A-Frame - Culver City, California

Address: 12565 Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Items Ordered:

• Furikake Kettle Corn: buttered blazin J's Hawaiian style
• Heirloom Pickles w/ creamy dip & EVOO
• Kitchen Fries: Okinawan yam, Korean sweet potato w/ kimchi sour cream & sea salt
• Warm Cornbread & Chicken Salad w/ italian sausage ragout, salsa verde & pickled onion
• Knuckle Sandwich: braised oxtail tendons & knuckles w/ soy chili dipping sauce & toast
• Cracklin' Beer Can Chicken w/ kimchi, century egg, salsa roja & verde
• Chu-Don't-Know-Mang: cinnamon churros w/ malted choc milk & vanilla ice cream
• Thick Ass Ice Cream Sandwich - peanut butter ice cream & rice krispie cookie

I'm probably behind on posting about A-Frame by a year, BUT what I do remember is that I was underwhelmed by the food but excited by my dining companions. The furikake kettle corn was delicious, and you know I love a good fried chicken, but other than those dishes, I thought everything was a little too oily and there were too many pickled ingredients. Also, I distinctly recall that the oxtail stew was surprisingly tasteless and mushy, and I would definitely skip that option. Although I was disappointed by the food at A-Frame, I got to catch up with my co-residents, and their company and humor never disappoint :).

--y

Sonoma Wine Garden - Santa Monica, California

Address: 395 Santa Monica Pl, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Items Ordered:

• Garden pizza - ricotta, wild mushrooms, arugula and white truffle oil w/ fennel sausage
• Truffle fries with parmesan and garden parsley
• Arugula salad w/ pear, cranberry, ricotta (?), and walnuts
• Tiramisu & homemade vanilla bean ice cream

Santa Monica Place is so much cooler now. The restaurants and shops are all fancy shmancy--right up my alley. Sonoma Wine Garden is probably my favorite restaurant there since the decor is cute, there's an abundance of wine, and the pizzas are made with deliciously fresh ingredients while still retaining a crispy crust. It doesn't hurt that I love truffle oil, and they put it over almost everything. I don't care what Gordon Ramsay has to say about that! I definitely recommend the pizzas or pastas, but you can pass on the desserts since they're kind of lackluster. Dress up, be fancy, and give Sonoma Wine Garden a try, and let me know what you think!

--y