Weho Bistro - West Hollywood

Weho Bistro is a low key French-inspired restaurant located on the corner of La Cienega and Holloway drive. With a large variety of selections on their menu, I am delighted to share a few items from our dinner. Our dinner was accompanied by great friends, Frances, Hugh, Rob, and mi amor John.

1040 N La Cienega Blvd West Hollywood, CA 90069

High Valley Vineyard 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon - Excellent red. Full bodied with a smooth finish. 

Bread, herb olive oil & balsamic, and olive tapenade.

We planned ordered family style. A few items from their shareables were avocado and burrata toast, escargot, Cheese and pate board, mushroom soup and french onion soup.

Filet Mignon with Peppercorn Mushroom sauce

Angus filet, wrapped in bacon, seared till golden and medium rare, topped with crispy onions, served with a side of potatoes dauphinoise and tomato provencal . The mushroom sauce was killer in this dish. Each bite of the filet gets a glorious dip with a slather of mushrooms. 

Magret De Canard

Duck breast with a cognac and honey sauce. The duck was cooked beautifully. Crispy skin which soaked up the decadent cognac sauce. Also served with potato dauphinoise and their tomato provencal. 

Shrimp Provencal

Six sauteed JUMBO tiger shrimp drenched in a garlic, basil, shallot, and tomato sauce served with a basmati and wild rice medley and sauteed garlic green beans. Anything drench in the sauce described above is an absolutely hands down "GIVE IT TO ME" dish. I can't help but eat the tails as well.

Dessert crepes, tartetatin, ice cream sandwich and banana creme brulee to end our dinner extravaganza.

Parking is available shared with CVS. That's right, free parking in West Hollywood. So surreal. 

True Food Kitchen - Santa Monica

Not going to lie or try to be swift about it. We came to Santa Monica to play Pokemon. The good thing about this game is how hungry you get from all that walking. There isn't really a time where we declined the chance to eat something. And that's when we stumbled upon True Food.

It was a hot day. Even by the beach, it was extremely humid. Humidity alone does it for me. I don't care if we are in the high's, but being drenched in your own sweat is not the same as a gorgeous pork roast based in it's own fat. It's just not a good look on me. I needed to find shelter, fast. And cool down before I start having weird body beach odors that I never knew I could achieve.

The restaurant was packed, but they were quick to accommodate. In hot weather like this, make sure you hydrate yourself with tons of water. I had a huge migraine from heat exhaustion and even popped a midol just for relief. But it also turned out that I was hungry. After ordering, it wasn't long before our food arrived.

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Wild Mushroom Pizza

Pizza is topped with mushrooms, asparagus, roasted garlic, and taleggio. A light pizza to coast through the day without feeling overly guilty. Vegetarian pizza does that to you. It just makes you forget about the carbs all because there's green stuff floating around. Still a delicious pie that I would order again.

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Grass fed burger

My brother, David, was bummed they no longer carry their bison burger. John was also disappointed since David was raving about it. If you've been here for the bison burger, we found out that their supplier couldn't meet the demand. Makes sense. But this burger did not disappoint. The burger is piled with umami mushroom, caramelized onion, arugula, parmesan, mayonnaise, sandwiched between a flax seed bun. The burger had a delicious beefy flavor with a nice crust. The sauteed mushrooms really added that extra level of umami to the burger. And there's nothing I love more than a burger that has arugula wedged in between. This is a upside down burger to eat to make sure it doesn't break apart.

I'll be back to try more items and have a cocktail or so.

Le Pain Quotidien

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Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread) is a Belgium cafe serving baked good as well as their known tartines. I came to this restaurant for the first time when I worked a block away. I was immediately hooked on their cappuccinos. During that time, Starbucks was the only coffee shop that I really knew of. But after having a hot cup from Le Pain Quotidien, it opened up my palate to explore different espressos out there. Besides their coffee beans, I also very much enjoy their food. It's simple, but tasty. It's also not heavy like the American traditional breakfast items.

