Angelini Osteria

Thanksgiving is the time where family members are finally reunited after many months of separation. As it is such a rare occasion for us to see our grandmother, she always feels it is necessary to take her grandchildren out for a nice meal with just the four of us. Our family always struggles finding a restaurant to go to because we are so picky about what places we do and do not like, but we always are satisfied with Italian. Even though my mother claims she is not a fan of Italian food, we know she does, she only despises the taste of pasta. My parents always rave about how great Angelini Osteria is, but for some reason we have never gone there with the whole family, and finally, I had a chance to get a taste of one of the most recognized Italian restaurants in the city of Los Angeles. We were quite fortunate to get a table Friday evening because it is typically a nightmare to find a table, but a last minute cancellation and we were thriled. Walking into the restaurant, I noticed it is very tight inside, and even moving my seat was an issue for the table behind me. Usually, trendy restaurants in Los Angeles consist of a young crowd, but I believe the average age in the restaurant must have been between 65-70. Getting to the food, I began with a common beef carpaccio which was topped with an arugula salad and some parmesan cheese. This dish never seems to disappoint me, but at the same time, restaurants never really mess with the dish to try and create something original. I was not very hungry before the meal, so after eating the carpaccio dish, I was not sure how I was going to eat a full dish of risotto. My entrée was a risotto, which was topped with seafood consisting of shrimp, crab, clams and more. I was not sure whether I was just too full by the time the dish reached the table, or it was lacking something, but it was not one of the better risotto dishes that I have had. I felt the rice was wonderful, but the sauces used on top of the risotto did not mix well with the rest of the dish. To make up for a disappointment of an entrée, we ordered a panna cotta for a dessert. The rich panna cotta was topped with a berry sauce which was one-of-a-kind. Overall it was a quite satisfying meal, and I would definetly go back, but change my order in the future. 8/10

Hinoki & The Bird

While September 11th is typically looked at as a depressing day for a majority of Americans, for my family,  it commemorates the birthday of my oldest sibling, Jordan. Since it was a school night, we were looking for a restaurant that was both hip and located convientantly from our home. Built on the ground floor of the decadent new condo skyscraper in Century City, Hinoki & The Bird offers a wide variety of small platters to cater to a large audience.

Arriving at the restaurant, I noticed there was a very large bar scene, and this affected our ability to communicate with each other from across the table. To add to that notion, just to our left, there was a party which must have had at least sixty guests, most of whom had no idea how to use their inside voices. Since I knew I was in for treat that evening, I decided to starve myself for the hours preceding the meal so I could save up an appetite.

 I was particularly craving meat that evening, so I suggested we order their fried chicken to split amongst the four of us. The chicken was moist, and it came with a side of garlic aoli for dipping sauce, but I felt the chicken was flavorful enough to enjoy without the sauce.

For the second appetizer, we nibbled at their hamachi which was topped with melon and avocado. While I am typically not a fan of avocado, I felt the strong flavors from the hamachi and melon would cover the taste of the avocado, but oh was I wrong. Attemtpting not to display my dislike for the dish, I swallowed as fast as I could.

Trying to forget the previous dish, I ordered their chili crab toast which was the greatest dish i had all night. The plate consisted of four pieces of bread which were then topped with crab meat, and finally, coriander was spread acrross the top of the crab.  The dish was so simple, yet so perfect, and the fresh crab meat made all the difference.

I am not a huge fan of restaurants which thrive on small plate dishes, but to be honest, I enjoyed getting sample of three totally kinds of dishes. I enjoy the system they put in place because, while the appetizer are shared amongst the people table, entrées are individual.

As mentioned earlier, I was in the mood for meat, and I wasn't going to stop just yet. I ordered their "Drunken Duck Breast" which was cooked to perfection and drizzled with a red wine sauce to add to the flavor. I was a little dissapointed with the amount of food in the dish because I devoured within seconds, and I didn't have an opportunity to savor the dish.

Overall, I thought it was a quality meal, but I don't have plans any time soon to rush back to Hinoki & The Bird. I know there is nothing the restaurant can do about th enoise level, but I have to say it affected the quality of the overall meal. 7.75/10

Beverly Hills Roundup

No matter how picky of an eater one may be, Beverly Hills will surely accommodate anyone’s culinary needs. South Beverly Drive is a typical lunch hotspot due its large concentration of high quality fast-food restaurants.

