journeys east @ tulalip casino

tulalip, wa

website

derek's parents made reservations at journeys east for christmas dinner last year. an unusual choice, to be sure. food was delicious - a mix of different asian cuisines - derek's parents always know how to find good food. service had the right amount of christmas cheer. a nice spot for a fun family gathering. we even got to place a few bets at the roulette table on the way out.

brick + mortar

santa monica, ca

website

a cool restaurant on main street in santa monica - more successful as a bar/nightclub in the late evenings than as a restaurant. although the chicken and waffles were pretty to look at, the chicken was overcooked and the waffles were bland and tasteless. derek, however, likes the atmosphere at brunch - loud music, fun & boisterous crowd. but the food is definitely lacking. for fried chicken and waffles in santa monica, go to bru's wiffle. for a pint on a saturday night? brick + mortar is a great option.

plaza inn @ disneyland

anaheim, ca

website

visiting disneyland for derek's birthday - he elected not to wear the birthday pin, for fear that everyone saying "happy birthday" to him in an overly cheerful voice would get annoying. but he did elect to get fried chicken. we shared a plate (so as to save room for more disney snacks) - green beans were decent, the mashed potatoes were ridiculously buttery and delicious, and derek was very happy with the fried chicken - surprisingly moist and tender.

naples ristorante

anaheim, ca

website

surprisingly good italian food in downtown disney, just outside of disneyland and california adventure. derek gets the chicken parm, i get the eggplant parm. thinly sliced eggplant, lightly breaded, topped with a very good red sauce and served with spaghetti cooked perfectly al dente. i recommend reservations if you want to dine here during dinner hours - it's a nice break from the craziness of the parks. or you can wait in line at the takeout option next door for an excellent neapolitan pizza, fresh from the oven.

aussie pie kitchen

santa monica, ca

website

meat pies! ever since jenny and i went to pie minister in oxford, england, i've been trying to find a similar spot stateside. these meat pies are australian, but i can't tell the difference. it's hard to go wrong with meat wrapped in pastry. my favorite is the classic aussie - ground beef marinated in red wine, braised in mirepoix, herbs & spices. placed on top of mashed potatoes and covered with gravy. these pies are also great to take home - reheat in the oven until the buttery crust gets brown and flaky. so good.

ludobird @ staples center

los angeles, ca

website

sports arenas have gotten fancy with their concessions. i was just excited to see jeremy lin play for the lakers at the staples center. (i was possibly the only person in the stands hoping that kobe would get out of the way so i could snap a photo of jeremy). i wasn't expecting to also be wowed by the food. wandering around the various concession stands, i noticed ludobird. could it possibly be related to celebrity chef ludo? i had no idea if his food was any good - i only knew him from anthony bourdain's show. turns out his fried chicken is damn good. seriously. crispy, herbal, juicy fried chicken will help you ignore how poorly the lakers are playing.

lawry's

beverly hills, ca

website

girl's night out with cindy c, g, and L. L has a special "in" at lawry's because she got married there! brilliant. we had a great wisecracking waitress who had a lot of fun with us girls. smart wine recommendation, reasonably priced. dinner started with lawry's famous original spinning bowl salad. is it really necessary to start with salad? does the bowl really need to spin? who knows, but it's amazing. gives you a nice base in your stomach for the roasted prime rib. the meat is served off of a push cart - like meaty dim sum. for me, the redder the slice, the better. side of creamed corn. mashed potatoes. and yorkshire pudding which is like a deflated creamy popover. eat until it starts to hurt a little. waddle home. success!

morinoya

los angeles, ca

website

i had no idea that this japanese restaurant was hidden away on the 2nd floor of the olympic collection at the corner of sawtelle and olympic until m directed me there for dinner after work. their specialty is inaniwa udon - i'm not quite sure what it's made of, but it looks like thinly sliced udon. the broth was flavorful and warm. it's a lot lighter than the ramen that you get elsewhere on sawtelle. but my favorite part of the meal was the warm plum wine drink that m ordered - extremely comforting after a long day.

