Kokomo Cafe

We first discovered Kokomo when it was located at the Farmer's Market in The Grove. It used to live in a cozy little area facing 3rd St., but since it has moved not to far to a location on Beverly & Martel. I believe the move had to do with the growing popularity of the restaurant, and their menu seems to have grown since the move too. I've only tried Kokomo for breakfast, but it's really great comfort food among the likes of The Griddle Cafe and Doughboys. My favorite dish to get here is the waffle with warm fruit compote. The compote is comprised of banana, berries, and rum. I would personally think it would be improved with no bananas and a milder portion of the rum. Still, really delicious. Also delicious are the pumpkin pancakes, served year-round. The breakfast burrito is also really tasty and hearty, though nothing that makes it stand out over other breakfast burritos. Chase likes the croissantwich. One of the things I've always really wanted to try here is the chicken and waffle. I've never tried this soul food combo, but I think at Kokomo would be one of the best places to do it. The lunch and dinner menu is chalk full of salads and some interesting looking sandwiches. The two that sound particularly creative and delicious to me are the ahi tuna with sesame-ginger sauce and the crab cake sandwich. Almost everything on the menu is under $10, with the exception of the salads, that range from about $10-$15. I know before the move Kokomo used to have $3 beers, which is hard to find in LA, but I'm not positive that this steal traveled to the new location. But it's worth going back for dinner to find out!

http://www.kokomocafe.com

Cube

Cube, a cheese specialty Italian space on La Brea is somewhere I've wanted to go for some time now. Finally last night we made it over there, and boy I wish I had done it sooner. We tried making a reservation the day of, but they only had room for us at the cheese bar. When we got there we were able to sweet talk the hostess into letting us take an outside table as long as we promised to finish up by 9:00 (which I felt was kind of unprofessional, but worth it). They don't have a wine menu, but there is a small or no corkage fee. When you sit, you are brought a small serving of the daily cheese on a graphite cheese block with the name written in chalk. Beyond that we ordered a couple of cheeses recommended by our waitress. One was a fabulously rich goat cheese from France, the other was a hard cheese also from France. The goat cheese was so good that the second cheese didn't have a chance. As an appetizer we got crispy calamari with lemon and salsa verde. The calamari was probably the smallest I've ever seen, but it was oh so delicious! The salsa verde was a flavorful alternative to the usual tartar sauce as it was a little bit sweet as verde sauce tends to be. Second up was the gazpacho. I'm still on the search for the gazpacho that takes me back to Spain, but unfortunately we still didn't get there, though this one was good. It was really chunky, however, which made it taste a little bit like eating salsa. Following the gazpacho was the best mac & cheese ever. It was a four cheese man & cheese with truffle oil baked in a skillet with bread crumbs on top. So rich and creamy! For the entree we indulged in a seared tuna loin with pesto on top of creamy risotto and heirloom tomatoes. The waitress was really pleased that we picked this dish and was right saying that all of the flavors really play well with each other. The pesto was a little strong at times I think, but overall, outstanding. To finish it off, we grabbed a risotto cheese cake with red currant to go. The red currant wasn't quite sweet enough for me, but the cake was really light and fluffy. We really had such a hard time deciding what to get because everything looked so great, which means we'll definitely have to come back.  At the end of the meal, we were out $85, which is kind of high when you consider that we brought our own alcohol, but I still feel the meal was well worth it. The food was so good and the night was so pleasant that you almost forgot you were sitting on one of the biggest streets in LA. And they do have a $5 valet, but we were able to find street parking not too far away. Can't wait to go back!

