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Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

August 15, 2016

A lot of people won't even know where East LA is. To some people, this area may be extremely foreign. And it's true. East LA is known to have crime from time to time so I'm not surprised people don't pick this as their destination. But there are also a lot of love. A lot of families. And a lot of hungry people wanting good food at an affordable price. East LA is heavily populated with Hispanics, but with that said, there are some great mom and pop joints out here that I consider some of my top go-tos. That's when I stumbled upon Tacos Ensenada. And if it wasn't for taking a trip on the Metro Gold Line, this place would probably still be incognito on my radar.

5161 E Pomona Blvd
East Los Angeles, CA 90022

Here were some amazing eats:

Poppy shrimp, citrus from the lime, sharpness of the onions, sweetness of the tomatoes, herbiness of the cilantro, creaminess of the avocado, and the toasty flavors of the tostada. For around $2, why even bother making this at home.

Fish tostada is my favorite ceviche to have. I love the texture of citrus cooked fish. It really infuses the flavor and tastes that much fresher cold with fresh chopped ingredients. Another must order.

Crunchy fresh fish tacos with shredded cabbage, pico, red sauce and crema. Finger licking good so you better chomp on these quick. Large lumps of seafood around $1.75 a pop, and well worth it.

Better than some street carne asada tacos. Meat was juicy, flavorful, and tons of umami in my mouth. I hope it's not lard... but a part of me loves that it might be.

Unlimited condiments. Be mindful, not wasteful.

Total for 1 bottle of coke, 4 fish tacos, 1 shrimp taco, 1 asada taco, and 2 tostadas... $20.ish dollars. Yeah you bet it was good. And guess what? They also accept credit cards, Double that what now.

5161 E Pomona BlvdEast Los Angeles, CA 90022

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Kings Row - New Menu - Old Town Pasadena

July 27, 2016

I've been to Kings Row multiple times the past few years. I am pretty excited to share a few of the new items that Kings will start to serve. To keep this review brief, you can find Kings Row on 20 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105. You can also stumble through the back which I prefer on Mercantile Pl. Keep in mind it's first come first serve. All food and drinks are to be ordered at the bar.

Pig Roast

As always, don't forget about their pig roast every 3rd Thursday of the month.

Underworld

In Watermelon Sugar

The Pearl

The Crossing

The Beach

Knots and Crosses

Ulysses

There actually wasn't a drink I didn't like. I recommend going with a group of friends and try a bunch of these together. My favorite was their American Gods Old Fashioned. Made with citrus sugar, you really taste the orange peels that they used to create the distinct flavors.

Food:

Classic Double Cheese burger

Naan stuffed with provolone

Thai Chile-Lime

Chipotle Honey and Hot Wings

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Crispy Apple Hand Pie

Fries with cheese whiz

Great place for food, drinks, and hanging out. They also have live music from time to time. Kings Row is a solid place to go to if you want to hang out in Pasadena. I'll probably be back twice in August. Maybe I'll run into a few of you.

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Magnolia House - Pasadena

June 27, 2016

When people say Pasadena, the first thing I really think of is Old Town. It's until recently the past few years that people are starting to reach their endeavors elsewhere. The Paseo has really become that place along with the few around Colorado and El Molino. But to go even further, you now have Lake Ave booming with new restaurants and concepts. From Sunlife's Acai Bowls, to Sugar Fish by Chef Nozawa, you have classic old school fine dining like Smitty's and not so long ago Del Friscos that just made it's way on Lake about a year ago.

With that said, there's Magnolia House. It's tucked away on the corner of Lake and California. It's a great hang out spot for the local workaholics to get away after a dysfunctional 8-5. Trust me, I know a few.

Magnolia House launched a few cocktails that will sure help you escape the monotonous cycle of the case we call Monday's. But I like to just accept the fact that I will use any excuse to grab a drink.

I'm not a cocktail person, but I will honestly say I enjoyed each and every one of these sippers. I've been drinking old fashions pretty consistently lately as my beverage of choice. I would easily pick any one of these, especially a hot humid day like the ones we've been facing in LA.

These finger licking wings are available for Happy Hour. For $6, you get 3 pieces, fried and doused in Korean sweet and spicy sauce with a side of pickled chili cucumbers.

Beer Cheese sauce with vegetarian toppings. Vegetarians are safe as this contains no meat.

Local yellowtail, yuzu vinaigrette, Pickled red onions and micro shiso. Would love more citrus kick from the yuzu, but the portions of the yellowtail were generous and lump-sum. On the Happy Hour for $9, you get 3. Loved these bites.

The sweet onions are, obviously, caramelized and mixed with smoked gouda. Fried and served with a dipping sauce of greed goddess. Sounds pretty amazeballs to me. Happy Hour, $5 you get 3.

You can always find fresh oysters here as well. 6 for $16 (not on Happy Hour) served with mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce. Get your afrodisiac on. It's always a great topic for conversation. Haha..

I say yes to everything pork belly. Don't even ask me. They use a heritage duroc pork served with cherry puree, pickled lady apple, frisee, and french breakfast radish. The pork was briny from the cure, but that fat is just melt in your mouth stuck in the back of your neck goodness. Paired nicely with the cherry puree, apples, radishes, frisee, basically everything to cut down the richness of the fat.

The brussells sprouts are cooked down with smoked bacon and tossed with a cilantro pistachio pesto. Topped off with a fried egg with Pecorino shavings. All vegetables need to be eaten this way.

Yup, you should plan your next happy hour accordingly. Remember to invite me when you do. Every excuse to drink remember? Happy grubs!

