Kelly "accepting the fact that I now live in LA" B.'s Profile

Everyone needs a bar they can walk to. Blind Barber is now mine. The bartenders (Billy Ray, Alex, Justin... etc) engage with everyone, although I think 'everyone' is vying to be a early regular. Including me! I plan to be the girl ponying up to the bar on off nights, slowly sipping cocktails and chowing on a grilled cheese.

Oh, and if the bartender (ahem, Billy Ray) asks if you like it spicy, be cautious. I'm pretty sure the shot he gave me tattooed its name inside my stomach.

I hate working out. I especially hate paying for the 'privilege' of working out. At $20 a pop, this ain't cheep, but it's the first exercise class I've ever taken that doesn't make me want to die. I've taken full advantage of their preview week and have already signed up for more...

The margaritas taste like fake limes, sugar, and ice. No thank you. Next time I'm invited to a party here, I'm drinking shots only. I don't care how high school it makes me look.

My friends are brilliant. Many of them are professional eaters. All of them recommend fundamental LA.

When I finally stopped in, it became obvious none of them have tried the grilled cheese.

Or if they have, it's was fueled by a better farmer's market basket then the current tallegio, spaghetti squash, sage, arugula and honey on sourdough. I know. This SOUNDS good. I was super excited when I ordered it. But the fatty cheese, heavy with grassy notes, abuts the earthiness of the squash and sage leaving behind the flavor of oily potting soil. The only thing that could have saved this sandwich was a thick drizzle of honey--as promised by the menu--but I tasted none.

I ate the scallions out of the muddy carrot soup and threw it away. Bummer.

When a place is called a "secret Beverly Hills gem" I immediately turn up my nose. The term "secret gem" almost always indicates the writer doesn't understand the breath of the topic. It's like calling a meal "delicious" or "tasty." But when bombarded with 4/5 star reviews for pizza slung out of a gelato shop--I really don't have a choice--I'm going to stop in sooner than later to quell the hype.

It's true you don't expect pizza to be served here, but a gem it is not. This is your stereotypical generic non-chain pizza: a sweet flabby white bread crust, sauce that tastes more of dried herbs then tomato finished with decent cheese and topping. When people say "it's good" what they are actually saying is "it's better than Pizza Hut." A truth I can halfheartedly get behind.

Still, my waiter was pretty cute. But from now on he'll only be serving me the Cabernet gelato.

I spend every high school summer on the road. Transversing the USA as a teenage vegetarian, I learn a lot about fast fast food modifications, secret menus and regional specialties. While Subway was my obvious BFF, secretly, I always craved the McDonald's grilled cheese with pickles and onions.

With three veggie options, Five Guys makes ordering vegetarian a lot less awkward.  I went straight for the Cheese Veggie Sandwich. Like the McDonald's grilled cheeses of my youth, you're just getting a burger sans beef... and the lack of beef is evident. The soft commercial bun is stuffed with american cheese and "all the topping you want" - I went with lettuce, mild pickles, grilled onions, grilled jalapenos, and green peppers. Still, it was totally bland. For those who care, the kitchen was very careful to keep all my veggies separated from the meat grill.

Still, it's a great option... when you have no other choice.

I question the sanity of those who do not love Osteria La Buca.

The rich chewy crumb of their pizza crust fights for recognition against their outstanding and slightly smokey tomato sauce. If they are offering a pizza with their pickled jalapenos, it's a must order!

But the star of the menu is the pasta. I LOVE the simple Spaghetti Cacio Pepe (tellecherry pepper & pecorino). Thick shoe strings of fresh noodles coated in a silky white spattering of cheese and nose-itching fresh cracked pepper. It's the best $9 you will every spend! Unless your spending that $9 on the Ricotta Crochettes (with truffle honey and rosemary)... another MUST order.

Bartender, Travis, is my new secret BFF. He make me luscious cocktail at my direction and other times at his own discretion. He always served me something delicious.

I'd eat here every week if I could. Instead I make it here about every other week... which is not nearly enough.

Eager to share my new favorite restaurant, I bounced into Bulan all smiles and glee. My boyfriend impatiently flipped the menu over and fiddled with the corners as he failed to find a beer/wine section. Breaking into an alcoholic's cold sweat, he sulked into a silent joyless black hole, crushing my radiating elation.

Like a good mother with an inconsolably crying baby, I walked him out of the restaurant.

As a month to the flame does, he flightlessly flew towards a gleaming sign down the street. A neon flicker announcing Thai and Chinese food. But more importantly, BEER and WINE.

The garden is pleasant, with lush foliage and cheap plastic chairs. The wait staff is attentive... but the food. Ugg. Just awful. The summer roll were bland, served with a peanut sauce that offered little relief. My curry tasted sweet and flat, like it was made from a dehydrated packet from the bottom shelf at the supermarket. It's inconceivable to me that anyone would choose to eat here with the immaculate Bulan on the same street.

I see this place as often as I see that boy who preferred cheap beer over good food.

In the young and reckless summer of my life, my boyfriend caressed my ring finger in longing and I knew exactly what he meant. I also knew exactly where to go. Though the selection at Doyle & Doyle appears limited, the highly curated collection always has a "sigh, I wish, I hope, is it time yet" ring waiting. I selected a perfect platinum and yellow gold Edwardian ring, noted the item number, and it was quickly sold to a mysterious buyer.

Six months later, as the coolness of winter reality fell over me, my ringless finger wised up. My lovely choice was hidden somewhere in our house. I quickly found it and wore it the entire weekend I packed my bags to leave that psycho.

As far as CPK goes, this location meet all my standards... which aren't exactly high. The food is fresh, consistently cooked and always ready on time for take out. The pizzas are horribly overpriced, but salads are hefty and surprisingly innovative. I'm a sucker for the Thai Crunch: napa & red cabbage, chicken (sub avocado at not cost), cucumbers, edamame, wontons, rice sticks, peanuts, cilantro, carrots and scallions. It's served with a lime-cilantro dressing that I throw directly into the trash and a thai peanut dressing that I smother my salad in with glee.

Eat This Not That named it the "Worst Salad, Ever", claiming it has 2,115 calories: http://eatthis.womensh...

But according to their fact sheet, my half salad--with avocado instead of chicken--is a mere 668 calories: http://d32fh83nwkznvc....

I figure anyone eating the full Thai Crunch behemoth--with chicken--deserves what they've got coming...