Green Eggs and Sam

3 Twenty Wine Lounge, Miracle Mile

So last Saturday Caitlin, Kayla and I were in the mood for a laidback ladies night, so a wine bar was just the ticket!  I had been here before but just really for the food, this time I was prepared to check out the wine element!  When you arrive the give you a card that you use for 2 oz pours, each was priced according to what the bottle would normally be priced as such most pours were in the 2-3 dollar range.  Caitlin and I were lucky to be standing right by the white wines when they were changing bottles so we got two free glasses of wine!

Of course we weren’t just there for the wine, there were was food to be had.  We started with pea & pecorino bruschetta with bacon which was okay.  Then we had warm olives and herbs, gruyere crackers and crispy chickpeas with rosemary.  The chickpeas were fabulous, definitely the stand out!!  We followed it up with the burrata, olive tapenade,& garlic confit which was good.  I definitely would go back as it had great ambiance and to be honest there aren’t a lot of wine bars in the miracle mile area.  I think the food was just ok, the wine was the draw!

Beer Belly, Korea Town

So Beer Belly is basically my new favorite restaurant.  This review is based off of two separate meals.  The first time I went there with Amy, and some friends.  I ordered the Wings SUPER SPICY BBQ Volcano Chipotle which weren’t that spicy actually, it was a slow building heat which was actually quite pleasant.  Amy ordered the Orzo Mac N’Cheese without Bacon (lent) which I tasted and thought was divine.  I like that there was as a sunny side egg on top, it was fun to let the yolk come through and mix it in to the dish!  Kris got the grilled cheese which I thought was great but personally would have requested it without syrup, I hate syrup though so that a personal issue!  

The second time I went with Kayla after work and it was the highlight of my day!  I ordered the Orzo Mac N’Cheese with bacon this time, which honestly I found unecessary something I didn’t expect because let’s be real everything is usually better with bacon.  I  am a huge Mac N’Cheese fan and Beer Belly’s is quickly becoming one of my favorites!  We also got the Duck Fat Fries, with   (Duck by Confit) which was insanely good!  I love Duck Confit, and I never thought about it on fries before!

The beer is awesome as well but I didn’t write down the specifics of what I was drinking.  I love though places that have Eagle Rock Brewery on draft!  Also you can control the music there through an IPhone application Remote, which means that I played Ludacris’s Ho like 5 times in a row…which no one really noticed oddly!

Mad Men Dinner Party, Downtown John’s Apartment

For the Premiere of Mad Men we had a Mad Men style dinner party (food inspired by the era).  The famous Amy was our cook/hostess and did a fabulous job, as did our bartender/host John!  When I arrived appetizers were all ready out!  Amy made: Cream of Spinach Dip with Pita Chips, Celery Sticks with Cream Cheese & Walnut,  and Deviled Eggs.  The Spinach Dip was extremly creamy and I think the pita chips were very complimentary in their salt level.  Amy used cream cheese and feta instead of blue cheese as the receipe called for, I stil very much enjoyed it but we disscussed perhaps topping it with Bacon as well would be useful to cut the sweetness in the future.  I really enjoyed Amy’s Deviled Eggs, she utilized Cayenne Pepper which was not only visually appealing but quite tasty as it added some spice.

For the entre Amy made: Chicken Breast Caprese with Proscuitto! She carved a hole with a knife in the chickens when they were raw to stuff them.  She then breaded the chicken, fried them, and the baked them.  It was juicy in the inside and crispy on the outside as a result!  I took several photos of the process as you can see, not to mention you can now actually see Amy as I frequently mention her as a fellow diner!  She served the chicken with a green salad and bread.

Last but not least, Dessert and drinks!  Amy and John made Pineappple Upside Down which was fabulous, it tasted kind of like sweet and buttery cornbread.  John’s Old Fashioned was on point as well, I don’t drink them often but it was perfect for the occasion.  I’m always impressed by a good mixed drink!

It was the perfect start to the beginning of the new season of my favorite show.  Some thoughts about the show:

I liked the Mad Men premiere. I love Don, but I think they planted a lot of seeds for where the season and the time period is leading these characters. I really hated Megan before and thought Don was going to crush her, but she might just be crazy enough to survive. She always bored me before but between the singing and underwear cleaning scene she got my attention. The woman characters seemed stronger than ever and I’m excited to see where that is going to lead them. Don does seem lazy though, he has gotten to comftorable. Two lines really stood out to me, how Pete said, “Stable is that step backwards between success and failure.” Perhaps, forshadowing about Don? And the line Don used to Megan about the silliness of the white carpet, I forget the exact phrasing but it was to make her happy. I’m not sure that he is capable of putting someone first for that long.  Lane is such a dirty old man and while that isn’t unusual on Mad Men it’s harder to like him for some reason. Peggy wasn’t in the episode as much as I would have liked but the line to Megan about the coupons shows how much her responsibility at work has grown. I wouldn’t be surprised if she ends up either being Don’s boss at the end of the series or his competitor. 