 A favorite on the iconic street is Cabbage Patch, which caters to those looking for a lunch on the healthier side. Cabbage Patch is known for their arugula, which they seem to put in almost every one of their dishes. While they are known for their “green” menu items, they do serve one of the most mouthwatering burgers in Los Angeles. The burger has two buns which are lavished in butter, and then placed on the grill so they are warm and fluffy by the time it reaches the hungry consumer. The interior of the burger consists of a juicy patty which has melted Tillamook cheese drizzled on top, two pieces of applewood smoked bacon, and finally, the key to the one-of-a-kind burger, their arugula. While I am not typically a fan of arugula, I have to say, it makes the burger worthwhile. 

Those who may not be as adventurous on the culinary side would love the burger at Burger Lounge. It is your stereotypical “American Burger” which consists of a patty, lettuce, tomato, and ketchup. What’s great about the burger is they really don’t try so hard to make it a good burger, they use the essentials and make the most of it. For a side, their crispy onion rings are to die for, but for those of you on a diet, I would avoid them.

Heading north, Canon Drive has restaurants for those who are just looking for a quick bite to eat, or those destined for a meal they won’t ever forget.

Xi’an, a traditional Chinese meal, which fosters a family style atmosphere, has many entrées to choose on, from their delicious orange chicken to the sizzling kung pao beef. My favorite, their minced lettuce cup, features minced chicken, which is then mixed with crunchy noodles, finally placed in a cool lettuce cup. I really enjoy the crunch combination between the noodles and the lettuce, and the chicken adds tons of flavor to the popular dish. The waiters make customers feel very comfortable, and I always leave the restaurant feeling extremely satisfied. 

Moving west, built into Equinox, Oliver Café dishes up some pretty fantastic Italian food. I typically enjoy expanding my horizon, and try something new every time I go to a new restaurant, but when I go to Oliver, I only get one thing, their penne pasta with filet mignon mixed in. They use the juice from the cooked beef to add flavor to the pasta, and the filet just makes it all the merrier.  The restaurant offers a wonderful outdoor seating patio for those who have been cooped up in the office all day and just want to enjoy the fresh sunshine.

The wide range of diversity in Beverly Hills provides opportunity for many restaurants to make their claim as the best restaurant in the city. No one will have to deprive themselves of food in Beverly Hills, as they truly have a dish for any type of eater.

Barton G.

Less than a month old, Barton G. has surely made a strong impression with the citizens of Los Angeles. Located on La Cienega, just south of Santa Monica Blvd., Barton G. faces fierce competition with restaurants surrounding it from every direction. As last Saturday was a celebratory evening in honor of my mother's birthday, my father thought why not try something new.

Barton G.'s first location was in Miami, and the design of the restaurant in Los Angeles surely had some influence from the Miami culture as there were bright lights everywhere, the plates were flashy and showy, and everything just felt young and hip.

We began our evening with a variety of meats which included beef & pork ribs, lamp chops, and a chicken drumette. If I do say so myself, I will never get tired of lamb chops, and I was very impressed with the dish at Barton G. It seemed as though the chef topped the lamb with a red wine sauce which added quite a bit of flavor to the dish, and I could not get enough of it. The ribs on the other hand did not have the same affect on me as the lamb chops. The barbeque sauce which was lavished on top of the ribs tasted like your average store bought sauce. I mean I could have cooked some ribs at home and added some Stubbs to it, and I'm pretty sure I would have preferred the ribs with Stubbs drizzled on top.

Before I get hungry, let me discuss the mouthwatering lobster pop-tarts. When they refer to the dish as a pop-tart, they actually mean it. It looks exactly like your average strawberry filled pop-tart, except instead of being strawberries, it's lobster.  But wait it gets better, instead of toasting the "pop-tarts" in the kitchen, they bring a full size toaster to your table, and allow the customers to toast the dish by themselves. I mean if I was not in public, I would have ate the pastry with my hands, but since I did want to embarrase myself, I had to use the old fork and knife.

We ordered one final appetizer, and boy did the restaurant go out of its' way to present the dish. It was a popcorn shrimip dish, and when they say popcorn, I mean they brought a popcorn machine to our table, and make it right in front of our eyes. The fried shrimp was great because it was not too greasy, and the popcorn was popped to perfection.

Since the appetizers were so rich in flavor, we decided not to order an entrée for each person, rather we split four entrées amongst the five of us.

We decided to order two plates of the "Samurai Tuna", and we had know idea what we were getting into when we placed our order. When the server came out with the plates, little did we know, it also came with a weapon. Right in the middle of the tuna, there was a samurai sword in each of the two plates. While I did not have an opportunity to get a taste of to tuna, it did get quite a recommendation from my two brothers.

