Hill Street Cafe

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. In celebration, we went to this restaurant that my other sister works - Hill Street Cafe in La Canada. I was a little underwhelmed with this place, which is unfortunate because they had a lot potential.

Details:
Hill Street Cafe
1004 Foothill Blvd.
La Canada Flintridge, CA 91011
tel: (818) 952-1019

All of us got breakfast at Hill Street Cafe, and the food wasn't bad - it was just... uninspiring. The coffee was good, and the bread they serve is decent - but very sticky because of the sweet onions they put on it, which is not a huge plus for me. I prefer not-sticky bread.

I got my standby for a new breakfast place - two eggs over medium with corned beef hash. I know it's not all that creative, but it's a good dish to judge how well a place does other dishes. I asked for the hash browns and corned beef hash to be made crispy, but you wouldn't have known it from how my meal came out. My eggs were a bit watery, which I hate (and why I order them over medium instead of over easy), and they had butter all over them. And my hash browns and corned beef hash were not crispy. The flavors were fine, I was just rather disappointed in the execution.

My dad had Eggs Benedict which he said was ok, except that the hollandaise sauce was not very awe-inspiring. My stepmom had a "fruit" crepe that had bananas and canned peaches on it. My sister had a giant California omelet, which seems to be one of the things they do correctly. And my sister's boyfriend had a crazy spicy chorizo scramble that came with tortillas that were on their way out of life. Overall, we were extremely disappointed, even in the free dessert they brought for my sister. It was this apple cobbler type thing, only the cobbler layers were vanilla cake mix, basically raw.

On top of everything else, it was all pretty expensive. There were six of us eating breakfast and the bill was almost $100. Crazy.

They're supposed to have good lunch combos - soups and sandwiches and salads, etc. I don't know much about the restaurant in general, and I would be open to trying it again for lunch. But I highly doubt this place will ever be one of my favorites.

Good for:

- not entirely sure yet

Bad for:

- bang for your buck
- breakfast

Adriana'a overall rating: 4/10 (and 1 of those points is due to my sister working there)

gingergrass

I started going to gingergrass when I started working at my current job. It's a fairly trendy version of Vietnamese food, but they have deliciously creative dishes, and all of the dishes carry over the amazing flavors and combinations that you find in traditional Vietnamese food.

Details:
gingergrass
2396 Glendale Boulevard
Silver Lake, CA 90039
tel: (323) 644-1600
http://www.gingergrass.com

There are many great dishes to have here, but I tend to stick to a few that are my favorites. But before I get into the dishes, here's something you should know about me: I do NOT like tofu. I am simply not a tofu person. My mom was a vegetarian for a while when I was young, and it was a nightmare for me, because she would put tofu in everything. However? gingergrass blew my opinion about tofu out of the water.

One of my all time favorite dishes at gingergrass is their tofu lunch plate. Instead of the chewy, flavorless substance I was accustomed to, I was delighted with soft, textured bites. Maybe it was the crunchy shell that is created as they cook it, or their general method of making it, but it's fabulous.

In fact, you really can't go wrong with one of their three lunch plates. In addition to the tofu, they have a pork chop lunch plate and a wok tossed chicken lunch plate. All are delicious. All are served with their amazing Vietnamese "cole slaw" and broken rice, a combination of which could be its own mini meal.

As for dinner, my co-workers and I have tried a bunch of their entrees. The bo sate, shaking beef, and the wok tossed noodles are all favorites. I've never tried their noodle bowls, but they seem to be well liked as well.

Also not to be missed are their drink specials - the basil lime elixir is my absolute favorite, and the "gingergrass gingerale" is very tasty as well. And if you're in the mood for a caffeine fix, the Vietnamese coffee is crazy good. Brewed fresh for you into a cup of condensed milk, if you pour it over ice you are sure to avoid that after lunch food coma. They constantly have unique special appetizers, entrees, and desserts. The lychee panna cotta is absolutely to die for, and I was gutted to not find it on the specials any longer when I went last.

