Republique

Whether pop-up or brick-and-mortar, where chef Walter Manzke (Church and State, Petty Cash) goes, Angelenos follow. His newest venture is the hotly anticipated Republique, a collaboration with baker (and wife) Margarita Manzke and restaurateur Bill Chait. Naturally, the focus is French, but the menu also explores fresh, market-driven, and California-inspired fare. Republique seemed the the obvious choice during a recent visit from Justin’s mom. She’s a woman of discerning taste, and we wanted a dinner that would dazzle her and demonstrate what stupendous hosts we are.

Republique sits in the soaring, dramatic space that formerly housed Campanile.

Between the floor to ceiling glass that greets you and the castle-like brick walls of the dining room, the space is modern and elegant with a touch of Hogwarts. And that, my friends, is high praise coming from this nerd.

After reading my friend DarinDine’s post on his visit, we requested seats at the Chef’s Counter from where we could observe all the action in the kitchen. Situated across from an open wood-burning oven, these are quite literally the hottest seats in the house.

We quickly selected our drinks from the tightly edited cocktail list but waited a frustratingly long time for a server to take our order and then a frustratingly long time to get our drinks. In fact, we would spend a fair amount of the evening looking around the restaurant, needing to flag someone down (and first actually locate someone) any time we needed anything. The staff was undoubtedly hard at work tending to the full house, and we’ve come to be pretty understanding diners, but the slow service tried our patience and was quite the bummer.

Thankfully, when our drinks finally arrived, they didn’t let us down.

The smokiness of mezcal can sometimes prove too potent for me, but the Speaking in Tongues ($13) perfectly balanced its punch with amaro, lemon, angostura bitters and strawberry. Smoky sweet!

The Page Mandarin ($13) with rum, scotch, whiskey bitters and finished with a slice of mandarin orange was also delicious, balanced and deftly prepared.

Perfectly crusty on the outside and squishy within, the complimentary warm baguette was nearly impossible to stop eating, especially when slathered with the accompanying creamy, sea salt topped butter . We polished it off and requested another with no shame. Be sure to ask for this as it’s served only upon request.

Dinner kicked off with the Black Kale Salad ($11), a medley of baby beets and carrots, halved Fat Uncle Farms almonds, chopped medjool dates and slivers of cara cara oranges. This simple salad didn’t bowl us over, but its bright flavors provided a light counterpoint to the rest of our indulgent dishes.

Ushering in our heavier courses was the Nueske Bacon tarte a l’alsacienne ($16), a tasty thin, crispy flatbread topped with cheese, slivers of bacon and caramelized onions.

One of the standout dishes of the night was the Butternut Squash Agnolotti ($18), a plate of pillowy agnolotti and delightfully chewy, woodsy hedgehog mushrooms topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano. Flavorful, balanced and perfectly executed, this dish would be right at home in the best Italian restaurant in the city.

Another table favorite was the Berkshire Pork Belly ($18), a plate of thickly sliced, fatty pork belly atop a bed of cider-peppercorn sauce, creamy celery root, and diced Fair Hills Farm apples. Pork belly may be ubiquitous at the moment, but this rendition felt classic and refined rather than gimmicky or trendy.

Coming in, the Steak Frites were a must-order for our party, and while our strip loin (5 oz., $18) with bernaise sauce was perfectly enjoyable, it ultimately didn’t dazzle as much as some of the evening’s other dishes.

The frites, on the other hand, were golden and crisp but soft in the middle– not just the better half of this dish but everything you could want in a French fry. I do wish that the restaurant would offer these a la carte, and I might take to Twitter to beg them to do just that.

We were quite full by the end of the evening but needed to satisfy our collective sweet tooth. After struggling to whittle down the options to just one, we selected the Croissant Bread Pudding ($10), a piping hot, generously portioned bread pudding that was moist but slightly crisped on top and served with a quenelle of vanilla ice cream. A light dusting of powdered sugar provided the finishing touch on this delicious, comforting dessert. 

Overall, despite the spotty service and some misfires, Republique did, indeed, dazzle our party. In fact, it’s been catapulted to the top of my list of favorite restaurants. But please work on that service…and a la carte frites. 