http://losangeles.menupages.com/restaurantdetails.asp?restaurantid=31082

Royal/T

I have driven by Royal/T on Washington about everyday for probably a year before I finally knew what it was, courtesy of MetroMix LA. This unique tea house also doubles as a Japanese art gallery and shop. A large portion of the menu is stuff I've never heard of but sound fabulous. I was here for breakfast with some coworkers and we tried a few of the teas and some items off of the breakfast menu. To cleanse our palates we started with a cup of the Moroccan Mint tea. From there, I had a chocolate croissant, which was terrific and unlike many other chocolate croissants, was drizzled with chocolate on top as well. Our waitress recommended that we all try the baked eggs, and for the most part, we all indulged. Baked eggs are definitely different than most egg dishes. They pretty much crack an egg in an oven-safe dish and the egg whites fluff while the yolk remains pretty runny, similar to sunny side up, except that they are prepared with extra ingredients. I wanted to try the tomato and creme fraiche, but they also have a prosciotto and mushroom and salmon and asparagus. For me, I think the lunch would be even better. The best looking item on the menu is the spicy tuna tar tar with avocado on sourdough toast. They also have some curry bowls, salads, and some additional sandwiches. As for the tea, the mint was only the first for us. We also sipped on the Royal/T Milk Tea, the house signature tea and the Ruby Red Rooibos. The Ruby Red was a fruity herbal tea that was right up my ally. I don't typically care too much for milk teas, but this one was alright. The most fun about the whole place is the atmosphere. There is so much fun art (like the port-a-party in the back), and the waitresses are all dressed up like French maids - so there is always a conversation starter. There's plenty of metered parking in the area, which is another bonus. Nothing on the menu is very expensive either, I would say you're safe with $10 a person. I will definitely be back here for lunch soon!

http://www.royal-t.org/cafe

Le Marmiton

Not to be confused with Le Marmiton in Santa Monica or the one in the valley, though they are all French, Le Marmiton in Marina del Rey is a nice little patio cafe in the shopping center on Fiji and Admiralty Way. I believe there is a bakery portion indoors, but this place is best for a nice leisurely lunch with several options to choose from. The first time coming here I had one of my favorites of French fare, the croque monsieur (pretty much a fried ham and cheese, often served open faced). I was back again today and tried something that didn't seem at all French - a tilapia mango salsa salad, which was really good. At first I wasn't sure how much I was going to like having fish in my salad, but all and all, I didn't mind it too much. The group of us started with an order of truffle fries, something normally reserved for the dinner menu. They were served with ketchup and spiced mayonnaise that was all really addicting. My boss had the pasta bolognese for the second time in a row, so she must have enjoyed it last time. We've had to rush off today and I don't recall having dessert the first go round, but if it's anything like the rest of the food, it will be carefully prepared and presented in a clean, simple manner. A few downsides: even though it's nice to feel the breeze off the water, there's no great view here. You are pretty much looking at some shops (which isn't too bad), or the really big parking lot that accommodates customers for all of the shops, a bank, a post office, and a Ralphs. Bad news #2 - it's pretty expensive, ranging from $15-$20 for lunch. Still, a nice little relaxing treat for yourself if you have some time to spend - after all, with the hot weather you might find yourself drawn to the Pinkberry in the shopping center anyway.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/41921810/marina_del_rey_ca/le_marmiton.html

Joan's on Third

For a little cafe/caterer on 3rd St., Joan's on Third sure has a fancy website! It's funny that I started this post, proceeded with another post, and then the next day, we had Joan's on Third delivered to my office. Chase and I had been here for dinner once before and we really liked it, but they close really early. My sister had told me that the meatloaf and cupcakes were the stars of the menu, but I didn't try either. but we did try the field greens salad with field greens, spiced pecans, and vinaigrette. Chase tried the meatloaf sandwich and seemed pretty happy with it from what I can recall. Yesterday I had some of the breakfast pastries from there and I have to say that the cinnamon sugar doughnut muffin was really good, but so dense that I couldn't finish it. Everyone always has such glowing reviews of Joan's that I really need to go back and try a few other things here, like the apricot glazed ham and brie sandwich and the cupcakes.  

http://www.joansonthird.com/marketplace_menu.php?id=1

Calling for Blog Entries!

We're in a recession and it's hard for me to keep the blog going based off new places that I've been. I've still got a few tricks left in my bag, but I thought it would be fun to have some guest blogs on your favorite restaurants in town. If you want to remain anonymous in your post, that's okay by me, just try to hit the following points:

Interior design

Cuisine

Price

Parking

Link to menu or if none available, link to Yelp or Citysearch page. 

Now don't be shy! Email me reviews at eatingoutla@gmail.com. I look forward to reading your reviews!

