Saturday, March 24, 2012

Plan Check - West Los Angeles, California



Address: 1800 Sawtelle Blvd, West Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered (sorry bout the camera phone pics):
  • Drinks (not pictured): little Osaka sour, adulterated soda (vanilla soda w/ whiskey)
  • Appetizers: baked crab dip, fresh cut fries, veggie chips w/ avocado dip
  • Mains: Plan Check Burger, Chef's Favorite Burger, southern fry, pastrami nosh (not pictured)
  • Specials: shrimp burger, pork belly torta (not pictured)
  • Desserts: Cereal ice cream bar from Momofuku, cruller donuts

Plan Check has been garnering a line outside the door ever since it opened in West L.A. Apparently, the restaurant is from the owners of Umami Burger, which might explain the hype. Since I love Umami Burger, I went a little overboard on my 2 visits, and have been able to try almost everything on the menu :P. Drinks-wise, I loved my adulterated soda, which tasted like an alcoholic ice-cream float. As I was nearing the end of my glass, a waiter came by and mistakenly poured ice tea into the glass. Did drama ensue? Was this a restaurant FAIL?! No, actually I got a replacement drink free of charge, and it actually made dinner even more enjoyable :). The appetizers didn't fare as well as the drinks as they were kind of small or a little too oily. I would recommend just ordering an extra burger instead! Having tried a bite or two of several burger offerings from Plan Check, the definite standouts were the Chef's Favorite Burger (CFB) and the pastrami nosh. The CFB actually had a spicy tang from the hot sauce, and I loved the runny egg paired with the soft bun--this one is a must order. The pastrami nosh was beautifully smoky, and had a nice contrasting flavor from the kimchi mustard. After eating both dishes though, I was super stuffed! As far as the other burgers go, I thought I would like the southern fry & PCB more, but they can't really match the flavors of the 2 standouts. The pork belly torta was tasty, but overall had too much fat and mayonnaise for me to order it again. Last but not least, I SUPER recommend the cereal milk bar for dessert if it's available. It's one of the best desserts I've had in a long time. Overall, if you've been debating whether braving LA traffic to the Westside is worth it to visit Plan Check, then I would say stop debating and start driving! :P

-y

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Three Broomsticks - Orlando, Florida


Address: 6000 Universal Blvd (Islands of Adventure) Orlando, FL 32819

Items Ordered:
  • Cornish pasties
  • Fish and chips
  • Turkey leg
  • Butterbeer & pumpkin juice

Where's the happiest place on Earth located?! Hints: it's in Orlando, there's a mouse involved, and magic is everywhere--it's Wizarding World of Harry Potter of course!! The food at Three Broomsticks was perfectly acceptable and the butterbeer and pumpkin juice were super delicious. The only way the food and atmosphere could've been more enjoyable was if it was actually made by house elves. Being at Three Broomsticks just makes me kind of sad that I'm an ordinary, magic-less Muggle. For anyone who's a Harry Potter fan, Wizarding World of HP and Three Broomsticks is a must visit!

-y