Restaurants in 2009 & 2010

Top Restaurants I Ate at in 2009

                           

1. Craft (Century City)
2. Animal (Mid-City)
3. Foundry on Melrose (W. Hollywood)
4. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill (Las Vegas)
5. Gjelina (Venice)
6. JiRaffe (Santa Monica)
7. Luna Park (Mid-Wilshire)
8. Beacon (Culver City)
9. Drago (Santa Monica)
10. Nine Thirty (Westwood)
11. Joe’s Restaurant (Venice)
12. Mon Ami Gabi (Las Vegas)
13. Beechwood (Venice)
14. Fraiche (Santa Monica, Culver City)
15. Ford’s Filling Station (Culver City)
16. Jitlada (Hollywood)
17. Zimzala (OC)
18. Border Grill (Santa Monica)
19. 8 oz. Burger Bar (W. Hollywood, Night of Graduation)
20. Joan's on Third (Mid-City)
21. Henry's Hat (Studio City - great brunch)
22. La Dijonaise (Culver City)
23. Father's Office (Culver City, Santa Monica)
24. Westside Tavern (West LA)

Top Restaurants I Want to Try in 2010

1. Providence (Hancock Park) (note: I actually ate here for my bday, soon after I made this list)
2. Melisse (Santa Monica)
3. Bouchon (Beverly Hills)
4. Whatever pop-up Chef Ludo Lefebvre does next
5. The Bazaar by Jose Andres (Beverly Hills)
6. Mozza Pizzeria (Hollywood)
7. Comme Ca (Beverly Hills)
8. Church and State (Downtown)
9. Osteria Mozza (Hollywood)
10. Golden State (Mid-City)
11. Huckleberry (Santa Monica)
12. Il Moro (Santa Monica)
13. Canter's Deli (Mid-City)
14. Langer's (Downtown)
15. The Nickel (Downtown)
16. Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica)
17. Street (Hollywood)
18. Bay Cities Italian Deli (Santa Monica)19. Antica Pizza (Marina Del Rey)
20. La Casita Mexicana (Bell)
21. Urasawa (Beverly Hills - being the most expensive restaurant around, would only go if I won a free meal/the lottery)

Bonus: For Coffee
1. Intelligentsia (Venice)
2. La Mill (Silverlake)

Top Restaurants I Ate at in the First Two Weeks of 2010

1. Tupelo Junction Cafe (Santa Barbara)
2. Brent's (Northridge)

Food Matters: Eat less meat, eat more veggies, whole grains

My growing interest in food politics has lead me to start reading authors like Michael Pollan (Omnivore's Dilemma is still on my to-read list), watch documentaries like Food, Inc., and learn more about biofuels and farm subsidies. One great book that I read recently was Food Matters by NYT Columnist and famed cookbook author Mark Bittman.

The book is half summary of the current state of food & health in America (we're up shit's creek). The second half is composed of guidelines and recipes to start to change the way we eat to help our health and the environment (this is where he gives us a paddle).

From the book that you can browse here at Google Books:

"Here's the summary: Eat less meat, and fewer animal products in general (I'll get to specifics on page 93). Eat fewer refined carbohydrates, like white bread, cookies, white rice, and pretzels. Eat way less junk food: soda, chips, snack food, candy, and so on. And eat far more vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains—as much as you can.

If you followed those general rules and read no farther, you'd be doing yourself and the earth a favor. And I'm by no means the only one who thinks so."

Bittman lost a lot of weight by sticking to "vegan until six" and then eating close to how he ate before, but with more vegetables and less meat. Little was off limits, and he indulged in the occasional hamburger and desserts. He lost 35 pounds and lowered his cholesterol and blood sugar and slept better at night.

None of this is brand new. I think Salon nailed it when they called this book "applied Pollan." Before I read the book, I had already incorporated most of the recommendations into my diet (except I am not always vigilant since I find it difficult to not order dessert when I go to a new restaurant). I highly recommend this book and think that the role of food in public policy is only going to become more important with obesity and environmental issues on the rise.

"Lose Weight! Save the Planet! Become a Lessmeatarian!"

Search for the Best Burger in LA

For about a year now, I've been trying to drastically limit the amount of red meat I eat. Since I only eat red meat a couple of times a month, I try to make sure that I make it count. LA is known for it's great burgers, so one goal for this year is to very slowly eat my way through some of the top burger spots in the city. Let me know if you want to make a trip sometime to any of the ones listed that I haven't visited!

Already Visited:
The Counter (Santa Monica)
In 'N Out (various) (I still don't get all the hype. Good for fast food, still not the best burger)
8 Oz (Hollywood)
Father's Office (Santa Monica, Culver City)
Westside Tavern
Rush Street (Culver City - I am counting this even though I actually had a great turkey burger with a fried egg on it)

Need to visit:

Comme Ca, West Hollywood

Cube, West Hollywood

Umami (La Brea)









Zeke's Smokehouse (West Hollywood)

Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica)

The Oinkster (Eagle Rock)

Dino's Burgers (South LA)

25 Degrees (Hollywood) - Note to self: Get the onion rings & Guinness shake

The Hungry Cat (Hollywood)

Apple Pan (West LA)

Are there any that I'm missing that I should try? If I do one a month, I can get through these by the end of the year.

Sushi

An illustrated guide to answer the burning question: What is the right way to eat sushi?

State Fair Food

I remember reading about Meat Lovers' Ice Cream Cone being sold recently at the Los Angeles County Fair. Needless to say, I found the name alone pretty disgusting.