Food by Me: Shrimp Stir-fry in Coconut Milk W/ Rice Noodles in a Sweet and Sour Sauce

So I was in the mood for something a little different last night for dinner so I made up this recipe.  Sometimes I just get bored and experiment, I would say I have a 75 % success rate in this scenario, and this meal ended up quite good.  I cook various vegetables (Asian stir fry assortment from Trader Joe’s) in low fat Coconut milk for about 15 minutes.  At the same time in pot I cooked some rice noodles in a boiling pot of water for 4 minutes, I then drained them and ran cool water over them to stop the cooking process.  I separately sauteed some shrimp in Coconut milk as well, I then added the vegetables and noodles all together and added about 2 oz of sweet and sour sauce.  I found the sweetness overwhelming so I added sriracha, it makes everything more awesome!  It probably wasn’t that low calorie due to the use of the Coconut milk, the sauce it created wasn’t thick but clung to the vegetables and pasta with just the right consistency.  As I didn’t really measure or time anything, I did it all by feel it would be hard to recreate!  

We had Bella Sera wine as well with our meal that my dinner mate/BFF/cousin Caitlin brought!  Caitlin has recently turned me on to Bella Sera’s Pinot Grigio and it is quickly becoming my go to for a cheap bottle of wine.  It’s only $8.00 a bottle but the first time I tasted it, I told my friends I would pay $20.00 for this bottle and I’m kind of picky about cheap wine.  It’s smooth and I’m assuming it steel barreled, I hate when wine is made in oak barrels I just can’t get into that flavor profile.   It was an enjoyable meal made better by sharing it with Caitlin!

http://www.bellaserawine.com/

Shin Sushi Korea Town

So Amy and I made a bold decison for dinner this week, sushi in Korea Town.  I’m going to open with it was a little weird.  The restaurant was located on the second floor of a large building on Wilshire, which I had always asssumed was an office building (close to the Wiltern) but is actually a mall type situtation.  Shin was located on the second floor next to an Anti-Fat Clinic, what puts you more into the mood to eat than that?  The lighting was overwelmingly bright, I felt slightly like I was being interrogated for a crime.  I did like that the lamps featured fishes however!  There were only two other customers in the restaurant, so I could loudly complain to Amy about why I’m incapable of finding the “right guy” to date.  

Our waitress was very prompt in getting our order, we decided to start with some Miso Soup which was not listed on the menu under that name.  They then brought us salad’s and some pickled dishes, which I know is common in Korean restaurants but was a little weird with sushi.  I really liked one dish which tasted like egg dish of some sort and Amy said it was supposed to be a seafood substitute but for what I was unable to distinguish.  Our seaweed salad then arrived along with the Fuji Sushi Roll: Ono and Avocado on top of a spicy tuna roll with ponzu and a hint of spice (wtf does a hint of spice mean?) and the Cucumber Special Roll: Tuna, Salmon, Yellowtail, Red Snapper, Crabmeat and Avocado wrapped in a Cucumber.  The Fuji Sushi Roll was quite good but not really spicy at all.  The Cucumber Special Roll was not rolled tightly at all, and kept falling apart.  The waitress noticed me struggling and decided I must be a dumb white girl and brought me a fork that I did not ask for.  

Overall impressions: It was okay, but I won’t be returning.  I have had much fresher fish, and the ambience kind of sucked.  I enjoyed though the company of my dinner mate Amy!!

Kitchen 24 Hollywood

So following an uneventful night in Hollywood, to many douchey people literally packed inside The Piano Bar, I decided it was time to get air/ do something enjoyable.  So I had snack time with Amy and John at Kitchen 24, a favorite of Amy and I from our first day’s back in LA post college.

 John got the Disco Fries: Seasoned Fries, Cheese and Gravy.  I actually hate gravy but these were suprisingly good and the cheese was a white cheese.  This provided a nice contrast with my choice Chili Cheese Fries: Herb Fries, Veggie Chili and Cheddar Cheese.  I love the Chili here!! It was as good as I remember it, lots of corn and other veggies.  Amy got Artichoke Spinach Three Cheese Dip: Blue Corn Tortilla Chips I thought it was quite tasty as well!  Overall, the portions are quite large here.  In the future I think I would choose to share the Disco Fries if I decide to wander back into Hollyweird late at night.

