comida, sealed with a beso

I've been eating out a lot lately... probably because that's the only way I see anyone anymore thanks to my current sabbatical from being stressed out and ticked off all the time (aka working). Last week, I reunited with three-fifths of the amazingly awesome Soapnet.com team, circa 2005, to catch up and chow down at a restaurant one of us has always wanted to try, Beso Hollywood. 

Owned by former Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria and celeb chef Todd English, the restaurant is located in the heart of Hollywood on the corner of Hollywood Blvd and Ivar. The menu is described as a fusion of classic steakhouse and authentic Latin dishes. And its decor is dark ... with dark wood and leather furniture, candles and gorgeous chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. It would've been very romantic had I been there with a guy instead of two gal pals. ;) But we still had a great time exploring the menu and left in a very happy food coma. It is on the pricey side though, so be warned. Luckily, the friend who wanted to eat here had also purchased a Living Social deal for $60 of food for $30, so we saved a bit there. 

Here's the pictorial of my menu for the evening:

The menu, and the candle I needed to read it (I said it was dark!)

For my cocktail, I ordered the "Pretty Girl" because it had vodka and strawberries -- two of my most favorite things -- in it (plus basil, lemon and sparkling wine).

I was hoping it would be as awesome as the Basil Berry cocktail I had at Yamashiro recently. But apparently, changing lemon juice to lemon and soda to sparkling wine totally changes the drink from sweet (the Basil Berry at Yamashiro) to kinda sour (the Pretty Girl at Beso).

It was okay, but wasn't what my palate was in the mood for that night.

For our appetizer, we were torn between Eva's Guacamole and the Beso Guacamole (which I will assume means it's Todd's?). We went with the Beso Guac because it sounded less salsa-esque and had corn in it, which sounded like an interesting twist. It came served in the avocado shells and was good, but not the best guac I've ever had by any means. What WAS really great, was the complimentary flatbread they brought us with it (sort of in the top of the photo). Next time, I'll save $9 and just eat that :)

For my entree' I ordered the Chili-Rubbed Skirt Steak. (Note: This photo sucks, so please don't judge the food by it.) Served on a wooden cutting board, the medium-cooked meat was spicy, but not too spicy and very tender with a great sauce. But what I liked best about the dish was the side -- Tortilla Fattoush. I had no clue what that was when I ordered, but was very pleasantly surprised. It was a corn/salsa salad with fried tortilla strips in it. Its crispy freshness totally complemented the steak.

Ohhh, and we also ordered a side to share -- truffled mac and cheese -- and it was one of the most heavenly yummy things I've had in a long time! Highly recommend that... even though I have no idea how mac and cheese qualifies as steakhouse or Latin fare.

dinner at tuscany

Yes, that's at Tuscany, as in Tuscany il Ristorante in Westlake Village; not in Tuscany as in Italy. So while it doesn't have being in the most beautiful region of Italy to its credit, it is a great restaurant that was named an Open Table 2011 Diners Choice winner, and is a favorite of television legend Tom Selleck. I know this because my family has seen him here at least four different times. Alas, he did not show up for this family birthday dinner of mine though. Oh well... We still had a great time and had great food. I also (with the exception of my beverage) tried all new things I've never had here before in keeping with my 2013 "try new things" goal :)

Traditionally, when we come here, my mom and I have Cosmos. This year, my mom bailed on tradition and got wine instead. But I still got a pretty pink drink :)

Since this is a Tuscan restaurant, you should eat in courses like real Italians do, right? So for my "antipasti" I tried the Crispy Baby Artichokes a la "Romana," which were roasted baby artichokes served with a spicy arrabbiata tomato sauce and eggless roasted garlic aioli. I love me some artichokes and these were very good. But the bad thing about artichokes is they have pointy leaves, and when you make them crispy you're kind of accentuating that pointiness. They were still good and the arrabbiata sauce was to die for, but I still prefer my artichokes steamed or marinated.

For my "secondi" I was in the mood for pasta, so I had the Vermicelli with Strips of Filet Mignon and Pancetta, which consisted of large spaghetti with strips of filet mignon, roasted tomato, onion and pancetta. It arrived looking like spaghetti with a meat sauce, and I wasn't thinking about what I'd ordered when I took my first bite. So I was surprised by the filet mignon's lack of fall-apart-in-my-mouthness like a meatball would. But once I got over that and remembered what I'd ordered, all was right with the world again and I loved this dish. It was also extremely filling.

