University Club

@ USC

Fine Dining at USC? It's unheard of! Here is a look in the hideaway restaurant in the heart of the University Park Campus.


Steak frites with roasted vegetables. Sadly, it looked better than it tasted. My steak was a bit too chewy and rare for my taste. Also, the chef did not trim the silver skin from the steak, making the cutting of the steak a bit troublesome.


Kermit gave two thumbs up for the club's lamb chops.


I learned banking 101 from George.

Harold & Belle's

2920 W. Jefferson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90018

A Creole restaurant recommended by a fellow foodie, Ginger.


Post game dinner with takeout from H&B's. Tip: make reservations!! We went without one and they told us the waiting time was around 2 hrs!


THE BEST CATFISH EVER! It was crispy (even after the ride back home), not a bit greasy and oh so flavorful. H&B's menu might run a bit steep, but it's worth the price (and wait) because their portions are gargantuan. The fried catfish came with crispy garlic toast, clam chowder, and corn on the cob - enough to feed 3 people.


Corn on the cob with its own special holder

Pinot Bistro

12969 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA

A night of fine bistro cuisine with my friend Allen and his work colleagues.


I started out with the Belgium endive salad with Roquefort cheese, caramelized walnuts and champagne vinaigrette. I'm not much of a salad fan, but I did like their play of the salty and sweet with the cheese and honey.


My entree, the grilled bistro steak with potato puree, crispy onions, and broccolini. Fabulous cut of beef with a light sauce and the fried onions provided a nice texture contrast. The potatoe puree was a bit jarring however with unmelted chunks of blue cheese that overpowered everything on the plate.


Allen's entree, a grilled fish dish with amazing polenta and haricot verts.


Desserts was definitely not Pinot's specialty. I had some stale profiteroles filled with generic tasting vanilla ice cream.


Allen's lemon tart was no better. It was heavy and sour but lacked lemon nuanced flavor.


Allen with Jeff and his wife Ginger (a fellow foodie!)


Allen and me, dressed to the nines


Overall, I loved Pinot's ambiance and main plates, but desserts? Better head over to Pinkberry for a green tea yogurt *i mean* iced dessert with raspberries.

Bombay Cafe

12021 W Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Behind a fairly inconspicuous storefront lies a wonderfully delicious and colorful experience. If you like Indian, you have to try this place. Their delictable dishes are decently priced and are served family style, so everyone gets a bite. I recommend their eggplant deva, basically sauteed eggplant layerd with fennel infused tomato sauce and ginger-flavored yogurt. (I love anything with fennel in it!) Their lamb naan and all of their curries were also very, very good. I didn't try anything that I didn't like. Oh and make sure you try the ginger margarita. It is incredible. My grandfather tasted the one my Aunt Vickie ordered and wouldn't give it back.

Formosa Cafe + ArcLight Theater

You guys are wonderful :)

yumm!



Cheekies + guest cheeky

The *official* fellowship pose

Doughboys Bakery

Tsz and I had dinner at Doughboys Bakery on Highland Ave. I think you could pass by this restaurant and miss seeing it because it's nestled between several entertainment companies like Crew Creative and Point 360. They have tables outside or inside and they let you choose wherever you want to sit. The place is open and airy. They have a pretty substantial menu and breakfast served all day which is a plus. I ordered the pumpkin pancakes because I'm a sucker for anything that has pumpkins or is seasonal. They served it with a huge dollop of cream cheese frosting which was delicious and I'm sure incredibly fattening and probably the worst choice for someone looking to eat healthy, but if you're planning to splurge then it's a good choice. The pancakes had walnuts in it which was nice. The syrup came in a bottle that looked kind of like a shampoo bottle, which we both liked. Tsz ordered clam chowder soup that came in a bowl as large as a bucket. Definitely come to Doughboy's hungry!

The service was a little slow, but I couldn't tell if they like to give you time to have actual conversations without a waiter hovering over you, or if they just weren't attentive. The prices for the amount of food you get are very reasonable. Another downside was that the tables are so close together that on a busy night you can't help overhearing everyone's conversations around you. Luckily no one was sitting directly next to us so I felt better.

