weinhaus happ

innsbruck, austria

website

a trip to europe to pick up my in-laws' new car. in munich (or münchen as die deutschen say), we had lunch at bmw welt. it was an atrociously unattractive white sausage, so i'm going to spare y'all that photo and move onto our dinner in innsbruck.

i asked our lederhosened hotel concierge where we could find schnitzel. to his credit, he didn't roll his eyes at all, but instead gave us three options in the historical old town area. we found weinhaus happ and it looked cozy enough. the outdoor seating was nice because we could see the historical square, including the famous innsbruck golden roof. our waiter was not particularly friendly. i asked him to recommend an austrian beer and he gave me something that tasted only slightly better than PBR, so i think i did that wrong. my schweineschnitzel was pretty good, but nowhere near as good as the schnitzel from blaue gans in nyc. the fact that it wasn't drenched in cream sauce probably puts this schnitzel at a disadvantage. still, it had a nice crunch and paired perfectly with a wonderful salad of various pickled things. a good start to our european driving/eating tour.

cat cora's kitchen @ IAH

houston, tx

link to yelp

at the airport yet again. this time at IAH, houston international airport, waiting for our flight to münchen. i'm a big fan of cat cora from watching iron chef america, so i figured this was a pretty safe bet. the menu and our waiter both talked up the spicy tomato soup. so i went with that plus a little burger. for airport food, not bad. the burger was a little overcooked and bland, but i just dunked it in the spicy tomato soup and it worked out quite well. good soup.

shawn cafe

arcadia, ca

link to yelp

anthony was visiting so i decided it was worth traveling to arcadia to get good chinese food. it also helped that anthony drove the whole way. we met g and cindy c at the restaurant and let cindy c order the best options from the menu. and what a spread! generally my favorite taiwanese dish is a meatball covered in glutinous sticky gooey stuff and unnaturally red-orange spicy sauce. trust me, it's delicious. but this time, cindy c introduced me to a new taiwanese favorite - xiang chang (chinese sausage) sliced with sticky rice sausage. chinese sausage is great with everything (shout out to my mom's signature sticky rice with chinese sausage and mushrooms) but this was a nice twist, serving it with sticky rice in a similar sausage shape. grab one slice of each sausage, stuff whole into mouth, and enjoy.

three twins ice cream

santa monica, ca

website

yet another picture of my sister's hand holding food. and my peeling nail polish. anyway - cindy was visiting, so i took her to main street in santa monica to check out some boutiques and the new muji store. couldn't resist stopping at a little scoop shop. can't go wrong with gourmet ice cream. my strawberry ice cream was creamy and delicious. cindy's lemon cookie ice cream was "really really good." a perfect treat to eat while shopping along main street or walking along the ocean. gotta love southern california.

tsujita la

los angeles, ca

website

more ramen! before tsujita annex, there was the original tsujita la. it's rare to see this restaurant without a crazy line outside. it serves a different type of tsukemen (dipping ramen). the noodles are similar to the annex, but the broth is completely different. the broth comes in a small bowl with small pieces of pork. there is a bit more oil in this broth, which can throw some people off. but i just mix it all together and it puts a nice coat of porky goodness on the noodles when you dip. there's also a slight sour flavor which pairs nicely with the noodles and a hefty squeeze of lime. both tsukemen are amazing yet completely different. try both and see which one is your favorite!

big thunder ranch barbecue @ disneyland

anaheim, ca

website

for derek and myself, a trip to disneyland is as much about the snacks as it is about the rides. and the cheerful disney music accompanying your every step. and the mental gymnastics of determining the optimal allocation of fast passes. but this past june was our first time visiting big thunder ranch barbecue. turns out, it's all-you-can-eat! if we had known that in advance, we would have prepared to be hungrier. sadly, we only had the stomachs for one extra bucket of ribs and chicken. meat was decent. beans and coleslaw were both very good. cornbread was completely tasteless. still, a pretty good option if you've managed to avoid snacking on corn, churros, frozen bananas, corn dogs, or popcorn throughout the day and can actually eat enough ribs and wings to justify the price.

