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.

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.

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.

eveleigh

los angeles, ca

website

the next morning, cindy c took us to brunch at eveleigh. beautiful outdoor patio with a nice large overhead fan to keep diners cool in the summer. menu includes comfort food breakfast favorites but with a unique twist (my eggs benedict came with soft scrambled eggs and hot smoked ocean trout). add a lengthy and varied list of refreshing brunch cocktails (i had the bitter admiral - gin, Campari, grapefruit juice, poured over ice with a lemon twist). an ideal combination for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend brunch. did i mention the truffled fries? perfection.

ink

los angeles, ca

website

i'm not a big top chef fan. first, it's too combative and stressful. second, i prefer not to watch people make food that i can't eat. but i do like eating at restaurants of successful top chef contestants. cindy c made reservations at top chef winner michael voltaggio's new restaurant on melrose in los angeles. the interior was very similar to thomas keller's ad hoc in napa valley: giant chalkboard menu hanging over the bar, loud music, casually dressed waitstaff, and courier font for everything. except - the food at ink is much more inventive and interesting. yeah, i said it.

good thing anthony joined us - gave us the freedom to select more dishes from the small-plates menu. we ended up ordering about a dozen plates, including three desserts. the highlights: oysters (pictured) simply dressed with a refreshing mignonette ice, brussel sprouts served with crispy pig's ears and lardo (best "vegetable" dish ever), egg yolk gnocchi - somehow voltaggio created fluffy pillows of pasta with a creamy yolky center, and finally, a deconstructed apple pie with burnt wood ice cream - tasted like an apple pie baked over a campfire but looked like ice cream with little gelees. amazing. remarkable. molecular gastronomy in a gastropub - wonderfully strange and delicious.

village pub

woodside, ca

website

like derek, our friend rajesh knows good burgers. he's been telling us to try the village pub burger ever since we moved to the south bay. our earlier attempts had failed, but derek made reservations for yet another anniversary dinner. (it's our first anniversary, we're allowed to have more than one celebratory meal, right?) so we got all dressed up and were ready to dine with the moneyed, hedge-fundy, venture-capitalisty elites that populate woodside. the average age of the village pub dining room was definitely up there, but i suppose derek and i are no spring chickens either.

despite the white tablecloths and formal atmosphere, service was incredibly friendly and gracious. the burger was not on the dinner menu, but we were allowed to order from the pub menu. i can't remember what appetizer i ordered but it probably involved caviar of some kind and was probably amazing. derek thought the village pub burger was delicious. i ordered the steak frites with bone marrow because i can't pass up anything with bone marrow. very very good - my only complaint is that they pre-sliced the meat and drenched it with sauce. i'm a grown woman, i can slice and sauce my own steak, thankyaverymuch.

ad hoc

yountville, ca

website

derek and i had just been to french laundry over new year's, so we decided to try its less expensive and less formal sister restaurant, ad hoc, for our anniversary dinner. ad hoc has a very casual atmosphere - waitstaff in jeans, loud classic rock/soul music, and no tablecloths on the tables. we were planning to order their famous fried chicken, but it turns out that it is only available on certain monday nights. instead, they had a set menu to be served family-style: a salad, an optional shrimp risotto, tri-tip steak, vegetable sides, a cheese course, and ice cream sundaes.

we weren't really in the mood for steak and the tri-tip was sadly overcooked. also, despite being served in a baking dish, it got cold quickly. the only highlight of the meal was all of the vegetables - incredibly fresh (from the french laundry garden, perhaps?) and well-prepared. the fennel, in particular, was amazing. derek was bewildered as to why i kept raving about the fennel, but it was seriously delicious. the sundaes were underwhelming - while the chocolate sauce was terrific, we didn't drive all the way up to yountville and make reservations weeks in advance to get ice cream sundaes for dessert. sigh.

central market

petaluma, ca

website

why were we in petaluma? cheapest hotel in napa valley where i could use my starwood points. this is how a lot of our travel decisions are made. anyway, it was fortunate because otherwise we would have never found this amazing restaurant - central market. awesome food, awesome atmosphere. i love restaurants where the chef and waitstaff are clearly excited about the food and wine that they're serving. they were out of tables when we arrived, so they sat us in the corner booth next to two large windows. it was super comfy with big pillows and we had a great vantage point to observe the nightlife in petaluma (it's quiet).

our waitress was fantastic - she recommended excellent wines for us and steered us toward great options on the menu. best appetizer that i've had in a long long time - fresh mozzarella served with arugula and crostini slathered with artichoke tapenade. the fact that i still remember all of the ingredients in the appetizer demonstrates how good it was. derek had an amazing smoked fish as an entree - i think it was rainbow trout. dessert was a rustic strawberry pie - clearly homemade. so good. worth driving up to petaluma for, imho.

madera

palo alto, ca

website

madera is now one of our favorite special occasion restaurants in the area, right up there with evvia. it's a favorite restaurant (also hotel/spa) for the venture-capitalist/hedge-fund/dot-com/silicon-valley types. not that derek or i fit into any of those categories, but we know good food when we taste it. we've been here twice already in the last few months - once to introduce m+s to silicon valley (they recently moved from berkeley) and again when derek's parents visited. it's a beautiful location - sit outside for dinner if it's not too chilly and you'll have a gorgeous view of the sun setting behind the mist covering the distant hills.