Pazzo Gelato

Sarah, Tsz and I went to Pazzo Gelato in Sliverlake after Cha Cha Chas but before the Harry Potter event at Skylight Books. It was delicious! I had 2 scoops: one of the Madagascar Vanilla and one of the Jack Black Chocolate. Tsz had the Passion Fruit and the Strawberry Champagne. We all definitely recommend this tasty treat. Thank god it wasn't just a dream!

For all you Harry Potter fans, here is a little remembrance from the first book.


" It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live. "

-Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

Skylight Books

I've been itching to find a small, independant bookstore in LA that I liked for a long time. Not that I don't enjoy the bigger bookstores like Barnes and Noble; they have a wide selection of books and good coffee but there's something much more charming about a small, unique bookstore where you can have an experience you can't find anywhere else. Whenever I'm in a big chain store I always think of that quote from the movie You've Got Mail "Oh, I see, and we're the Price Club. Only instead of a ten-gallon can of olive oil for $3.99 that won't even fit into your kitchen cabinet, we're selling cheap books."

So when I heard mention of Skylight Books in Los Feliz, I knew I wanted to check it out. Tsz, Laura and I decided to go there for the release of Book 7 of Harry Potter. When we got there the line was already wrapped around the block and everything was pretty much whipped into a Potter frenzy, but even with all that going on I could tell the bookstore was really cool. Amongst the chaos, the employees stayed really calm and friendly. You could tell they were enjoying all the festivities which included a Sorting Hat where you could choose what amongst Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff and wear a house badge, a Wizard duel where peoples' knowledge of various spells were put to the test, and fun trivia quizzes that you could play on your own.

The bookstore itself is really cute. It's bigger inside than it appears from the small storefront window. They have a wide selection of self-published zines that locals have created. They also have artsy magazines like Tokien and Paper, and unique greeting cards and postcards in the other corner. Amongst their collection, I noticed they had a good sized cinema, travel, and children's section. Occasionally you'll see staffer's recommendations for various books if you're stuck trying to find your next read. They have a side patio with some chairs, although the area could have been cozier with the addition of some plants and twinkle lights. But I think every place looks better with twinkle lights. From their website, it says they have book groups and tons of book signings by local authors which sounds like a lot of fun. I'd like to go back to the store and browse at more leisure when there's not a slew of Potter fans crowding the whole store, but from what I could tell the bookstore is a wonderful place to go back and spend an afternoon browsing.

They describe themselves as : "located in Los Angeles' unique and eclectic Los Feliz neighborhood, We're a general bookstore with strengths in literary fiction, cinema, books on Los Angeles, as well as alternative literature. We often have a number of autographed copies of books by authors who have recently spoken here. We opened November 1, 1996 on the former site of another local bookstore landmark, Chatterton's."

Check them out here!
http://www.skylightbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp

c'est bon! part un

fun with ketchup


milk's summer fruit shortcake


doughboy's red velvet - oprah was right about this being the best in LA!


shrimp and squid ragu at the hungry cat


filling fish stew prepared with kale and fennel, yum.


pimms rangoon is THE summer drink!


me with the owner of violet's


some of violet's best sellers: strawberry shortcake and french toast


much needed nourishment at the comfort cafe


my favorite bread: whole grain bread from la brea bakery


great brunch at the alcove cafe


caprese omelette: check out that portion!

more photos to follow...