capital seafood

arcadia, ca

link to yelp

met up with michelle and cindy c for dim sum in arcadia. so far! but it's worth the drive to see my far-flung friends and to eat yummy chinese food. the dim sum was pretty good, better than anything that i can get near my apartment in santa monica. but the best part of capital seafood is the fact that there was no wait at 12:30 pm on a weekend. incredible. plus, service was super friendly - they let me sit down and served me tea before the rest of my party arrived.

shin-sen-gumi

los angeles, ca

website

you would think that there would be a limit to the amount of ramen that i can eat and the number of ramen restaurants that i will try. but you would be wrong. this is shin-sen-gumi, which is one of many ramen shops on sawtelle. this place gets crowded, but not as crowded as tsujita annex. my new ramen buddy w and i decided to try shin-sen-gumi for lunch one day. broth was tasty, noodles a bit too thin. i liked that i could customize my ramen - choose whether you want your noodles al dente, choose how much pork fat you want floating in your soup, choose your toppings (corn!), etc. but since tsujita annex makes it perfect every time, why mess with perfection?

aeronuova @ jfk

queens, ny

link to yelp

as far as US domestic terminals go, jetblue's terminal 5 at jfk might be one of my favorites. (seattle's redesigned central terminal is definitely up there as well). jetblue's terminal 5 is a huge open space that rarely feels overwhelming despite the crowds. decent food. nice shopping options. since i was early for my flight back to la, i decided to enjoy a glass of red wine and a bowl of rigatoni bolognese at aeronuova. pasta was okay - i liked that it was al dente, but the sauce was a bit bland. wine was excellent. service was very friendly. a nice comforting meal before a long flight.

bubby's

new york, ny

website

solid spot for brunch in tribeca. biscuits are good when fresh out of the oven. cheesy grits are nice and cheesy. there's a tantalizing menu of pies that i have not tried yet. jenny and i came here the morning after we arrived back from paris. bubby's is always packed, but what was interesting about this visit is that i was so happy to be at an american brunch. lots of food, cheerful friendly waitstaff, no cigarette smoke, and a boisterous crowd talking and laughing. paris was wonderful, of course, but it was nice to be home.

food court & laduree @ CDG

paris, france

website

sadly, our too-brief trip to paris was over. jenny and i had our last french meal at charles de gaulle airport. man, even the food courts here were amazing. the ready-made chicken tikka masala was excellent. i also picked up a small chocolate macaron at the airport outpost of laduree, the famous paris patisserie. i normally don't like macarons, but turns out the ones in paris are delicious. while the laduree macaron was good, the best macaron i had in paris was a freshly baked raspberry macaron from maison georges larnicol. softer and with more concentrated fruit flavor than the ones in the US. yum. can't wait to go back to paris and try more!

bistrot vivienne

paris, france

website

being the american tourists that we were, jenny and i couldn't leave paris without getting steak frites. sure, nearly every restaurant and bistro in paris serves the dish but we wanted the best steak frites we could find, no matter the distance. we spent the day shopping in the marais district in northeast paris - tons of cute boutiques. but the restaurant that caught my eye in my time out paris guide was la bourse ou la vie in west paris. so we hiked a mile and a half across the city, but the restaurant was closed! c'est la vie, i guess. tired and very hungry, we stumbled into a nearby restaurant, bistrot vivienne, and ordered steak frites anyway. and it was incredible! giant slabs of steak perfectly cooked and served with a creamy bernaise sauce. an excellent carafe of red wine. then an elegant and completely delicious dessert - brioche toast with homemade hazelnut ice cream. quite possibly the best dessert i've ever had - so simple, buttery, rich, and perfect. yes, it's the life.

