Nello New York

After what seemed to be a never ending first semester, the Moldo's embarked on a journey to the 'Big Apple' for the first week of winter break.  Since we were no rookies to the city, we attempted to avoid the tourist activites such as visiting Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and taking a stroll down 5th Avenue mid-day. Instead, while my extended family, who were visiting New York for the first time, went to the tourist hotspots, my family went shopping and dined at many elegant restaurants. While a majority of the meals were top-notch, there was one restaurant which clearly stood at the top of the todem pole, the one and only, Nello. Located on Madison Ave, between 62nd and 63rd, a celebrity hangout known as Nello offers some of the finest Italian food I have ever had the opportunity of tasting. Walking into the restaurant, there is a man present to greet the guests and make them feel comfortable before they are seated at their table. I felt like I was at home from the instant I walked through the doors, and this greatly impacted my mood even before I had a bite. To give even more of an impression like this is an original Italian restaurant, the waiters are Italian, and my brother enjoys attempting to communicate with them, even though he is a bit rusty on his Italian. Now, the most important part of the meal, the food. I began with a steak carpaccio which was drizzled with lemon juice and topped with an arugula salad. The salad was simple yet perfection, and the carpaccio melted in my mouth. To make the dish even better, it was finished with a few shredded pieces of fresh parmesan cheese. I mean, boy was I in heaven at the time. The only downside to my appetizer was that it was a bit filling, and I was hesitant to eat my entrée, only until I had the first bite. My entrée was a simple truffle risotto which was cooked with shrimp, mussels, and clams. After my first bite, I was brought into a zen mode, and everything felt so right at the time.  The fresh truffle combined with the rich taste of the risotto was indescribable. I was so full after licking the plate of its flavor, but I knew I always had room for dessert. While we ordered three desserts, I devoted much of my attention to the one-of-a-kind panna cotta. I mean talk about melting in your mouth, the panna cotta was sweet, but not to sweet, and provided a perfect conclusion to an unforgettable dining experience. A meal at Nello is not one that slips off the mind of a person, no, it is an experience that one never forgets. From the second a person enters the restaurant, to the end when the waiters kindly shout "grazie", it is an adventure unlike any other.

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.