Here are a few breakfast items that we enjoyed during a lovely Sunday brunch.

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Rustic Tuna Tartine

Sliced bread with a slather of hummus topped with tuna, white beans, diced tomatoes and basil pesto. Refreshing with the brightness of the lemon juice. This is a guiltless pleasure, like most of their dishes.

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Chicken Chorizo Omelette

A nice and fluffly omelette filled with chicken chorizo and cheddar cheese. I like the like greens to lighten up the dish.

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Prosciutto Ricotta and Fig

It sounds so simple, but everything married beautifully. There's no greater breakfast than having prosciutto. I've been obsessed and have been saying yes to everything prosciutto. The dried figs add a nice texture to the soft bread and prosciutto. I also love the arugula. Arugula pairs extremely well with sweet and savory dishes like this. This tartine was ringing as a top hit at our table.

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Quiche Lorraine

This wasn't the best quiche I've ever had, but it was still tasty. Served with mixed greens and sliced watermelon radish.

Total for everything was a little over $70 for 4 without tip (only 2 cappuccinos ordered). A little steep, but compensated for good food and good times.

Find a store near YOU:

http://www.lepainquotidien.com/finder/locations/

Big Catch Seafood House - West Covina

I love raw oysters, carpaccios and all that good stuff. But there's something I find extremely satisfying about grilled seafood. The charred bits on the shellfish that you "accidentally" consume. Big Catch Seafood in West Covina offers a variety of seafood prepared in different ways. You have the raw, the fried, boiled, grilled, and even stuffed in a sandwich. Most importantly, they have beer and lots of it.

We ordered a few things to try, and will definitely be back for more. I always recommend going in a group to try more items on the menu.

Grilled Lobster

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Grilled lobster served with cajun rice and daily vegetables. The lobster was meaty, sweet, and smokey from the char. The charred shell brought an amazing depth of flavor to the lobster. Don't forget to break down the heads and pour the hot juices over your rice. I can eat this all day. Honestly, hard to share because you can't just have a few bites ;P

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Grilled Tilapia filet

Tilapia gets overlooked all the time. The taste of tilapia is subtle, but it can hold up to a lot of marinades and sauces. It really is a blank canvas if you want to test a few flavors on fish.

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Fish and Chips

Recommended location: 112 Plaza DrSte 1465, West Covina, CA 91790

CHIM! Thai Street Food - Pasadena

Thai food is one of my favorite cuisines to eat. I love the varieties of chili and spices used in the dishes that can really make me sweat in the hot summer heat or to comfort me during winter chills. Either way, Thai food is craveable during any season.

CHIMS! Thai street food is a newer restaurant here in Pasadena, CA. When my colleagues and I think about where to eat for lunch, CHIMS always get a unanimous yes (Not even kidding). So with that said, I've been here many times. And I've tried many things on their menu which I am highly fond of. Delicious green curry to spicy eggplant. They also have this delicious grilled beef that was marinated in chili and lime juice with sticky rice (heavenly).

Tucked away in a small plaza on 910 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91106

I'll share more of these items with you as the days go by, but I just want to show you something I had lately.

Su Ko Thai

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A soup based noodle dish. Rice noodles, ground chicken, fish balls, shrimp, imitation crab, fish cakes, green bean, sprouts, peanut and chili lime juice. The soup was perfectly balanced from salty to the tartness of the lime juice. This was something to sweat over and compliments well with an iced Thai tea or a young coconut.
Extra spices are served at the condiments bar if you would like to help yourself like I did. I love my food spicy. Eating it up while I still can.

Mango Stick Rice

This mango sticky rice is one of the best I've ever had. Sweet ripened mango with delicious steamed sticky rice. The sticky rice has the most exotic floral fume that I've never tasted in mango sticky rice. If you have room, I highly recommend you ordering this. If not, order it for the table to share. A definite dish to order when mangoes are in season.

You can find CHIMS! Thai Street food on 910 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91106.