Sushi Zo, Los Angeles, CA

I've passed this place so many times, and I never think to eat there. First of all, if you know anything about my area, asian food does NOT abound. Secondly, how much should I really trust a sushi restaurant that's neighboring a Mexican Taco Plus and shares a shopping center with Papa Johns and Vons. How snooty am I being?

Sushi Zo. So I don't really have words to describe it, except to say it's the best sushi I've ever tasted. Each piece is served alone (one piece per place per person), and can be as crazy as uni & noodles to something as ordinary as salmon. But what really blows my mind is how fresh the fish is. They must've JUST killed each fish as they were serving it because there was not even a hint of age in anything that we ate.

Another interesting twist in dining- Omakase-style (chef just busts out whatever he feels like). they tell you how to eat the fish. And for those of you who hate taking direction on your foods..trust me it's HELLSA worth it this time. I think I used soy sauce maybe twice through the entire meal. Most of the fish was so fresh or so perfectly matched with another flavor (lemon, ponzu, pepper, etc.) that there was no need to use soy sauce. Lastly, they top off the evening with THE MOST AMAZING blue crab roll I've ever tasted. Seriously. THE BEST. (MAN I wish I sucked up the embarrassment and took pictures. Now I have reason to buy a new camera)

one con- Now, I was fortunate enough to go for business, but I hear that it can be quite pricey, especially if you make it full circle around the menu of fish.

valuable learnings (as we call them at work!)- Did you know the correct way to eat sushi is fish side down (rice side up) so that you get the full flavor of the fish on your tongue? BRILLIANT.

Craft, Century City, CA

Unfortunately, I was unable to snap shots since it was a business dinner, but definitely worth a few mins to discuss. This is what I remember eating...

First courses:

• Oysters: So apparently, the smaller the oyster, the sweeter it is (sweeter being better-tasting). My very first time eating a raw oyster...and it wasn't that bad! And I actually chewed it. I think they were called Kushi oysters.
  
• Crab Gratin: good. cheesey.
  

Main Course:

• NY strip steak. eh. (sad huh?)

Sides:

• baby broccoli
• asparagus
• another kind of gratin (just potatoes this time)
• assorted mushrooms
• polenta

My only comment here is that it was all very boring

Dessert:

• Apple pie crisp. nothing special.
• Waffles and ice cream. again, nothing special (but the ice cream was GOOD!)
• Mango Shortcake: interesting concept...maybe mangos aren't in season yet?
  
• Donuts: these were the best tasting doughnuts i've EVER tasted. not too sweet, not too fried, and super fluffy. YUM!

Ok, so really the only thing i enjoyed was the wine and the donuts. It was definitely nothing compared to the Las Vegas Craftsteak which was INCREDIBLE. I was sad, but at least it wasn't on my dime!

BTW- Father's Office

Father's Office, Culver City, LA (um, can we say "walking distance from jess's apt")

supposedly now open! very exciting, and very hungry. supposedly new and improved menu, as well as bigger space. i'm stoked. and i'll save on gas.

Updates to come...

Apple Pan- West LA, CA

Another burger post!

The thing that sets these burgers apart from the rest are the "hickory" flavor. It's not in every dish (they also have regular burgers, tuna sandwiches, etc), but it's just so flavorful with that hickory taste. Also, note the size of that apple pie slice. They pour some kind of syrup or sauce on it too that's barely noticeable, but it mixed with the (handmade?) vanilla ice cream to make your pie a la mode and it's the end to a very complete all-american meal. A+ for the service too. I never had to refill my own ketchup (and if you know me well, you know I'm disgusting with the amount of ketchup i eat with my fries. I love the stuff, OK?!) There's so much more I could rave about this place, so I'll let the pictures explain the rest.

Matsuwa vs Nijiya - Los Angeles, CA

I don't know when the sudden obsession with Japanese desserts started, but it was definitely sudden. In any case, Sam and I went totally overboard with the purchases. See pictures for reference.

Nijiya
I blame the milk tea bars for the start of it all, now that I think about it. I don't know WHAT it is about them, but they flavor is mellow (not too sweet, not too bitter), and may even taste better than the boba-version. The consistency is perfect, and not too creamy, and definitely would be a fantastically cooling treat in the summer days. And they are small (as most Japanese things are) so they do not make you feel fat. Unfortunately, only Nijiya market carries them.