Prices are a bit on the expensive side, but are still reasonable depending on what you order.

Good for:

- lunches, work or otherwise
- fairly healthy fare
- beverages
- tofu

Tips:

- Three of the guys I've gone with have not felt full after eating at gingergrass. If you order correctly, you get more than enough food, but beware of entrees like the lemongrass chicken, because it's chicken on the bone, and a bit more paltry than other dishes.

Adriana's overall rating: 8/10

The Pantry

The Pantry is one of those Los Angeles institutions that has been around forever and a year, and with good reason! Open since 1924, it's a cash only diner open 24 hours a day (rumor has it that the door doesn't even have a lock). In the heart of downtown Los Angeles, it's a popular lunch spot for politicians from City Hall and Convention Center-goers, and at night becomes a mecca for the post-concert & club crowd and the many insomniacs that haunt LA.

Details:

The Pantry

877 S Figueroa Street (Figueroa and 9th)

Los Angeles, CA 90017

tel: (213) 972-9279

http://www.pantrycafe.com/

We recently went to The Pantry after my sister's high school graduation. We were a party of seven, but would have been seated right away had my parents gotten there at the same time we did - instead we waited at the counter with mugs of delicious coffee until they arrived and we were seated. Our waiter came quickly, only to be sent away because we weren't ready. It took him a while to come back, but when he did it was with our drinks as well as a giant plate heaped with sourdough bread. It was soft and chewy and seriously hit the spot while we waited to order.

We mostly ordered dinner-type items: BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, clam chowder, the Pantry burger - with the exception of Sean who ordered an omlet. I think that breakfast and meat/steak are the ways to go at The Pantry - our food was good, but other tables had some amazing looking stuff!

Most meals come with coleslaw, potatoes, and veggies - ours came with only coleslaw, and I'm not sure if it was because they ran out of everything else, or what. Maybe it was because we all had sandwiches?

Nina got a piece of lemon cake to take with her, so I'm not sure how that worked out for her. We ordered custard, which I will not do again. It was too close to flan for my taste, and I'd been expecting something closer to pudding.

The prices are reasonable for a diner - we had some of the cheaper plates which were all under $10, but if you want to go big, they do have a giant steak plate for $22.50.

This is NOT the place to go for "gourmet" food, or "healthy" food. The Pantry is a great greasy spoon diner to go to when you need something heavy in your stomach after a night on the town, or to help cure a hangover. It's the place to go for a slice of LA history and interesting characters. If I had had more time and guts, I would have been photographing much more than our table and the menus on the wall!

Good for:

- good coffee and breakfast items
- LA history
- out on the town wrap up
- 24 hour service

Next time I go, I will order breakfast, the mac & cheese, or a grilled cheese sandwich. And try the lemon cake or cheesecake for dessert!

Tips:

- Lines can be long or short at any given time of the day - no reservations are taken and you will only be seated when your whole party is there.
- They only take CASH, so don't forget to stop at the ATM on your way over.
- Park across the street in the lot on 9th, it's only $2 with validation and everywhere else will be much more, or illegal.

Addy's rating: 8/10

Toast

We went to Toast over the weekend to celebrate Good Eats Here blogger Chris' birthday. Happy Birthday Chris!! We went for the drinks, the company and the atmosphere, and while those were fantastic, I felt that the Toast experience left something to be desired. It was my first time there, and let's just say that Chris and Kit Kat will have a hard time convincing some of us to go again next year.

Details:

Toast

20969 Ventura Blvd

Woodland Hills, CA 91364
tel: 818.992.5500

http://www.toastaurant.com/

Ambiance: They have a comfy, well decorated bar area. It doesn't have too many tables, for the amount of space it takes up, but all for all it's a comfortable space. TVs for the sports inclined, dimmed lights for the romantics. We saw at least one first date, and I wouldn't be surprised if there'd been more.