Republique
www.republiquela.com
624 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 938-1447

Top Round Roast Beef

Fast food has a special place in my heart. It’s been years since I found myself in a McDonald’s or Jack-in-the-Box drive-thru, but I grew up on the stuff and sometimes long for a good ol’ Quarter Pounder or carton of curly fries. I never cave but am always helplessly drawn to restaurants that riff on and elevate fast food, which is how I arrived at the newly opened Top Round Roast Beef.

Top Round is a fast-casual roast beef sandwich spot with a pedigree. Its founders are Anthony Carron (800 Degrees), Noah Ellis (Red Medicine), Steve Fretz (XIV) and Jamie Tiampo (NYC’s L’artusi and dell’anima), a team of restaurateurs that knows a thing or two about good eating.

 

While we queued up at the outdoor ordering window, my boyfriend and I examined the menu, which was short and sweet, consisting of six sandwich options and three variations of curly fries. We were pleasantly surprised to see that, despite the refined resumes of the Top Round founders, everything on the menu was incredibly wallet-friendly.

After placing our order, we moved into the restaurant’s retro-inspired interior, which was bursting with bright orange and wood paneling. The whole space felt delightfully kitschy– bowling-alley chic, if you will. While we waited for our food, we watched the kitchen slice up a big hunk of 12 hour slow-roasted roast beef to order.

It’s never too early to think about dessert, and Top Round gives you a lot to think about. Did I want frozen custard in a cone with sprinkles? A milkshake? A sundae? A mixed-up “concrete”? What a delicious sort of conundrum.

Top Round’s frozen custard topping bar

Justin concerned himself with the Coke Freestyle machine, where I think he had way too much fun.

After a few minutes, our number was called, and we picked up our order in a cardboard box, taking it to one of the picnic tables on the patio.

The basic curly fries ($1.95) were perfectly enjoyable, but Justin and I both preferred our Dirty Fries, in which the fries were doused with gravy and “Round Sauce” and finished with caramelized onions and Provel cheese ($3.95).

For his sandwich, Justin opted for the Black and Blue, roast beef topped with black pepper, blue cheese and caramelized onions and served on a classic, squishy sesame bun ($6.45).

I chose to get messy with the Beef and Cheese, roast beef dressed with Round sauce, a finger-licking-good homemade “Wizz” and served on a toasted onion bun ($5.95). Perhaps it was the low price point, but I was wholly unprepared for how tender and juicy the roast beef was. Top Round’s meat would be just as at home on a pricier plate as it was tucked inside a foil wrapper. Arby’s this ain’t!

After much waffling over our options, we also selected two concretes, or frozen custards with toppings mixed in.

The Hawaiian with bananas, pineapple, coconut and macadamia nuts was a tropical-inspired delight ($3.95).

 

My favorite of the two, however, was the Banana Cream Pie with bananas, fudge, whole Nilla wafers and whipped cream ($3.95). I adored everything about this combination of frozen custard and banana pudding. McFlurry, we are never ever getting back together. Like, ever.

 

After a few recent budget-busting meals, my visit to Top Round was completely refreshing. After all, what’s not to love about chef-driven fare at fast food prices?



 

*Food was hosted

Top Round

www.EatTopRound.com

100 S. La Brea Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90019

(323) 549-9445

Burgers, Shakes and Fries (Greenwich, CT)

During every trip to New York, the gastronome trio– J, his brother and I– reserve one afternoon to drive to Connecticut. For lunch. Admittedly, the drive requires only 25 minutes or so but, still, it’s Connecticut.

The object of our cross-state desire is always the same– Burgers, Shakes and Fries (a.k.a. BSF), located in the quaint Byram section of Greenwich.

BSF opened in 2007, the brainchild of Kory Wollins, a Cornell grad with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. According to BSF’s website, Wollins’ objective was to serve quality food at a reasonable price in an inviting environment, filling what he saw as a dearth of restaurants that provided bang for your buck. In essence, Wollins is a man after my own heart–and makes a mean burger.

With its tangerine walls and generous amounts of natural light streaming in from over-sized windows, the interior of BSF is bright and welcoming. On this post-Snowpocalypse weekday, many potential lunchers were either still snowed in or back at work, leaving us with our pick of seats. We were pleased because previous visits to the 20-seater restaurant had forced us to hover near those finishing up their meal in order to snag a seat.

