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Last week, Byron was out of town due to business. Instead of a normal school night which consists of homework, dinner, and then more homework, Allison and I decided to go out for sushi. But where should we go? There are so many choices. I decided to go to K-ZO a lovely business casual restaurant in the heart of Culver City. Allison and I arrived at the restaurant, having in mind what we will already order. We began our Japanese meal with an order of the yellowtail sashimi with truffle oil drizzled on top. The yellowtail and the truffle oil complemented each other, so well as my mother said, " It tasted like butter."The next item we ordered was the tuna carpaccio, which also had the famous truffle oil on top. The tuna tasted so fresh and so clean, just what I wanted from a sushi style tuna. Finally, we ordered the shrimp tempura which was crispy and golden brown. This was not one of our standard meals, as we arrived at the restaurant at 7:10, and signed the check at approximately 7:40. This restaurant never seems to let me down, and always accommodates to my standards.

Mercato di Vetro, One year anniversary of Connor's Food Blog

Once again it was just the three of us as usual. We were looking for a meal which would satisfy all three of us, with the final decision decided by the woman of the house. Usually, my mother does not have high interest in Italian restaurants, but that night she was willing to take a risk and try a new restaurant. The restaurant Mercato di Vetro is just a year old. Its location in West Hollywood has been many locations throughout the years, due to the recession in the economy. I arrived at the restaurant with a hunger the size of a rhinoceros. We began our meal with a organized arrangement of Italian meats and cheeses. On the arrangement there were multiple kinds of proscuitto along with some speck. The cheeses consisted of a tallegio and a piece of parmesan. The meat and cheese tasted great together, as if they had just been slaughtered the pig in front of my eyes. We then shared our next three dishes which included, a lovely margherita pizza, tuna tartare, meatballs. The pizza was consisted of a lovely homemade dough, basil, and the one and only mozzarella cheese. This was a thin crust pizza cooked to perfection. Its very easy mess up when producing a quality tuna tartare. The ingredient which allows the tuna to stick together, can overpower the taste of the tuna, making a unsuccessful tuna tartare. The chef at Mercato di Vetro clearly knew what he was getting into, because the tuna was fresh and tasted great, while the mustard, or the glue of the dish, mixed very well with the other components. Finally, we had their famous meatball dish. The meatballs were covered with marinara sauce, then shredded cheese was poured on top, to make one delicious plate. Unfortunately, I did not have enough room in my stomach for dessert, so we sat and digested our food for bit, until we left and went home. I would give Mercato di Vetro an 8/10 only because I felt that I was being rushed at the dinner table. A dish arrived every five minutes, which gave us no time to just relax. I would highly suggest this restaurant to those who admire the Italian cuisine.

Mendocino Farms

Usually, I enjoy critiquing about some of the nicer restaurants of Los Angeles, but this review will discuss a fast food restaurant like no other. The restaurant Mendicino Farms is located at the corner of 3rd street and Fairfax, right across the street from the grove. One walks into the restaurant with a menu in hand, waiting for a server to greet you in line and then ask for your order. After ordering your dish you will then get iin a seprate line, where you can order either drinks or side dishes. I decided to order their grilled ham and cheese sandwich with gruyere cheese. usually when a person goes to a fastfood restaurant they say to themselves, " I know this will make me fat, but screw it, it tastes amazing." It was the total opposite here, I noticed they had many green filled sandwiches for those watching their weight and heavy weight and grease filled sandwiches. When my sandwich was delivered to my table I was instantly suprised my the appeaance of the plate, it looked like I was at a five star restaurant. The bread was grilled panini style with the cheese melted on the inside and the sweet ham just complementing everything else. The only problem with the dish was that the sandwich was a little small, which after finishing made me want more. I would highly suggest going to this location because the downtown location is much busier and more rambunctious. Mendocino Farms is a great dive for businessmen looking for a quick but great lunch.

