Amber "gym bunny" B.'s Profile
DateLos Angeles, CA 90045
PLEY with YELP Elite event at Powersurge
Category:
Local Flavor
Neighborhood: Westchester / LAX
Listed in: Yelp Elite Events and CMYEs
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 314-8253
Venice Ale House
Categories:
American (New),
Gastropubs,
Pubs
We put in our name for a table and didn't have to wait much more than 15-minutes even as jam-packed as this place was with all the tourists and locals hanging out on such a lovely Easter Sunday. Try to get seating on the patio if at all possible. Tables and chairs are all crowded together inside and out but at least outside you get the fresh air, sun, people watching and a bit more space to breathe. Service was a tiny bit slow but keeping in mind what a zoo it was I am not complaining.
Lots of beers and a longlist of rotating specials on the chalkboard outside. I tried the Lost Coast Tangerine Unfiltered Citrus Wheat Ale and LOVED it! Perfect for the weather and refreshing. In addition to all the beers there are also some standard cocktails and beer/wine based cocktails. The mojitos looked awesome at the table next to ours...served in mason jars and filled with fresh strawberry pieces.
Brunch is served until 4pm so for food I ordered Tommy's Free Range Scramble. Not a huuuuge portion but it was just perfect for me even having not eaten a single thing all day and being starving. Amazing rosemary baby red potatoes. Great spicy salsa served as a condiment. I would absolutely get this dish again. My friend tried the chicken tacos and said he really liked them too. Everything that came out to our and other tables looked bright, fresh, and appealing. Can't wait to come back to try some more brews and yummy food!
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 553-3636
Gulfstream
Categories:
American (New),
Seafood
The specialty cocktails are just kind of so-so, again, nothing really stood out and I sampled 2: Crisp Martini (I kept calling it "crispy") & Elder Collins. Why I ordered these two when I don't like gin is beyond me but they were decently tasty. The Crisp Martini has sauvignon blanc. The Elder Collins has fresh grapefruit juice....makes it super fresh and easy to drink so be careful! After the cocktails I switched to a Mi Sueño cab and was much happier.
Other food we tried:
-Winter Chopped Salad w/Crispy Chicken ($19) - meh. not worth it. I was not a fan of the breading on the chicken
-Pan-seared Scallop Salad ($24)- YES! This was the business. Huge scallops cooked perfectly and succulent chunks of beets. I did not want to share this with my date!
-Seafood Cocktail ($13) - chock full of seafood and large fresh hunks of avocado. It could have used some hot sauce but the flavor was great without any extra spice.
Valet parking is available right in front of the restaurant though it can be pricey if you forget to validate.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 396-9145
M Street Kitchen
Category:
American (New)
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Our motley group of 4 snagged a 10:45 am ressie 2 days before (the next available time wasn't until 1pm!) and were seated right in the thick of it all. Some maneuvering is required to get to your seats but once situated everyone had plenty of room.
Since we were all a bit indecisive and were having way too many guilt issues over having to choose between bad carbalicious goodness in the form of Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Cinnamon Apple French Toast and good protein-rich options like the Acapulco Omelet and Sunrise Breakfast Burrito we made the smart option of choosing all 4 and rotating the plates around the table til we each had a taste of everything. Such a fantastic idea and I am going to be an advocate of this method in the future. Inteligentisia coffee, black was the perfect accompaniment or they also have $5 mimosas if you want to make it a boozy brunch. If you just want some indulgence definitely go for the aforementioned sweet items. The egg dishes were yummy but slightly lackluster. I can't wait to go back to try more brunch dishes...I've got my eye on the benedicts and hashes.
Los Angeles, CA 90277
(562) 537-3224
El Pan-Americano
Category:
Latin American
Neighborhood: Redondo Beach
The Pepito was delicious with meat (i.e. steak). The egg in the sandwich, pictured as fried, was really hardboiled and as mentioned previously the crunched up potato chips used inside the sandwich were Pop Chips. Great flavor in the seasonings used and a nice combination of ingredients: steak, egg, avocado, popchips, sauteed onions, peppers, alfalfa. I added a few squirts of the bottled garlic sauce and my mouth was very very happy!
At $10 a pop though the price point is a bit expensive for a truck lunch. I'll give them a pass today, acknowledging that sometimes things can get confusing and hectic. There were only 2 people working in the truck today. Somehow it took about 10 minutes after my friend next to me in line ordered before I was even able to place my order. Customers who ordered before us were standing there waiting for a good 20 minutes but once we were finally able to place our orders our food came out relatively quickly.
I think once they get into the rhythm of things and get organized things will run much more smoothly. Hopefully they also are able to drop the prices by a couple of dollars.
Listed in: Mobile Food Network
First off: parking is valet only at $6 with validation for 5 hours...PLUS tip.
If you go for "$1 oyster" night do not expect to fill your tummy with oysters. They impose a per table limit although they do not indicate this anywhere. Last night the server told us there was a 2-dozen limit per table but that they already gave us 4-dozen at the $1 price. Hmmmm. So...what if we just sit at separate tables then?? The group was big enough to do so...