r+d kitchen

santa monica, ca

website

hillstone restaurants are generally reliable for good american food and excellent wine lists. r+d kitchen is no exception. on a lazy afternoon strolling along montana avenue, i sat by myself at the counter of r+d kitchen. lovely glass of crisp chardonnay. nice fresh chicken salad. solid.

b sweet

los angeles, ca

website

this is my latest dessert addiction. bread pudding in all different flavors. pictured is my absolute favorite flavor - the bread pudding made from chocolate chip banana bread topped with gooey caramel. lightly sweet banana flavor pairs perfectly with rich bittersweet chocolate and super sweet caramel. derek's favorite flavor is glazed donut. yes, you read that correctly, they make bread pudding out of DONUTS. genius. derek gets it with a scoop of ice cream on top. it's such an intense dessert that i can usually only finish half in one sitting. but it freezes nicely and after a minute in the microwave, it tastes just as moist and amazing as a fresh serving.

bao dim sum house

los angeles, ca

website

cindy was visiting and we really wanted to get dim sum but didn't have time to drive out to the san gabriel valley. so we ended up at bao dim sum house in the beverly grove area. dim sum is decent, but with a lot of fancy touches that you wouldn't get at a normal dim sum joint. for example, the fried luo bo gao is gently served on a nice plate garnished with chopped scallions rather than getting a quick squeeze of hoisin sauce before being thrown on your table. everything was okay, but i'd much rather have a more authentic dim sum experience in the SGV.

bachi burger

los angeles, ca

website

new burger spot on sawtelle in west LA. of course we're usually eating ramen when we're on sawtelle, but this time we decided to try a burger. bachi burger is one of those fancy burger places that put a lot of interesting toppings on the burger. i can't remember which toppings i got, but i do remember that the meat itself did not have a lot of flavor. not a fan - i'd much rather go to plan check down the street. or eat ramen. i know others love this place, but it's just not my cup of tea.

a cut above

santa monica, ca

website

what comes to mind when you hear the phrase "hipster butcher shop"? whatever is in your mind's eye is probably a pretty accurate representation of a cut above. they sell beautiful meat - the kind that is marbled in all the right places and has a rich color that you know will taste good no matter what you do to it. but they also sell sandwiches - very popular sandwiches. pictured is the bbq pulled pork - slow roasted pork shoulder with secret sauce, pickled carrots, red onions, served on a brioche bun. i've tried nearly every sandwich on their chalkboard menu - grassfed roast beef, roasted turkey club, italian salumi, chicken salad ... all delicious. i've heard the salads are good here, but unless you're a vegetarian, i recommend a meaty sandwich or their beef chili.

yabu

los angeles, ca

website

one of our go-to lunch spots, a quick drive from the office. solid and dependable japanese cuisine - great lunch specials. i usually get the chirashi with a side of hot udon, although pictured is their tempura lunch special. there are some days when the fish is spectacular - a fresh shipment must have just come in. on other days, the sushi is still very good. one tip that i learned from mohan - you can ask for your noodles to be topped with crunchy tempura flakes for free! why not.

sushi tsujita

los angeles, ca

website

being a huge fan of their noodle shops - tsujita la and tsujita annex, i was very excited to try the new tsujita sushi restaurant. unfortunately, it didn't live up to my high expectations. some early dishes were very good - the starter pictured had amazing flavor - each ingredient was delicious. but the later sushi courses were underwhelming - while good, i think you could get sushi just as good for half the price down the street.

huckleberry

santa monica, ca

website

extremely popular brunch spot in santa monica. there's always a line, quite literally out the door. so no surprise that the food is great. pictured is my fried egg sandwich with bacon, gruyère, arugula and aioli on country bread. a little messy when the yolk breaks, but so delicious with really fresh ingredients. and save room for dessert - the baked goods are out of this world. my favorite is the blueberry cornmeal cake. cindy raved about their caramel walnut bread pudding. there's also maple bacon biscuits ... one thing to remember - order your baked goods before you get to the register. otherwise you'll throw off the whole ordering system, delay the line even further, and annoy some impatient brunchers.

