Thanksgiving 2011

Items Prepared:

• Crab and cream cheese spread with toasted almonds on French bread
• French onion soup
• Arugula, beets, and goat cheese salad
• Prime rib and Yorkshire pudding with au jus
• Chocolate mousse with mint and raspberries
  

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm thankful for my beautiful family and friends today as I am everyday. No turkey this year, but prime rib is still a winner! Hope your Thanksgiving gathering is fabulous and delicious.

--y

Paco's Tacos - Los Angeles, California

Address: 4141 S Centinela Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90066

Items Ordered:

• Two beef tacos combo plate - no beans
  
• Chicken taco and tamale combo plate - no beans
  

"SHOW ME THE TACOS!" I imagine that's what Tom Cruise would have said when they filmed Jerry Maguire at Paco's Tacos. When our plates arrived, they were huge and heavy and looked like they could've weighed 8 pounds! The crispy tacos at Paco's Tacos were crunchy, flavorful, and especially satisfying with the addition of spicy salsa. The mexican rice was delicious and made me happy that I skipped the beans. As for the tamale, it arrived a little on the cold side so I'll reserve judgement for another day. However, the real winner at Paco's Tacos were the homemade tortillas made fresh every minute by the tortilla lady. The tortillas arrived piping hot, soft, and chewy, and I wanted to wrap everything into them and just eat it up. Somehow I managed to reserve a tortilla to take home, and after reheating it on a grill, and wrapping it around eggs, sausage, and hot sauce, it made for one of the best breakfast burritos I've ever eaten. YUM!! I would definitely return to Paco's Tacos--after all, they had me at tortilla ;).

--y

Scarpetta at The Montage - Beverly Hills, California

Address: 225 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Items Ordered:

• Sunday Brunch
  

I blame my lackluster Scarpetta experience on the breathtaking scenery of the Beverly Canyon Gardens. The food was doomed to failure against such an amazing backdrop. The quality of the food was impeccable (think fresh fruits, veggies, seafood) but the taste and selection was just not up to par for the $70+ dollar price tag. The shellfish was a little too cold, the meats a little too dry, the vegetables a little too soggy, and the desserts were hit or miss. In fact, I much prefer the brunch buffet at M Resort in Vegas which provides flavorful food items at a reasonable price including drinks (try it!). I might visit Scarpetta again, but only for the tomato-basil spaghetti, which in accordance with popular belief can do no wrong. Toothsome and flavorful, it was the only item that garnered repeat trips to the kitchen. I wouldn't steer you away from visiting Scarpetta--it is a pleasant experience--but so is being $70 richer!

--y

The Bazaar by José Andrés - Los Angeles, California

Address: 465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Items Ordered:

• Tortilla de Patatas "New Way": potato foam, egg 63, caramalized onions (skip this)
  
• "Philly cheesesteak": air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef
  
• Embutidos platter: chorizo, lomo, salchichon with tomato bread (SO GOOD!!)
  
• Papas canarias: salty wrinkled potatoes, mojo verdé
• Pisto: vegetable stew, tomato, egg 63
• The "ultimate" spanish tapa: potatoes, carrots, mayo, tuna belly (skip this)
• Sautéed shrimp: garlic, guindalla pepper
• Sea scallops with romesco sauce
• Beef hanger steak: Piquillo pepper confit
• Traditional Spanish flan: vanilla and fruit
  
• Greek yogurt panna cotta: apricots and muscat gelatin
  

Don't read this post! Why not? Because your time could be much better spent making a reservation for The Bazaar, and then enjoying one of your most delicious meals ever. Succulent shrimp and scallops, tasty potatoes, savory embutidos and creamy flan. I can't wait to go back and try the rest of the menu!!

--y

Din Tai Fung - Arcadia, California

Address: 1088 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Items Ordered:

• Xiao Long Bao: juicy soup dumplings with pork and fish
• Shanghai rice cake with pork
  
• Stir fried green beans

I visited Din Tai Fung (DTF) only so I could brag to my parents that I could have an authentic taste of Taiwan in L.A. while they'd have to resort to eating their own cooking...suckers! After waiting 30 minutes in the sweltering heat, the restaurant was kind enough to offer us cups of ice cold water. When we were finally seated, the soup dumplings and green beans arrived looking extremely photogenic. Tastewise, the dumplings lacked the spoonful of soup which I love, but the outstanding flavor of the fish dumplings made up for the scarcity of soup. The stir fried green beans were crunchy and devoured quickly. Overall though, eating at DTF just made me jealous that I couldn't eat my parents home cooking :(.

