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