But that didn't mean I was too full for dessert... especially after my dad blabbed to the waitress that I was a "birthday girl." So I got a delish piece of the house tiramisu for free to celebrate, which I shared with the table. I'm not a big tiramisu person, but this one was good because a) there wasn't an overwhelming rum taste and b) there was a lot of chocolate and very spongy cake. And it had a candle on it :) 

japanese fusion above hollywood

This is the week of birthday dinners for me. Yay! Starting on Saturday night (aka my actual birthday), three friends took me out to Yamashiro (aka "The Mountain Palace), which sits up on the Hollywood side of the hill, above The Magic Castle, off of Fountain. 

View of "The Mountain Palace" from across the driveway

I'd added Yamashiro to my list of places I want to eat in LA a year ago when I read about it in the food issue of Los Angeles Magazine, which mostly commented on its amazing view of LA. But I had no idea until we got there how big it was. It must seat 150+ people in the dining rooms that wrap around the outside of the building, and the inside garden, complete with koi pond and heat lamps. I also had no idea just how great the view was. It was like being at Runyon on a very clear, beautiful night (which isn't allowed since Runyon closes at sundown), with views east to Dodger Stadium, south downtown and west to Century City.

Hollywood at night, as seen from the Yamashiro driveway,
with the Downtown LA skyline way in the distance

But the size of the place and the view are only part of the experience. Overall, the food here, while pricey, is amaze-balls! A delicious series of surprises for your tastebuds, that -- best of all -- left me feeling satisfied but not stuffed/in a food coma, so I still had room for birthday cupcakes later that evening :) Here's what we ate, detailed photographically so you can drool along...

Drinkie-Drinks

 Only two of us had cocktails but they both got high marks. I LOVED this Basil Berry cocktail, which was sweet, but not too sweet and very refreshing thanks to the basil and soda. Also, I could barely taste the vodka, which can be good or bad, depending on how many you order ;) (I only had one. Seriously.)

Norman's Mai Tai
light rum, dark rum, passion fruit
and a secret ingredient

Basil Berry
vodka, muddled strawberry, basil,
lemon juice and soda

Appetizers

Pan Seared Crab Cakes (no photo -- we ate them too fast)

The crab cakes come two to a plate, but are big enough that you can cut them in half and share amongst four people. They were really good, served with a great cracked pepper aioli sauce and a pico de gallo-ish garnish of seasoned tomatoes and onions.

and 

Seafood Tempura (shrimp, scallops, cod, zucchini, onion)

The seafood tempura was also really good. It was a mix of seafood (shrimp, cod, scallops) and tempura battered veggies like zucchini and onion rings, that tasted great when dipped in the sake-ponzu sauce.

My Dinner 

Black Forbidden Rice Roll

(spicy tuna, cucumber, avocado, tobiko, spicy mayo)

Everyone on Yelp was raving about this roll, so I made that my first choice off the menu. It was very good... slightly crunchy thanks to the cucumber and rice, and spicy thanks to the tuna and mayo sauce. I had one slice dipped in soy sauce, but then realized you don't need it at all. At first we also thought that there was caviar on top, but upon rechecking the menu realized it was tobiko (roe), likely died black with squid ink or something to make it no longer red/orange like normal smelt eggs. All in all, this was a good, very filling roll, but it is not the most amazing roll they have. (Keep reading....)

Spicy Lobster Roll 

(lobster, avocado, cucumber, bacon, basil-artichoke sauce)

This roll is quite possibly one of the most amazing things in the world. The roll itself is lobster, cucumber and avocado. But it's sitting on a really yummy basil-artichoke sauce. And on top of the roll is a lightly-cooked, thick sliver of smokey, amazingly delicious BACON! This goes in your mouth and you are automatically happy. Then, after a few seconds, you get a spicy after-kick to make it even better. I was going to let people try this off my plate, but they wisely chose to order their own plate of it. Yes, four of us ate 12 slices of this roll. And, quite honestly, if I could've, I would have traded in that Black Forbidden Rice roll I'd already eaten for more of this. 

It's SO GOOD!!!!