BSF also serves hot dogs, chicken sandwiches and salads, but why would you ignore a restaurant’s namesake? All burgers start plain–as either a single or a double– and can be customized with an impressive selection of toppings.

While Adam sipped on a birch beer, J and I shared a strawberry milkshake ($2.83), which was delightfully thick and sweet.

Feeling the post-holiday bloat, I ordered a fairly simple burger– cooked to medium with tomatoes, onions, pickles, cheddar cheese and ketchup and mayo– and our trio split an order of large fries.

Instead of the usual bun, BSF’s burgers are sandwiched between two pieces of buttered, toasted bread. Although this switch-up seemed strange to me at first, I quickly noticed that the bread perfectly soaks up all of the juices from the burger and its toppings. On this day, my burger arrived, juicy and glistening, coated with a generous slice of melting cheese. Each bite provided a satisfying crunch courtesy of the toast followed by a heavenly sink through the meat and toppings. I have sampled few other burgers that come close to BSF’s on the “Satisfying-ness of Bite” scale.

Delicious burgers at a reasonable price are the reason Wollins started BSF and the reason I keep returning.

BSF

www.burgersshakesnfries.com

302 Delavan Avenue

Greenwich, CT 06830

(203) 531-7433

Kalbi Burger

At the 2nd annual Korean BBQ Cook-off, one snaking, weaving line stretched farther than the rest–that of the new burger joint Kalbi Burger. Fittingly, the K-Town restaurant earned the “Crowd Favorite” award at the meaty celebration. Inspired by this and some juicy pictures from Midtown Lunch, I decided to give this latest incarnation of Korean fusion a try.

With its checkered floor and silver tables, Kalbi Burger initially appears to be a quintessential retro throwback diner. The menu of Asian-inspired burgers, hot dogs, fries and salads (we do, after all, live in Los Angeles), however, reveals otherwise.

I opted for the restaurant’s namesake dish the Kalbi Burger ($7.95), a blend of ground chuck and kalbi topped with lettuce, onions, tomatoes, American cheese, Korean vinaigrette and a kalbi aioli sauce. I was pleased by the heft of the burger’s juicy, meaty patty, multiple slices of cheese and fluffy bun, which all came together to make a satisfying bite. Although I enjoyed this classed-up version of a diner burger, I wished that the kalbi flavor was more slightly more prominent and thought that the flavors begged for the addition of a kimchi topping.

J ordered the Seoul Burger combo ($7.95)–an Angus chuck patty with lettuce, onions, American cheese, Thousand Island dressing and sauteed kimchi– with garlic fries. Whereas my burger would have benefited from the addition of kimchi, the pickled veggies seemed out-of-place on J’s, almost an afterthought.

Although the fries were average, the service we received was not. As Kalbi Burger’s owner made the rounds around the restaurant, he looked J’s fry basket and said, “Oh, that’s not enough garlic!” and took it back to the kitchen. He quickly returned with properly garlicky fries and a few tasty dipping sauces for us to sample.

I regularly (i.e. almost weekly) crave both hamburgers and Asian flavors. Kalbi Burger neatly combined the two with satisfying burgers made with hormone- and antibiotic-free beef, a reasonable price point and friendly service.

Kalbi Burger

www.kalbiburger.com

4001 Wilshire Blvd. Unit E

Los Angeles, CA 90010

213-738-7898

A Night at the Roosevelt: 25 Degrees and Library Bar

Hollywood: with the Walk of Fame, the Kodak Theater and numerous iconic streets, it’s quintessentially LA. In other words, it’s an overcrowded tourist trap that most Angelenos avoid at all costs. Last Friday, however, I celebrated the arrival of the weekend at the Roosevelt Hotel, home to both 25 Degrees and Library Bar. After all, after a long week at work, what more does one need than a good burger and a strong drink?

Located on the busy Hollywood Boulevard but in an historic landmark, 25 Degrees represents an intersection between the past and the present, which is reflected in its design. Although chandeliers, oversized quilted booths and luxurious crimson crushed velvet walls evoke images of old Hollywood, the two flatscreens above the service window firmly root you in 2010. Even these, however, nod to both the past and the present; when we arrived Beyonce was on one TV, and Casablanca was on the other. Surprising was the restaurant’s relatively small size, with only seven to eight booths and counter space. With a waiting list for the tables, we sat ourselves at the counter.