Food: I was a little torn on the food. Our group ordered a few things - mac & cheese with lobster and truffle, burger and fries, cake.

The mac & cheese was good - split by roomies who were thrown off at the lobster, but they both enjoyed it, and I liked the bite I snagged, even though I only got noodles and cheese. I would definitely recommend it, if you're looking for a quick bite to share.

The burger & fries were also good - bravo on the garlic fries, they were really really good. And it seemed our friend throughly enjoyed his burger.

The cakes? Well, they were good. We ordered two - a lemon layer cake with coconut, and a chocolate mousse cake. The lemon cake came out with little problem, but they got the wrong chocolate cake. They brought us a decadent chocolate cake, which LOOKED amazing. And then they took it away to bring us the other, only to return five minutes later saying the other mousse cake had run out. We decided to just stick to the one piece, and Dani's and my enjoyment of it was only vaguely dimmed by the amount of time it had taken to arrive.

Service: The service in the bar is the main reason I wouldn't choose to return. When we arrived, there were two other parties being served. We sat in our reseved area and got our first round of drinks without issue. By the time the whole party was there (10 - 15 people, with people coming and going), there were 4-5 other parties in the bar area, and the service became sluggish at best.

Example: I ordered a Pepsi because I was driving. I finished my Pepsi. The bartender came by and asked if we needed anything. I told her I'd love a refill. 20 minutes went by without a refill. She came to the table again to take a food order, and left again. Another 10 minutes went by. She came back with someone else's drink. I asked for a refill again. Another 15 minutes when by. I said, screw this, and walked up to her at the bar with my glass, where she looked at me blankly until I asked AGAIN for a refill. She filled my glass with Diet.

I guess this is a pet peeve of mine, but still. If you're bartending at a restaurant on a Saturday night, you should have at least the basic skills to keep the DD's glass full. Also - we had numerous times through the evening when someone would be more than ready for another round and it was left un-noticed.

Also? Our cake took FORTY minutes to arrive at our table. What's that about? How long does it take you to cut a slice of cake?

Another quick thing before I stop whining - when we sat down, the bartender girl asked us how we would do the checks. We said, not sure, we'll figure it out. As more people came around, another woman (a manager?) came by and asked us again - how would we like to do the bill? We said, oh, maybe split it into thirds? And she said, oh, well we'll just give you one big bill and different copies. What? No. If you don't want to split our bill, don't ask how we want to do the check!

Good for:
- Slightly pricey first date

Addy's Rating
4/10 (<-- 4 points for the mac & cheese and the fries)

Rick's Burgers

**Disclaimer about Rick's: Rick's is in a special little corner of Los Angeles I call "No Man's Land," in the nothingness between Glendale/Atwater Village and Silverlake/Dodger Stadium area. It is quite sketchy. But, it's close to my office, and they have one of the greatest burgers known to Los Angeles.**

Details:
Rick's Burgers
2400 Fletcher Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90039
tel: (323) 660-5988

Rick's is a casual, slightly seedy drive thru and diner that serves the greatest burger and onion rings. They rival In & Out, and pull ahead in the "greasy spoon burger" category. They have lots of other types of food, as well - breakfast, Mexican dishes, etc. But the burgers are hands down the way to go.

I went there for lunch today and got a cheeseburger (around $4) and a soda (around $1.50). I also got the fried zucchini today, which I won't do again. The fries are MUCH better, and the zucchini wasn't anything to write home about.

The prices are good - but there aren't so many "combos," so watch what you order.

Also, do the drive thru and eat down the road by the Silverlake reservoir. It's has much more ambiance!