I skipped the oysters since I couldn't order them for $1 each and went for the fish tacos instead...45 minutes later and no tacos. We ask the server and she goes "the tacos didn't come out yet?" uhmm..no, why am I asking you about them if they already came out. At this point my friend put in an order for an additional plate of fish tacos...not even 10 minutes later BOTH orders came out at the same time and I didn't get anything more than a "sorry, the dining room got so slammed somehow your order got dropped" after waiting damn near an hour. I was so hangry (hunger-angry) at the point but I just dropped it and scarfed down my tacos. They really are delicious and it's a huge serving...3 large tacos + rice + beans and I had leftovers for my lunch today. The spinach artichoke dip is also delish and a giant portion.
The birthday girl got a chocolate cake brought out with candles along with a quick birthday song. Again, GIGANTOR sized cake! More than enough to feed our crowd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-4771
Sushi Roku
Category:
Sushi Bars
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
To start:
-edamame (too salty)
-salmon sashimi carpaccio w/avocado and black truffles (unbelievably amazing)
Dinner:
-half dozen kumamoto oysters (the trio of sauces were forgettable but the oysters were fresh and delicious, though teeny tiny in size)
-Chilean sea bass in truffle miso glaze (so tender and intense flavor. my mouth is still watering over this one)
-Kyoto style clear soup with sea bream (a bit of a refreshing taste to this while still warm and comforting, perfect for the chilly night)
-Sushi: unagi, Spanish mackerel, uni, live sweet shrimp, toro (all fresh and delightful in my mouth)
Dessert:
-chocolate lava cake (still delicious but not as awesome as it used to be...fewer berries, and no berries inside the cake or inside the ice cream like before. bummer)
Plus 1 glass of pinot, 2 glasses of cab for me and 2 beers, 1 glass of cab for him and I don't even want to know how much the total bill came to. Great wine selection though, I should have ordered a bottle of the Sledgehammer cab.
Oh, and if it's a rainy and windy night and you happen to be seated near the windows, while you will stay plenty warm and cozy with the heat lamps, be warned: the top windows are covered only by thick plastic sheets so you WILL get wet!
Listed in: Westside Favorites, Get that sushi in my tummy
1 Previous Review:
-
12/5/2008
I must first disclose that I've only been to this restaurant for dineLA and the Appetite Stimulus weeks.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant is modern, classy and dark and it's always filled with beautiful people. My favorite table is the one right next to the inner wall, in the room towards the right of the entrance, and right next to the waterfall wall (this is such a nice little touch). Over time I've noticed that the menu changes as some things are added or removed to their list of offerings, so you might be disappointed to not see your favorite dish on the menu any longer.
For both of my visits to Sushi Roku I've always had an advance reservation so we've never had to wait for a table (not to mention the visits were on weekdays and later in the evening around 9pm). The wait staff is pleasant and quite attractive. Our waiter during Appetite Stimulus week was actually really cool (just a little overeager) and profusely apologized to us when he was confused about what this "Appetite Stimulus" deal was all about. We ended up telling him about the special going on at Morton's and he was jazzed, saying he'd take his girl there that weekend.
I was not as impressed with the menu offering for Appetite Stimulus as I was with the menu during dineLA earlier this year and both Mike and I we re underwhelmed and not as full after finishing up our meals. For dineLA week we each got a trio of appetizers (my fave was the meat-wrapped asparagus), a chef's selection of sushi platter, and a mochi dessert. For Appetite Stimulus we had a tuna carpaccio w/sesame soy and garlic chips appetizer and another dish of carpaccio made with an unknown type of fish (Ouzu? Uzu? Something like that...) that we shared and for our entrees we had again the chef's selection of sushi platter and also the filet mignon w/tempura onion rings that we also shared. The filet was SO tender and came with a teriyaki dipping sauce. The tempura onions rings were pretty interesting but interesting GOOD not interesting bad. Those didn't come with any tempura dipping sauce though sadly. The fish both times was top notch in quality and soooooo fresh AND they use REAL crab which is a treat I'm not used to having very often. This time for dessert we both got the lava cake. Oh my holly Christ, this lava cake deserves its own review, no, it's own PAGE of reviews dedicated solely to its perfection and utter amazingness. Superficially, this dessert looks just like your standard lava cake....but take one bite and you can never eat another chocolate cake anywhere else ever again. The outside is the perfect amount of crustiness. The cake itself is covered in fresh raspberries and strawberry pieces and INSIDE the hot molten lava you will find even MORE berries and walnut bits!!! The scoop of vanilla ice cream even has a hidden surprise - right in the center you will be delighted to find a blueberry!
This is definitely one of my absolute favorite restaurants of all-time. Hell, I'll even shell out the extra bucks and dine here for a non-prix-fixe meal!