J and I ordered the Number One with onion rings and the Number Two with french fries, respectively. Our side dishes arrived first, a practice I neither love nor understand. Fries should definitely go with my burger!

The fries were average, tasting store-bought with too much rosemary thrown on them.

The onion rings, on the other hand, were a sound choice–crunchy and not too greasy.

After hearing much praise for 25 Degrees’ burgers, I, as a burger junkie, was thrilled when my whopping Number Two ($12.00) with pesto, prosciutto, burrata and a roasted tomato arrived. Despite my trepidations about burrata on a burger, this dish delievered on every level. The juicy patty and soft brioche provided a solid, quality foundation for the Italian accoutrements. To my delight, the combination of the salty prosciutto, tangy tomato and creamy burrata with the burger was not at all overwhelming– just mind-blowingly tasty. The brioche also held up surprisingly well, becoming soggy only towards the end of my meal.

J’s Number One ($12.00) with prelibato gorgonzola crescenza, caramelized onions, bacon, arugula and Thousand Island was also quite enjoyable. With a generous serving of cheese and a hearty slice of extra-crispy bacon, what is not to love? Again, the thick, juicy patty set the foundation for this delicious burger.

We passed on ordering drinks at 25 Degrees in favor of saving ourselves for Library Bar. Despite its name, Library Bar is more like a lounge with seating in the form of leather couches and oversized chairs. In an impressive touch, Libary Bar does not have a set menu. Rather, you provide your desired ingredients or flavor profile for your drink, and the bartender does the rest.

For my first drink, I requested something with rum and fruit. The amiable Ryan responded with his take on a Lemon Maid– Strawberry Maid with rum, agave, cucumber and strawberry. Sweet and refreshing, this drink was dangerously delicious.

For my second drink, I opted to stick with the sweet and fruity flavor profile but left the specifics in Ryan’s more than capable hands. He handed me a cocktail with Laird’s Applejack brandy, lemon juice, muddled pear and cinnamon and topped with fresh figs. When I asked him if the drink had a name, he said “No” but suggested George Washington’s Pie because our nation’s first President liked the brandy so much that he asked the Laird family for their recipe. This drink, which reminded me of a cider, begs to be drunk near a roaring fire.

J asked for a savory drink and received a Breeder’s Cup, made of Hendrick’s gin, beet horseradish, cucumber, lime juice and agave. I loved the color imbued by the horseradish, and the sharp kick it added to the otherwise mild drink.

J’s second drink was also gin-based, this time with apricot, basil, lime juice and agave. The basil dominated, lending a lovely, light and refreshing flavor and scent.

All of our drinks were $16.00 each. Although they were slightly pricier than the average cocktail, they were all outstanding–some of my best and most memorable drinks to date! With its talented and affable bartenders and incredible drinks, Library Bar is my new favorite bar.

25 Degrees and Library Bar set a very high standard for my weekend. I can’t wait to return to both.

25 Degrees

www.25degreesrestaurant.com

7000 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 785-7244

Library Bar

7000 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

Komodo Truck

I can say with utmost certainty that I inherited my love of food from my Dad (a.k.a. the human garbage disposal), who appreciates everything from lunch in a styrofoam container to five-star dining. As such, when in Los Angeles recently, he was excited not only for my graduation but also for the opportunity to finally partake in the city’s food truck craze.

On one of our less hectic days, we learned of a Children’s Day Festival in Little Tokyo where the Komodo Truck would be parked. Hopeful that the day would provide fun for my nephew and food for my Dad, our group headed to Little Tokyo.

The Komodo Truck boasts a diverse menu that includes both Asian inspiration (the Asian Marinated Chicken) and American fare (the Burgerrito). Its eight entrees are available as either a burrito ($7.00-$8.00) or taco ($2.00-$3.00) and can be accompanied by a selection of sides ($5.00), which include fries and meatballs.

As this was our first visit to the Komodo Truck, we opted to order several different types of tacos in order to sample as much as we could.