The Vista Theater

It was by mere coincidence that we ended up going to this movie theater in Silverlake. We wanted to catch an afternoon showing of Harry Potter, but the showtimes at the theater we were at in Temple City started way too late. We found out this theater had a 3:15 showing and we sped over. The theater rests on the edge of Silverlake and fits into this artsy neighborhood very well. The outside is red brick with green awnings and an old fashion markee out front. The bad part is that parking is pretty tight on the street and I had to park several blocks away and then run to the theater because we were late, but if you leave yourself enough time to get there, it shouldn't be a problem. The best part is the the price! For a matinee it was only $5! Snacks were reasonably priced also; they had normal sized drinks and you weren't forced to buy an insanely supersized drink or popcorn. The theater is beautiful inside. Everything is Egyptian themed and giant pharoah heads line the inside of the theater. It definitely had an old Hollywood feel. My favorite thing, however, about the theater is that there is so much leg room. The rows are spaced really far apart so you can stretch your legs all the way out and not hit anyone. A trip to the Vista theater is well worth it.

4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027

The Alcove, Part 2

Laura already wrote a post about The Alcove Cafe and Bakery in Los Feliz a while ago, but it sounded so good that we all scheduled a day and went for Sunday morning brunch. First thing you notice is that the cafe is totally packed on weekend mornings. It must be a popular place for locals, the line had wrapped outside and was winding through the tables. Luckily Laura was able to snag us a good table. Although there was a long line, I thought that it moved pretty quickly and after not much time we were ordering our food. Again, I was thrilled to see lots of vegetarian options. The benefits of going to a more liberal artsy neighborhood is that the restaurants cater to vegetarians. I wanted to try the Tofu Benedict but instead went with the Caprese Omelet. Laura also had the caprese omelet and Tsz had the scrambled eggs, bacon and toast combo. I also got a giant hot latte which was pretty yummy but was perhaps the wrong choice to order in 90 degree heat and then have to sip in direct sunlight. What can I say though...I'm a hopeless caffeine addict and I've come to terms with that. The omelet, I'm sad to say, was only so-so. Laura and I both agreed that they put too many tomatos in there. The portions are huge!! I was able to eat most of my omelet, but then I was stuffed and I still had a healthy sized portion of roasted rosemary potatos and bread. The cutest thing about the meal is that the bread comes with its own individual sized glass bottle of jam. I thought it added a nice touch to the meal.

The atmosphere was unbeatable. Even though it was crowded, people weren't getting annoyed or hovering over your table to pressure you into leaving early. The crowd was laid back and much less hipster-y than I had envisioned. A lot of the girls were wearing summer dresses so I didn't feel too out of place. Some people brought their small dogs which didn't bother me at all, thought it added to the ambiance. We were too full to try any of their baked goods, but the ones we could see in the display case looked phenomenal. Attached to the cafe was a small store that sold cheeses, jams, olive spreads and crackers. I bought a bottle of peach cinnamon job that I'm anticipating to be delcious.

All in all this place is one I'd deflintely love to go back to, especially to try one of their giant cupcakes from the bakery. If you go though, try to get a table in the shade because it does get very hot in the sun.

Sondre Lerche is the best brunch music.

The Comfort Cafe

Tsz and I spent all of Saturday in a class/field trip where we traveled all over LA on the metro and got off at various points to take photos. It was a great day and we snapped lots of interesting photos at the LA cathedral, walt disney concert hall, and Olvera Street. We were totally worn out though by late afternoon and decided to stop somewhere to grab dinner. After driving up and down the Silverlake Blvd. strip a few times, we settled on the Comfort Cafe. We were basically the only two people in there, with a few people coming and going. My first impression of the place was that it was really cute. It had tables with giant, colored sunflower patterns and the flower pattern continued to the walls. A frog statue sat on a table surrounded by varous entertainment magazines. The restaurant has quirky charm without going overboard and making you feel like you're sitting in a weird theme restaurant. There was a giant chalkboard where all the options were written. I especially liked the choices because there were plenty of vegetarian options. They serve breakfast all day, which is great for those of us who like to sleep in late and meander out for some eggs in the afternoon. The woman who was working there, and I'm pretty sure is an owner, was incredibly nice and I got a welcoming, neighborhood feel from the place. I ate the breakfast burrito and Tsz had the eggs with bacon and bread. Tsz especially liked the bread, which we found out was whole wheat bread from La Brea Bakery. My burrito was very large with lots of sides: sour cream, avocado, beans, salsa.

