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brunch

Mister O's Brunch

November 17, 2018

Mister O’s in Studio City is now open for lunch and brunch. This is the second time we’ve been back here and I think it’s warranting a 3rd visit pretty soon. I’m still in love with the ambiance of this place. The Palm Springs flare still hits pretty hard with the madmen speakeasy interior.

Here’s what brunch is looking like:

Delicious Shrimp and Grits

There’s definitely a lot of flavor in each dish. I love the balance of acid in each dish. The burger especially was a nice surprise with the green tomato.

Will definitely be back again soon!

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Crackin Kitchen

April 29, 2018

New to Pasadena, straight from Hawaii, comes Crackin' Kitchen. This is the first Hawaiian cajun I've come across. They do seafood platters to different varieties of mussel pots. The viet cajun seafood boils we are used to is now fused with Hawaiian flavors for a different twist. Come check them out in Old Town Pasadena when you're in the area.

House sodas. This is peach and watermelon.

Seafood platter. Oysters, shrimp cocktail, tuna poke, smoked salmon with taro chips, and snow crabs.

Clam Chowder fries. Mashed potatoes topped with french fries with ladles of clam chowder, cheddar cheese and fried egg. My ultimate carb obsession.

Seafood tortilla pizza - Ahi, shrimp, tomato, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, and special sauce served on a crispy tortilla

Thai Mussel Pot - Coconut milk, lemon grass, coriander, kaffir, fish sauce, chili, ginger, garlic

ULTIMATE COMBO - Shrimp, clams, mussels, corn, potatoes, andouille sausage and snow crab. Served with all three signature sauces.

115 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91105

Plenty of seating with a full bar. Love that the space feels really open. I would recommend coming with a larger group to try out different items. They have a HUGE selection of different flavored mussel pots.

enjoy!

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Commerson

April 11, 2018

Lately, breakfast/brunch consists of something fast and effortless. Most of my weekends are spent at the gym in the mornings followed by breakfast with my dad on Saturdays and somewhere for lunch Sundays. We normally eat the same things: Vietnamese or Chinese Hong Kong Cafe in Alhambra. I haven't ventured much because it's been hard to find a place that serves delicious breakfast food. To find one that has good food AND good coffee is a plus for me.

Commerson - 788 South La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Service was fantastic as expected. Our coffee cups were filled often which is always a plus. Their coffee is good in case you're a skeptic of "diner" style coffee, this is not that.

Pork Belly Hash - two sunny side up eggs, tomato marmalade, piquillo peppers, cherry tomatoes, fennel, toast. This is filled with chunks of pork belly perfect to fight through any hangover. Their commitment to sunnyside eggs is pretty much the most perfect I've seen.

Forest Mushroom Omelette - bun shimiji, shiitake, maitake, raclette cheese, caramelized onions, and a side of mixed greens. Ok. Probably the best mushroom omelette I've ever had. The sweetness of the caramelized onions pairs so well with the raclette cheese. Of course the delicious mushrooms cooked with the onions brought a nice level of umami-ness to this that I did not crave meat.

Brioche French Toast - toasted macadamia nuts, rum butter, coconut chantilly cream. I am not a sweet breakfast kinda girl. But damn did this sweep me faster than the extra food in the kitchen email from work. There's just something so decadent about this. It's quite hard to explain. The texture element on this was on point. The brioche is crispy all around with a softness when you cut into this. Homemade brioche yo!

Housemade Sopes with Mole Hollandaise - poached eggs, red onions, cotija cheese, chorizo, fresno chilis, corn, cilantro. No words can express how great fresh tortillas are let alone fresh sopes. This combination is bonkers. The soft poach egg man. I've never had a sopes made like this before and now I'm changed forever.

Smoked Salmon Benedict (you can also get neuske's canadian bacon) - house made english muffins, poached eggs, béarnaise, fried capers, dill, mixed greens. Their home made muffins remind me of the british muffins. So fluffy and holds all that bearnaise sauce and runny poached eggs. Not a lot of people do this, but when I see fried capers I know they are doing it right.

Housemade Granola - Served with honey, berries, straus organic greek yogurt (or milk). Simple, but goes really well with the granola and a slight drizzle of honey. A pretty hefty bowl perfect for a morning fuel if you don't want something too large.

This is their Gin & Tonic on Tap - House made tonic, juniper berries, citrus peels, rose blossoms, and soda water. This isn't a part of their current brunch special, but if you are interested, I highly recommend their bottomless bellinis & mimosas for $35. This also includes one food item from the menu per person. There's a 2 hour seating limit for tables with bottomless bellinis and the $35 offer excludes the ribeye cap steak and eggs from the menu (what did you expect?).

I must come back for dinner. Can't wait for you guys to try it out. And if you get to dinner before me, please let me know what you think!

Ciao

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Momed - Atwater Village

November 12, 2017

Momed is one of my favorite casual spots to hit up. It's tucked away the residential area within Atwater Village. You would really need to want to come here in order to find it. I've had a few items from the countless times I've been here. Here's what I tried that I haven't introduced before.