my favorite dish here is the appropriately titled "rich & salty" - which consists of three split bones with roasted bone marrow topped with osetra caviar. yes. bone marrow topped with caviar. i know! the toast points on the side were underwhelming - bland, thin, and too crunchy. i wish they would serve a proper toast accompaniment - like the crispy bread with garlic, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar at casa mono. but i'm just being picky. the rest of the food at madera was good, but everything paled in comparison to the rich, fatty, salty goodness of this simple yet extravagant appetizer.

bar agricole

san francisco, ca

website

vanita found this great space for the gang to get together for dinner. it's a beautiful restaurant with wood panels, high ceilings, and a cool atmosphere. originally they were going to place us in the back of the restaurant, which was dark and depressing. instead, we waited an extra half hour and got a better table in the front of the restaurant (vanita, rajesh, and i had to wait for the rest of the gang anyway). next time we'll know to request a front table.

waiting gave us the opportunity to explore their cocktail menu. i had a planter's punch - white agricole rum, lime, grapefruit, and bitters. then a rye gin old fashioned - rye gin, gum syrup, bitters, and two zests. both were excellent, although the old fashioned was quite strong. then i think i had another planter's punch. the rest of the night is a little fuzzy - the anchovies i started with were okay, but needed bread. (what kind of restaurant doesn't give a bread basket?) i ordered an entree too, but i can't quite remember what it was.

b restaurant & bar

oakland, ca

website

b restaurant had that upscale farm-to-table rustic look that usually indicates good food and good drinks. my drink was called "high hopes" (which i thought was good to have before the final day of my exam) with gin, benedictine, grapefruit, and lime. don't worry, i was still able to study after one cocktail. derek's cocktail, called "love on" tasted like a mix of cough syrup and lotion. bad.

the tables were turned when it came to the food. i ordered the fish, served on saffron risotto with squid ink and oyster buerre blanc. sounds delightfully fishy, doesn't it? it wasn't. it was bland. derek, however, really enjoyed his housemade fettucine with rainbow swiss chard, garlic, peas, cranberry beans, and pecorino. we shared the excellent caesar salad with amazing housemade croutons and white spanish anchovies. for dessert, the pecan tart with bourbon whipped cream was delicious. overall, it was kind of hit-or-miss, but the hits were very good.

maverick

mission, sf

website

my friends are scattered across the country, across the globe and usually my only interactions with them are through gmail or g-chat, so it's great when a bunch of us can actually get together in person and share a meal. tony and kate were in town for a wedding, eric happened to be on a business trip for work, luckily i managed to escape my work long enough to caltrain up to SF for dinner with the gang. lisa recommended this great spot in the mission (but unfortunately couldn't join us). maverick hits all of the right SF highlights - focus on fresh and local ingredients, sustainable and ethical practices, comfort food, but with a twist.

the menu is always changing to keep up with the seasons. good news for the diner, bad news for the blogger who went to the restaurant months ago and can't remember exactly what she ordered. i do recall that the guys ordered the fried chicken, which maverick is famous for and which was fabulous. i also remember that the girls ordered the asparagus dish with the runny egg that turned into an amazing sauce for the veggies. kate, of course, picked out the perfect glass of red wine and i always follow kate's lead when it comes to wine. great food, great company, had a lovely time.

prospect

san francisco, ca

website

derek and i made it up to SF to join tina, vanita and rajesh for dinner at prospect a few months ago. yes, i'm that far behind. excellent decor and atmosphere. extremely high ceilings, dark wood interior, roomy comfortable booths. in fact, my firm had an event here a few weeks later - the back room was perfect for a gathering of about 40 of us. the bar area and cocktail list looked pretty good as well, but tina had brought a fantastic bottle of wine from rochioli vineyards to share.

my favorite dish is pictured - the uni risotto with tiny seared scallops. amazing. buttery and rich uni in buttery and rich risotto. although it was unfortunately only a starter, so the portion was small. next time i might order two because i wasn't that impressed with my main course. the desserts were fantastic, though -- loved the fancy smores.

los altos grill

los altos, ca

website

we were at the at&t store in mountain view, buying derek a new iphone (hey, he's in the valley now - no more blackberry for him). while i waited for his iphone to get set-up, i decided to find a nearby spot for dinner with non-asian food. using one of the sample ipad's yelp app, i searched for "american" food near mountain view, california. nothing. the closest spot was in los altos, so we decided to drive out there and check it out.

turns out it's a hillstone restaurant! derek and i frequently visited houston's, another hillstone restaurant, in manhattan, so it was a little piece of home here in the south bay. very similar menu. with one big difference. their "famous cornbread in a skillet." sounds simple, but it's amazing. moist, crunchy, buttery, and spicy goodness. derek, not normally a cornbread eater, devoured half of the massive skillet of cornbread. delicious. everything else was standard houston's fare - great ribs, burgers, french fries. if only it wasn't all the way in los altos ...

