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

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