Chego - Culver City, California

Address: 3300 Overland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Items Ordered:

• Prime Rib Bowl: chili-rubbed, w/fried egg, water spinach, creamed horseradish, roasted garlic serrano paste, and shallots
• Chubby Pork Belly Bowl: kochujang-lacquered kurobuta, w/fried egg, pickled watermelon radishes, water spinach, cilantro, cotija, and peanuts
• Zucchini appetizer
  

Go to Chego if you want to try the saltier version of Kogi Truck or Alibi Room. The haphazard combination of ingredients takes away from any outstanding flavors that might have existed. Sometimes simpler really is better.

--y

Cafecito - New York City, New York

Address: 185 Avenue C, New York 10009 (Btwn 11th & 12th St)

Items Ordered:

• Appetizer - Saborcito De Cuba: papa rellena (lightly breaded mashed potato with a beef picadillo filling), empanadas (three mini empanadas chicken, beef or vegetable), bollos (roasted corn and black bean fritters), shrimp fritters (crunchy on the outside and pillowy on the inside shrimp fritters and spicy cocktail sauce),croquetas de jamon(golden brown ham croquettes)
• Entrees - Ropa Vieja - cuban style beef stew made with pulled flank steak, fresh peppers, onions, plum tomatoes and freshly ground cumin served with white rice, black beans and tostones -Churrasco - char grilled skirt steak with cuban chimichurri sauce and lime cured onions served with yellow rice, black beans and tostones -Pollo Cafecito - grilled spice rubbed chicken breast served with white rice , black beans and maduros
• Drinks - Pitcher of Sangria
  

I was recently in New York and on my extensive weekend food tour, Cafecito was one of my favorite restaurants. Ok, so it didn't start off well - we were told it would be an approximate 30 minute wait that extended to over 1 hours, 15 minutes without any updates along the way. It's not completely their fault - the table we were eyeing was with a group of girls that wanted to be there for as long as possible. Needless to say, I was starving by the time we actually were able to be seated. The food and drinks definitely made me forget about the wait though! The appetizer plate we had first was delicious, each and every piece of it. A plate of fried goodness! The entrees that came out were equally as great. I ordered the Ropa Vieja, and the meat and sauce were perfect accompaniments with the rice. I tried the steak and chicken and those were good too. The chicken was a huge piece and it looked like it would be dry, but surprisingly, wasn't at all. The flan to end the night rounded out the meal. Definitely a great Cuban food experience in my opinion!

--v

Tofu Ya - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 2021 Sawtelle Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered:

• Dumplings Soon Tofu
• Various Side Dishes (fishcake, noodles, kimchi)

Tofuya is one of those restaurants that I come back to time and time again. Yum! Even though it's in West LA and not Ktown, it is authentic Korean tofu soup, with all the side dishes. I actually prefer these side dishes over other tofu houses. This time around, I got the dumplings soon tofu soup and it was great. That, coupled with rice, fish cake, and noodles, were a medley of so many delicious flavors. They are nice enough to refill all the side dishes as we clean out each little tray. Love it!

--v

Pizzeria Mozza - Hollywood, California

Address: 641 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Items Ordered:

• Cauliflower fritti
  
• Artichokes al forno with ricotta crostini
• Funghi misti, fontina, taleggio & thyme
• Bacon, salami, fennel sausage, guanciale, tomato & mozzarella

After hearing rave reviews about Pizzeria Mozza, I had to check out the restaurant for myself. For the antipasti, our server recommended the cauliflower fritti, which was a hit. The batter was crispy and well-seasoned, and the aioli dipping sauce was a good accompaniment. We also ordered the artichoke dip of sorts, and while I love artichoke, the dish was too oily for me. After a few bites, I wished for some hot tea to cleanse all the oiliness from my palate. As for the pizzas, the funghi misti contained an abundance of flavorful mushrooms, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're really a mushroom lover because all the fungi can get a little overwhelming. The "meat lovers" pizza had a great crust and the meats were delicious, especially the fennel sausage and even the bacon, which I usually don't prefer. The only drawback to this place is the overall greasiness of the dishes, which left me feeling uncomfortably full and sleepy post-lunch. I've always trusted chefs like Mario Batali who are more on the rotund side (:P) but this place is a visit only in moderation.

--y