paul @ NCE

nice, france

website

aeroport nice cote d'azur is a small airport full of people who are sad their vacations are ending and that they must leave paradise. although maybe i was projecting. anyway, one last chance for a pain au chocolat at the gate. we stopped by paul for an espresso and pastry. (espresso for derek, pastry for me - that pretty much sums up our trip). the pain au chocolat was a lovely treat for the flight home.

brasserie la rotonde

nice, france

website

for our last night in europe, we intended to dine at the michelin-starred le chantecler at the hotel negresco. but miscommunication with our concierge (we asked for an outdoor table) resulted in our reservation being at the more casual outdoor restaurant instead. which is good, because the host at le chantecler looked horrified when we walked in asking about our reservation. (were we underdressed? did we look out of place? who knows, but the snobbiness was annoying). when we finally found la rotonde, we were seated at a small table in the back corner of the patio. a larger table closer to the street was "reserved" but remained unoccupied for the duration of our meal. sigh. but after the initial rude service, we eventually had a waiter bring us english menus and a more friendly demeanor. of course i had to start with the salade niçoise (translation: a nice-style salad). crunchy veggies, fresh tuna - it was quite good. but the highlight was the cote du boef with butter herb sauce. i ordered it rare and it actually arrived rare. a perfect steak.

debin ur begad

nice, france

website

our favorite place to eat, shop, and explore in nice was vieille ville (old town). walking from the modern promenade du paillon into vieille ville was like walking from modern london into diagon alley - it felt like a different world. it was a maze of streets, narrow alleyways, and tiny storefronts. we happened upon a fun open-air market with vegetables, flowers, and various crafts. the restaurants surrounding the market were enticing, but being the stereotypical tourist that i am, i wanted to get a crepe. found ourselves at a breton creperie, but the highlight of the meal ended up being the socca. socca was advertised all over nice, but we had no idea what it was. i'm still not entirely sure other than it was an eggy, fluffy, delicious pancake-thing. yum.

phnom penh

nice, france

link to tripadvisor

this might be my favorite spot in nice (or i was just really happy to be eating asian food again). random fast food cambodian spot near the promenade du paillon. lots to choose from - all kinds of cambodian specialties are displayed in a glass case - different types of noodles, meats, rolls. we eventually decided on egg rolls wrapped in lettuce and vermicelli noodles mixed with egg and mushrooms. took them to-go and enjoyed them while sitting in the park, watching people walk through the misty fountains along the promenade. sunny day + crispy egg rolls = heaven.

kitchena

nice, france

link to yelp

after spending the day shopping in nice, our feet (and wallets) were tired. there were rows and rows of small tables on the sidewalk outside kitchena, just calling our name. we didn't see any staff, so we sat down on some empty chairs (well - "collapsed onto the chairs with our bags" might be more accurate). a waitress walked by and winked at us, which i assumed meant we were okay. eventually she took our orders - i went with a café créme, which was served with a crunchy speculoos biscuit. a great spot to sip some coffee, rest our feet, and people watch.

les brasseries georges

nice, france

website

to continue my trend of making strange requests of the hotel concierge, this time i asked for a "brasserie-type restaurant." poor woman. thankfully she happily suggested les brasseries georges, which was completely perfect. the restaurant was beautiful - the main room was huge, extremely well-lit, with high ceilings. the kitchen is enclosed in glass at the end of the room - like a DJ booth. service was cheerful and friendly. a bottle of sancerre rosé was a nice treat after the long drive from the italian coast. we started with buttery garlicky escargot - tender and delicious little morsels. same description applies to my moules frites - perfectly cooked mussels served in a white wine broth.

gelateria @ bar centrale

riomaggiore, italy

link to tripadvisor

after a confusing stop at the train station (the machine wouldn't take non-european credit cards and the ticket attendant didn't seem to mind that everyone in line was going to miss the next train), we eventually made it to riomaggiore, one of the colorful cinque terre towns. derek's parents enjoyed a café overlooking the ocean while derek and i hiked up to the top of the village along the main street lined with shops and restaurants. we took a detour on the way back and it was great fun exploring the steep and narrow stairways and passages where the residents live. it's amazing how they built everything into the side of the cliff. after all that walking, derek and i needed some refreshments. two foamy affogatos topped with whipped cream definitely did the trick.