l'avant comptoir

paris, france

website

love this place. super busy spanish tapas bar in the saint germain district in paris (apparently anthony bourdain featured this bar on his show). pigs decorating everything everywhere, which is usually a sign that the food is going to be excellent. menu items are helpfully hung from the ceiling with pictures. a small chalkboard lists two wines - one red, one white. my glass of red (arbois 2011 pascal et evelyne clairet) was an amazing complex wine - almost savory in flavor. my favorite dish is pictured - the ouef au plat champignon with a rich red wine sauce which only got richer with the warm yolk mixed in. we also ordered jamon croquetas and a slice of spanish tortilla. when i asked for the check (in french!) the bartender laughed and told me no. which just confused me, but eventually i got a check and he let us leave. although jenny and i would have been happy to stand there all day in the crowded bar drinking fantastic french wine and eating small plates of porky goodness.

la petite chaise

paris, france

website

m is a much more efficient blogger than i am - her post on la petite chaise was up months ago! hop over to her site for better pictures and her take on our lovely meal. here on my site, i have a grainy photo of my soupe à l’oignon gratinée (translated as french onion soup, but obviously just "onion soup" in french). unsurprisingly, i suppose, the best french onion soup i've ever had. cheesier and richer and more flavorful than anything i've had stateside. the thick broth balanced perfectly with the pungent cheese. not a lot of bread here, mostly just soup and cheese. incredible. also quite impressive at this restaurant was the perfectly behaved child having a fancy dinner with his grandmother. the kid, maybe about 6-8 years old, sat and had polite conversation for about 3 hours. i can't even sit quietly for that long - m, jenny, and i were happily getting raucously drunk over our decadent parisian meal.

cafe de la paix

paris, france

website

m, jenny, and i - cosmopolitan globetrotters that we are - were shopping in paris. shopping and shopping and shopping. when our feet got tired we stopped for champagne, wine, cheese, and millefeuille at cafe de la paix. incredibly light crispy flaky sheets of pastry with a fluffy light sweet cream. i've ordered millefeuille many times in the united states - it's usually layers of crepes with cream in between - this was a million times better. if you are in paris. find cafe de la paix. order the millefeuille de la paix cafe. (and maybe a glass of champagne). you're welcome.

betony

new york, ny

website

super fancy restaurant in midtown. really expensive. great service. they even have a little bench for your purse to sit, which made my purse very happy. food was good, but nothing memorable. probably not worth the price. sad.

cafe des amis

san francisco, ca

website

had dinner in the city with ryan, michelle, and their adorable little baby at cafe des amis. of course it was long enough ago that they don't actually live in the city anymore, but the restaurant is probably still there. cafe des amis is a moody low-lit french bistro that could be anywhere - new york city or paris - but with friendly san francisco service. excellent wine list. get the onion soup with the puff pastry on top. absolutely amazing - almost as good as anything i've had in france.

absinthe

san francisco, ca

website

i was traveling for business and after a stressful morning, a restaurant named "absinthe" sounded like the perfect place to relax. i picked a lovely table by the window where i could enjoy the rare san francisco sunny day, which paired nicely with a cool glass of chardonnay. and with that first glass, i ordered a terrible pasta with peas. with my second glass, i ordered something off their cheese list. this is word-for-word an email that i sent while eating my cheese: "Mt tam cheese from cowgirl creamery with toasted walnut apricot bread and a slightly oaky Chardonnay is cheezydrunk heaven." it's possible that truer words have never been written.

california monster salads

santa monica, ca

website

it really is a monster salad. no one needs to eat this much kale at once. but if you wanted to - you would first choose which salad mix you want, choose your toppings, then choose your dressing. the usual. and as usual, i chose a bunch of toppings that i like separately but taste terrible together. there is nothing particularly special about this place except the size of the salad. which no human could possibly finish in one sitting anyway. eh.

stefan's at la farm

santa monica, ca

closed (?)

from top chef contestant stefan. i'm not sure why i keep going to this restaurant. every time i go i'm underwhelmed by the food. ravioli - eh. burger - okay. fried chicken - fine. grilled cheese - blegh. salad - miniscule. i think it's because it has a beautiful well-lit dining room. and it's a quick drive from the office. it's a very pleasant place to dine. except when it comes to the actual dishes. plus, i once saw steve guttenberg eat here. he looked exactly the same as when he played the creepy mayor on veronica mars... okay, i really need to stop eating here.