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 667-9900
Froyo Life
Categories:
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt,
Desserts
Neighborhood: Griffith Park/Los Feliz
I have never before seen Apple Pie flavored froyo...until I saw it here..and I sampled it...and it was goooooood. Oh so good. The dispensers are really...generous...and shoot out voluminous spurts of froyo with just a touch (I wish they were ALL so easy ;) OR "TWSS"). I asked for some sample cups, was handed 5 of said sample cups, and actually fully sated my craving for creamy frozen goodness with just those few samples. And then we had hot chocolate...at a froyo place...because we could...and because it was gosh darn FREEZING out. It was magical. Best damn hot chocolate I have ever had.
(800) 420-4927
Vegin Out
Categories:
Food Delivery Services,
Vegan
Neighborhood: Mid-City
What I got:
Lentil loaf
Wild Mushroom Penne
White Bean and Kale Soup
Chili
Elbows and Cheeze
Wheat Berry Salad
Kale with Roasted Butternut Squash
Chipotle Potato and Broccoli Salad
Almond Shortbread Cookies
My delivery this week was missing the bag of cookies so I emailed them about the omission and bright and early Wednesday morning they hand delivered a bag of cookies to my office PLUS an extra bag for the trouble! Sweet!
My package of food was delivered towards the earlier end of the specified window and the amount of food you get is pretty good. Each dish is supposed to be 2-3 servings and if you mix 'em up and try a couple at a time you can easily get 3 servings out of everything. I haven't eaten anything else this week aside from my own breakfast and I still have a ton of food left that will more than likely even get me through the weekend give or take a meal or two here and there.
Vegin' Out is super awesome. I will be using them in the future for sure. It's nice to get home from a busy day of work+gym+whatever and know I have a variety of healthy tasty dishes that I can just pop in the microwave and get my grub on.
West Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 288-6500
Plan Check
Categories:
Bars,
American (New)
Neighborhood: West Los Angeles
Food is prepped and cooked right out in the open to the left of the bar so even though we had already eaten across the street I couldn't keep my eyes off of the mouthwatering burgers that were coming off the grill. Those babies looked bad-ass: thick and juicy patties served in a nice fluffy bun. Yum.
I ordered the fries (cooked in beef tallow and sea salt). The fresh ketchup that came with the order reminded me of the ketchup served at Hole In the Wall Burger joint...sweet and thinner in consistency than "normal" ketchup. I've got my eye on one of the burgers (but which one! they all sound so good), the stuffed mushrooms and a cruller donut for my next visit.
Envisioning plenty of future visits to make my way through the specialty cocktail menu I only tried one, the Chiapas, with almond milk! It was like a lite, tequila version of an eggnog cocktail. If you like Micheladas you will loooove the Spaghetti Western...it has beer...and Tapatio!
Bonus: valet parking for $3.50 in this notoriously packed area of Sawtelle where parking can be next to impossible to find.
Listed in: Westside Favorites
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2439 Useful, 1720 Funny, and 2231 Cool
Santa Monica, CA
Yelping SinceJune 2007
Things I LovePhysics, Astrophysics, body modifications, tacos and sushi, finally living alone, bdsm-lite, getting piercings, jawaiian music, the smell of wet asphalt, My Shih Tzu, strong minded beautiful women
Find Me In"An Introduction to the Physics of High Energy Accelerators"
My HometownConcord, CA
When I'm Not Yelping...I'm trying to cram accelerator physics into my head
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadThe Princess and the Penis
My First ConcertBackstreet Boys
My Favorite MovieFlower Drum Song
My Last Meal On Eartha 10-course meal of potatoes (incl. lobster mashed potatoes!!)
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...my toes are double-jointed and I like to pick things up off the floor with them
Most Recent Discovery"hover handles" on ladies restrooms in Austin, TX
Current Crusha certain olive skinned Marine with blue eyes
Not a gamer by nature I was hesitant, nay quite reluctant to get hands on with all the games around the room much preferring to indulge my voyeuristic tendencies but my +1 was too charming to be denied. Our first battle was on the big wall playing a tennis match. After several awkward minutes of us standing in weird poses and making our players accidentally do this weird chicken-leg dance we got the sensors figured out and it was GAME ON. I do not ever play tennis but I killlllled it. Bam. And broke a sweat while doing it too. Next up was a UFC fight. I chose the Iceman Chuck Liddel and again kicked my partners bootaty. Yesssss. Competitive much? I could see what a fun place this would be to take a date and totally affordable for an hour of play or even half an hour.
Delicious pasta, pizza and salad served by The Good Pizza as well as flavorful and tender chunks of meat served by Javan. The Cookie Good provided loads of scrumptious sugary confections that I could not get enough of. I think I tried one each of every type available amounting to major sugar high (shhh don't tell my diet!).
While I didn't check out the Saint Germaine I DID heavily imbibe a variety of reds from One Hope Wine. I had purchased a bottle from their website through Klout a few months back so I knew the wine was good quality. John, the vendor, hooked it up with the heavy pours and gave me his contact info so my wino bff and I could schedule an in-home wine tasting party. Niiiiice.
It was great to get back out into the Yelp scene again after a 4-month hiatus. Thanks Brittany and Katie!!