Bottega Louie

Once again Roles Offer and I hit the town, looking to find the greatest restaurant in Los Angeles. Are destination for friday evening was in the heart of Los Angeles, downtown. The restaurant is Bottega Louie and it was judged as the second loudest restaurant in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. As Cole and I entered the doors, we knew this place was happening. The restaurant has a bakery where people can come an purchase any breads, cheeses, biscuits, and etc. Towards the back of the building is where people actually sit down to eat. The wait for our table was thirty minutes, so we decided to take a journey through downtown Los Angeles. The streets reminded Cole and I of New York, with the tall skyscrapers and a pharmacy at every corner. We shortly returned to the restaurant, where we were immediately taken to our table by the hostess. We began our Italian experience with some proscuitto and melon and also some grilled artichoke which were both splendid. For the main part of the meal Cole and I split a trenne pasta with rib eye and a Bianco pizza which included ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. The restaurant was known for their chocolate souflé and I knew I just had to be the one to confirm that. After a twenty-five minute wait, due to preparations, it came looking beautiful. It had powdered sugar on top with a creamy sauce to be poured on. The dessert was to die for. I gave Bottega Louie an 8.5/10 due to the noise level and the amount of time it took for our food to arrive. I would  highly suggest this restaurant for people who are looking to have a fun dining experience.

Bizarre @ The SLS Hotel

Last Thursday was one my mothers important birthday celebrations. The Moldo's hit the town hoping to have an adventurous and most appealing meal. As I walk into the restaurant I notice that they really are living up to the name: the tables are oddly shaped, the chairs are massive, and the design is most original. The hostess takes us to are table and makes us feel at home. Our table is shaped like a normal bench in the park, but perked up. All of the dishes at the restaurant are shared amongst each person. The dishes were very small which made me very hungry after the meal was over. One dish I chose was a Philly cheese steak assuming it was like the others I have had, but oh no was I wrong. The meal was very expensive for the five of us because almost every dish we ordered was 9 dollars per person. I felt that the restaurant was a good place to go to, but would I bother going back anytime soon, no. I give Bizarre a 10.0 on the creativity scale, but on the overall Conch scale on gave it a 5.0.

Byron, Cole, and Connor Hit The Town!!!

Two weeks ago Allison Moldo left for Cabo with her friend Liane. It was just Biz and I at the house. Biz and I decided to go out for a lovely Saturday night meal. Every time I go to Junior's, I always pass by Matteo's restaurant with the intimidating entrance. Like always, Biz went to Matteo's twenty some years ago and remembers everything about it. We decided to go Matteo's and we ended up taking my close acquaintance Cole Offer. As we all entered the restaurant we immediately notice the pictures of all the celebrities who have dined at Matteo's. The greeter began to talk with us about all the momentous occasions which he has seen at Matteo's. Instantly, I knew he had been working here for a long time, he had the charm which makes people feel comfortable. For my first dish I had a Italian meat known as speck. Speck is a meat which looks exactly like prosciutto. To the side of the speck there were pieces of Bufula Mozzarella. I made a lovely sandwich with the two and it was spectacular. The taste of the two combined is a taste I never experience again. As you may already know, my favorite italian dish is risotto, and I just had to experience their risotto. For my entrée I had osso buco with risotto milanese. As the food arrived, I thought to myself, is this dish for two people. The rice was seasoned with saffron just the way I like it and the osso buco fell right off the bone. My entrée was so ravishing, but I could only eat half of it was so good. The service at Matteo's made me feel like I was at home. This was truly a dashing meal, so I would Matteo's an 8.3333 on the Conch scale.

Eataly

The morning after I arrived in the big city my parents took me to market founded by my favorite chef Mario Batali. The market is divided into sections in accordance to types of food. There was a meat sections, a fish section, and etc. We ate lunch at one of there sit down areas. When I'm having lunch I am not expecting to have a life changing meal, but this meal definitely made my fav. 5. We ordered an assortment of cheeses and different kinds of prosciutto. Though I had never heard of many of the cheeses I decided to be adventurous and give it a try. The cheeses were outstanding with both taste and appearence. This restaurant just makes me wish I was italian a little bit more. I would give Eataly a 8.95/10 on the (strict) Connor scale.