lato g

santa margherita ligure, italy

website

warm night on the italian riviera - perfect for some gelato. i got one scoop of hazelnut and one scoop of milk chocolate, both precariously perched on a small sugar cone. walking around, enjoying our dessert, derek and i found an old staircase with a beautiful baroque church at the very top - chiesa di san giacomo. it looked very solemn, historical, and sacred. so what did we do? finished our gelato and then raced each other up the stairs. had to work off the gelato somehow.

reve cafe & restaurant

santa margherita ligure, italy

link to tripadvisor

santa margherita ligure was our home base for visiting the famed cinque terre in the italian riviera. definitely a resort town - lots of yachts and people who look like they own yachts. wandering around town, we liked the look of reve - a small but busy restaurant mostly hidden from the street. the harried proprietor cheerfully greeted us, asked us to wait, and then eventually let us sit outside in the courtyard. and we were just in time because many groups after us were turned away. the friendly proprietor kept apologizing for delays, but we were perfectly content enjoying the warm ocean breeze with a bottle of rosé. dinner was excellent - my pacchieri with anchovies was perfectly al dente. the santa margherita shrimp, cooked in lemon and olive oil, were incredibly fresh and juicy. mmm, shrimp juice.

al solito posto

pisa, italy

website

pizza in pisa! i have no idea where pizza originated from, but for some reason, there were tons of pizza places immediately around the leaning tower of pisa complex (the piazza dei miracoli). we didn't stop in any of those, but on the way back to the car derek's dad found al solito posto and we paused for a snack. the BEST pizza EVER. fresh creamy cheese, amazing pink sauce, perfect crust. it hit all the right notes - sweet, creamy, tart, chewy, with fragrant basil. once you've finished taking hundreds of pictures of a slightly crooked tower, eat here!

la falterona

florence, italy

website

sure, most people go to florence to see the amazing artwork, il duomo, maybe the famous statue of david. where did we go? the food market! mercato central is a must-see in florence - a bustling market full of both old and new. the lower floor has all kinds of traditional italian food stands - sandwiches, fruits, vegetables, spices, dried fruits, dried meats, cheeses, flowers, and more. upstairs had a more modern (almost hipster?) feel - clean white countertops for espresso, wooden countertops for the artisan pizza stand, small batch gelato - a modern hangout above the historical market.

we found a restaurant nearby that clearly benefited from its proximity to the market. the freshest mozzarella di bufala i've ever tasted, served with salty melt-in-your-mouth prosciutto. i ordered pici maialino - which i remember from eating at maialino in nyc means piglet. so i had piglet spaghetti. and it was delicious. i highly recommend both this spot and mercato central if you can tear yourself away from the art and architecture.

golden view

florence, italy

website

our GPS was useless in florence. it kept directing us down streets that seemed to be restricted. i couldn't read the italian on the signs, but there was a certain "do not enter" look to them. eventually we found parking about a half mile away from the restaurant. the "golden view" here was a great view of the famous ponte vecchio bridge. that was about all i liked about this restaurant, though. there was an unpleasant smell wafting up from the arno river which put a damper on the whole meal. but it was fun watching the rowboats go by.

all'osteria bottega

bologna, italy

link to tripadvisor

this might have been my favorite stop on our european tour. derek and i realized that the trip from venice to florence would take us through bologna and derek loves a good bolognese sauce. a quick internet check found the ny times' 36 hours in bologna and all'osteria bottega. an adorable restaurant in a tiny alley with miniscule parking spots (good thing derek is an expert parallel parker). the proprietor didn't speak a lot of english but was completely charming. she gestured a lot whenever she spoke to us in italian and in response, i nodded and smiled a lot. so she continued to speak to me in italian charades. we ordered salumi, melanzane parmigiana, tagliatelle with onion ragu, and of course pasta with bolognese sauce. everything was perfectly prepared and delicious. and when the proprietor served the melanzane parmigiana, she kept saying "no fritto" and patting her stomach, which i took to mean that her traditional preparation of eggplant parmigiana is healthier than the fried american version!