Sushi Ozekii

In the little strip of San Vicente Blvd. between Beverly Hill's Restaurant Row and the Beverly Center is a small sushi joint called Sushi Ozekki. When we moved back over to this side of the hill, Chase and I wanted to find some additional backup sushi restaurants and this was one we came across with top marks on Citysearch. Now with Citysearch you have to be careful because you never know what's legit comments from consumers vs. what the restaurant owner/competitor has placed on there trying to come off as a consumer. We've been to Ozekki twice now and neither time had to wait for a table (even at 8:00 on Saturday once). For the purposes of this review, we'll take that as a good thing. There's really only about 45 seats in the house, so it is pretty small. So far we've tried the tropical salsa (tuna skewers with pineapple and tomatoes) and the ceviche hamachi appetizers. Both were good, but by no means would rank up in my favorites. Ozekii does have a large selection of rolls, most of which I've never seen anywhere else. We've tried the Red Blossom, which is spicy tuna on top of a spicy yellowtail roll (if memory serves correctly), and the albacore delight. Again, pretty good but not in my top 20, the specialty rolls are big though and worth the value of less than $12. The best thing here in my opinion are the hand rolls. Simple, but the freshness of the fish speaks for itself. I prefer the yellowtail hand roll, while Chase's favorite is the lobster. Both are around $6 I believe. I think I'd go back just for that. Two hand rolls and I full for less than $15. So while not my favorite sushi restaurant, I'd still have to recommend this place if you are looking for something different than your normal sushi spot offers. 

http://www.sporq.com/losangeles/sushiozekii/480ssanvicenteblvd

Cobras & Matadors

One of Chase & my favorite spots when we first moved to LA was Flora Kitchen, connected to Rita Flora Florists on La Brea. Sadly, Flora Kitchen closed last year and reopened to be Happi Songs, a Korean restaurant and sake bar. About 3 weeks later, Happi Songs turned into Goat, a restaurant focusing largely on the meat, cheese, and milk of that animal. Chase and I wanted to try Goat and joked that we should hurry before it turned into something else. Last night we finally made it over there, and apparently we were too late. From the front you won't notice much change except the writing on the door, and we walked in from the parking lot in the back, so it wasn't until we were there and really started looking around while we waited for a table that we even noticed the change to Cobras & Matadors. I asked the waiter how long it'd been since Goat closed and they opened and he said about 2 weeks, but this was their first really busy night. And busy it was, but luckily we didn't have to wait long until a seat at the bar opened up. The interior was really cool with brass buckled to some of the walls and dark wood with interesting and varying textures on others. Over the kitchen is a big multi-colored glass window and several old signs hung up throughout. Our waiter was really great in recommending wines and we were both happy with what we were given, though the glasses are really small, probably around 3-4 ounces. His food recommendations were on par as well. Above all he suggested the skirt steak with peppers. Both the steak and the peppers were a little bit sweet, almost like Korean bbq, and served medium rare it was definitely the best dish of the night. Since it came first, it made the event a little anti-climatic. After that came the warmed drunken goat cheese, not a dish that the waiter recommended but one of our own choosing. It was basically a huge block of warmed up goat cheese with crumbs and sherry soaked cherries on top. It was incredibly rich, even for someone who loves goat cheese, and could be balanced out a little better if eaten on a piece of toasted bread. Next up was the gazpacho verde with corn. This was something I really wanted to try, but I was disappointed when we got it, not to mention getting full. We also tried the tortilla espanola with truffle oil and if you've had the real thing in Spain, it was another disappointment. The salted cod cakes with fried capers were our last tapa and one that the waiter had recommended. They were really great and I don't normally care for capers. I guess when you fry anything it's only going to make it better. For whatever reason, this dish had been delayed so the waiter was nice enough to give us a glass of wine on the house. After the cod cakes, we were both full, but churros con chocolate is not only one of my favorite Spanish dishes, but enjoying it in Madrid with friends is one of my favorite memories and I really wanted to share that now with Chase. That being said, I suppose the churros con chocolate had a lot to live up to, and frankly it just didn't deliver. The churros were really doughy, when they should be pretty fried solid, and the chocolate should be more liquidy than it was, along the consistency of chocolate fondue, not like a paste. I think having tasted the real thing in Spain may have jaded a good portion of the meal for me. I wanted to have it just as I remember it, but nothing lived up to my expectations. I think if you've never been to Spain, you'll most likely really enjoy the food here. At the end of the meal we owed the place $75, which I feel was a little high, but the service was really good and we enjoyed ourselves while we were there. Will we go back? That I'm not too sure of.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/11525802#

Note: There are at least 3 locations now, and I am not sure how much the menu varies by location. I do know that the menu last night somewhat resembled the one on Citysearch.