Since I had began my dining experience with meat, I thought I would avoid it for my entrrée, and order fish accordingly. I ordered a salmon dish, which came wiht a side of lobster hushpuppies. What I noticed while dining at Barton G., while the presentation may have been spectacular, the dishes were not something I am going to rush back for. While my salmon was great, I just did not feel as though anything stood out, and I feel as though the restricted menu limits the consumer from choosing exactly what they want to eat. While I enjoyed my dining experience at Barton G., I thought the price was "tres cher." It think this is a purpose place for a nice celebration, but other than that, I don't think I would return for just any ordinary saturday evening. I just think people should be informed as to what they are getting themselves into before they dine at Barton G. I would give Barton G. an 8/10 on the scale, partly due to the pricing, and partly due to the limited menu.

Fig & Olive

On the eve before Taylor's departure for Greece, the family decided to have one last finally meal together. Since this was a special occasion, we felt it was neccesary to spend a few more bucks to get a one of a kind meal. Fig & Olive is very large, and it provides a very nice open setting, but the only problem is that it is difficult to hear the person sitting across from you. I began my glorious meal with some charcuterie which consisted of iberico. I savored every bite of the meat because this was the same exact meat I had while I was visiting Madrid back in 2007. The supplier of this meat was the restaurant Cinco Jotas which has many restaurants throughout Spain, and even has a small location at Harrod's in London. The meat was exquisite, and it went perfectly with a fine piece of bread. We all then shared an assortment of crostinis, which provided a great taste which a mixture of many different meats and cheeses. The finally appetizer that we split was grilled octopus which was then drenched in a lemon dressing, which was absolutely spectacular. The lemon dressing complimented the char of the octopus oh so well, and these were some of the greatest hors d'ouevres I have ever had. Since I was still starving due to the small portion size of the dishes, I decided to order the lobster risotto. The risotto came out onto the table steaming, but there really was not too much risotto to eat. I was still hungry by the time I chomped down all my food. Besides the portion size, the risotto was spectacular, the lobster was quite tasty, and the aspragus tasted as though it was just harvested in a garden. Since my stomach was still grumbling even after two courses, I knew I had to order a lot of dessert if I wanted to please my stomach. We were all so hungry, that we actually ordered four desserts for the eight of us. We ordered two chocolate souflées, an apple tart, and a mixed berry crostata. I was in the mood for chocolate souflée, and boy did the dish blow me away. Honestly, the chocolate melted in my mouth, and it was first true taste of heaven. As for the apple tart, the apples were very fresh, but other than that, I felt as though there was nothing special about the dish, like the chef did not try to impress his customers. The mixed berry crostata was great, and the berries tasted so good with the vanilla ice cream. This was just the dessert I was looking for, to help calm my grumbling stomach. I gave Fig & Olive an 8.75/10 because I felt as though the experience was truly magnificent. While the waiter may not have been very social, he did his job very well, and truly was there to provide a classy meal to all his guests.

Clusi Batusi

Little did people know, there is actually a fantatstic Italian restaurant located in the Asian district of Sawtelle. Clusi Batusi, which is one of many new restaurants on Sawtelle, is located directly adjacent to Sushi Stop. The restaurant is very small, and only seats around a maximum of forty people, but the quality of the food is spectacular. Their chefs put together a one of a kind indiviualized margherita pizza. The crust is absultely unbelievable, and the sauce is truly magnificent. The best part about their pizza is the price. No matter what you want on the pizza, it is seven dollars. I mean talk about getting your money's worth. Since I usually go with friends, it is a great dining experience because the quality of the food is top notch, while they also manage to get their customers out of the restaurant in a reasonable amount of time. I strongly suggest that people go to Clusi Batusi if they are looking to get a high quality meal in a short amount of time. It recieved a 7.75 on the Connor Scale.

Wally's Cheese Box

Located just north of Olympic and Westwood sits Wally's Wine & Spirits. Little did people know, they actually have a store devoted to fine cheeses and chacuteries, and they even make sandwiches upon request. While their menu is only made up of seven different combinations of sandwiches, they are of the highest of quality. During my last dining experience at Wally's, I ordered a grilled cheese which consisted of layers upon layers of gruyere and emmental cheese, which was then smushed together with two slices of brioche. While the cheeses may have been great, I felt as though the sandwich could have used a little something extra, possibly some mustard. The presentation was sub-par, but the overall sandwich was quite tasty. I actually preferred my father's selection for his meal, which was a grilled ham and cheese which was then lathered with spicy dijon mustard. I had to say the mustard essentially did it for me and my father. I strongly suggest going to Wally's for all of one's culinary needs. Their wide variety of cheeses and meats is spectacular, and I do not know other places in Los Angeles which live up their name.

