CleverGrrl "I came, I saw, I ate. "

I ate at Citrus at Social during the DineLA promotion. The first thing I noticed was that the dining room was gorgeously designed in yellows, pale greens, and with shabby-chic flair – a design I wouldn’t mind imitating in my own bedroom, it was so light, airy and pleasant.

Another thing I noticed: The dining room was absolutely vast – and it was virtually empty, on a Thursday night.

There were rumors that the restaurant had been doing so poorly, due in part to the inflated prices, that it could only afford to be open three days a week (Thursday- Saturday). When our group had a tour of the kitchen later that night, we confirmed with the sous chef that the restaurant was at a precarious point financially due to the low patronage.

You’d think that the lower DineLA promotional prices would have motivated a rush of business, so it was eerie to still see the restaurant so empty, even when the prices were low. A companion whispered to me that the “trendy” prices, coupled with relatively average fare, had prompted most LA foodies to direct their interest elsewhere, including to better restaurants also offering a promotional menu.

At any rate, you wonder: How’s the food? Not bad. The Beet and Tuna Salad with Pickled Daikon was presented nicely, in a hockey-puck-like assemblage. The cooked beets and raw tuna were cut into identical-looking chunks, creating a playful effect, as you couldn’t tell whether you were about to bite into a beet, or a piece of tuna.

The “72 Hour Short Rib” was – per the current trend – tiny pieces of meat, displayed artfully on a white plate that was a good 6x the size of the food portion. Accompanying the fatty spareribs was a yummy tatertot-like potato log (“Potato Napoleon”), which I initially thought was breaded in panko crumbs, but it turns out (I think? I can’t remember…..) was actually rolled in finely-shredded filo.

The desert, a “Mushroom Vacherin – Chocolate Ice Cream, Pistachio Anglaise, Crispy Chocolate Pearls,” was the most memorable thing I had that night. It was a frozen confection, sitting in a puddle of pistachio, that clearly invoked something whimsical out of Edwards Scissorhands or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The dessert was so creatively presented, it was easy to overlook the fact that its flavors were pretty pedestrian.

All in all, would I go back? Despite the pretty ambiance, relatively creative food, and friendly kitchen staff who kindly showed us around, the normal menu prices would pretty much scare me away. In these economic times, it’s all about value for your money, and that’s not really what Citrus’ everyday menu offers.

For a meatatarian, I really like Cafe Gratitude. The cheesiness of the nouveau hippie food names, and the waiters who repeat back “you are blessed” when you order “I am blessed,” is palatable because the place is just infused with a good-natured feeling, making it impossible to be jaded and scornful.

The food, considering it’s all live and raw and vegan, is pretty good. They make bread and crusts out of ground-up grains, “meat” out of the same ground-up grain mixture, good veggie burgers, and a nice soy chai. As you might imagine, when you use the same base ingredients for every dish, the dishes become nearly indistinguishable from each other. But it doesn’t mean they aren’t tasty.

Since I’m not a vegan or even a vegetarian in real life, I won’t come here every week; but still, it’s nice to know that you can survive (nay, thrive!) on pretty tasty raw, vegan food.

I’ve been to El Cholo twice – once on a date, and once for after work drinks with a big crowd.

What I remember about the date experience was that he and I ordered an appetizer platter that was do dang ginormous that he and I didn’t even bother ordering a second course. I mean, it was HUGE.

The menu here is huge, with a blend of taco-stand favorites and more obscure (but delish) oddities.

The atmosphere is fun and festive without being too pretentious or “wannabe.”

Bottom line: Fantastico!

I like this place because it’s so quintessentially LA, yet also surprisingly European.

The drinks menu is varied and sophisticated, even at brunch time. The menu is clearly designed for LA-types that are so serious about eating (supposedly) healthy food, and counting calories, that it’s nearly a sport – all dishes come with their own individual calorie count.

My favorite dish is the tofu salad, which comes with three different dressings/sauces, and is quite good, despite being incredibly simple (tofu + lettuce). On my second visit, I had a simple fruit cup, which was fine, if not that interesting.

The food is overpriced for what it is, and not particularly unique. But there’s just something about this place.

This place is ideal for people watching. During my second visit to LPQ in two months’ time, my dining companion spotted Uma Thurman (incredibly tall and lanky, wearing a loose tank top that practically slid off her bones) with her two little blond kids, ducking in and out for a pastry.

We idly gazed at the poor wannabes and tourists in line at Sprinkles, directly across the street, and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

I just learned that there’s a LPQ in Santa Monica, too – must try it sometime!

I have been searching high and low for a sushi place that:
1. Has good-quality sushi
2. In a nice, not tacky setting
3. For a reasonable price, and
4. Isn’t collegiate, or uber-trendy/obnoxious.

So…. FINALLY! I’ve found Sushi Mura. Which is hands down my favorite sushi restaurant in West LA.

First off, you enter the restaurant, and are greeted by cries from every corner of “welcome new guest!” in Japanese. So you instantly feel welcome. Even on a Friday night, it wasn’t super busy. There’s a Trader Joe’s right across the street, too, so a mega parking garage (but I found street parking).

The sushi just tasted fresh, looked great, and was just generally “nummy.” The quality was there, but the prices were totally reasonable.

…. I want to next time!

My friend and I came here for an intended brunch. I’d heard good things about this place – it was beautifully decorated, with a nuanced and eclectic French menu.

But when she and I arrived, we realized that the menu, essentially, had no brunch food! I was really surprised. I think there may have been one omelette buried on the normal menu, but it wasn’t a standard brunch menu.

So, literally, my friend and I got up and left. And crossed the street to go to Le Pain Quotidien, having a yummy brunch of a ham and gruyere omelette (one of the best I’ve had) and bread with the most delish jams ever.

Really, I mean, how does one review a fast food chain? Everything here tastes pretty good, considering it’s just a fast food burrito place.

The salsa bar is a nice touch – just wish those cups were a tad bigger.

I’d say that the burrito options don’t wow me. I miss “High Tech Burrito” in the Bay Area – now, that’s a fast food burrito place!

What I like about Swingers: It has an electic, broad menu that doesn’t resemble the Norm’s down the block. It’s open late. They sell cupcakes!

What I don’t like about Swingers: Not much! It has a good vibe, and is a place I’d choose to hang out even on a Saturday night. I guess the music was too loud last time.

This place looks like the biggest schlocky diner from the outside, in a strip mall that looks like it took a time machine from the 80s.

Considering the exterior, it’s amazing that the building houses Brent’s, a Jewish deli that’s been around for ages. Even on a Sunday at 3 pm, the place is packed. Good luck even parking.

Like most delis, you get free pickles – both sour and semi-sour, the best kind! And damn, that matzo ball soup is delish. Probably the biggest matzo ball in soup I’ve ever seen.

Izzy’s is awesome, in that the food is relatively inexpensive, you can stay as long as you want, and they’re open 24 hours.

When my party ordered a lot of soup, the waiter brought a huge plate of delicious rye bread – nummy! The matzo ball soup was average. So was the corned beef sandwich.

Anyway, if you’re stumbling from a night of drinking at The Parlour and need a place to eat to absorb the alcohol, Izzy’s is the place!