First up were a Komodo Signature taco (sirloin, guacamole and cotija cheese, $3.00) and a Asian Marinated Chicken taco (orange-marinated chicken with Asian stir-fried rice, $2.00). Although the beef in the Komodo signature was competently prepared, the taco’s potential was limited by the guacamole, which was relatively bland and had a watery consistency. With its dry and decidedly un-orange chicken, the Asian Marinated Chicken taco was similarly disappointing. I did, however, enjoy the mixture of textures added by the rice.

We also ordered a Blazin’ Shrimp taco (spicy Indonesian-style shrimp with sour cream salad, $3.00) and a Seoul Food Special taco (BBQ short ribs with pickled cucumber salad, $2.00). Although, ideally, the cool sour cream would balance out the kick of the shrimp in the Blazin’ Shrimp taco, the salad was overpowering and somewhat sloppy. Everyone, however, enjoyed the Seoul Food taco, which featured deliciously-prepared and juicy Korean short rib meat. I would order this entree again as a burrito.

The standout dish of the afternoon was our order of truffle fries ($5.00). The crispy fries were tossed liberally with tasty truffle oil, and the result was a side of which none of us could get enough. These are a must-order for any stop at Komodo Truck.

Although I won’t hunt down the Komodo Truck any time soon, if I saw it again, I’d gladly order a Seoul Food Special burrito and one (or two) orders of truffle fries.

Komodo Truck

www.komodotruck.com

www.twitter.com/komodofood

Burger Kitchen: All I Can Say Is "Oy"

UPDATE (3/20/2013):

If you’re on this page, chances are pretty good that you’ve just watched the Burger Kitchen episode of Gordon Ramsay’s “Kitchen Nightmares.” The traffic for this post always spikes when the episode re-airs, so, welcome to Noms, Not Bombs!

The juicy stuff is below, but, if you’re interested in an update, Burger Kitchen has since shuttered. Given the father-son action highlighted on the show, the place seemed doomed by its (complete and utter) dysfunction. In watching the show, I pretty quickly realized that all of the insanity posted here was single-handedly the work of Alan Saffron, and I felt terribly for his son Daniel. I can only hope that, without the pressures and stresses of the restaurant, their relationship is faring better now and that Alan is conducting himself in a manner deserving of his son’s forgiveness these days.

For those curious, I was asked to participate in their “Kitchen Nightmares” episode but declined, ultimately deciding that 1) you’ll never win when you’re arguing with crazy (if only I knew just how crazy…) and 2) it wasn’t worth taking time off work.

Now, if it’s crazy that you came here looking for, scroll down and enjoy. Thanks for stopping by.

UPDATE (5/7/10):

The behavior of the owners of Burger Kitchen, Alan and Daniel Saffron, has gone from laughable–with posting phony 5-star reviews of themselves on Yelp–to now unethical–defaming my character (and the character of others who gave them a 1-star review) with outright lies.

Check out this 5-star Yelp review of Burger Kitchen from owner Daniel S. (they have a 2.5 star rating without it) which claims that I emailed him saying, “I am sorry, but I am not taking down my review because you guys are Jewish, and I really don’t want another Jewish person to succeed in my neighborhood.”

Not that I should have to address this but, for the record, any such “email” is a complete fabrication by Daniel and/or Alan Saffron. I have never exchanged emails with either of them and have only responded to one of their (many) Yelp messages–the first one in which Daniel claimed that the vitriolic comment posted here on my blog was not written by him. Right.

Furthermore, I am personally offended by their choice of outright lie about me because, as many of you know, J is Jewish. Also, I even have a “Jewish” tag for my posts!

The fact that two grown men would stoop so low as to spread a blatant, hurtful lie about me because of an honest review of their restaurant is absolutely baffling. This behavior is ridiculous and unacceptable and certainly does not warrant your hard-earned shekels (couldn’t resist).

P.S. 3rd Street is not anywhere remotely near “my neighborhood.” Good try, though, guys.

—————————————————————

Opened last Saturday, Burger Kitchen is the latest gourmet burger restaurant to hit the LA food scene.

The restaurant is co-owned by Alan and Daniel Saffron, a father-son team, and offers a selection of 20 craft beers—10 on tap and 10 bottled—and 22 kinds of burgers.

