Maria "surprise me with something jummy" A.'s Profile

2 excuses that I need: a) a reason to be in Santa Monica b) a reason to indulge.

Came here while I was still living in Beverly Hills to get my man his first tres leches birthday cake. La Monarca had one already made and put it on hold for me. When I went to pick it up, it took all the willpower I had not to grab 5 pan dulces and try every kind of drinking chocolate they had - that place smelled so good!!

The tres leches cake was super mojado, like it should be. It was very delicious, although not as boozey as my favorite at Panaderia Mexico in Van Nuys. Still, it was excellent and kept for a couple days. One thing though, this place isn't that cheap, and they don't pipe frosting messages like "happy birthday" directly on to the cake - they pipe it onto a piece of clear plastic and put it on top of the cake. huh?? Sooo, is this standard practice? And does that mean you're supposed to lick the frosting off of the plastic?

Whatever, I'm still going back.

You know Los Angeles, sometimes I think y'all are just suckers for "new American cuisine". Totally agree with Ryan R., and don't get what the fuss is about this place.

Its around the corner from my new place, and my family from SF was here to help move. We are all foodies, so I was hoping this would be way better than it was. Although we had to wait, the service was very friendly and pretty good. Very quaint, although small, and a nice vibe.

Mom and best friend ordered seabass. we LOVE seabass. Mom said her's was fine, but I had a taste of Rachel's, and it was the driest piece of fish I've ever been served in a restaurant. How do you do that to seabass?? It should taste and feel like butter. My mussels had a lovely sauce, but the mussels themselves did not taste that fresh. And why serve them with bread AND french fries? confusing. The fries were good though.

Garlic mac n cheese was very good, beef strogonoff was just ok. Good beer selections at not outrageous prices. We had a good time, but I was hoping for more. You have to impress San Franciscans, especially in LA!

Very interesting experience!

The consensus of those around me who know about such things was that I needed a new front left wheel bearing, and really the sound the car was making was pretty indicative. Of course I took to Yelp to find the best place to go in my new neighborhood, and lo and behold Pacific Auto is 3 blocks down and has all the rave review. So I call, ask for Jimmy and get an estimate...and it's high. REALLY high.

I called a couple more places and found a shop that said they would do it for $165 cheaper. Wow. Quite a difference. However, that shop was farther, and since I had to be home to wait for the cable guy, I called Jimmy back, told him the other estimate, where I got it and whom I spoke to. He ended up doing it for the lower price, and wasn't grumpy with me for bargaining him down.

I'll probably go back to him because he did a great job in a timely manner and was cool ...I just wonder if I should call around for estimates again...

Not an authority by any means, but this did remind me of New York pizza, and it was delicious! 2 giant slices of pepperoni and sausage plus a drink for $5.50. Can't complain at all. Very thin crust, crispy top crust, not that greasy, great tasting sauce.

Susan Feniger came to our table last week and said she thought they had finally developed a great Dine LA menu, and I have to say, she did.

So this was in the $34 prix fixe category, and the whole table had to participate - no problem, that's what we had planned anyway. How often do you show up with a table of four at a good restaurant in LA and get to say "We'll take one of everything!" Not often. This was a first for me, in fact. The reason? It was ALL part of the Dine LA deal!

to start: the equivalent of tiny curry rice crispy treats with currants. Delish and complimentary. Went very well with my Tamarind margarita.. Then came Ahi poke with fried leeks and lots of ginger, fried red-beans and rice balls with Krystal cream sauce and crumbled andouille (fave), rich wine-flavored mushroom ravioli with some sort of chili-oil, and the "angry" deviled eggs - also fave. Then the perfectly refreshing little asian salad.

I'll be honest, by the time the entrees came we were already getting full. However, the japanese style fried chicken was some of the best fried chicken I've ever had - golden, light crust, incredibly juicy white meat. The pork and shrimp noodles were spicy but could have used a little higher meat to noodle ratio. Zesty saag paneer, very rich lamb meatballs.

The chococalte pound cake with caramel sauce was delicious and moist, although caramel sauce in general tends to be too sweet for me. I personally liked the basil sticky rice - not too sweet, very refreshing.

Last but not least, the service was OUTSTANDING! Super attentive from start to finish, from bar to bus boy. Also, you know, nice to meet a Top Chef Master :)

Maruschka is pretty much my hero. Even if you don't do vintage clothes, you HAVE to go for the accessories. and the shoes, the SHOES! Maruschka is cruel and will remember your size forever and will tempt you with gorgeous designer things you never thought you needed.

Obviously she makes the store what it is. She has great sales, remembers EVERYONE, always has time to chat but never hovers. Her style is AMAZING - I've long coveted her vintage (Fendi?) glasses - and I don't wear glasses.

Personal best buys from Ravishing:

real snakeskin heels by MaxStudio: $40
vintage Nicole Miller red cocktail dress: $40
Fab vintage floral cocktail ring: $15
Boho reversible belt: $10

All in flawless condition. Check her out on facebook and note the handbags...drool.

I want to give this 3 stars, but really, I just can't. It's really 3.5, but the coffee cubes, who can resist?

Seriously, the coffee buffet is amazing. Coffee ice cubes, delicious varieties of hot and iced coffee, tons of different creamers, egg cream, the works. The one kind of sweetener they don't have is simple syrup, and while the hot coffee is good (I'm told by my friend who always goes with me) it is overpriced.

The bagels are DELICIOUS. This California girl wouldn't know the difference between NY and other bagels - I just know if it's good. A bit chewy, never dry, good and yeasty (yes, I said yeasty) they've got it covered. Oh and did I mention that their whitefish is the BEST I've ever had??

Cons besides the expense:
No good standing area to wait for your to-go order. You're basically standing in the coffee buffet, in everyone's way, and the tables are too far away to sit and wait to hear your number (besides, who wants to be that person who hogs the table without eating? it could be Larry King's table for all you know)

It can take a LOOONG time for your order to come, and I've had them mess mine up more than once. Annoying. Make sure to check your bag before you leave.

Have been back multiple times for the lunch crepes. LOVE that you get to add as many sauces as you want! I love eggs/bacon/spinach with avocado on a regular crepe with honey mustard and Tabasco. Best deal in Beverly Hills

What a great vibe this place has! A big part of that is probably all the friendly and gorgeous wait staff. 3.5 stars for sure

Stopped in on a drizzly day for drinks and apps with a friend, and it definitely warmed me up! Warm and cozy yet festive. Stella on tap, we shared the garlic mussels and the short ribs. The mussels were cooked perfectly and I like a lot of garlic so I loved the sauce, and they give you lots of sourdough toast to soak it up.

The short ribs weren't super super crazy tender, but still good. However, they pretty much just threw 4 of them on a plate, with no presentation whatsoever. Would have been fine if it was cheaper, but for the money I expected a little more.

Wish I had known there was tres leches...this is the problem with menus that have close to 100 items (at least that's what it looked like). Seriously overwhelming.

That being said, I was very satisfied and had leftovers for days! Love that you can get just straight avocado salad, and the queso mofongo was delicious, although it dried out very quickly as a leftover.

Camarones en salsa verde were a little over-cooked, but the sauce was bright and tasty. They also give you great garlic bread!

Love the 90's Latin Pop music, the rotisserie in the window and the authentic vibe.