The Penthouse @ The Huntley Hotel

Prior to last week, I had never even heard of The Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica, but I'm not sure how that happened. The interior of the hotel is what I'd call regal-beachy hip. There's lots of white and wood and the Penthouse restaurant on the top floor isn't that different (except that it's pretty much all white). You step off the elevator to be greeted by the hostess. I think the idea of the solid white atomsphere is to give the appearance that you've taken a lift to heaven. There's a round glass-top bar centrally located and booths and tables throughout most of the restaurant. Since it was a Tuesday afternoon when we were there, the place was pretty dead and we were able to take one of the giant booth/cabanas overlooking Santa Monica beach. It turns out that Citysearch rates The Penthouse as the top bar in LA to find a sugar daddy over 40, but I digress. As an opener, we tried the calamari. It was a heaping portion and served in an elegant white dish with a dollop of Jalapeno aioli. It was really great, but I have to say not as good as the calamari from the Greek festival we went to a few weeks ago. For the main course, I shared 2 dishes with a friend. One was the petite filet served with green beans and mac & cheese, the second was a parpadelle pasta with short rib. The filet wasn't that great and was kind of dry for a medium steak, but the mac & cheese and the pasta was really great. The mac & cheese was really thick and rich and baked to brown on top. The pasta was really filling, but delicious and the short rib was really tender. A lot of things on the menu looked really great, particularly from the appetizer portion of the menu. Crab cakes and oysters especially caught my eye. There are probably about 6 or 7 salads and the potato and artichoke soup sounds great but really heavy. There are a few breakfast dishes that they serve at least through lunch as well (mostly egg entrees). A few flatbread pizzas and burgers are also spotted on the menu. Unfortunately we were so full from the calamari and entrees that we didn't have any dessert. A tip is to go into the last bathroom for the best view of the beach in the entire restaurant.

http://www.thehuntleyhotel.com/pdf/menu.pdf

Lemonade

Friday I went with my sisters to try Beverly Hill's newest lunch eatery, Lemonade. While they do have four or five kinds of lemonade and some lemon desserts, I was a little disappointed with the lack of lemon flavorings in the main course options. The interior space is reminiscent of your elementary school days with colorful plastic cups arranged as an art installment on the ceiling and lunch trays of the same color scheme hung on the back wall. Grab a tray of your own to walk through the lunch line. Several cold sides that change daily appeal to your senses as you make your way down the row. I chose the cous cous with cherry tomatoes and feta to go along with some seared ahi tuna with ponzu dressing. Both were really good, but I got kind of sick of eating the cous cous after a while. If you want something warm, there are several pots at the far end of the line with hot dishes from macaroni & cheese to a couple of duck dishes. Also available are a few sandwiches and salads. The best thing I had was the blueberry mint lemonade. It was quite minty, but still superior to the original and the peach ginger flavors we also tried. Unless you really like the taste of ginger, I wouldn't get that one, it was pretty overwhelming. I think the only flavor we didn't try was the kiwi lemonade. Sadly, we didn't try any of the delicious looking desserts. They had some lemon squares and cookies among others. If you are really thirsty for some lemonade, they sell all flavors by the half gallon as well. Give it a try!

http://www.lemonadela.com/

Mao's Kitchen

What other way is there to eat Chinese food if not in a communist fashion? Mao's Kitchen boldly declares their red roots serving up Chinese comfort food in Hollywood and Venice Beach. So far, I've only been to the location on Melrose and it's very stark with white walls, sparse Chinese art, and a video installation playing near the front door. There is also a side patio, but I'm yet to come here in good enough weather to sit outside. It is, however, a great place to come with friends and you'll often find groups of friends enjoying some drink and conversation over large plates of food. The food is definitely different than what you'll find at most other Chinese places, with things like peasant's onion pancake, sesame & yam beef, and model citizen soup. Another thing that sets this place apart from your run-of-the-mill fast food Chinese is the prices. Most dishes are $9+, unless of course you opt for the $1 salad (house salad). I've tried the hot & sour soup, which I have to say I didn't really enjoy that much since it had tomatoes in it, something I'm not used to in this variety of soup. I've also tried the sweet & sour pork and the chicken chow mein, which I have to admit was pretty good. Every time I come I am always curious to try the peasant onion pancake and the curry rice-stick, but I am yet to try either. Something to know before you go would be that Mao's is BYOB, but I don't believe there is any corkage fee. Due to location, the clientele can at times be interesting. The last time we were here there was some really weird guy that had a sex toy on the floor in the bathroom when Chase went in there. Truly bizarre. On the bright side, they do have their own parking lot and it's usually pretty easy to get a spot in there.