But then in my The Economist issue this week, there was an article discussing deep fried balls of butter. I am not sure if this should even count as food. A little searching and I quickly found that Paul Deen had a recipe for this scary conconction. If anyone is brave (and self-loathing) enough to try it, here is the recipe:

• 2 sticks butter
• 2 ounces cream cheese
  
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• Peanut oil, for frying

"Cream the butter, cream cheese, salt and pepper together with an electric mixer until smooth. Using a very small ice cream scoop, or melon baller, form 1-inch balls of butter mixture and arrange them on a parchment or waxed paper lined sheet pan. Freeze until solid. Coat the frozen balls in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs and freeze again until solid.

When ready to fry, preheat oil in a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

Fry balls for 10 to 15 seconds until just light golden. Drain on paper towels before serving."

Food Receipts with Nutritional Info

I weighed in on a debate a couple of months back (on Facebook of all places) with a friend about the new California law that requires chain restaurants to make available the nutritional information of their food. She was against the idea (staunch Libertarian), and I was a big fan of the idea of providing more information to consumers to allow them to make informed choices.

I just came across the Nutricate System that actually prints on your receipt the exact nutritional information of what you ordered, including order customizations. What would you think of this being included on all receipts vs. an option?

Food Rules

I recently got a Santa Monica Public Library card since the main library is only a few blocks from my work. The past couple of times I've gone, I've sort of just browsed and picked up books at random. However, there are huge opportunity costs when it comes to reading books. I've decided to plan ahead and I've put half a dozen books on hold for me at the library so I can be sure to have something I'm excited about when they become available. A couple of the books I added today were about food. While I had to throw on Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain, I'm more excited about reading books about food politics such as Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto.

In the recent New York Times Magazine issue dedicated entirely to food, Pollan discussed Food Rules: Your Dietary Do's and Dont's. Here are some of his favorites that have been submitted to him. There are some good ones in there. If you don't feel like reading a book about food politics, maybe you should think about renting Food, Inc. when it is released next month.

El Bulli

This has to be my favorite article I've ever seen on a food web site. After 5 years of trying to get reservations at what is billed "The Greatest Restaurant in the World," Adam Roberts documents his experience at El Bulli in Spain with a comic book format and short videos. I spent a good amount of time at work reading about each of the 30 COURSES and salivating over the pictures. I recommend that you do the same.

Dessert

Watch-out Diddy Riese. Your ice cream cookie sandwiches may be the cool thing in Westwood, but New York just one-upped you with an ice cream sandwich flanked by doughnut-halves.






















h/t Serious Eats NY

Trader Joe's Unofficial Commercial

I really do love this place. 

"Since Trader Joe's won't do commercial advertising, some dude with a Palm Treo did it for them. Though he broke the in-house "No Photography" policy, snapping shots of Aloe Chunk Juice and a disgruntled manager, it's a heartwarming, unauthorized look at favorite Trader Joeisms." [via Doobybrain]

Best of Westwood

Here is my list of personal favorites: 

Restaurants:

Yamato (1/2 off after 5 pm)

Shamshiri Grill

Damon and Pythias (also a great happy hour)

Good Earth (great for Brunch or Brinner)

Ami's (great deal now that they also do 1/2 off on sushi, but I prefer Yamato when I am feeling adventurous) 

Bars:

Palomino (if you can get a table)

Westwood Brewing Company (BrewCo)

Delivery:

Mr. Noodle (ask for a free drink if delivery & over $10)

BJ's

Grocery Store

Trader Joe's (Currently my overall favorite place in Westwood)

Cup of Coffee:

Pete's Coffee (On Westwood Blvd. Closes a little too early)

Starbucks (I love sitting outside by the lights of the Mann Village)

Dessert

Elysee Bakery

Study Spot:

Corner Bakery (Refills on different coffees and a yummy muffin)

Favorite Movie Theatre:

Mann Village

Haircut Spot

Oakley's Barber Shop

La Belle Hair Salon

Least Favorite Place in Westwood

Course Reader Materials (what a shady place)

Hidden Treasure:
Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

I know I am missing a couple of places. What are your favorites?

Snacks

20 Worst (Most Unhealthy) Foods in America 

Disconcerting list. I can't believe that I ever ordered an Awesome Blossom.

Instead, Consider Trying Some of My Favorite Snacks at Trader Joe's:

• Whole wheat naan bread with Tzatziki
  
• Plain greek yogurt, fresh blueberries, and mixed berry granola
• Papaya mango salsa with sea salt pita chips
• Brown Rice Sushi
• Greek Salad (reduced fat)
  
• Whole Grain Blueberry Instant Oatmeal
• Slices of peppered turkey w/ reduced fat smoked gouda cheese & crackers

Dinner and a Movie?

Next time I'm in Santa Monica, I'm going to Copa d'Oro

Darkly lit, mid-sized, and Old World-detailed, Copa's a menu-less cocktail emporium dedicated to making exclusive-to-you drinks. Barkeeps are expertly trained to pinpoint your poison by querying on things like basic taste (sweet/sour/bitter), fruity (orange, mango, blackberry, etc)/not (not), and obviously base booze.

Ingredients are fresh from the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, from fruits to rosemary and wasabi, as well as specialty juices (pomegranate, pear, etc) and sodas (Granny Smith apple, raspberry). Drink Menu.

3D Sex and Zen

Shooting will begin in April on what's being billed as the world's first 3-D erotic film. "Just imagine that you'll be watching it as if you were sitting beside the bed," the producer told the South China Morning Post. "There will be many close-ups. It will look as if the actresses are only a few centimeters from the audience."

Stuck in my head alllll day:

Web In Front - Archers Of Loaf