9/21/2014 update: drove by today and it looks like stefan's has been replaced! must have been my scathing review.

scratch bar

beverly hills, ca

website

sorry for the terrible picture. the restaurant is dimly lit. a suprisingly hipster-ish spot on restaurant row (which otherwise has chains like lawry's and fogo de chao). there are large rustic looking tables. a bunch of us sat around one to celebrate the lovely cindy c's birthday. most of the plates we ordered were for the table to share, but they have little "bites" that you can order individually. they had a "chicken and waffle bite" so of course i had to order it. it was good, nothing spectacular. but the showstopper here is the 30-40 oz dry-aged ribeye that you order for the table. the steak is cooked perfectly - all crispy and fatty in all the right places. it takes forever to prepare, so order it as soon as you sit down. i asked the table whether they thought derek and i could eat one on our own. maybe, was the answer. well, leftover ribeye is never a bad idea.

sweet rose creamery

los angeles, ca

website

i've never tried an artisan ice cream shop that i didn't like. extra creamy. quality ingredients. i usually get some crazy flavor - sweet rose creamery doesn't get as crazy as coolhaus- but they'll still have something unique. but this time at sweet rose creamery in brentwood country mart, i was pretty boring: a scoop of strawberry and a scoop of chocolate - all in a waffle cone. still tasty.

monsieur marcel

los angeles, ca

website

wow. i think i might have found derek's favorite place in all of los angeles. we had late reservations in culver city for dinner, but after shopping at the grove, we decided to just grab a bite to eat at the nearby farmers market instead. the farmers market? it's AMAZING. there's tons of vendors, all of them look delicious. i found a cute shop full of hot sauces and salsas. there's old-fashioned ice cream stands. a brazilian steak place with a crazy line. cheese. pastries. BBQ. pizza. a gourmet grocery. everything. derek, as he does in any food court or market, did a full loop before deciding on a sit-down spot tucked away in the corner. we got two great seats at the counter where we watched all the activity of the bustling market. my plate of linguini bottarga was as good as anything i've had in france. clams and linguini in a delicious white wine butter sauce, topped with magical bottarga. which is apparently salted cured fish roe ... all i know is that it is delicious! so good. i can't wait to go back to the farmers market. i'll be tempted to get the linguini bottarga again, but there's so many options i might have to try something else.

primitivo

venice, ca

website

bottomless mimosas and sangria always sounds like a great idea for brunch, but i never drink enough to make it worth it. and they usually use low quality alcohol, which makes business sense, but makes it even harder to drink enough to make it worth it. otherwise, primitivo was okay for brunch. my eggs were a little on the bland side, but it's probably my fault for ordering a poached egg on grits. there were some better things on the menu that i might try next time.

sauce on hampton

venice, ca

website

my blog is turning into "karendipity drives, parks, then eats!" welcome to los angeles. to continue on that trend, i picked up derek from LAX very early one saturday morning. we decided to go find that amazing all-day free parking spot in venice that i had discovered the prior weekend. once parked, we had to find brunch within walking distance. not an easy feat because everything was still closed. we searched yelp on our phones and found sauce on hampton, which was quite a hike away. once there, we sat outside, which was nice. food was okay. i liked that it was healthy, but it wasn't particularly interesting.

hinoki & the bird

century city, ca

website

century city is a little village of lawyers on the west side of los angeles. one of those lawyers once told me the history of century city, which involved fox studios. but now whenever i visit century city (which is either to go to the mall or to meet up with lawyer friends), all i see are high-rises filled with big law firm lawyers. a great place to meet up with one of these lawyers (who probably can't venture far from the office) is hinoki & the bird. strange name, great food. on this particular occasion, i had a delicious butternut squash soup topped with fried mochi (which i've already established is one of the best things to ever go in soup). and a "salad" with burrata and duck confit, which was delicious.