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Claudine - Encino

June 15, 2016

A little bio on Claudine,

"Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop is the collaborative effort of Chef Anthony Jacquet and Pastry Chef Lea Newton, whose combined skills and culinary passions have led to the opening of a globally-influenced neighborhood café and bakeshop in the San Fernando Valley. Named after Jacquet’s late sister, the driving force behind his decision to become a chef, Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop is a full service restaurant, bakeshop, coffee bar, and grab n’ go deli. Serving only the highest quality food made with local and sustainable ingredients, Claudine Artisan Kitchen & Bakeshop features an assortment of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes.Highlighting the bounty of local and seasonal produce in California, the restaurant’s menu draws inspiration from the many cultures and people who have shaped the city."

16350 Ventura Blvd., Suite F, Encino, CA 91436

Located on Ventura Blvd in Encino is where you will find Claudine. From the outside, it blends it with the neighborhood Chipotle which sits in the same center. But walking inside, the expectations are blown away by how adorable this place is. Open kitchen with tons of baked goods ready for you to hover over. Everything is made fresh daily, so if you see low inventory, that's a good sign.

Claudine also serves wine and beer which is always a plus. I started with a Stone IPA. They also carried a few specialty cocktails like sangrias and micheladas.

We had a few dishes to sample, all delicious. They make their own house cured lox on toast. The salmon was not overly salty served on top of some preserved Lemon Cream Cheese, Pickled Shallots, Cucumber and Capers. Their Briana's Short Rib Grilled Cheese is also a must order. Stuffed with Stout Braised Onions, Roasted Mushrooms, ‘Merican Cheese, Black Vinegar Teriyaki, and russet wedges. Get your napkins ready.

They also make their own naan pizzas. We've tried 2 and fell in love instantly. Cianna's Naan-Zza: pesto, buratta, bacon, mushrooms and asparagus. Serrano Ham and Olive Naan-Zza: fresno chile, buratta cheese and oregano. The Lea's Lightened Quiche was a winner all around. Custard made with spinach, basil, and only one egg with salad greens (SO GOOD).

If you are not sure what to do about your life, order the Malted Milk Pancakes. Cinnamon-Blueberry compote, salted honey butter, Warm Maple Syrup and Bacon. Sandwich this baby together and eat it with pride. Lot's of it.

16350 Ventura Blvd., Suite F, Encino, CA 91436

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Maximiliano - Highland Park

June 13, 2016

Maximiliano is another restaurant concept by Andre Guerrero. Many of you LA natives are familiar with one of his famous restaurants in Eagle Rock called The Oinkster. With their famous pulled pork sandwich to their highly talked about Belgian french fries with garlic aioli that changed the world. Honestly, their french fries here are killer. It was my first time and many others of having a twice fried potato. It's pretty genius, but Oinkster's really made it their own.

Maximiliano is a different concept than Oinkster's. Practically being the only Italian restaurant in Highland Park, Maximiliano has a full menu that carries a wide range of Italian favorites.

5930 York Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90042

To get started right away, I ordered a raspberry bellini with a cup of Intelligentsia coffee.

It was raining a little bit on this day, so a little Prosecco definitely helped with the gloomy weather.

I am happy I get to share with you a wide variety of the items on their menu.

This was one of my favorites on the menu. The crust was thin and crispy, the smoked salmon was nice and salty, but balanced with the creamy subtle flavors of the Burrata. I would order this again.

Better eat this fast or the potatoes will starch up once cold. Delicious fennel sausage with the over easy eggs to really put a dent in your gut. There's nothing wrong about this. Just douse each slice with more chili flakes to get the full experience.

Hand-Made Linguini, nice and al dente with bacon confit, pecorino and a poached egg waiting like a hot water balloon waiting for you to slice for the ultimate yolk porn. You should've seen it run in all its glory. Pass the chili flakes. Butt fires will be worth it.

Delicious melt in your mouth pulled pork. Sweet, savory, and luxurious with the ooey gooey egg. This is definitely a good breakfast item to order if you are a meat lover like me. So perfect with a sunny side up egg. Break the egg into the short ribs before enjoying.

Another house made pasta. What you see is squid ink linguini served with clams, calamari, scallops, spanish chorizo, mussels, shrimp, jalapeno roasted red pepper served up in a pomodoro sauce. They are not shy of seafood.

Tender fall off the bone Moroccan braised lamb shank. This was served on some curried couscous. Very delicious and slightly gamey without it tasting viciously grassy. With the leftovers, you can always make dumplings with the meat, turn it into a ragu, or even just straight up wrap it in some tortillas. Definitely worth ordering when you come.

One of the best pancakes I've ever put in my mouth. Once it comes out straight from the kitchen, the aroma from the lemon curd will make you salivate almost immediately. The pancake had a nice crispy crust, hot, melting the lightly dusted powder sugar before dousing a large scoop of curd goodness. We had to share, but in reality, I would want this all to myself.

Make your reservations if you have not. Go in a group so you may try more things.

Also, here's a snip of their drink menu (Beer & Wine)

Maximiliano is also Craftsman Brewing Company’s Official Tasting Room! Join them every Monday & Tuesday for their awesome Beer Flight Nights where you can try Five 5oz pours of North East LA’s finest Craft Beers for just $12. I'll definitely be here for that.

5930 York Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90042

Click here to visit Maximiliano.

Cheers!

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Wine & Dine

Tacos Ensenada - East Los Angeles

Kings Row - New Menu - Old Town Pasadena

Magnolia House - Pasadena

Claudine - Encino

Maximiliano - Highland Park