http://www.maoskitchen.com/

Pasquale's Cafe & Shoe Repair

So yeah, it's a strange combination, but both Pasquale's Cafe and Pasquale's Shoe Repair could stand on their own merit. The location is in a crappy strip with a 7-Eleven, a laundromat, and a Baskin Robbins, but the physical space is entirely charming. It feels like stepping into a family owned business in a small town in the South of France. A small tree-covered terrace with small wicker tables stands between the shoe repair shop and the cafe. On the left, the shoe repair, which is actually quite good and friendly. On the right, the cafe. It's wood about everywhere you look inside, with several wooden shelves housing gourmet groceries for sale across from the cash register. The shop is open breakfast through dinner (9:00-6:00), but so far we've only tried the breakfast. When I first read about the place online, I kept reading that they had Montreal bagels, which I really have no idea what that means. Wikipedia tells me that Montreal bagels smaller, sweeter, and denser than their New York counterparts and are always baked in a wood oven. I have to say that I didn't really taste a difference between the bagels that I am used to, but some people swear it's different. Their breakfast menu also boasts several different specialty coffees (hot, blended, or iced), smoothies, and freshly squeezed juices. If you are looking for something of more substance, there are gourmet omlettes with your choice of smoked salmon, smoked ham, eggplant, or turkey served as sandwich on a croissant. You also have French toast, poached eggs, granola parfaits, a breakfast sandwich on an English muffin, or of course a bagel (you can even get a bagel with nutella!). Outside of breakfast, Italian salads, pasta and paninis. We are yet to try it though, it's rare that we make it home by 6:00. I think the lesson here is if you need a pair of shoes fixed or polished, stop in at least for a coffee. Plus, there's free street parking all around.

Sorry no online menu this time.
http://www.aboutcitysearch.com/review/42543112

Jack N Jill's

In honor of their new restaurant opening, I wanted to pay homage to Jack N Jill's. With one location in Beverly Hills and one in Santa Monica, there are certainly rich families filling the seats, but it's not due to high prices. It's all about the great food, great location, and great atmosphere. Chase and I have come here a couple of times and really enjoyed it both times. For one of the first times since the creation of this blog, I am having a hard time remembering what I ate here. I do recall once having the California pear salad (pears, peppers, feta, raspberries, walnuts in a citrus vinaigrette), which I remember being good. Looking over the menu again, everything sounds great, especially the breakfast goodies. I believe the second time we were here is was for breakfast, and I tried the Savannah Strawberry Oatmeal Pancakes. Yum! Good reason to believe that their new restaurant, The Creperie, on Robertson will have superb breakfast! Other intriguing dishes on the Jack N Jill's menu include the Malted Belgian waffles, country fried steak sandwich, chicken ponzu wrap, and last but not least, the Louisiana Banana Pudding. The atmosphere is very relaxed and family friendly; don't expect anything fancy here. Free 2 hour parking is available up the street and you can do a little shopping on the way back to the car.

http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/home/bh_menu.html

Electric Karma

We tried this place on a friend's recommendation, but were terribly disappointed. We love Indian food and always get chicken tandoori, cheese naan, aloo mataar, and samosas, but the food here was unlike any other Indian food we've ever had, and not in a good way. Most frustrating was that we ordered to go without looking at the menu and despite that there are 3 specials containing the items we got for a much more decent price, we were charged full price for all items and the waiter didn't even suggest the specials on the menu. The tandoori chicken was flat out burned and even the rice wasn't right. I can see how people would like the atmosphere, but it doesn't even come close to making up for the poor cuisine. We'll be sticking to our other local options. Please note that I don't work for either of these restaurants, but we much prefer Bollywood in Studio City, and Star of India on Melrose is pretty good on that side of the hill. If you're looking for good Indian food I would definitely recommend one of those over Electric Karma.