3 square cafe

venice, ca

website

parking in venice is generally a nightmare. turns out, though, if you have brunch with cindy c and g at 9 am, there's plenty of parking. found an amazing spot next to a school where i could leave my car all day without paying anything! oh, and about the restaurant - it's german californian cuisine, whatever that means. they have a pretzel roll that cindy likes. my breakfast was okay, but the giant asparagus was truly giant and overwhelmed the rest of the plate.

bru's wiffle

santa monica, ca

website

best dish: "dwight's special" - fried chicken and waffle. don't get distracted by the rest of the menu, just get two pieces of boneless fried chicken on a crispy waffle. the waffle is nice and crunchy - even when dipped in maple syrup. chicken is pretty good (not as juicy as chicken on the bone, but easier to eat with the waffle). i prefer white meat because it matches better with the thick breading. the dish comes with 3 sauces for the chicken - creamy ranch, hot sauce, and a vinegary chickeny sauce (this last one is my favorite). i've heard that the original roscoe's might be better, but this is an excellent option in santa monica.

the restaurant @ the getty center

los angeles, ca

website

another new favorite in los angeles. i love love love the getty center. admission is free, although parking will cost you $10. from the parking structure, you'll take a tram ride up the mountain with a view of the traffic on the 405 (as you congratulate yourself for taking sepulveda instead). first stop - hit the restaurant. try to show up early, otherwise you'll need reservations. get the incredible boullabaisse. mussels, clams, shrimp, chorizo, oranges, and fried onion - all in a rich velvety chipotle saffron cream sauce. the oranges might seem weird, but it totally works. you'll want extra bread because you (and your dining companions) will want to soak up every last drop of sauce. the restaurant's dining room is usually beautifully sunlit, but even on a cloudy day you'll get a gorgeous view of the clouds floating above the mountains (and mansions).

next - walk off your meal by exploring the grounds. the winding path through the garden is nice (even better if your companion is jenny, who can explain the artistic purpose of the different rock formations). the art collection is okay - get the audio guide (or fly jenny in from nyc) if you want to learn more about the artwork. but the best part of the getty is the architecture, particularly when it's sunny and the light reflects off the bright white buildings. walking in and up and around the buildings, you'll stumble across great spaces, hidden fountains, and many scenic vantage points. derek and i bring a blanket and some magazines - we'll sit outside on the hill overlooking the garden for hours. some people picnic. kids roll around on the grass. derek inevitably naps. a perfect LA destination.

tar & roses

santa monica, ca

website

whenever someone wants a fancy meal in santa monica, we go to tar & roses. well, not super fancy - for that, we go to melisse. but for normal fancy - we go to t&r. small plates of innovative hipster-y dishes to share. pictured is the whole fried snapper that angie and c really enjoyed. it was cool to look at, but my favorite dish was the bone marrow with red onion marmalade and sea salt. the menu changes somewhat depending on the season. like when english peas were in season - t&r served them grilled and coated in mint and other herbs - eaten like edamame. that was cindy c's favorite. there's an excellent wine list too. (that would be anthony's favorite). reservations are necessary - even with a reservation, there may be a wait. but order a glass of wine as soon as you get through the door and you won't mind waiting.

tsujita annex

los angeles, ca

website

long time no blog. but i'm back now with my favorite restaurant in los angeles - tsujita annex - which was recently featured in an eater article about its noodle supplier, sun noodle. the noodles here are indeed fantastic. i always order the tsukemen (dipping ramen). springy chewy yellow noodles, served room temp in one bowl. in another bowl, thick fatty flavorful pork broth, served hot. pull one or two noodles from one bowl and dip them in the other bowl until they're coated with broth. then slurp! red spice and garlic are available on the table to add even more flavor. i order my tsukemen without any spice and then add two spoonfuls from the table (otherwise, it's way too spicy, trust me). i also add extra vegetables because the bean sprouts soak up the broth and add a satisfying crunch to each bite. you won't be able to finish all of the broth - take it to go and add instant ramen at home for an incredibly rich and indulgent meal.