Une voyage á New York

I was back in the big apple visiting my brother Jordan. Jordan has been attending New York University for the last 3 years. We love visiting Jordan because he resides in one if not the greatest city on the face of the the earth. My favorite cuisine has always been and always will be Italian food. In 2003 my father dined at what he called was one of the greatest meals he had ever had. He ensured us that the next time we're in the city that we would go back to Nello. Finally, the time had come and we made a lunch reservation at one of the most popular restaurants in Manhattan. As we walked up to the door of the restaurant we were greeted by a enthusiastic man. Just from that encounter with the doorman, I knew I was in for a treat. The restaurant has been told to cater to many celebrities, but during the meal we had yet to have seen one, until Christie Brinkley walks in causing the whole restaurant to stop and stare. Sorry I got a little off track there, now I'll get to the food.  I began my meal with a steak carpaccio drizzled with truffle oil. On top of the carpaccio there was an arugula salad which only enhances the quality of the dish. The appetizer was truly a inventive and spectacular dish. Oh but I wasn't just done yet. My entrée was the best part of the experience. I ate a vegetable risotto which made me smile after every bite. When I went to Italy with my family in 2005 I discovered risotto for the first time and I loved it. After I finished the plate I felt like I was going to explode, but you always have to same room for dessert. I ordered a chocolate mouse which always is a pleasure. Though the meal is a bit pricy, one walks into the restaurant having that in mind. I give nello a lovely 8.75/10 on the Conch scale.

Via Alloro

My Tay was back in town, but only for a short amount of time. Tay had become close with some of his brothers in his frat, so we, being nice people decided to go out to dinner with their family. What is the only kind of food where everyone can find something to like? The answer to that question is Italian food. Right as I sat down I was given one of the largest menus I had ever seen. The first thing I noticed when I received the menu, was that each course during a meal was titled in english, not Italian. Listening to reviews from father, I thought that I was going to have a traditional Italian meal, but no I was wrong, it was an Italian-American restaurant. Trying to forget that, I ordered some food, which most fourteen year olds wouldn't ever consider ordering. I began the meal with a portion of beef carpaccio with arugula salad on top. The salad was covered with some fresh parmesan cheese, which tasted exquisite. Usually, the carpaccio is trenched with olive oil or balsamic vinegar which takes away from the beef, but this time the sauces were evenly distributed and the appetizer was great. Immediately after my appetizer was taken from me, I was given my entreé with no time to digest my food. Thank god I was hungry because I ordered a spinach gnocchi mixed in with a bolognese sauce. The flavors blended together well together tok create an excellent dish. The service overall was mediocre as the service was either to fast or to slow. The meal was a lovely meal for a saturday night. I give the restaurant a 7.5/10 on the conch scale.

Salt (Munich, Germany)

As you may already know, this winter break my family and I went on a trip throughout Europe. My brother Jordan was studying in Florence over the past three months and we wanted to pick him up. Italy is known for its food, but in the battle between Italy vs. Germany, Germany won. On our last night of the trip, we went out to a restaurant,"Salt", in the center of Munich. This truly was one of the my most memorable dining experiences of my life. The restaurant was founded by a middle eastern man with some new and creative ideas for food. I began my meal with a trout carpaccio, which had one of the most interesting toppings I have ever heard of. Over the fish there was a mustard ice cream, which was just unbelievable. While I was in Madrid in the summer of 2007, I was introduced to a spanish meat call iberico. Usually, the meat is not cooked and is ate as an appetizer, but for my entrée I had a nice 10 oz piece of iberico cooked to perfection. Who doesn't like toned their dining experience with a little sweetness. For dessert, my family and I shared a decadent chocolate soufflé, which tasted like heaven. This was truly a spectacular meal, which made me feel like i was so far from home.