You can find the cafe at 2520 Hyperion Avenue in Silverlake.

The Lazy Daisy Cafe

We only have an hour for lunch during my motion graphics class so I usually just go to Ralph's and grab a sandwich. Last week, however, a few people from class and I decided to venture a little further out into Santa Monica in hopes of finding a nicer place to eat lunch. We found The Lazy Daisy Cafe in Santa Monica. It doesn't look like much from the road; we didn't even know it was a restaurant except for a small sign. Inside though, this cafe is super cute. They've got a nice patio with wicker chairs and tables. They write their specials on a blackboard with chalk. I ordered the egg white omelet with cheese, avocado, broccoli, and some other veggies and lots of coffee! It was really yummy and came with fruit and home fries. The atmosphere is laid back and it was a nice place to have lunch and clear my brain from motion graphics.

Check it out on citysearch http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/163699/

Carpinteria beach

Sometimes the crowded freeways and concrete of LA can get really stressful, but one of my favorite things to do is go to Carpinteria Beach which is up the 126 freeway (toward Ventura) right next to Santa Barbara. I love this beach because it's less crowded and is incredibly beautiful at sunset. It's not as trendy as some LA beaches like Manhattan or Zuma which is why I like it; it's more laid back with couples strolling down the beach and families camping nearby. Last time I was there I saw a couple of dolphins jumping out of the waves near shore. If you go, make sure to visit Giovanni's pizza place down the street from the beach and the little ice cream parlor.

Our next adventure should definitely be a Santa Barbara winery tour.

Hollywood Forever Screenings

I was so happy that all of us could get together this weekend to do one of my favorite things in Los Angeles: The Hollywood Forever film screenings. Hosted by Cinespia, over 1,000 Angelinos gather on the lawn at the cemetery every saturday to watch old, classic movies. This summer I've been there to see Gilda starring Rita Hayworth, Rebel Without A Cause with James Dean and Natalie Wood, and this Saturday all the Cheeky girls came to see Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. You have to get there pretty early to get good seats, but we arrived at 5pm and were able to be one of the first in line. The gates don't open until 7:30 but it's not boring to sit outside in line because the crowd is really nice and laid back (mostly film buffs and hipster types). We played a board game with a group of people behind us.

It's $10 to get in and the money goes to upkeep for the cemetery which makes sense because they host us each week so it's nice to give back. I don't find it creepy at all to be in a graveyard, I've always thought cemeteries that had the upstanding grave stones were quite pretty and peaceful. You don't watch the film on the graves though, there's an open lawn where everyone sets up their blankets and they project the movie onto the sides of the walls. They allow you to bring alcohol, so we brought a bottle of wine and had a picnic before the film started.

I was wondering why I wanted to drive out to see the films each week and I think the outdoor setup reminds me of a drive-in theater which was my absolute favorite thing to do as a child with my family. We all loved Roman Holiday. Audrey Hepburn was charming and we all have a newfound crush on Gregory Peck, but with the film projected on the wall with the Los Angeles skyline and rows of palm trees made this event amazingly fun and a place I would definitely recommend for anyone looking to do something a little different in Los Angeles.

Here's the website for a list of upcoming screenings:
http://www.cinespia.org/


"I've never been alone with a man before, even with my dress on. With my dress off, it's MOST unusual."

La Creperie Cafe

As the name suggests, La Creperie is the place for crepes and all things French. I went there with Andrey last Saturday after a day at the beach and got the fettuccini carbonara, which was amazing. The fettuccini was al dente and was bathing in a garlicy white wine parmesan sauce. One top of that were chicken, crispy bacon bits and fresh pesto.