http://www.electrickarma.com/client/electrickarma/index.html

Jackson's Village Bistro

I suppose it's not entirely fair for me to review Jackson's as I know the owners, but it's too good not to tell others about it. I first came here with the owner, and I have to say, I enjoyed it more as a free meal, but who wouldn't? We were treated to a few appetizers, some salads, an entree each, and a few desserts to share between us. First up was the Mediterranean crostini with mint pesto spread, pine nuts, and topped with a delicate piece of shrimp. While it is slightly oily, it's really delicious and doesn't sit too heavy on your palate before the rest of the meal. For salads we shared the field greens with candied walnuts, gorgonzola, and caramelized pears as well as the ahi tuna salad with wasabi vinaigrette. Both are suburb, but the Asian-style ahi salad doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the French/Italian inspired cuisine. The main course is by far the most memorable dish from Jackson's and certainly the chef's specialty. The creamy risotto with chiati-truffle au jus and filet mignon is something I definitely crave (but unfortunately Jackson's is in Hermosa and a bit far to frequent). I've also tried the ribeye topped with crispy garlic, which was truly a savory experience. If I remember correctly, we ended the night with one of every dessert, but the best had to be the upside down blackberry pie, served with a small pie-like shell turned upside down with a gooey blackberry cobbler innards, then drizzled with blackberry sauce and paired with vanilla ice cream. If you like blackberries, you will really enjoy this dish and even if you don't normally care for the tart treat, you still might like this sugary cousin. My first experience was so great that I had to bring Chase here. The food was equally tasty, but this time we were on our own for the bill. Between a salad, 2 entrees, dessert, and wine, we were up to $100, which seemed pricey at the time, but I guess you could technically consider this a steak house since there are several cuts available on the menu, so in retrospect, $100 isn't that bad. The atmosphere is really pleasant with a homey interior that looks out into Pier Ave. in Hermosa beach. The beach smells and feels definitely enhance the experience as well. No need to be too dressy as a result, but it's definitely a great date spot if you're in the mood to put on a dress or a button-up shirt. The owner tells me that they have a lot of people come in for anniversary dinners and have even had a few people propose here. One of the customers enjoyed it so much that they painted a small representation of the restaurant to present to the owners of this family-run joint. And if you ask "who's Jackson?" you're sure to be told it's the owners' 10-year-old son.

http://www.jacksonsvillagebistro.com/

Ramenya

Today I drove down a stretch of Sawtelle in west LA that I'd never been down before. It was almost like driving down Little Tokyo. Numerous Asian restaurants (and sushi restaurants in particular) pop up along Sawtelle between Santa Monica and Olympic. I went with my coworkers to Ramenya on Olympic for lunch. My mostly Asian associates have tried to get me to try real ramen before at Mitsuwa, but I was skeptical. Today I let my fear go and ordered a giant bowl of ramen. Most at the table got a spicy ramen with noodles and seasoned ground pork in a spicy egg drop soup. I opted for a lighter, meat free ramen that was full of tofu, noodles, and onions. Despite that there was no meat, it strangely tasted like chicken and dumplings (which to me is a good thing!). All of the ramen was huge and most was $7.50. No one was able to finish the whole thing and I don't think I even got half-way through. It'd probably be best to share, but I'm not 100% sure the restaurant would allow you to do so. Ramenya also has a few dumpling appetizers and several fried rice dishes. When you sit down at the table, you are brought a really strange tea instead of water. The group of us determined that the tea tasted like the drinking an ashtry, so no one drank too much. The space is really small, being able to only accommodate 30 people. Decor is nothing special, but I guess you get what you pay for in that arena. One con of the Asian spot is that it is cash only with no ATM on the premises. If you find yourself here with no cash, not to fear, there is a Cal-North Bank across the street. Second con is the parking. If you are feeling adventurous try parking in the lot next door. It's really for the surrounding frame store and copy center, but it's at the risk of being towed. We all tried it today, and when we came out one car had a pink sign that said "TOW" stuck to the back windshield. I suppose we were lucky to get there before being towed. I think Ramenya has another restaurant too called Asianya, but I'm not too clear on the deets of that location.