My Friends' Dinners

Asian BBQ Baby Back Ribs 

w/ mashed yams, sauteed kale, and asian five-spice cornbread

These were amazing! I only had a bite, but the meat was melt-in-your-mouth delish, with a sweet BBQ sauce. The people at the table who eat yams (ie: not me) said those were also great, as was the kale and cornbread. I might have to get this next time I go. (minus the yams ;)

Shoyu Glazed Black Cod 

w/ wasabi mashed potatoes, sauteed mustard greens and maitake mushrooms

I didn't try this, but my friend who ordered it was the first one to clean his plate, so it must've been good. The cod was grilled and the glaze smelled really good. 

Loch Duart Salmon 

w/ roasted asparagus, cured lemon smashed potatoes

This is another one I might have to try when I go again. I had a bite of the salmon, which was moist and well seasoned, with just a hint of crispiness on the edges. And you can't go wrong with asparagus and smashed potatoes.

happy national margarita day!

Who knew there was a National Margarita Day!?! I didn't till right now, and unfortunately, I'm already a glass and a half into a bottle of wine. However, I had a big margie on Monday night and have plans for another one tomorrow night, so I'll just be celebrating my own personal National Margarita Week :) And till tomorrow's goblet-o-lime-and-te-kill-ya goodness, I'm just going to stare at these pretty pictures:

The Best Margaritas in Los Angeles
(Note: I'm surprised the Casa Vega margarita isn't on there... one of those will knock you out! Although I have had the one from the El Paseo Inn on Olvera Street, and it ain't too weak either ;)

birthday dinner in old hollywood

Today I am officially old. So to celebrate I decided to go to the oldest restaurant in Hollywood for my birthday dinner with the 'rents. Musso and Frank Grill has been around since 1919 and is about as old-school as you can get. Old red leather booths complete with coat hooks on the aisle, two old wooden phone booths in the back where movie deals were probably made in the '50s, and employees who have been working there longer than I've been alive (so they're really old ;)

Musso and Frank claims to have the world's greatest martinis. So of course that's what we ordered. However, since I don't like to taste my alcohol, I ordered the fruity version, aka a Cosmo. True to their old-school-ness, the martinis come in tiny glasses, with the overflow in a vase on ice for you to pour when you're done with the first tiny glass. 

I was tempted to order spaghetti and meatballs (I think it was because the red leather booths also invoke that Italian restaurant vibe...) but since I'm old, I decided to go with the more mature meal of Filet Mignon, medium. It was good but could have been a little less pink... or I suppose I could have asked for it medium-well. Oh well...potato/potatoe... which reminds me, I had it with french fries instead of a baked potato because it's my birthday and that's what I wanted :P

My dad had the New York steak -- with a baked potato. It photographs better than my filet did. Dad enjoyed it... then proceeded to eat my fries. 

Mom had one of the specials: roast duckling. I don't eat duck. I have a very strict "no eating baby animals (veal or lamb) or cute animals (rabbit, duck, deer)" policy. Tonight at Musso and Frank I learned that I, therefore, could never have eaten dinner with Charlie Chaplin. His fave meal on the Musso and Frank menu was Grilled Lamb Kidney with Bacon. No thanks. And no thanks to roast duckling too, although Mom said it was yummy.

So the entrees all got a thumbs up. But the desserts left something to be desired. For one thing, they don't have creme brule. I therefore had to order pie (because I didn't want cake, ice cream, pudding or tiramasu). My apple pie was cold -- I would have preferred it warmed -- and the crust was thick and not at all flakey. In fact between the thickness and the cold, it was kind of hard to cut. The 'rents split New York Cheesecake. I don't eat cheesecake either, so no taste-test for me. They seemed to enjoy it, although Mom said the layer on top was "interesting." 

brunching at bottega louie

I've been to the fabulous Bottega Louie in Downtown LA twice for dinner, drinks and dessert, but have always wanted to try their breakfast menu. So when my friend Diana asked to take me to brunch to kick off my birthday week, and mentioned going somewhere special (aka somewhere other than Hugo's or 4n20), I picked Bottega, and I'm so glad I did (even though I've been in a food coma all day). 

Here's the deliciousness we devoured:

I started with a chai tea latte (shocker!) and fresh squeezed orange juice. The chai was small and just sweet enough. The juice was thick and pulpy and good. Diana had fresh pinapple juice. 

