty brunch at Nickel Diner. We decided to sample several of the antipasti and two pizzas to better experience a wide array of the restaurant's dishes. We started out meal with the Crispy Goat Cheese & Umbrian Lentils and Fried Squash Blossoms with Ricotta. Delicious! The blossoms were perfectly fried, and not the least bit greasy. Seasoned "just-right." As for the crispy goat cheese, all three of us agreed that the dis's flavorsh brought us back to our Spring trip to Morocco. Think there may have been cumin in the dish.

And then there was the pizza. Oh, the pizza! We'd ordered the Squash Blossoms, Tomato & Burrata Pizza and the Tomato, Mozzarella, Fennel Sausage, Salami, Bacon & Guanciale Pizza. Le cub loooooved the meaty one, whereas I was incredibly impressed by the squash blossom-burrata one. So special! Pizzas at Mozza are exactly the way I like 'em. The center of the crust is thin - so not to overpower the flavors from the toppings with the taste of the dough; yet the outer crust is thick and chewy, providing carb-lovers like myself with a massive dose of satisfaction. Pizza warts. That's what I love about Batali & Silverton's pizza, and the outer ring of Batali's pizzas seem to be composed of them! Alas, a real food critic would never ever allow the word "warts" to enter a review for a restaurant that he/she actually liked. So I imagine. I'm clearly no professional!

Our meal was topped off with a shared dessert. A trio of ice-cream! Tiff selected vanilla, strawberry and olive oil. Yum, yummy, yum.

Pizzeria Mozza is a happy place. The decor is bright and cheery (down to their fact-filled placemats), the alcohol selection is vast, the service is excellent, and more importantly, the food is yummy! We'll be back.

Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA
323.297.0101

Scouting a Venue...

For le cub and cougar wedding :)

Upon arriving, Josh and I realized that this venue would not be large enough to house all our guests. But that didn't stop us from giving their menu a go.

The food at The Sunset, believe it or not, exceeded our expectations. The heirloom tomato salad alone almost made our traffic-ridden hour and a half long drive along the Pacific Coast Highway bearable. ALMOST.

As for the calamari, it was perfectly fried and seasoned, making for a happy tummy. And for dessert? A peach and honey panna cotta. The best panna cotta I've had since returning from Morocco. And that's saying a lot!

Pity we did not arrive at sunset (the view is supposed to be amazing, hence the restaurant's name), and too bad this restaurant is so damn far. If I should ever return to Malibu (with out-of-town friends), I will definitely bring them here.

The Sunset Restaurant
6800 Westward Beach Road
Malibu, CA 90265
310.589.1007

The Unexpected

Who would've thunk that the valley could offer such fantastic sushi?!?

Le cub and I discovered a new favorite hole-in-the-wall last night (alongside Tiff), and it's crazy to imagine that it's located in Glendale, of all places! Sushi Nishi-ya is an unpretentious sushi bar located in a ghetto, inconspicuous-looking strip mall. The restaurant's staff takes pride in the fact that they only serve sushi and hand-rolls (as opposed to cut-rolls). Exactly what le cub and I love!

Nishi-ya's portions are small, but the quality of the sushi served, is great. Fish is fresh. Rice is warm. The toro and uni served the night we were there? PERFECTION.

While Nishi-ya's decor leaves its patron with much to desire, its friendly staff of two makes up for the restaurant's interior-decoration-short-comings by showering guests with a wealth of information about the fish they serve. We'll be back!

Sushi Nishi-Ya
1712 Victory Blvd.
Glendale, CA 91201
818.244.2933

Edible Art

I'd read about Jin's Patisserie in an issue of LA Magazine back when I lived in the Bay, but somehow never made the time to drop on by this Venice gem until this past weekend. One of my very favorite peeps, Tiff, was in town, so we dropped on by for afternoon tea.

Tucked away in a garden setting along Abbot Kinney, Jin's provides the a lovely environment for devouring edible art - though Tiff and I did have to battle a persistent fly. Grr. Having downed a heavy meal of burger and sweet potato fries at Father's Office right before arriving at Jin's, Tiff and I were forced to turn down the selection of museum-worthy pastries. Instead, we opted for the "lighter" option (haha). We selected half-a-dozen French macaroons in the flavors, Hazelnut, Earl Grey, Chocolate, Violet-Cranberry, Yuzu, and Pistachio. Not only does Jin's offer the cookies in a wide-spectrum of colors, they come in a wide-spectrum of flavors! Paired with coffee and tea, the cookies topped off our already-near-perfect afternoon.

Our tummies smiled.

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd
Venice, CA 90291-3366

Food and Flattery

Who needs a shrink to feel good, when you can fill your belly AND ego with less than ten bucks? If you're ever in the SOMA area of San Francisco and are looking for a quick and cheap eat, drop on by Victor's for well-priced tacos, burritos enchiladas and flattery. While the food there is pretty mediocre, the compliments (cat calls of "guapo" and "guapa") provided by the friendly folks behind the counter are splendid.

Victor's
210 Townsend St
San Francisco, CA 94107

Grubbin' at Grub

Brunched at Grub with Kathy and Kris a couple weeks ago. I was so incredibly psyched to be seated by Betty Fraser (of Top Chef fame) herself! Loved the Sweet & Sassy Bacon (oink) and am still thinking about their basil lemonade champagne! Yum, yummy, yum.

From top-to-bottom:
1) Corn, Tomatoes, Fresh Basil & Pepperjack Cheese "Mix-It-Up"
2) Friggin’ Amazin’ French Toast (with Raspberry butter!)
3) Sweet & Sassy Bacon

Grub
911 Seward Street
Hollywood CA, 90038
323.461.FOOD

Back in the "Yay" Area

Love, love, love oysters. Unfortunately, my eating partner that day, Will, is not a fan like me. No fear, Hog Island has delectable items on its menu other than oysters. Try their grilled-cheese that's generously made with Cowgirl Creamery cheese. YUM. And their house clam chowder? Unbelieveable! Bacony and chock-full-o clams. The beautiful view from the Ferry Building doesn't hurt either. *smile*

Hog Island Oyster Co.
1 Ferry Bldg # 11A
San Francisco, CA 94111