Good for:
Hangover food
Breakfast
Amazingly good burgers

Addy's rating: 6.5/10

The Palace Grill

The Palace Grill in Santa Barbara has to be mentioned on this blog. They say that it's the best Cajun food this side of the Mississippi River, and it's definitely in my top 3 restaurants of all time. I've been there so many times, and I have NEVER had a bad experience, or tasted anything that came out of their kitchen that wasn't extraordinary. My family has a tradition of going to The Palace for birthdays. At first, we would go 1-2 times a year for my mom's, or mine, or whatever. Now, we go anytime we can - birthdays, dinner if we had someone visiting from out of town, or just because we were up in SB!

Details:
The Palace Grill

8 E Cota Street

Santa Barbara, CA 93101

tel: 805.963.5000

http://www.palacegrill.com/

I'm going to switch it up here and break my review down by groupings, since there is soo much to love about this place.

Bread: They serve the most amazing little muffins instead of bread. My favorite is the molasses walnut one.

Starters: They have a bunch of great appetizers, but the one I always get with dinner is the Cajun Crawfish Popcorn. My favorite, however, is one that they only serve with lunch - Flash Fried Artichoke Hearts. It's like little pieces of gold sent from heaven for your taste buds. Your Palace experience is not complete until you have had these.

Main Courses: My hands down favorite is the Blackened Filet Mignon. The filet is always cooked to perfection, and the flavors make your mouth water before they even touch your lips. Other faves include the Chicken Tchoupitoulas and the Jambalaya Pasta.

Desserts: This is not the restaurant at which you skip dessert. Even at lunch time. Their house dessert is the Louisiana Bread Pudding Souffle. It is out of this world. Order it with your meal, because they need time to bake up your own little souffle. They also have a Dark Chocolate Souffle, which we have tried. It's amazing as well, but we always go back to the bread pudding.

Coffee: They serve the classic New Orleans-style chicory coffee, as well as regular coffee AND espresso drinks. I always get coffee with our dessert here, because it just feels like it completes the dining experience for me.

Good for:

- Everything!

- Lunch

- Romantic dinners

- Flash fried artichoke hearts and bread pudding

Addy's Rating: 10/10!

Cake Balls

I originally found the concept/recipe for these on Bakerella's blog, and just had to try them out for myself! They were a huge hit, so I am linking the post HERE for your viewing (and drooling) pleasure!

Friends Cafe - Port Hueneme

I was a little hesitant to blog about this place, since it's one of our favorite places for breakfast and I almost wanted to keep it a secret... But it's out of the way enough that only true Ventura County-ers will go, so here you are!

Details:
Friends Cafe
429 E Port Hueneme Rd
Port Hueneme, CA 93041
tel: (805) 271-9641
Open for breakfast and lunch

There is a very beachy and family owned feel to this little cafe. It's small, but clean, and in the several times that we've gone, we've never had to wait for more than a minute or two to be seated. It can get crowded with familys later on the weekend mornings, but the food is worth it. Best Eggs Benedict I've ever had, perfectly poached eggs, perfectly toasted English muffin, and surprisingly fantastic hollandaise sauce. I was actually shocked that it was so good - the cafe does not seem like the place for gourmet Eggs Benedict, but there it was!

They also have decent "combos" and good omlets, and we have also enjoyed the breakfast burrito there.

Good for:
- Early morning breakfast
- EGGS BENEDICT
- Great coffee and tea

Addy's Rating: 9/10

Caffe Lucio - Santa Cruz

We had a really great dinner in Santa Cruz at this place called Caffe Lucio. It was awesome. Lucio is this wiry little Italian guy (that's him on their logo) who is just bursting with energy and so awesome to everyone who walks in. He greets everyone in Italian, and I automatically responded in Italian. He then seemed to take a liking to us, rambling on in Italian while putting his arm around my shoulder and guiding us to our table.

Details:
381 Soquel Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
tel: (831) 427-0164
Open for dinner
http://www.caffelucio.com/

We sat at the bar and shared Bruschetta di Caprino (bruschetta with goat's cheese and grilled marinated veggies), home made gnocchi with tomato sauce, and a thin crust pizza. It was amazing. If you are ever in Santa Cruz, you MUST go there. Everyone working there just seemed to be having a fantastic time.