Tatsu Ramen

​Over the past couple of years, Sawtelle boulevard has seen a drastic change from old and crummy to young and happening. The recent addition of many top quality restaurants have motivated many top food connoisseurs to get a chance to try some one of a kind dishes. This newly developed area of Los Angeles has been coined “Little Tokyo” due its large concentration of Asian restaurants. While a plurality of the restaurants are of Asian cuisine, Sawtelle boulevard is home to other high quality cuisines, such as Italian and American. Plan Check is home to one of the best burgers in Los Angeles, and Flores carries some of the most unique Spanish and Italian meats in the world. Sawtelle is a great destination for “foodies” because it combines dozens of cultures and nationalities around the world into a square mile radius. If anyone is looking for some top-notch ramen, Sawtelle boulevard is the place to be. People claim that these restaurants whip up some of the best ramen outside of Japan. While all of these restaurants are unique, I feel as though Tatsu Ramen sticks out among the pack. The combination of unique spices create one of a kind seasonings for the soup, which triggered senses in my tongue I never knew existed. The goal of Tatsu Ramen is to get as many people in and out who are satisfied with their meals. Instead of paying after the meal,  Tatsu Ramen has set up a display of iPads so that the customers may order as they please in an orderly fashion. The restaurant does a great job at pleasing the hungry customers, as the wait is usually no longer than fifteen minutes. I ordered their signature dish, the Soul Ramen, which consists of a Tonkotsu Broth, mixed with black garlic oil and Umami sauce. While the dish may have been quite rich, there was no lack of flavor. The broth was wonderful, and when mixed with the noodles, it was heavenly. Overall I was quite satisfied with my meal, but I wish there were a few more tables at the restaurant. While  I was dining outside, it seemed as they the people waiting to get a table were cramming around myself. I consistently was getting a little nudge from behind, but besides that Tatsu Ramen recieved an 7.75/10 on the Conch Scale.

Bucato

Well it is official, the hipsters have taken over Culver City and transformed it in ways the public would have never expected. At the original site of Helms Bakery, which is located at Venice and Helms, restaurant owners have began to open up new restaurants to the public. About four years ago, the city of Culver City closed off this intersection so that no vehicles would be able to come through. Since then, there has been a spark of new restaurants at the point of interest. There is Father's Office, which is a bar which supposodly whips up one of the best burgers around town. Unfortunetly, for you minors, the restaurant does not cater to those under the age of twenty-one to enter the premises. If anyone is looking for a top-notch dog, I highly suggest trying Let's Be Frank, whose headquarters are located in the heart of Los Angeles. Their grass fed beff hot dogs are some of the best hot dogs I have ever had to chance to try. While all of these restaurants are unique in each of their own ways, I devoted this blog to discuss a recently opened Italian restaurant known as Bucato. After apporximetly a year of construction, Bucato opened it's doors to public on August 1st. After eating at many of the other fantastic restaurants on this street, I would always say to myself that I wanted to eat there, but I never made much of an effort to try and get in. My father and I were home on a Friday night and had no idea where we wanted to dine, until he came up with the brilliant idea to try Bucato for the first time. Walking into the restaurant, I was not sure what to expect in terms of quality of food, but by the end of my meal, I certainly knew I was willing to come back in a heartbeat. Having a quality waiter or waitress is key to having a one of a meal. After striking conversation with our bartender, he shared with us his favorites on the menu. We began our meal with freshly made Italian garlic bread, which was mixed with the two greatest items, garlic and butter. As an appetizer, my father and I ordered their fried artichoke hearts, which I was a little hesitant to sample, but I enjoyed them quite frankly. We both decided to order two separate pastas, so we could each get a sense of the two. I ordered a rabbit ragu gnocchetti, which was topped which shredded cheese. For an entrée we ordered their one of a kind chicken, which was topped with just the right amount of salt to compliment the chicken. While I could not possibly fit another piece of food into my mouth, as soon as my eyes caught a glimpse of the dessert menu, my mouth was drooling. The meal was just a wonderful experience, and I plan to bring friends and family there as soon as I can. I decided to give Bucato a 9/10 on the Connor Scale, which is the highest score thus far. Bucato has satisfied my stomach beyond my expectations.