Wok On Fire, Los Angeles

Wok On Fire

1447 S La Cienega Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90035

(310) 289-0102

www.wokonfirela.com

Alright, don’t make fun of me, but one of my favorite Chinese restaurants is Wok On Fire.  Actually, that IS my favorite Chinese restaurant among the non-fancy quick serve category.  Why do I love it so much? Well for starters, their lunch special is pretty awesome.  You choose the main dish you want, and it comes with salad, rice, and an egg roll.  But the taste is what got me hooked!  I hate how when you go to have Asian food, a lot of it can be pretty sweet.  But Wok On Fire knows how to keep the savory dishes savory.  Every dish I’ve had here has been really good and its really hard for me to say which is my favorite.  I’d say, try them all.  Their orange chicken was always a popular selection among my friends as well as their Crispy Walnut Shrimp. The downside? They have a B rating!!! And its been like that for years now! I don’t know why. But I don’t care.  I guess neither do other people because they had multiple order takers and their phones were ringing left and right for delivery and takeout orders.  This place is a bit far from me but so far, its the only Chinese restaurant I really love.  If anyone knows of other good Chinese restaurants let me know! I’d love to try it!

Mongolian Beef

Orange Chicken

Garlic Chicken

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Kushiyu, Tarzana

Kushiyu

18713 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, Ca 91356

(818) 609-9050

www.kushiyurestaurant.com

If you’re looking for a great sushi restaurant in the valley, this is it. In Fact, its probably THE BEST sushi spot in the valley, west of Sepulveda.  Yes, I think its better than Cho Cho Sun, aka Revolving Sushi.  Now, the prices are tad steep compared to other spots, but we’re talking about raw fish here.  I really don’t think “cheap” is the way to go.  Plus, you can tell that the premium you pay is because you are getting BETTER QUALITY food, as opposed to paying top dollar just to sit in a pretentious restaurant, in a pretentious city, and eat shitty food.  Not to mention, this place is packed!!  People going in an out, so you know there’s high turnover with their food. You can tell from first bite how fresh their food is.  And guess what…no need to worry about bright lights and a casual atmosphere, because their ambiance is great too! Its dimly lit, and can be a romantic spot too.  Trust me on this one, one visit and you will be hooked!

Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

Chilean Sea Bass Skewers

Hamachi Cilantro

Green Beans

Green Roll

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Crustacians, Beverly Hills

Crustacean By House of An

9646 South Santa Monica Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 205-8990

http://houseofan.com/wp/

Beautiful, Elegant, Refined. The only way I know how to describe an evening at Crustacean in Beverly Hills.  We went here for my mama’s birthday.  Only the best for such an amazing woman.  This is the kind of place you take that special someone in your life, where money ain’t a thing, and all you want is a fantastic dinner served in the most elegant of all places.  I would definitely celebrate an anniversary or a birthday dinner for two here at Crustaceans.  Don’t even think about not ordering the Dungeness crab and garlic noodles.  I’d say those are the two most requested dishes here at Crustacean.  They pair so well together I couldn’t imagine ordering anything else!

An’s Famous Garlic Noodles

Sampler Appetizer Plate

Dungeness Crab

Dungeness Crab

Chilean Sea Bass

Spinach and Asparagus

Filet Mignon

me at dinner

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Lo/Cal Coffee and Market Featuring Honey Butter Biscuits!!

Lo/Cal Coffee and Market / Honey Butter Biscuits

2214 Pico Blvd.

Santa Monica, CA 90405

www.local-coffee.com
www.honeybutterbiscuits.com

One thing I love about LA is how easy it is find motivated people who are not merely driven in pursuit of their passions, but also holding proudly and compassionately to a sense of community.  I witnessed it first hand during my meeting with Jonel De Los Reyes, General Manager of Lo/Cal Coffee and Market in Santa Monica.  His business philosophy is something he shares earnestly, and there’s a simple message at the heart of it… there’s a new wave of entrepreneurship… one that is no longer singularly money driven, but that is first socially responsible — a concept that is reflected in almost every aspect of Lo/Cal’s operations. They source all of their products locally, and decisions are made collectively among the entire staff.