The burgers are divided into two categories: “From the Ranch” with standards such as Burger Delicious ($9, roasted tomato, grilled onions, pickles, greenleaf lettuce and chipotle ketchup) and “Burgers Around the World” with dishes such as the Negimaki Burger ($12, beef patty with teriyaki glaze, chopped chives and sautéed shiitake mushrooms).

Although I was skeptical about the seemingly overambitious nature of a menu of 22 different kinds of burgers, I decided to pay Burger Kitchen a visit.

After being seated and greeted by Mr. (Alan) Saffron, J and I perused the menu, which was, indeed, somewhat overwhelming with so many choices. We also sampled a few beers (all of which were delicious), with J settling on a white ale while I opted for a hefe-weizen.

Aaaaand the menu continues on the back side…

Sides at Burger Kitchen are sold a la carte. We ordered onion rings ($3.50) and French fries ($3.50), which were, oddly (and to our displeasure), served as an appetizer rather than an accompaniment to the meal. Who wants to eat their fries without their burger?!

The onion rings were delicious—very light and crunchy with little excess oil. The fries, on the other hand, were average. Several hours later, J and I realized that these tasted a lot like the fries we ate from Chili’s in our high school/pre-foodie days.

I ordered the Moroccan Bazaar Burger ($12.50, lamb patty, mint and ginger sauce, roasted tomato). Burger Kitchen isn’t kidding when they say “tomato”; my lamb burger had one slice of tomato, one leaf of lettuce and was rather sad and naked looking. The kitchen was also out of ginger for the mint sauce, and the result was a bite that was much too tangy for my taste.

J ordered the Mountain Burger ($10.00, BBQ sauce, applewood smoked bacon and jalapeño peppers). The jalapeños played nicely off the BBQ sauce to create a smoky flavor…the second time around.

Our waiter told us that Burger Kitchen cooks its burgers medium rare unless asked to prepare them otherwise. J’s burger, however, was very rare and very red throughout, and he sent it back. Although J’s burger was actually prepared medium rare the second time around, the woman next to us had to send her nearly purple-colored burger back twice after her second burger was just as rare as the first. When we left, her third burger had yet to reach the table, and her husband had already finished his (also very pink) burger.

Extremely apologetic to both of our tables, Mr. Saffron came out to tell us that it was taking time for their chefs to “get it right.” Get what right? The Bobby Flay method for cooking burgers. Mr. Saffron detailed how Burger Kitchen was following Flay’s instructions for patty size, cook time, use of olive oil, etc. It seemed strange to me that Burger Kitchen was cooking using Flay’s methods rather than their own—especially since cook times vary depending on type of grill, heat, etc.
 

With the delicious, gourmet burgers available at places such as The Golden State Cafe, Umami Burger, Father’s Office and even trucks such as Patty Wagon, I don’t know that there’s room for Burger Kitchen with its unfocused menu, flighty service (for example, our waiter took my beer order and left without asking J what he wanted), raw burgers and instructions taken from a cookbook.
 

Thanks to an Eater LA promotion, our burgers were half off, but I still didn’t feel that the quality of the meal warranted the final tab of $34.00. Throughout this post, I have had to stop myself from inadvertently writing “Burger King” instead of “Burger Kitchen,” which I think pretty tidily sums up my feelings about the evening.
 

Burger Kitchen
8048 W. 3rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 944-0503

Santa Barbara Day Trip!

With graduation, the “real world” and unemployment on the horizon, a vacation to Cabo was not in the cards for my last college Spring Break. I was, however, fairly certain that I would shoot myself in the face if I did nothing to change up my routine. With this in mind, J and I headed North to Santa Barbara (a first for both of us!) on a day trip. Sadly, because this was just to be a day trip, no wine tastings were involved (*wah wah*).

After asking for a food recommendations, J and I made our first stop of the day (obviously a food-related one) at La Super-Rica Taqueria. Literally translated, “la super-rica taqueria” means “the super tasty taco shop,” and, indeed, it is.

Look at that menu!

With its open-air ordering area and covered outdoor patio/eating area, La Super-Rica Taqueria has a nice, relaxing vibe. If I lived in the area, I’d definitely be a regular.

