Mastro's Steakhouse - Beverly Hills, California

Address: 246 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Items Ordered:

• Jumbo Lump Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
• 22 oz. Bone-in Ribeye
• 18 oz. Bone-In Filet
  
• Chilean Sea Bass
• Shoestring potatoes
• Complimentary chocolate cake for birthday girl :)

Took Connie here for a surprise birthday dinner, and surprise! Connie had already been here before :/ (JK, We had a fantabulous time). The crab-stuffed mushrooms were a real treat, and chock full of crab meat. The steaks were humongous, cooked exactly medium and medium rare as requested, and quite well-seasoned, yum! Surprisingly, the Chilean sea bass was tender, buttery, and flavorful as well. Everything was a win. The only drawback were the shoestring potatoes, which didn't really have any flavor, and tasted like crunchy fried sticks (??). We would recommend another type of potato to share if you visit. Nobody ate much of the chocolate cake except YJ who thought it was moist, dense, and deliciously chocolatey. We probably would return if someone was having an event here, but there are so many steakhouses to try in L.A. that it might not be for a long while before we're back at Mastro's.

--v & y

Hot Pot Hot Pot - Monterey Park, California

Address: 120 S Atlantic Blvd, Monterey Park, CA 91754

Items Ordered:

• Half medium spicy, half mild broth
• Veggies: Spinach, soft tofu, enoki mushrooms
• Meats: Beef meatballs, egg dumplings, tripe, meat-stuffed fishballs, beef & lamb slices
  
• Homemade noodles (green) and regular noodles
• Green onion pancake (not pictured)

I love this place! Even though it's never really cold enough in SoCal to justify eating hot pot, the herby, flavorful broth and expansive selection of veggies, fungi, meats, and seafood always draws me back. The must haves for me include: spinach, tofu, meat-stuffed fishballs, and homemade noodles. Also, the green onion pancake here is so flaky and delicious that I always contemplate taking the last piece for myself. I've probably tried 80-90% of the menu and the only disappointments were the fried rice (weird herbs inside) and the scallops (small, tasted frozen). They also have dipping sauces that remind me of eating hot pot on Thanksgiving Day when I was younger. Lastly, the owner/manager seems to be a Bruins fan even though the restaurant is located in USC's hood. Sigh, what's not to love about Hot Pot, Hot Pot?!

--y

Alibi Room - Culver City, California

Address: 12236 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Items Ordered:

• 3 taco combo: corn tortilla, slaw, cilantro, onions, salsa roja with short rib, bbq chicken, and spicy pork (1 each)
• Sliders with cheese, sesame mayo,onions, slaw, salsa roja, and short rib
• Breakfast burrito with hash browns, eggs, cheese, onions, salsa roja, and short rib
• Korean spiced fries with sriracha, ketchup and sesame mayo dipping sauce

I'm a busy lady. When I'm not busy taking naps or sitting around, I'm watching cute animal videos on YouTube. With that said, I don't have time to stalk the Kogi truck whenever I get a craving for Korean or Mexican food. The next best thing is to eat at the Alibi room where other upsides include free parking and good drinks at the bar. The most outstanding dish I tried was the spiced fries, which were deliciously spicy and maintained a crispy texture. Runner-up might be the flavorful bbq chicken taco. Overall, the dishes were repetitive (skip the mushy breakfast burrito) and the slaw too tangy. However, I would re-visit because the bar had a lively atmosphere, and Alibi Room seems like a fun place to have drinks and a snack with friends.

--y

Vacation

Hi everyone (i.e. Connie),

Sorry for the hiatus over the holidays but Victoria and I are back from vacation and ready to start blogging again!

Hope you all had a happy and delicious New Year. Best wishes for 2011!

--v & y