Petroussian Cafe

Smoked Salmon Baguette from the Petroussian boutique and cafe. A small place near central park (NYC), which has a variety of pastries and sweets, as well as some tables for restaurant style dinning. They also sell a wonderful selection of caviar. I came in for some lunch.

The strong flavor of the salmon is what sets smoked salmon apart from other fish. There is so much flavor to be had. This sandwich, with just smoked salmon and some butter on french bread is the pinnacle of simple and yet delicious. The salad on the side breaks the monotony with a mild but tasty vinaigrette sauce.

Philly in Philly

On my way to the Big Apple I had an hour to kill in Philadelphia. Logically, I went to get a philly cheesesteak. Unfortunatelly I couldn't leave the airport so I had to settle for, well, what was available. Though I will admit that if the bread had been a little less rubbery, it could have made for a quite good sandwich.

To summarize, I have had a Philly cheesesteak in Philly, so that's off the bucket list (Though I look forward to coming back for the best of the best that Philly has to offer).

Cucina Italiana

I don't think I will ever write badly about an Italian restaurant, but that doesn't mean I don't know where to give credit. La Vecchia Cucina in Santa Monica is a high end package of deliciousness.

I had the vitello piccata with linguine alla puttanesca. It was very rich in flavor and the meat was very soft. The restaurant tables are packed pretty close together in a very Italian way, and I didn't feel like it disrupted from the experience.

Another Greek Cafe

I have momentarily forgotten the name of this little Greek Cafe near in Fullerton (SE LA), but its a quiet little place, with great healthy food. I choose a pasta salad combo, the pasta was a simple white sauce, chicken pasta with bread crumbs and cheese on top, while the salad was a traditional ceasar salad.

I'll keep this post short as I have to catch a flight today. I have one place left in LA I want to post about, then I'll be posting about a couple places in NYC.

Market Fare

The farmers market in LA (at least near the LACMA) is a must go to place. Go have lunch at one of the many stands that offer all kinds o foods. I chose a Brazilian BBQ place and though it isn't the best BrBBQ I've had it definitely gives you a little taste at a fair price. Keep in mind that it is an outdoor market, but then again, you are in sunny California. The LACMA is also pretty good, though I didn't check out their cafe's selection.

Bonjour Monsieur

My first step towards learning French: going to a great French restaurant. Madame Chou Chou in Santa Monica was a great intro course. I went during lunch and got the daily pasta special, wild boar. I thought it was absolutely delicious, the meat was so soft and moist that it really felt like it was melting in my mouth. The pasta was thin and not heavy. I hope to go again soon, but ordering in French!

Panna Brownie

I was making panna cotta, but used a new type of gelatin and it didn't quite solidify. To make the best of a somewhat disappointing dessert, I took a piece of brownie and put it on a bowl, which I filled with the panna cotta. Then after putting some strawberry sauce it was ready for eating. Turned out pretty good. It was like having strawberry whipped cream with the brownie. Just because things don't look like they are working doesn't mean you should give up! You never know when something good will come out of it.

Lazy as a Dog

I will make a confession. I could eat a burger everyday and be totally ok with it though not with the fat I'd gain. Today we have the Lazy Dog Cafe burger. A pretty standard burger for an american restaurant.

It is both big and filling, and make you feel like a lazy dog afterwards. If you want a good american sit down restaurant, and you feel like getting a burger this is a good place to start. Don't expect to be blown away by it. Not pictured, the potato hush puppies and the mediterranean pizzetti are very good. Oh and lest we forget, they also offer a pretty delicious apple pie, so don't eat like a pig dog and save up some room.

Foam ART

I am now in NYC and have had some issues getting connected to the internet. I am still writing about LA though. I went to this place twice in one week while in LA. The Urth Cafe prides themselves in having excellent organic teas and coffees from around the world. I had both the chai tea and the italian roast (below).

As you can see they also do some amazing cool foam art. I want to go back and get all the other types of teas and coffees to see what other designs they do. Also it helps that the Italian roast is one of the best coffees I have ever had, and the atmosphere is relaxed and enjoyable.

It's Acceptable to Drool

Oh My French Toast!

26 Beach Restaurant, thank you so much. This place has one of the best Brunch menus that I have ever seen. The restaurant is quite small and if you plan on enjoying their wonderful brunch selection it is recommended that you make reservations, especially if you are one to wake up kinda hungry. Their portions are huge. I got the Caramel Macchiato French Toast. Heavenly stuff.

This thing is everything you expect it to be. The toast is soft as a sponge, and yet not soggy. The espresso sauce is a decently strong coffee liquor so I suggest you try it before pouring it on. The hardest part of this post was holding myself back from devouring this beauty long enough to take a picture.

Steak, YES!

Recently I found myself in a random steak house. This place was called Prime Cut Cafe in Stadium Promenade, Orange County. This place was amazing, also home to the Best Chocolate Cake Ever. However be prepared to shed a couple ounces in gold off of your wallet. Like all steak houses most entrees went for for around $20-25, throw in some drinks, maybe a salad and dessert and it adds up pretty fast. Now onto the part you actually care about, the food.

Simple dish, baked potatoes (I'm guessing with eggs and plenty of cheese), roasted garlic (literally melted in your mouth, eat it with the steak if you know whats good for you and bad for your breath), and coulotte steak (part of the top sirloin). Absolutely delicious. Not much else to be said.

Purple Drink? No Green Drink!

This one won't win any beauty contests, but it's all about what's inside, isn't it? When I first saw Naked Juice's Green Machine drink, I thought to myself, that looks way too healthy to taste like anything worth drinking. However my brother assured me it was actually quite good. The pure juice is a little thick, he mixes it with water. I however wanted to keep a little of the thickness and with fruit smoothies in mind I mixed mine with milk. Granted this probably made it look worst, and my brother refused to try it, but I found it quite enjoyable. The milk didn't take away any of the taste, and I found the light green color (after mixing) a little more appealing, but that's just me. I will end with, don't judge a book by its cover, though it's ok to judge by the inside leaf of the cover.

Sausage Feast

Portillo's is a Chicago based hot dog and other stadium type food restaurant. Its one of those quick, but not really fast food dinner types. Tonight I got a standard hot dog (left) and a polish dog (I liked this sausage better). Not pictured is their chocolate cake milkshake. Yes they drop a piece of brownie into a vanilla shake, yes it was good, and yes it was thick and very filling.

For the price it's pretty good, however it is just a loaded hot dog. You won't miss out by skipping this place, unless you are a fan of cheap sausages.