http://www.ramenya-usa.com/ramenenglish.htm

Jer-ne

At the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey is Jer-ne. I've been here a few times and frankly, it's overrated. The breakfast is pretty bland with your run-of-the-mill breakfast menu with lots of eggs and French toast and a Continental breakfast bar. As for lunch, the menu is still pretty small, and nothing's really all that original or exciting. I was there with work today and wasn't really that impressed. For starters we had a truffle & mushroom pizza, which started strong, but then I had a beef salad for lunch. The salad came with carpaccioed beef, shaved parmesan, and truffle salad dressing. The beef was good, but the salad dressing was really acidic and strong, which made it hard to eat much of it. The two guys got sandwiches that looked the best out of the items ordered (there's really only apps, pizzas, salads, and sandwiches, yet nothing is less than $15). Certainly the best part of the meal was the dessert. We tried the berry crumble and the cafe smores. Upon first read, the smores dish didn't sound too reminescent of an actual smore as it's described as espresso & chocolate ice creams in a martini glass on top of chocolate and marshmallow layers. Sitting on the edge of the glass is a graham cracker crustini with melted mallow drops on top. When you work your way through that, there are 3 cinnamon sugar donut holes waiting for you on the plate below. Probably the best reason to come here is for the lovely patio that overlooks the boats on the marina, that is, if you aren't there to look for celebrities. If it's basketball season, and you come when the Lakers are at home, you're pretty much guaranteed to see members of the opposing team hanging around the hotel as it's the official hotel of the NBA. Don't plan on parking anywhere but the $8 valet either. Just saying....

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/MarinadelRey/Dining/Jer-NeRestaurantBar/Default.htm

Amalfi

I've had several Italian eateries in my neighborhood on my to-try list for awhile, but when Chase and I tried to visit one on Sunday Ca'Brea, Campanille, and Cube on La Brea were all closed. Italian was really sounding good though, so we gambled on Amalfi. Luckily for us, it was a big win. Judging from the outside, the place seems really small, but there's a front patio, a full bar inside, a dining room, and then a back private room. We were seated in a lovely booth next to a stone fireplace. I would argue that the tables are too tall for the booths. I had to sit on a pillow in order not to struggle to reach my food. We ordered some wine and started off sharing a caprese. I always love caprese, but the one at Amalfi is particularly delectable due to the incorporation of yellow tomatoes ($11). Our second dish was a sausage and rapini pizza, which was surprisingly bland ($16). The real star of the night was a pumpkin ravioli with braised short rib ($18). The pumpkin wasn't overwhelming at all and the short rib was so tender that we didn't even need a knife to cut into it, it just simply fell apart with a poke of the fork. A bit of creme fraiche on top really made the dish. Though the ravioli was pretty sweet in and of itself, we wanted to try the creme brulee flambay for dessert ($7). The presentation was really fun as it comes out to the table aflame, but unfortunately it didn't do much for the creme brulee. Chase even said he thought it tasted like butane. There were a few additional dishes I would have liked to try such as the carrot and ginger soup. A lot of the menu seemed to be cuisine typically found in the fall, but made available year-round at Amalfi. Overall, it was a great experience, and if you were to ever go to the Acme Theater next door, it'd be a great place to grab dinner or a quick drink and app before the show.

http://www.amalfiristorante.com/

Artisan Cheese Gallery

I'm not particularly a sandwich person, but the paninis at Artisan Cheese Gallery in Studio City are not to be missed. Despite the many, many cheeses and dry goods they have for sale here (including flavored peanut butters and honeys), the sandwiches are truly the shining star. My favorite is the turkey panini with brie and granny smith apple slices. The ham, cheddar, and bacon is another great one, as well as the Mr. Fred (ham, gouda, spicy brown mustard). You can also find a roast beef and several vegetarian sandwiches on the menu (i.e. tuna, veggie melt, portobello, mozzarella, and grilled cheese). There are daily specials as well to try. Each sandwich comes with sweet & spicy pickle slices, which are good if you like that kind of thing. Pretty much you can find about any gourmet ingredient here. Especially intriguing is the vast array of soda. While the food is always good and the service always nice and genuine, one thing that can't be said about Artisan is that it's particularly cheap. Most of the sandwiches are $9.50 as well are the salads, despite their lack of portions on the salad. The daily specials usually run a dollar or so more. I usually end up coming here on a Sunday afternoon, which is in fact probably the worst time to come because people tend to wonder over from the farmers market directly behind the store. But if you are lucky you will still be able to grab a parking spot in the lot out back. If there was ever a cheese you wanted to try, here's the place to do it.

http://www.artisancheesegallery.com/index_files/Page508.htm