Me with the General Manager, Jonel De Los Reyes

And that’s just behind the scenes…

ON to the coffee…..          

I sampled the macchiato, cortado, cappuccino, honey latte, and last but not least, their cold brew Nitro coffee.  The cold brew is prepared by steeping locally roasted coffee in room temperature purified water for 12 hours, after which it is injected with nitrogen, resulting in an outstanding “smoother and creamier” texture. This was described by the staff as being comparable to drinking a Guinness, and it turned out to be very true! It was so rich and bold. The silky mouth feel and long lingering taste let you know that what you’re sipping is of exceptional quality. This and the honey latte were my two favorite drinks.

But let’s talk about the reason I was here to begin with. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to try, quite literally, the BEST biscuits ever!  Nick Westbrook, owner of Honey Butter Biscuits, graciously invited me to an exclusive tasting of his authentic Southern biscuits, which are featured at Lo/Cal. We started off with one of his Georgian specialties… a crispy chicken biscuit sandwich.  Mmm Mmm Mmm… The hand battered chicken breast was seasoned and cooked to juicy perfection. The biscuits were tender, buttery, flaky, and ever so moist, yet had just enough structural integrity to hold the makings of a sandwich inside. You can taste the perfect balance of salt and butter with a subtle sweetness in each bite. The bottom had a golden brown crust which gave it a nice contrast to the soft and delicate inside. This heavenly sandwich is an off-off-menu item that Nick plans to make available to the public by partnering with other LA eateries in the future, so start asking for it now!

Next, I tried a biscuit with his very own homemade honey butter, the most popular way to order a biscuit at Lo/Cal. Wow!!! There is seriously nothing better in this world than bread and butter, and this takes it to new levels of decadence. Sweet, salty, cinnamony, pure amazingness.

We went a little in depth about why Nick’s biscuits taste so good, the secret method of which I can’t reveal, but I will mention one thing….PRACTICE! This recipe — which is inspired by early memories of the biscuits his grandfather made in Georgia — was literally years in the making!!! The urge to make biscuits originated as a way to have a piece of home away from home, but the desire to perfect the recipe came with an even stronger desire to share this unique taste of comfort with the world — as Nick likes to say, a great biscuit brings you home. So for many years he worked on his craft until he felt for sure that it was ready. By now, everything is down to a science, from the super light flour he imports from Kentucky, to the careful way he prepares the batter. Nick even refers to himself as a mad scientist!

Nick Westbrook, owner of Honey Butter Biscuits

I had such a fantastic time hearing his story and would like to wish him nothing but success!  If you want a taste of Honey Butter Biscuits, and TRUST ME, you do…you can find them right here at Lo/Cal Coffee and Market or Cafe 50’s in Santa Monica. You can also order dozen or more for personal pick up at honeybutterbiscuits.com. 
Be sure to follow Honey Butter Biscuits and Lo/Cal’s journey on instagram @HoneyButterBiscuits and @lo.cal. Go try these delicious biscuits and extraordinary coffee concoctions together at Lo/Cal Coffee TODAY and let me know what you think!

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Shanghai Grill, Beverly Hills

Shanghai Grill

9383 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills, Ca 90210

This next place is a Chinese restaurant in Beverly Hills. Its a little upscale, in that its right in the heart of Beverly Hills, and this is somewhat reflected in their prices.  But its too bad their decor is a little outdated.  Nevertheless, it must be good enough for celebs because I guess a lot of them dine here based on the pictures on the wall.  The food itself isn’t so pretentious either.  Its not 2 little pieces of meat on a plate, its real Chinese food in decent portions. Their lunch special is great because it comes with rice, soup and a little salad.  So far, everything I’ve had here tastes good and fresh, but my absolute favorite is their honey walnut shrimp….soooo good!  So whats the verdict? Would I recommend this place? I’d say if you’re looking for a nice Chinese restaurant but don’t want to go to a hole in the wall, don’t go to the default P. F. Chang’s. Try something new and go to Shanghai Grill, trust me the food here is way better!

