El Toro Cantina

Being from Texas, finding good tacos in LA hasn't been an easy feat, but El Toro on Wilshire has a wonderfully eclectic taco selection. Grouped by protein, there are about 30+ types of tacos from which to choose. My all time favorites are primarily from the seafood group, more specifically I love the rock shrimp and the tuna tartare. All of the tacos are fabulous though! The tacos are listed a la carte and range in price from $3-7. They are small tacos so I'd recommend getting at least two, but if you are hungry enough for three (which it's really not that hard to eat three) I'd suggest getting the three taco dinner that includes rice and beans and only costs $15 - so you can order all of the most expensive tacos for a bargain. The restaurant does have a Taco Tuesday special, though I have never been on a Tuesday so I'm not positive what it entails, other than discount tacos and drinks. The atmosphere is very reminescent of a Tex-Mex restaurant with vibrant, colorful sombraros on the wall. El Toro does have a full bar with great (and strong) margaritas and they love to give out free shots. I have never gone here without getting a shot from a ridiculously good looking server. The employees are all young and hot (typical LA), but luckily they are also all really nice. The place is never too crowded and it's always quick. This is a great place to go with friends to enjoy dinner, drinks, and each other's company. It's owned and next to Busby's sports bar's new location on the Miracle Mile. We've never had a bad experience here and definitely plan to go back!

http://www.busbysonline.com/toro_details.htm

S.K.'s Donuts

We tried SK's on a hunch about 2 years ago and have tried to go back as much as possible. From the outside SK's looks about like any other donut store, but the goodies inside are out of this world! I don't normally care much for donuts, but the real gem at SK's is the croissants. Being from Texas, Griffin and I were used to having kolaches available at the corner donut store and SK's croissants are about as close as we'll come to the Czech delight in kolache-less Los Angeles. Flavors range from sweet strawberry and cream cheese to savory ham & swiss. If you opt for the ham and cheese croissant, be sure to ask for it warmed up. It's so much better! The donuts are pretty exceptional for fried bread too. They also have sandwiches and ices cream, but I've never tried any of it. SK's is open 24 hours, so you can enjoy it anytime!