The pizza cook was wearing this hilarious shirt that said "Free Chorizo" and had an arrow pointing down, and the couple next to us at the bar commented on it. The woman was all "Has your mother seen that shirt??" And the cook just laughed and motioned Lucio over, pointing to his shirt. It said "Half Man," pointing up, and "Half Horse," pointing down. Later, we saw Lucio's very pregnant wife sporting a shirt over her huge belly that said "Lucio JR" on it. Points for the humor and having fun!

I've read a couple reviews that mentioned having to wait - we didn't have this problem, and we went on a Saturday night when there was a college reunion dinner taking place as well. The reviews also mention it being loud and Lucio yelling at waitstaff - it was a bit loud, but we did not witness any verbal abuse. My take was that he was very typically Italian - vibrant and a little bit abrassive. The prices were on the higher side, but that's sort of to be expected at an Italian place in a town with a high volume of tourists.

Good for:
- Atmosphere
- Romantic dinners
- Group events
- GREAT home made gnocchi and pizza

Addy's Rating: 9/10

Rise Supper Club - Los Angeles

A few weeks ago, we went to Hollywood & Highland to the restaurant Rise Supper Club (located at The Highlands Hollywood) for a friend's birthday. I wrote a longer blog about the birthday over at my regular site, but here are some of the details, pros and cons.

Details:
6801 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90028
(tel) 323.461.9800
Open for dinner
http://www.thehighlandshollywood.com/restaurant.html

Pros:
- We arrived a bit early for our reservation and were relieved that they still sat us right away
- Our waitress was awesome, paid attention to detail and went the extra mile
- They made up for our late food by adjusting the bill and giving us dessert on the house
- You get into the club for free if you have dinner there, plus you don't have to wait in line
- The menu was designed by a Wolfgang Puck chef
- The decorations were nice, if not a bit generically Los Angeles
- Lots of LA people, if that's your thing

Cons:
- It is pretty pricey
- Our food was served over a span of 25 minutes from first plate to last (for 8 people), so the first served's food was cold by the time the last served got her food
- The view wasn't as spectacular as they would lead you to believe
- They don't have beers on draft
- It is super trendy
- Lots of LA people, if that's not your thing

Food & Drink:
- BEST lemon drop martini I've ever had... I'm not even kidding, it was amazing
- Spicy tuna tartare, it was served on a crispy rice patty and was delicious
- The chicken breast dinner was tasty, as was the filet mignon, pad thai, and "Original Chow Fun"
- If I were to go back, I would definitely be trying the Beef Carpaccio

Good for:
- Birthdays, with a small to medium sized group
- Romantic dinners on the town
- Lemon drop martinis and Spicy Tuna Tartare

Addy's Rating: 7/10

Acqua Al Due - San Diego

Details:
322 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA
tel: (619) 230-0382
Open for lunch & dinner
general site: http://www.acquaal2.it/
San Diego site: http://www.acquaal2.com/index.php

This place is probably in my top 5 restaurants in the world. There are two Acqua al Due restaurants - one in San Diego's Gaslamp district, and one, the original, in Florence, Italy. The one in Florence is located at 2 Via del Acqua... thus the name Acqua al Due ("two" in Italian).

They have the most amazing menu (yes, menu, not menus, it's the same menu in Italy or San Diego!) and my favorite by far is the pasta sampler. It's a sampler of 5 different pastas, and they are "chef's choice," so you get slightly different dishes each time you go. (No worries, though, the dishes are 90% vegetarian)

It's on the fancier side dress-wise, but it's not formal, and dishes range from $10 - $25.

Get the pasta sampler, the filet mignon marinated in balsalmic, and be sure to follow it up with the panna cotta (sublime) and the tirimisu. Amazing food, amazing staff, and amazing atmosphere = the perfect dining experience.

Addy's Rating: 10/10