I ordered the chorizo quesadilla ($3.50) and arroz. La Super-Rica Taqueria hand-makes its tortillas on location, and you can taste the difference; they’re so light and fresh. The quesadilla oozed with yummy cheese, and the chorizo added a nice smoky flavor.

I’m not sure what was in this rice, but it was delicious. The flavor was milder than that of traditional Mexican rice, but J and I really enjoyed this.

Next up, The Burger Bus–how could we come to Santa Barbara without trying it? Operating out of a shiny yellow school bus, The Burger Bus uses only grass-fed/free range/hormone-free beef and local bread, jelly, cheese and produce.

The Burger Bus is best known for it’s CB&J ($7.50)–or cheeseburger and jelly. Because the #1 had a cautionary “Hot!” written next to it, I opted for the #2 with cheddar cheese and olallieberry (a hybrid of blackberry and raspberry) jelly.

There was nothing not to love about this burger. From the crusty ciabatta to the sweet jelly to the gooey cheese and the juicy meat, this burger was delicious.

We also ordered yam fries ($2.50), which were delightfully simple. They tasted like sliced-up yams with a little salt thrown in. So fresh! A dip in ranch dressing took the fries to a whole ‘nother level.

J and I then took a stroll around the UCSB campus which is, apparently, a 5(-ish) minute walk from the beach. Clearly I made the wrong choice in university. The campus and surrounding area were gorgeous! I have no idea what their programs are but, if I had toured the campus in high school, I would have definitely applied (you can take the girl out of Hawaii but not the Hawaii out of the girl).

Next up was the Santa Barbara Mission, which was founded by Spanish Franciscans in 1786. Because the day was getting late, we didn’t take the tour which, in retrospect and as a history buff, I regret. I guess I know what I’m doing on my next trip to Santa Barbara.

Afterwards, we headed to State Street, parched and hoping to find a smoothie, which we did at Blenders in the Grass. If you ever happen upon one of these, I highly highly recommend you check it out. My Tropical Guava smoothie was all fruit and flavor and no gritty ice. Yummm…

While walking around State Street, J and I noticed a farmer’s market…and just when we thought that the day couldn’t include any more of our favorite things! We ended up buying some of the best tangerines I’ve ever eaten and some behemoth strawberries.

Although J and I were both pretty stuffed, I had been very strongly urged to visit McConnell’s Ice Cream and Yogurt, a locally-based ice cream chain. Far be it from me to ignore any ice cream recommendation, so off we went.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the servings of ice cream and frozen yogurt of the people around me; they were huge! I then noticed the completely reasonable prices and began trying to convince myself that I was not too full for ice cream.

J ordered the Macadamia Nut ice cream in a cup ($3.75), which had whole macadamia nuts in it. So good.

I ordered the Burgundy Cherry in a sugar cone ($4.25). With its creamy cherry base and chunks of fruit, this was mind-blowingly good.

I’m already trying to find a grocery store near me that carries McConnell’s ice cream pints.

Sadly, it was then time to head back…but not without one last look at the gorgeous water.

I thought this was funny.

And so, my day in Santa Barbara was fun, gorgeous, relaxing and delicious. I didn’t even wish I was in Mexico, instead!

La Super-Rica Taqueria

622 N. Milpas St.

Santa Barbara, CA 93103

(805) 963-4940

The Burger Bus

www.theburgerbus.com

Blender in the Grass

Locations: www.drinkblenders.com

Santa Barbara Farmer’s Market

www.sbfarmersmarket.org

McConnell’s Ice Cream

www.mcconnells.com

201 W. Mission St.

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

(805) 569- 2323

My Nommy Valentine: Bottega Louie and In-N-Out

Last year, for my first coupled Valentine’s Day, I freely admit that I was a huge Valentine’s-Day-zilla. I wanted a box of pink and red V-day themed Sprinkles cupcakes, a leisurely brunch, gifts, flowers, homemade dinner–the works. I also may or may not have cried a little when I didn’t get a few of the above-mentioned things.