Blistered cherry tomatoes, black mission figs, garlic aioli, arugula, onions, rolled in house-made lavash. Hearty and definitely amazing. I absolutely loved these momo chips. You get a choice of salad or these chips. I highly recommend the chips... I mean... there's already arugula in the wrap. I loved the black mission figs in this wrap. It added another level of texture and sweetness that complimented this succulent duck.

braised short rib, roasted fingerling potatoes, caramelized onions, applewood smoked cheddar, arugula, 2-sunny organic eggs, ciabatta.

Short ribs were tender. Nothing beats a runny egg yolk with a nice hearty bread to scoop it all up. A great fuel starter before hitting the gym or to recover from a hangover. My stomach is grumbling all over again.

3245 Casitas Ave Los Angeles, CA 90039

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Georgie - Beverly Hills

September 9, 2017

I had the pleasure of dining at Georgie located in what I like to call restaurant row of Beverly Hills. Tucked away in Montage Beverly Hills you will find Georgie, a modern American cuisine showcasing quality ingredients treated with Michelin technique-driven preparations by Executive Chef Wilfrid Hocquet. Extremely humble and passionate about cooking, he brings his many years of experience from working in Michelin Restaurants in France to Le Louis XV out in Monaco.

G eorgie
225 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Without much time put in (ok maybe a little), we ordered a few rounds of appetizers to start.

The fennel added such a nice touch without being too herbaceous. I loved the crackling of coarse salt which complimented the butter. These are made to order and something I would recommend.

House Pâté cut up into squares so it's easy to share. Topped with Peach Compote, Pickles, Jus Vinaigrette. There's all kinds of meat mixture in this. I believe there is chicken, duck, foie gras, and a few more. Good stuff.

Served with Cantaloupe, Honeydew, Calamansi. I can almost never say no to Hamachi Crudo. It's always a refreshing appetizer that feels guilt free. Gorgeous plating again.

Meaty Dungeness Crab served with Cucumber, Preserved Lemon Aioli, Tomato Jelly. Another extremely refreshing appetizer. And if you've never had tomato jelly, you are missing out. This dish is what summer is all about.

Burrate is slowly surfacing a lot of restaurants these days. Georgie showcases the burrata with Stone Fruit, Market Tomatoes, Apple Cider Vinaigrette. The fruits were a mixture of goodies. All in season. Loved how all the appetizers ties in together.

This was the special of the night. Handmade Cavatelli pasta with braised oxtail. The oxtail was so tender. The Cavatelli pasta was delicious with the slightest chew you love from fresh pasta. I would be on a lookout for specials if you come.

A fish you would rarely find in any restaurants. I believe it's a European Sea Bass. Delicate and holds up to a lot of flavors. Served with Artichokes, Zucchini, Saffron Sauce. The silky skin on the fish is captivating.

Perfectly cooked rack of lamb. Little to no gaminess which is what I prefer. Served with ground lamb stuffed in eggplant, chickpea crisps, and savory jus. It's hard to find lamb cooked like this. I feel like in America, we love things with tons of char. I know that's how I like my meat at least. This had a slight golden brown all around the lamb. It didn't take over the flavor of the meat. This was really good. I would order this again.

Chicken is not something I would order. EVER. I can't put together what can make chicken breast different from one to another. I love making it at home, don't get me wrong. But at a restaurant especially one as fancy as this, I would never. But, our host, the ever so sweet Cassandra, highly recommends we tried it. Chicken Breast, served with Confit Carrots, Blackened Potatoes, Tarragon Aioli. BEST bite of the night. Or, hands down probably the best dish of the night. The chicken breast was sous vide so the protein of the meat has broken down to something I've never experienced before in a chicken breast. It almost had a texture of a medium cooked tenderloin. Not stringy at all, easy to cut with a butter knife. Those blackened potatoes were also on a different level. I can never eat potatoes the same way anymore. I can't... with this dish. Must order.

Almost there guys.

Man. Desserts never hit me this hard. I'm not a big sweets girl. All my friends know that. Even my attitude shows. But this was flipping good. We think that might be a pistachio gelato. Salted Almond Butter Gelato, Almond Dacquoise, Malted Milk Crumble. If I died that day, I would be happy. But I didn't. And another dessert was served.

This should be the last thing you eat. If you want something rich, order an espresso or hot coffee. Fresh Mint Chip Gelato & Sweet Cream. I slapped my forehead in disbelief how delicious that mint chip gelato was. With the sweet strawberries and little meringue... there's no other way to end the night.

But it ends. I will be back soon. They seem to have a pretty tasty looking breakfast menu as well I am dying to try.

Thank you Georgie for having me.

Au Revoir

Georgie
225 N. Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210

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Wine & Dine

Mister O's Brunch

Crackin Kitchen

Commerson

Momed - Atwater Village

Georgie - Beverly Hills