--y

Jitlada Thai - Hollywood, California

Address: 5233 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Items Ordered:

• Green Mussel Curry: New Zealand mussels in southern Thai curry with pineapples
  
• Crying Tiger Pork
• Deep fried seabass
• Pad Thai (not pictured)

Jitlada has been on my to-eat-list for almost a year now. After being bombarded by reviews from Jonathan Gold, the Food Network, and other bloggers, I wanted to participate in the Jitlada experience too! The mussels were one of the best I've ever had, and the mussel broth was drinkable like a delicious seafood soup. The best part of the famous crying tiger pork was the spicy sauce that accompanied it, which was really a delight and punishment for the taste buds. Last but not least, the deep fried seabass was a standout dish--probably my favorite of the night. The fish was crispy and delicious even without any sauce. Next time I return to Jitlada, I would definitely order the fried fish and mussels again. Try it for yourself!

--y

The Six - West Los Angeles, California

Address: 10668 Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Items Ordered:

• Turkey Sloppy Joe Sliders
• The Six Mac n' Cheese
• The Six Pizza: Margherita, Mushroom
• Organic Jidori Chicken Breast Risotto
• Parmesan Truffle Fries

The concept of the Six is a full menu of 6 of each type of menu item (entree, fries, appetizers, etc.). It is definitely an interesting mix of food. I love risotto, but this risotto was made out of a quinoa rice. I much prefer arborio rice for risotto, but the chicken did have good flavoring. Great if you feel like having an American meal - very innovative menu and good atmosphere.

--v

Meet - Culver City, California

Address: 9727 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Items Ordered:

• All-you-can-eat Mussels Wednesday
• DIJONNAISE - Garlic, shallots, tomato confit, house mustard, tarragon and cream
• MARINIERE - Garlic, shallots, chablis, herbed croutons
• MEET - Crab, shallot, saffron, tomato confit, celeri, bacon, basil, chablis
• THAI - Indian curry, garlic, cumin, lemongrass, coconut milk , cream
• MARINARA - Merlot, garlic, shallots, spicy marinara
• Fries

Meet is a cute French bistro in Downtown Culver City. We came one day for the all you can eat mussels and it was DELICIOUS. I love mussels and I loved the variety of about 10 different types of mussels we could choose from. The fries came a little later than I would have liked, but once they came, they were perfect for dipping with the sauces. Each of the bowls of mussels (1 pound each bowl) had great sauces and I wanted to just drink all of it. Yummy!

--v

Mayura - Culver City, California

Address: 10406 Venice Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Items Ordered:

• Chicken tikka masala: boneless chicken in a curry sauce
  
• Shrimp masala: shrimp in a savory curry sauce
  
• Masala dosa: crepe stuffed with spiced cooked potatoes
  
• Plain & garlic naans

I convinced Connie and Victoria to accompany me to Mayura after raving about the buttery, fork-tender chicken tikka masala. The dish did not disappoint, and we ended up splitting a second order along with some spicy shrimp masala! I would come back anytime for the chicken tikka masala and a order of garlic naan and rice. The portions are actually quite generous, we were just extra hungry eaters that day. The only thing I might do differently is skip the dosa for some standard samosas instead since deep fried n crispy beats pan-fried any day. Highly recommend.

--y

Update

Hi friends!

Do you find yourself sitting at home wondering, where has the food gone? Or are you slowly wasting away in front of the computer as you search for restaurant options without suggestions from eat.snap.love?! Well, no worries! Summer vacation is also coming to a close for Victoria and YJ, and there will be a whole slew of new cuisines for you to drool over shortly.

However, there have been a few changes in our lives, and you may find the pace of postings a little different. For one thing, Victoria will be posting from jolly ol' Brighton, UK for the next year. How exciting! Maybe we'll finally find out what a "spotted dick" and "toad in the hole" really is. As for YJ, well besides subtracting one fabulous eating partner, she just started a brand new job and hopes to bring you an insider's perspective into gourmet hospital food.......j/k!

We hope your summer has been eventful as well, and look forward to sharing more pictures with you in the future. :)

--v & y