In any case, that was last year. I’ve since mellowed and, this year, really just wanted to spend a low-key day with J, celebrating two of the things I love most–him and food! I was bummed about having to work from 8:30-5, but this homemade acai bowl (my favorite breakfast!) and Valentine’s Day card got my morning off to the right start. (As a side note, the “Kitty” on the card is a reference to my obsession with Hello Kitty).

Right at 5 PM, J and I kicked off the Valentine’s Day festivities with a trip to the wonderfully New York-esque Bottega Louie downtown.

Bottega Louie was fully decked out for Valentine’s Day, and I was loving the pink that was everywhere in the restaurant!

Even their delicious French macarons were made especially for the day.

I’m not 100% on what these are but goshdarnit they’re cute.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen any prettier chocolate covered strawberries!

Took home some Valentine’s Day-themed sweets of my own thanks to my sweetie.

Now, normally, I’d say that $3.50 is a little steep for a chocolate covered strawberry but 1) I made sure to pick the biggest one in the display case to make it worth it and 2) it was not only the prettiest but also the best-tasting chocolate covered strawberry I have ever eaten. The strawberry was fresh and sweet, and the chocolate was top notch.

I just love Bottega Louie’s French macarons. They have a wonderful, light flavor, and the cookies are so delicate that they practically melt in your mouth. These flavors are raspberry, raspberry cream, vanilla, rose and strawberry.

Let’s be honest: who doesn’t love In-N-Out? When it comes to delicious burgers that give you a bang for your buck, In-N-Out is second to none. I usually order a #2–with an animal style cheeseburger, animal style fries and a strawberry milkshake (talk about a calorie splurge…).

In light of the strawberry and macarons in the car, however, I decided to get regular fries and stick with a Diet Coke. Definitely was NOT willing to forego the animal style cheeseburger.

Afterwards, we headed to the Egyptian Theater for a screening of Casablanca to see it in gorgeous 35 mm–the way these films were intended to be viewed. They had an incredible print, and the theater was packed with other cinephiles who clapped, laughed and cried together. I strongly suggest checking out their screening list and paying the Egyptian or the Aero in Santa Monica a visit.

What a lovely, lovely (tantrum-free) day. I can’t imagine a better Valentine’s Day with a better Valentine!

Bottega Louie

www.bottegalouie.com

700 S. Grand Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90017

(213) 802-1470

In-N-Out

www.in-n-out.com

7009 Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

The Oinkster

It seems like I’ve been hearing about The Oinkster from left and right lately! It was on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” it was featured in the “Hot on Yelp” section of Yelp.com last week, and it was recently on a list of the best burgers in LA. So, one night after work this week, I decided to pay The Oinkster a visit.

Guy Fieri’s made his mark on The Oinkster!

I opted for the restaurant’s namesake sandwich–the Oinkster Pastrami. As a pastrami lover, I was seriously disappointed in this sandwich. The meat was way too peppery for my taste. Although there was Gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and red cabbage for a flavor contrast, these toppings came nowhere close to balancing out the amount of pepper in the meat. Luckily, J loves me very much and was willing to trade his dinner for mine.

We also ordered and shared the Piggy Fries, which are similar to In-N-Out’s “animal style” fries. These, however, were much richer than those from In-N-Out, and I started to feel a little sick after I had more than a few bites.

Then there was the Classic Burger, which soon became mine. In terms of simple, inexpensive burgers (it costs only $4.75!) , this one’s now up there on my list. I loved that the bun was soft and squishy, I enjoyed the thousand island dressing on the sandwich and thought that the veggies had a nice crunch. The meat patty had good flavor, too.

After J and I finished dinner, we were pretty disappointed and I said to him, “I’m glad we were already in the area. If not, I’d have been pissed!” Despite our lack of enthusiasm for our meal, we’re not people to say “No” to a milkshake, so we decided to split an Ube (purple yam) Milkshake.

And just like that, our review of The Oinkster went from “Wow, not going out of our way to come back here” to “I’d TOTALLY come back and get a burger, plain fries…and this incredible milkshake.” Ube tastes a little bit like coconut and a lot like the best milkshake you’ve ever had.

Final verdict: It’s worth it for the milkshake, but opt for the Classic Burger and plain fries for your dinner!

The Oinkster

www.theoinkster.com

2005 Colorado Boulevard

Eagle Rock, CA 90041

(323) 255-OINK