We ordered raspberry beignets as a "starter." These are not like the beignets I've had before from the world-famous Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans (which actually did not live up to their hype). These are covered with normal sugar, not messy powdered sugar, and were lighter..just like a sugared doughnut. The raspberry compote was great!

Diana had the Breakfast Flatbread for her entree, which consisted of Bottega's pizza dough (fresh out of their giant pizza oven) covered in prosciutto, mozzarella, baked egg, arugula and a house arrabiata sauce she said was really good.

I had a really hard time deciding what to order for my entree. I almost got the french toast, but decided that'd be bread overload after the beignets. So I ordered the spinach and goat cheese quiche, served with a side of frisee salad and pear tomatoes. It was pretty great. My one recommendation would be to add another layer of spinach lower in the quiche. It was all up on the top layer, which was crispy. 

After all that (plus the yummy Bottega bread they bring for breakfast too, but with jam!), we were stuffed. However, I'd already decided I was stopping at the patisserie on the way out for Sunday night dessert with the 'rents. Here's what I took to-go:

A giant piece of tiramasu, that made my mom decide she wants to start making tiramasu. This isn't my fave dessert, but the bite I had was pretty good.



Creme brule -- this IS my fave dessert! And Bottega Louie has three flavors. I ate the normal vanilla one, surrounded by raspberries, with some green garnish that I never figured out sprinkled all around, and sitting on a crisp, sweet base.

Dad got the chocolate creme brule. He didn't share so I don't know what it tasted like, but I assume it was good since he devoured it pretty quickly. The third flavor they have is hazelnut, which I'm not a huge fan of, but I'm sure it's good to people who like hazelnut.

"une délicieuse cuisine" above la

I have a big birthday coming up in three weeks and everyone has been constantly asking me, "What are we doing for your birthday?" The pressure! So in an effort to find a unique, fun place to hang that also has good food, my dear friend Cwennen and I went out last night on a reconnaissance mission to check out two places in Downtown LA.

The first stop was Perch, a French bistro and bar "perched" on the roof of a 15-story building near Pershing Square. The view of downtown on a clear, January night (that had been 80 degrees during the day) was beautiful! This photo doesn't do it justice...

We sat out on the patio, on the side of the building facing the Square, near a fire pit occupied by a bunch of friends chatting over cocktails.

Our lovely waitress Carlina was magnifiquès! She gave us great drink and appetizer recommendations, answered questions about the space/who to contact for private events and checked in on us often. We had read about some amazing-sounding blue-cheese poppers on the website. Sadly, that was on the old menu with the old chef. Carlina apologized but recommended a new starter -- baked Brie cheese sticks with a (what I think was) raspberry sauce. They were awesome! She also helped Cwennen choose a "Jacques Collins" (gin, lemon juice, soda and saffron) over a "French Maid" (cognac, lemon juice, simple syrup w/muddled cucumber & mint) cocktail. I went with the "My Fair Lady," a French cosmo (of course) with quinoa vodka, cranberry, lime and crème de peche. It was sweet, but good. Not too weak, not too strong.

For my entree, I went with the new chef's Steak Frites, which wasn't on the online menu either (Carlina noted they really need to update that!).

My medium-cooked steak was topped with grilled onion and a patty of blue cheese that eventually melted all over my meat as I sliced. It was really, really tasty! As were the perfectly cooked (crispy on the ends, soft in the middle) "frites."

Cwennen had the Bonbon Risotto of sweet corn and pea tendrils with a parmesan crisp. It was also yummy, but could've used a little more greens... we decided small pieces of asparagus would be perfecto!

Overall, the dinner was delish, and the restuarant has a really relaxing, cheerful vibe... accented by the French music (my new, make-me-happy music of choice over the last month since watching Midnight in Paris) playing at just the right volume over the sound system outside.

Perch is a definite possibility for the birthday extravaganza. There is a huge parking lot across the street, as well as two metro stops nearby (either 4th Street or Pershing Square), so transportation should be easy for people. Next I just have to email and get the scary quote on reserving either part of the patio or the safer (since my birthday is in the middle of winter and there is no guarantee it will be 80 degrees that day ;) inside performance space that Carlina says people can reserve from 7-9 for private events.

Souhaitez moi bonne chance! (That's "Wish me luck in French" ;) Because the other place we went to after Perch -- The Edison -- while in a very cool, underground, industrial space with a fun roaring '20s vibe, was just too loud and too crowded for my liking.