For dessert, we had the crepes a la Romeo and Juliet. It's a crepe made of wheat flour stuffed with nutella, strawberries and bananas and topped with whipped cream and more chocolate syrup. The fruit was the perfect balancing partner with the rich nutella, however, the wheaty crepe was a bit too dense for my taste. We also thought that there was not enough nutella in the dish. But overall, it was pretty good :)

http://lacreperiecafe.net/

teaforest

Today, I went to Culver City for the Culver City Artwalk and I stopped by this cafe because I had heard that it was really good. Let me just tell you that it really lived up to its recommendation. The coffee was really good and the apple cinnamon muffin was the best that I have ever had in LA. ( I am a complete sucker for a good muffin and I have yet to find one to my satisfaction, that is until now! )

teaforest is located at 8686 washington blvd, culver city

We need to go here!

Alcove

My friend Ryan took me to this great little cafe and bakery called Alcove. It was really good. I had a portabello mushroom sandwich with feta, bell peppers, carmelized onions and argula. He had the crabcake sandwich. And for DESSERT....we split peanut butter cookies and a piece of butterscotch cheesecake which was to die for.

Here are some links if you want to get a feel for the place.

http://losangeles.citysearch.com/profile/41537962/los_angeles_ca/alcove_cafe_bakery.html

http://alcovecafe.com/

An afternoon in Old Town

Last week Tsz and I went to Old Town Pasadena, which seems to be a favorite spot for the writers of this blog. It's got all the charm of a smaller town outside the grungier areas of LA without feeling too suburban and overbuilt. We had lunch at the charming Cafe Bizou on North Raymond Street. It wasn't very crowded at the time we went but by the time we left it had filled up a bit. We sat nearby the AIGA LA president, or so we thought from overhearing people's conversations.





I had Alfredo pasta with tomato basil sauce and it was delicious. Tsz had the lobster ravioli. But the main draw of the place was in the cute tables and the setup.




After lunch we went shopping at Mimios, the adorable paper/stationary store where I bought my paper to make my graduation announcements. My announcements came out really well, although at the time I was cursing my decision to hand-make them and wishing I had just bought the generic announcements from the university. We also discovered a travel book shop, where I purchased books about Edinburgh, London, and Copenhagen. Seeing all the pictures in the books inspired me to start saving up for travel in the future.

In the afternoon we went to the Norton Simon museum where we only stayed for a half hour but got to see the impressionist paintings and toured the garden, where my flip flop broke! I had to hobble back to the car and drive home barefoot.





Also, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CANDICE!! I had so much fun at your Benihanas dinner. I hope it was a good day for you.

Las Vegas

I know this is expanding past our general topics about LA, but I went to Las Vegas this weekend with some friends and found some delicious desserts.




Gelato at Caesar's Palace. It was crazy expensive, but at least they made it look pretty.



At the M&M store you could get almost any color M&M you could want. I got a bunch and will use them for baking at some point.

Le Cupcake and More Ideas for the Summer

Last Tuesday, I was in Santa Monica doing some errands and decided to try Le Cupcake in the Santa Monica Mall. I tasten tested their Red Velvet Cupcake. While the cream cheese frosting was really delicious and creamy, the cake wasn't as good. Violet's is much better. The cakes are pretty though. I will put up pictures soon.

I just read about this coffee place I am dying to try:

Caffe Luxxe

925 Montana Ave.
Santa Monica
(310) 394-2222

Great coffee place that only serves espresso. I am especially excited to try their ristretto (a short espresso developed in Italy).

Some other ideas that Tsz and I had for the summer:
-Bakery at Crosscreek shopping area in Malibu, go to Zuma beach afterwards
-Sweet Lady Jane Bakery
-Leda Cupcakes in Studio City
-Try out new recipes and have dinner parties

MILK

THE BEST

FROSTING!

PG version of 300's trailer, it's hilarious!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gNqiSkd1M6k

Ok, to make this more relevant, I've found a really cute dessert palor that we need to go to: Milk on Beverly.

http://oishiieats.blogspot.com/2007/02/milk-instant-transport-to-childhood.html

MASSIVE PICTURE UPLOAD

VIOLET'S


yYAYYyyYY


As usual, ::cheeky:: in the park~


stranded candice


Where's Candice????LOLOll!!! omg, i fell back laughing when i saw the picture XDDD

If Anybody knows any interesting places in LA, share them with everybody! :D