union square cafe

union square, nyc

website

one thing that i love (and miss) about new york city is that at nearly any time during the day (or night), you can walk out the door without any idea of where you're going and just keep walking and walking until inspiration hits you. derek and i did just that - we walked out the door of our apartment, with empty stomachs and a vague desire to get a really great new york lunch. we decided to head south, toward union square, where there are more options. somewhere between 19th and 17th street on park avenue, i shouted, "union square cafe!" derek exclaimed, "great idea!" and so that's where we went.

derek and i are huge fans of danny meyer resataurants. his restaurants are known for over-the-top service and exceptional cuisine. union square cafe has a very cozy feel (despite the high prices). it's been a while, so i don't remember what derek ordered, but it was probably the burger. i ordered the butternut squash ravioli with cranberries in a brown butter sauce - delicious. union square cafe is a classic - solid and reliable. a nice restaurant to keep in your back pocket whenever you're not quite sure where to go.

abc kitchen

flatiron, nyc

website

just north of union square is one of jean-georges' newest restaurants, abc kitchen. the atmosphere is earthy and casual, completely different from any of his other restaurants. the quality of the food is impeccable, as always. unfortunately the price is high, as always. pictured are two of the most expensive doughnuts i've ever eaten. it's hard to tell from the picture, but they're TINY. and the pair cost $9. delicious? yes. outrageously priced? yes indeed. i now turn this blog post over to ... derek! he had the burger. i refused to take a picture because otherwise my blog would turn into "derek eats! burgers!"

D: I like to taste the meat in my burgers. Eric Ripert says that when preparing a fish dish, the chef should “elevate the fish” not overpower or compromise it. The same philosophy should apply to burgers. When we heard that ABC Kitchen had a burger featuring a Pat LaFrieda blend, naturally, I had to try it. Unfortunately, the LaFrieda patty was not elevated. It was still a goo-ey, zesty, and soul-comforting blend of cheese, herbed mayo and pickled jalapeños, but it was merely a tasty sandwich, not a burger. A real burger, in my mind, is what they do at Little Owl or City Hall. A fat, juicy patty enhanced with light, complementary additions (yes, bacon and cheddar can be “light”). That said, the sandwich-with-LaFrieda patty was still delicious. After all, Mr. Vongerichten knows his stuff.

lure fishbar

soho, nyc

website

as i mentioned last october, derek and i had promised to meet up with hana for a meal in the city. she recommended this great brunch spot, lure fishbar, a nautical-themed restaurant in soho. the restaurant takes advantage of its basement location by decorating the place like the downstairs of a yacht. not that i've ever been downstairs in a yacht, but i've seen some in movies.

it was empty when we went, around 11 am on a sunday. my guess is that the usual crowd was still recovering from the night before. the menu, full of classic comfort food, could definitely cure any hangover. for example, i ordered the biscuits with sausage gravy. soft scrambled eggs on the side. the potatoes were carb overkill, but everything else was delicious. derek had a burger, per usual. if i remember correctly, he enjoyed it, but it was quite a few burgers ago ...

five points

great jones (bowery/ lafayette)

website

it's been a while since my last post. i have a massive backlog of food photos that need to be posted. once again, i've been too busy to blog, but obviously not too busy to eat. okay, onto five points, where derek and i had brunch nearly a month ago. it's famous for its brunch, which generally means long lines, which generally means we're not going because i'm too hungry/impatient to wait. derek and i were shopping the bowery and decided to drop by to see how long the wait was. thankfully, it was only about 15-20 mins. not bad. we waited outside (a month ago, it was still warm out) and watched all the hipsters walk by.

once seated, it took another 5-10 minutes to figure out what to order. the menu was packed with fancified comfort food - baked eggs, pork-fennel sausage, free-range chicken, polenta ... i finally settled on the "roasted tomato and eggs" - the simply named dish ended up being a complex mix of flavors - smoky roasted tomato, sprinklings of ricotta cheese, buttery polenta, and chunks of sharp parmesan were perfect with the runny baked eggs. delicious. i honestly can't remember what derek ordered (hey, it's been a month) but i do recall that he had an excellent bloody mary from their surprisingly varied menu of brunch drinks. this place definitely lives up to the hype.

abc kitchen - juice bar

broadway (17/18)

website

jean-georges runs some of the top restaurants in new york city. abc kitchen is one of his latest ventures. it is located in the basement of abc kitchen & home, a very very expensive home furnishings store. try to keep your focus as you make your way to the back of the store, lest you spend $300 on a bejeweled pillow. instead, head down to the juice bar and spend $10 on a smoothie.

the concept of abc kitchen is that everything is local and organic and compostable. and expensive. haven't tried the restaurant yet, but cindy c and i stopped at the juice bar for some drinks. cindy c got "the local" - pear, apple, carrot, grapefruit, and lots of ginger. definitely clears the sinuses. i got the "banana boat" - frozen bananas, walnut milk, cinnamon, raw cacao chocolate syrup and chopped walnuts. delicious and creamy - it's a perfect protein-packed shake that actually tastes good. worth the $10 as long as you don't plan on eating a meal. also - grab an extra compostable straw just in case your first one disintegrates.