Dinner at Morton’s Steakhouse Burbank

My sister Faye was in town for Spring Break so the whole family headed to Morton’s so she could get her red meat fill on my father’s dime.  Not to mention the Burbank location has the added benefit of private rooms, which we utilized so we could take Baby Lily along too (oddly enough other people don’t enjoy crying babies at their fancy dinner).  My sister’s and I split a caesar salad and the Tuna Tartare.  The caesar salad was nothing special (I tried my stepmother’s Morton’s Salad, which was way better).  I really enjoyed the tuna tartare, I thought the presentation was beautiful and while the avocado was rich the tuna contrasted with it beautifully.  The sauces on the plate really made the bite.  The mushrooms were good but not particularly memorable, simply an side.  The mashed potatoes were smooth and creamy, but lets be real no one is going to Morton’s for them.  The Mac N’ Cheese was pretty divine and is a new offering from Morton’s!  I really enjoyed the crust on it.The Filet Mignon was the star of the plate!!  Cooked perfectly and tender, I also loved the seasonings.  My Dad prefers it without as he finds it to salty.  

A sidenote to the experience: Morton’s was recently acquired by Landry’s Inc. who also owns Rainforest Cafe and Bubba Gump Shrimp as such they are trying to “young and hip ” the place up.  The uniforms have become more relaxed, pop music has been added and they are changing up the menu.  I need to confirm the changes to the menu before I post them, so that information is coming soon.  I kind of like Morton’s just the way it was but I’m a traditionlist,  I could be swayed by new menu items but the music is pretty ridiculous in that setting.  Word on the street however that the music will be changing soon, apparently a lot of people have been unhappy with it.

Overall a lovely night, good food and quality family time!  What else can a girl ask for?

Carneys Studio City

I was craving a hot dog even before I saw LA Weekly did a top 10 list, and since I was in my hood and not Miracle Mile (Pink’s) I headed to Carney’s.  I got the Chicagoan: Mustard(Spicy Yellow or Brown), Relish and Onions.  It hit the spot the bun was soft and the hot dog had a nice snap, with the toppings that complimented it.  As I was sitting there I couldn’t help it but I had to have a frozen chocolate covered banana (insert Arrested Development joke here).  As a kid my family would frequent the Carney’s on Sunset and it has good memories associated with it!   I think that hot dogs are ok here but the bananas are the reason to come.

Mohawk Bend Echo Park

Amy, Marcelo, and I met in Echo Park for our monthly dinner, I had heard great things and was very excited.  It is located in hipster central on Sunset located super close to an American Apparel.  It was formerly a Movie House, and according to reviews it now fits 230 diners but it felt like a lot less.  While there was a large space, and high ceilings it somehow felt unfinshed to me (perhaps that had to do with all the wood planks).  To be real if it was to posh it wouldn’t really fit in the neighborhood.  They also have a photo booth which Amy and I utilized while we waited for Marcelo to join us!  The hostess’s kept on trying to convince us to sit outside, it doesn’t get cold often in LA but it was this night.  It really annoyed me, I’m not a moron and I didn’t want to sit under a heat lamp.

I started out with the Epic Beer Flight (only available before 8): Pfeifferhorn Lager, 825 Stout, Brainless, Brainless on Peaches.   The 825 Stout was the only standout, it was smooth with a coffee like quality.  

Next, we ordered Brussels Sprouts: roasted w/ apples & almonds.  I always love roasted brussels sprouts and well it was good I’m not sure it was killer.  Herbed Flatbread with: Sonoma olive oil, sea salt & dukkah, Spiced roast eggplant, and House ricotta with peperonata.  The sea salt was the best!!  Pig Newton: serrano ham, fig & cherry tapenade, goat cheese, topped w/ arugula and black currant balsamic.  The pizza was just ok, the arugula was kind of messy and the cheese was kind of clumpy and not evenly spread.  I understand that goat cheese doesn’t always spread evenly but there were pieces with no cheese…maybe they should have put more on the pizza.  The higlight of the meal for me was the Spanish Stuffed Dates: bacon wrapped & chorizo stuffed!! We finished our meal with Banana pudding w/vanilla and cocoanut gelato.  I really like the banana pudding.  Overall, enjoyable meal with lots of Vegan options not that I plan to participate in those.