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

Sushi Masu - Westwood, California

Address: 1911 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Items Ordered:

• Spicy Tuna Roll
• Octopus Sushi
• Shrimp Tempura Roll
• Spicy Tuna over Crispy Rice
  

Yum, sushi! Everything tasted really fresh. My favorite is the spicy tuna over crispy rice!

--v

La Provence Patisserie & Cafe - Brentwood, California

Address: 11677 San Vicente Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Items Ordered:

• Smoked salmon omelette
  
• Egg whites, bacon, and cheddar sandwich
• Raspberry, rose, caramel fleur de sel, and chocolate macarons

I first visited the La Provence location in Beverly Hills, and after my first taste of a salted caramel macaron I instantly decided this was my new favorite macaron place. The macaron filling is sweet and has the perfect gooey consistency, while the cookie outside is not too sweet and tastes distinctly of the flavor advertised. I've tried every flavor here since then, and my favorites are raspberry, lemon, vanilla, and salted caramel, and my least favorites are rose and pistachio. At $1.95 for a large macaron compared to $1.60 for a small macaron at Paulette's, La Provence really beats out the competition in taste, location(s), and price. If you receive a box of La Provence macarons from me, then just know that I think you're really special! :)

Oh yea, their breakfast foods were average at best, but the fresh-baked baguette and raspberry jam on the side are really delicious. Give it a try.

--y

Animal - Los Angeles, California

Address: 435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Items Ordered:

• Marrow bone, chimichurri, caramelized onions
• Pig ear, chili, lime, fried egg
• Quail fry, grits, chard, slab bacon, maple jus
• Flat iron steak, sunchoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
• Foie gras loco moco, quail egg, spam, hamburger

Located in a nondescript venue on Fairfax, Animal's concept and interior is typical of a trendy L.A. restaurant. Although we were early for our 8:30p reservation, we were seated promptly at 8p and had plenty of time to peruse the menu as well as gawk at Zach Galfinakis' table in the middle of the restaurant.

My favorite dish of the night came early; the bone marrow was soft and succulent and tasted absolutely scrumptious spread on the accompanying toast. We even ordered more toast so we could slowly savor the dish. The pig ear appetizer received good reviews on Yelp, and while the sunny side up egg was cooked perfectly, the pig ears tasted overwhelmingly of lime. The consensus was that the next time we order pig ears, it would be at a Chinese restaurant.

The fried quail and mashed potatoes were great, but even though it tasted just like chicken, it was a much smaller dish than fried chicken would have been :( . The flat-iron-steak was nothing extraordinary and the parmesan fondue was a little overpowering. Last but not least, the bite of the foie gras loco moco I had was delightful, and the birthday girl thoroughly enjoyed her dish! Overall, Animal has some interesting dishes, but I'm not tempted to return anytime soon.

--y

Joe's Stone Crab - Miami Beach, Florida

Address: 11 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach, FL 33139

Items Ordered:

• Stone crab - jumbo
• Lobster macaroni & cheese
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Hashbrowns
• Sauteed fresh corn - roasted with cilantro, whole butter and lemon juice
• Key Lime Pie
  

After reading articles and all kinds of reviews for Joe's Stone Crab in Miami Beach, I just HAD to go there while on a recent visit to Miami! I mean...BOBBY FLAY said it was one of the best things he'd ever had on, you guessed it, the Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate." Maybe I just love too much food, but goodness, it was delicious!! The crabs are serve chilled, but each person is given hot butter and a mustard sauce to drench it in. I usually don't like mustard, but the concoction they had was great. All of the side dishes are huge and meant to be shared. They all went with each other so well. My favorite was the Lobster Mac & Cheese...baked to perfection.

When we arrived there, we were expecting to wait 2 hours, but by some miracle, we got there with a party of 8 and they seated us right away while other small groups were given estimates of 2-2.5 hours. Not sure how that happened but I love them for it! Our server was so nice and she gave us all the background on the stone crabs as well as all the suggestions for how much to order. She was right, I did leave satisfied and full. These stone crabs are from Joe's very own farm. The crab claws were SO easy to peel and the meat came off so easily. YUM!!!

--v

Pink Taco - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 10250 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90067

Items Ordered:

• Guacamole
  
• Crispy chipotle chicken tacos
• Orange braised carnitas
  
• White sangria, strawberry margarita, passion fruit margarita

On a post-work weekday, after waiting 45 minutes for a table, I thought "This better be the best Mexican food EVER." Luckily, Pink Taco's food was decent. Starting off with the guacamole was a great idea, as the guacamole was well-seasoned, fresh tasting, and paired really well with the crispy tortilla chips. My favorite dish of the night was the chicken tacos, they were super crispy and filled with an ample amount of shredded chicken. The orange braised carnitas were tender and flavorful, although the orange taste didn't really shine through. The drinks we ordered were nothing special, which was surprising given that the bar menu is huge. I would definitely return to Pink Taco for the chicken tacos and guacamole, and hopefully order better drinks to pair with the meal next time.

--y

Half & Half Tea House - San Gabriel Valley, California

Address: 120 N San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA 91778

Items Ordered:

• Shaved ice with boba, lychee jelly, pudding, and red bean
• Iced milk drinks with pudding and honey boba
  
• Green milk tea
• Almond brick toast

Half & Half Teahouse's honey boba has been described as the best tasting boba in the U.S. That probably explains the line out the door on a typical night here. I ordered a regular ice milk drink with honey boba, and while the drink itself tasted like the milk I buy from Ralphs, the honey boba was sweet, chewy, and delicious. I prefer the shaved ice to any of the drinks at Half & Half, and the portion is huge so it's perfect for sharing with friends. I've been back to this teahouse b/c it's a fun place to hang out, but Class 302 is still the ultimate shaved ice/dessert winner!!

--y