Garlic Chicken

Egg drop soup

Honey Walnut Shrimp

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Neptune’s Net, Malibu

Neptunes Net

42505 Pacific Coast Hwy

Malibu, CA 90265

(310) 457-3095

www.neptunesnet.com

Surprisingly enough, this was actually my first and only visit to Neptune’s Net.  Its a bit of a drive, depending on where you’re coming from, but totally worth it.  The food is a bit pricey and mostly fried, but its one of the cutest little tucked away places in Malibu. I ordered the seafood platter.  Everything tasted really fresh, although I do wish I could have shared this with at least 3 other people.  It most certainly is big enough. I think its a great stop to eat at either before or after the beach. Another perfect place for a Sunday Funday!!

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Crab Catcher Restaurant, San Diego

Crab Catcher Restaurant

1298 Prospect St.

La Jolla, CA 92037

(858) 454-9587

http://www.crabcatcher.com/crab-catcher-market-cafe

For a beautiful and classy restaurant with an ocean view, you must visit Crab Catcher Restaurant. However, let me warn you, there are some downsides.  The food was okay…nothing special about it. I ordered the Eggs Benedict which comes on top of 2 crab cakes.  I thought this would give me the most bang for my buck, and it did. But was it spectacular?? No.  Everything was rather pricey as well, but it just didn’t match the quality. Not worth eating there. On the other hand, the atmosphere was very bougie and felt like I was dining in a beautiful east coast spacious country home which was a nice change. Luckily our table was right in front of the window so we had a perfect view of the ocean, without a reservation either. I HIGHLY recommend you make a reservation in advance and request to sit near the window or on the patio overlooking the ocean.  Although I mentioned some pitfalls, I would still recommend this place, but only for drinks and appetizers because the view alone made it all worth it.  Oh and guess what, they have happy hour from 3pm-9pm!

Crab Enchiladas

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Searsucker, San Diego

Searsucker

611 5th Ave.

San Diego, CA 92101

(619) 233-7327

http://www.searsucker.com/

I was looking for a great restaurant to go to, and a local San Diegoan told me that Searsucker is the place to go.  So happy I listened.  First of all, the place is very energetic and quite a hot spot.  As big as it was, it was still packed with people.  The decor was exactly my taste, very industrial.  This restaurant actually belongs to one of the contestants on Top Chef, which now explains why their menu items were so unique.

Now, for the food.  First off, they bring out their special cheddar puffers, for free, so no need to order it separately.  They were different, but in a good way.  Next, I kid you not but we ordered the “Cowboy Caviar”…which was Buffalo testicles.  What did it taste like?  Well, texture wise, if I had to relate it to something else I’ve eaten, I’d say it was a lot like eating liver, only a little softer.  Luckily they had battered and deep fried it like a chicken nugget which made it way more palettable.  Now, I don’t know if this was done on purpose or not, but they had this special fried lettuce on the side that when eaten, gave the illusion of eating curly hair. I don’t know what kind of lettuce, just the kind that feels like you’re eating hair when you fry it.  Nah, it had to have been on purpose because there are a million other things they could have put on the side, but they chose to put fried lettuce. Who fries lettuce anyway? Truthfully, I was a little grossed out towards the end of eating it, but it was worth trying at least once. Especially if you’re sharing it with others. One piece will do the trick.

The next thing we ordered was the bacon grits.  Deee-lish.  Totally worth it and so flavorful.  I would have had 2 entrees to report on but my sig fig and I got into a fight so we had to call the night short. Boo hoo!  No worries, we worked through it, lol, but not in time to have our dinner entrees of Shark and the ribeye “tomahawk.” Oh well, I guess this just means we’re going to have to go back!

If you’re looking for a place to go in San Diego, I wouldn’t waste your time looking anywhere else. This place has it all, fits any occasion, is right in the heart of the Gas Lamp district. It’s within walking distance of other bars.  Has awesome food and drinks.  Why go anywhere else?!

Bacon Grits

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