coolhaus

culver city, ca

website

jenny in LA! when jenny and i get together, there's a lot of good eating. this time we went to lukshon, a fancy asian restaurant from sang yoon - the father's office guy. (forgot to take a picture!)

when cindy c heard that we would be in culver city, she told us to go to coolhaus. and jenny and i generally do everything that cindy c tells us to do. so we walked down the street from lukshon, past a gelato shop, past a lot of closed shops, and eventually found the brightly lit coolhaus. very interesting flavors. with jenny, i got a scoop of the fried chicken and waffle ice cream. weird, but a nice salty sweet mix with flecks of fried chicken skin and chunks of maple waffles. when i brought derek, we split an ice cream sandwich made with a double chocolate chip cookie, a smores cookie, and coffee and donut ice cream. everything is very sweet, so half of an ice cream sandwich was the perfect size. yum.

lares

santa monica, ca

website

there is so much good food in los angeles and its usually found in really random spots, sometimes on stretches that are otherwise unremarkable. w brought me to pico - a street i've driven on many times and i had no idea i was driving past a great mexican restaurant each time. lares is very unassuming - even though it was my destination, i nearly walked right by it. ordered the chicken mole enchiladas (as i always do). solid. the mole could be a little spicier, but still very good. lovely spot for a workday lunch.

shophouse kitchen

santa monica, ca

website

from the brilliant minds at chipotle ... a southeast asian version of "slow food, fast." one recently opened up on the 3rd street promenade and they cleverly sent coupons for free bowls to nearby residents. you can't beat free. no tortillas here (although i think tortillas would be great with these ingredients). instead, you get a huge bowl and can choose 5 main ingredients and then some toppings. my bowl: half brown rice and half lettuce, a couple of pork/chicken meatballs, charred corn, green curry sauce, pickled vegetables, and crispy garlic on top. everything was surprisingly flavorful and even a little spicy. the meatballs were a little too salty - next time i'll get more brown rice to balance that out. good food, super fast, reasonably priced - i'm definitely a fan.

fritto misto

santa monica, ca

website

i absolutely love this place. it helps that it's around the corner from my apartment. great for takeout, particularly since the restaurant itself gets packed at dinner time every night. but eating there with a friend is even better because then we can share a plate of fritto misto as a first course - a heaping plate of fried veggies, shrimp, and calamari. well seasoned and served with a tangy mayo dipping sauce. i then usually share a plate of their homemade pasta with cream sauce. every pasta on their menu seems to be served with cream sauce. sure, you could ask for them to make it "light" but their cream sauce is so good. pictured is my favorite - mushroom ravioli in marsala cream. not light. but delicious!

jae boo do

los angeles, ca

link to yelp

i have to thank angie for introducing me to korean cheese corn! it's cheesy buttery spicy korean corn served on a hot pan. love. she also introduced me to korean bbq with a twist - seafood instead of meat. it was strange, but delicious. and a little dangerous. clams and mussels had a tendency to pop and explode if they were left on the grill too long. so you have to watch the grill carefully and grab the hot shells with your gloved hand before disaster strikes. it's an interactive eating experience - lots of fun, lots of yum. and there's korean cheese corn! what else do you need to know?

barney greengrass at barney's

beverly hills, ca

closed

there's a restaurant on the top floor of barney's in beverly hills. unfortunately barney greengrass is closing, but a new restaurant will take its place. it is an ideal spot for Ladies who Lunch (and shop at barney's), which is what i aspire to become. but i go on weekends and sit out on the balcony to have a nice quiet lunch outdoors, away from the throngs of tourists on rodeo drive. i'll let y'all know how the new restaurant is once it opens.

the refinery

santa monica, ca

website

the coffee is truly excellent - you can tell that the barista puts a lot of time and attention to making sure that you get the perfect cup of coffee. it takes about 5+ minutes to brew. they have coffee beans from all different regions, each with different tasting notes. i couldn't taste any of the notes in my coffee (tobacco?), but i could tell it was tasty. it was also very expensive - a cup of drip coffee costs over $5. my chocolate chip muffin was very good, but the shop didn't have any forks for me to eat it with. there is limited seating, but i never see this shop crowded. it seems like a great idea with the wrong location - it needs a more upscale neighborhood. on santa monica boulevard, it's just up the street from hooters and the 3rd street promenade. not really the $5-cup-of-coffee kind of crowd.