il panificio crosara claudio

venice, italy

when i travel, i like to do what the locals do. (maybe i watched too many episodes of rick steves' show growing up). but it's difficult when you don't actually know what the locals do. so i asked the concierge at our hotel where i could find a venetian breakfast. she was very confused. then i asked, what do italians eat for breakfast? still confused, she said that they sometimes eat pastries. not wanting to prolong a conversation that was probably painful for both of us, i asked where i could find some pastries. she directed me down the street to il panificio crosara claudio, where derek and i found a tiny bakery full of wonderful pastry scents. with my rudimentary italian (i know how to point and say cannoli), i ordered a chocolate cannoli, a vanilla conchiglia, and a chocolate croissant. probably more than your average venetian would eat, but hey, i'm a tourist. the conchiglia was the best of the bunch - lightly sweet yet rich vanilla cream in a crispy sweet shell. molto bene!

ristorante principessa

venice, italy

website

venice is very touristy. beautiful, but touristy. of course, we're tourists, so i'm not sure i can really complain. anyway, there's a lot of touristy restaurants along the water near where the shuttle stops are. ristorante principessa was one of them. my lasagna was too salty, but everyone else's food was okay. not the best spot for food, but great service and it was lovely sitting outside in view of the boats.

osteria da carla

venice, italy

website

derek and i enjoyed walking around venice from square to square - up and down little bridges over small canals. part of our exploration was trying to find a restaurant that wasn't advertising a "menù turistico." finally, near san marco, i peeked through a small alley and saw some promising signage. i dragged derek through the alley and found a cute restaurant at the end. the menu had two pastas: "pasta" and "fish pasta" - the "pasta" was fettucine in red sauce and my "fish pasta" was spaghetti with calamari. admittedly, those were probably the most touristy items on the menu. oh well. still good. adding a bottle of local venetian wine definitely helped.

le café

venice, italy

website

not only was the quiet gallerie dell'accademia a good spot to hide from the rain, but viewing the 17th and 18th century paintings of venetian canals and buildings gave us a great historical perspective when we walked through those same places later that day. felt like we were walking through an old painting (albeit an old painting crowded with tourists and strangely aggressive pigeons). all that culture required a coffee break - or a caffé - at le café in a nearby square. loved this spot: outdoor seating for people watching and they served my caffé (espresso to us americans) with a small buttery biscuit, cold whipped cream, and a cute little pitcher of water. seriously, this is how espresso should always be served.

trattori ai cacciatori

venice, italy

website

venezia! took a very long drive through a beautiful mountain landscape (picture the von trapp family escaping the third reich with a nun singing in the background). thankfully, a gas station near the border served a fantastic espresso with a super creamy piece of chocolate. we finally reached venice in the late afternoon, parked the car, and took a water taxi to giudecca island where our hotel was located. our concierge recommended trattori ai caccitori for dinner. derek, his parents, and i sat outside right next to the water, watching the waves continuously lap against the edge of the island. in this setting, of course i ordered seafood pasta - scampi with fettucine. a rich, flavorful, almost spicy red sauce coating perfectly al dente fettucine. the shrimp itself was incredibly juicy and fresh. best meal in venezia, hands down. and i swear it's not because i had gas station beef jerky for lunch. not only was the food good, but i loved the relative quiet and calm of this restaurant (compared to the more touristy parts of venice), the friendly service, and the beautiful view of the main island.

pavillon cafe

innsbruck, austria

website

nice quiet outdoor cafe near the imperial palace in innsbruck's old town district - a good spot to sit down for an espresso and slice of blueberry torte. best thing about the torte was a thin layer of custard between the blueberries and crust. there was a small park nearby - the hofgarten - which took only about 10-15 minutes for derek and i to walk through. probably not enough time to walk off that torte.

ottoburg

innsbruck, austria

website

our hotel recommended another restaurant - ottoburg. the restaurant is on the first floor of an old historical building with battlements upstairs. service was pleasant (and quite surprised when i gave her a tip - i'm not sure i have the european tipping customs figured out). ordered the vitello con panna - veal gulash in a rich gravy, made even richer with a dollop of cream. served with excellent spaetzle.