Matsuwa

A Japanese market on a bigger scale. These guys have what we THOUGHT were milk tea bars, but really they were only milk bars. It literally tasted like someone had put milk and sugar in a mold and froze it. Not as bad as it sounds. Also, don't get the green tea ice cream bars covered in white chocolate. UNtasty.

You can find the Melon bars and that wierd brand of ice cream that makes flavors such as Red Bean and Lychee (with Lychee bits in it!) at almost any asian market except maybe the Ranch 99's, but if you haven't tried those yet, you have not lived. Looks like my sweet tooth is back!

Chloe- Santa Monica, CA

I'm usually not a fan of those niche, funky bars. Nor do I enjoy those dimly lit, swanky places either. But there's a hidden bar recently discovered by my co-worker that I found worthy of a review.

If you don't know what Kir Royal is, please come to LA so I can show you. I'm already a big fan of Champagne, but the way Chloe makes it- Champagne plus a little Chambord (which I also already love) - makes a really tasty drink. Beware- drink slowly.

Also newly discovered favorite food- smoked salmon sandwich with thinly sliced cucumbers and red onions. And you're probably wondering if my breath stunk from the onions. Well, they were so thinly sliced that you could barely taste them. They definitely complemented the overall taste of the sandwich. Man, I love smoked salmon.

Note- if you have a craving for a Father's Office burger, but the line is too long, head over to Chloe's for a similar-tasting, but slightly smaller version. I've never had to fight for a table, and the place is filled with little couches and benches. Cozy.

B+ for bar food, A for drinks

Ruth's Chris Steak House; Beverly Hills, CA

The only expectation I had going into Ruth's Chris Steak House was that it was expensive food. Boyfriend and I got lucky and found that they were participating in DineLA restaurant week (http://dinela.com/) which, if steak was included in the pre fixe menu, automatically made this a good deal.

Menu (of items sampled)

• Bread & Butter

I'm the kind of person that goes into a restaurant starving, and then I load up on bread and butter and have no room for the main course. I have sinned again. The bread was piping hot, so I HAD to eat at least 3 pieces.

• Appetizer: Ahi Tuna & Steak House Salad

There was no steak on the Steak House Salad, but the croutons were good. I was actually expecting it to be a bit more fancy, so I was disappointed by the salad. However, the Ahi Tuna was a hit. 8 fatty pieces of tuna lightly seared, and very tasty.

• Main: Petite Filet

It wasn't really petite (yay!). We were expecting some tiny little cut of meat, but I think it was anywhere between 6-8 oz of steak. And of course, it was cooked in butter. I wish I had picture to post, but since we were sitting at the bar, it seemed sort of awkward at the time.

• Sides: Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach

I don't prefer cooked spinach. I really like it fresh, like in a salad Anyways, I could've done without the creamed spinach. The mashed potatoes, however, were incredible. Smooth, but not so smooth that you think it came out of a box. It definitely complemented the steak.

• Dessert: Raspberry Sorbet, Cheesecake, Apple Pie

Story- so they were out of the bread pudding, which I REALLY wanted to try, so the bartender said I could just substitute with an item from the normal dessert menu. So, Andrew picked the cheesecake, and I at first ordered the sorbet. After hearing about the apple pie option, I quickly changed my mind. The sorbet came out first, and after some speculation as to whether or not the bartender heard me change my mind, I took a bite of it thinking he just didn't hear my order. And then both the cheesecake and apple pie come out, of course looking delicious. Now, these aren't just ordinary slices of pie and cake (think Thanksgiving dessert). These were full on personal sized pies and cakes. Realizing their mistake, we actually got our desserts included in the pre fixe price without having to pay for the third dessert. Sweet.

Then randomly, the guy next to us asked if he could try a bite of boyfriend's cheesecake. So we cut him a piece :)

Definitely an A+ restaurant. The bartenders were really cool, and we were sitting RIGHT in front of the flat screen TV which was showing ESPN highlights, so it was a good experience overall. Unfortunately, I will be cutting out mass quantities of beef from my diet per my expanding waistline's request, so it was a good meal to end with.