ken's artisan bakery

portland, or

website

met up with monica at a cute bakery in portland, near the 23rd street shopping district. we ordered an array of baked goods - a quiche, a croissant (with apricot preserves) and a fruity tart thing. perfect for breakfast with a mug of coffee. it's pretty popular so seating can be difficult, but monica and i managed to get there early enough to snag a table.

kogi truck

los angeles, ca

website

one of the kogi trucks parks outside of my office building EVERY WEDNESDAY. so dangerous. the food is extremely heavy, but so delicious. i've tried the kogi dog - hot dog topped with kimchi and mayo; the blackjack quesadilla - grilled tortillas with spicy pork, onions, and cheese; the short rib tacos; and the short rib burrito. all of them are amazing. all of them are super greasy. it looks like there are a lot of vegetables in the picture, but that's only a crunchy topping to what is greasy meat, mayonnaise, and cheese underneath. southern california's healthy vibe might be rubbing off on me because i haven't been back to the kogi truck in a while - it's just too much for lunch. try it, but don't make it a habit.

curry house

los angeles, ca

website

curry house is a chain - there's even one in cupertino. i go to the one on sawtelle whenever i'm craving curry. delicious salad. good curry sauce - you can choose your spiciness level. and the katsu is appropriately crispy. i either get the menchi katsu (basically a deep fried hamburger patty) or the tofu katsu. yup, that's curry house.

tavern

los angeles, ca

website

"karendipity, is that a pool of butter in your picture?" why yes, yes it is. vanita and the family graciously invited me to brunch at the super classy tavern restaurant in brentwood. everyone else at the table ordered something healthy. i ordered the blueberry ricotta pancakes doused in butter. so good. almost as good as clinton st baking co, which is really saying something. while the food is great, the best part about tavern is the ambiance in the back room. beautiful luxurious furniture, bright sunlit room, and random trees bringing in just a hint of nature. this is what i imagine it would be like if you're the earl of grantham, you've just finished shooting pheasants, and the downton abbey staff has set up a dining tent for you and your hunting party in a clearing nearby.

jinky's cafe

santa monica, ca

website

my blog is exhibit #1 to explain why i joined a running club. exhibit #2 is cindy c, who joined the running club with me. we lasted about two months before we decided that running 11 miles on a saturday morning was just too much to ask. anyway, back when we used to run on saturday mornings, we would head over to jinky's cafe afterward for our reward - giant omelettes and crunchy tater tots. perfect to cancel out all of the calories we had just burned running. i think the post-run tater tots are the only thing i miss about the running club.

oumi sasaya

lomita, ca

link to yelp

whhhhy is it so far awaaaay. cindy c once drove me to oumi sasaya for their amazing curry udon. it's a tiny japanese restaurant that specializes in curry udon and there is always a wait for a seat. and they're only open for a few hours for lunch and a few hours for dinner. when they're out of noodles, they just close up. the curry udon is amazing. the noodles are made fresh every day and the broth is rich and spicy. they also serve it with fried mochi, which is one of the best things to ever go into soup. but lomita is so far away from where i live. i would have to get on the 405 and actually stay on the 405 for quite a while, which seems like a risk if they might not even have a seat or any noodles left when i get there. ugh.

top dog

berkeley, ca

website

i love hot dogs. it's one of my favorite foods. people have told me about how hot dogs are made and even shown me pictures of the manufacturing process in an attempt to convince me how bad hot dogs are for me. it doesn't work. anyway - every berkeley grad that i've met has raved about top dog. i had to go to berkeley for a work event and i convinced michelle to stop by top dog with me to find out what the fuss is all about. the verdict? i'm not sure. the hot dog itself was fine. there was way too much bread. eh. the verdict is eh.