STK West Hollywood

Last week my grandmother, Shirley, was in town visiting us when we had a full house again. Shirley always has felt it is necessary to have a dinner without the parents and just the kids. We weere wondering where to go, until Taylor remembered he had gone to a restaurant in 'Vegas, STK. There was a West Hollywood location and we put on clothes on and left.  The restaurant is huge and modern, which caters to both the youth and older generations. There was a happening barscene and the restaurant was quite busy overall. I began the meal with a shrimp rice krispies which were covered in a bisque. The shrimp was not too fishy and it was drenched with my two favorite toppings, garlic and butter. The only problems with the dish were that it was quite filling and after eating the appetizer I felt as though I was about to explode. I knew I could break the theoretical food wall, and for my entrée I had a decadent filet mignon. I really enjoyed the steak because while placing the order, the waiter asks what kind of sauce you would like your steak to be topped with. I chose a red-wine sauce because I really enjoy the taste of steak cooked with red wine. The steak comes out on a plate at a whopping four hundred degrees and it is sizzling. The first bite is always the best, and oh boy was it. The chemistry between the red-wine sauce and the steak is unbreakable. The meal was quite satisfactory in all regards, and I would recommend it for those looking for an above average meal, but willing to pay a little extra for what they get. I gave STK an 8.25/10 on the conch scale, which as you may know is quite good for my strict standards.

Sotto (under)

 Roughly two weeks ago my fellow schoolmate, Michael and I, were looking for a nice meal for a price that is reasonable for two kids in the tenth grade. I always crave Italian food, but there are so many to choose from, but we decided on the decadent Sotto located on Pico Blvd directly across the street from the Ralph's. I have had Sotto before, but I have only taken it out, so it was in a way a new experience for both Michael and I. Mike and I looked to share most of the dishes because we were not looking to spend fifty dollars a person. Accordingly, we split our appetizer which was cooked octopus mixed in with a garbanzo bean purée. We also ordered their homemade bread with a side of burrata cheese. Though I enjoyed both of the appetizers, I felt as thought the chickpea purée was a bit bland for my tongue, but besides that minor infraction I felt as though the dishes were quite satisfactory. The service at Sotto was very quick and generous, but it was a little to quick, in the sense that we did not have enough time in between meals to digest and take a few moments to relax. Moving on to the main dishes, we began the second half of the dining experience with a one of a kind burrata pizza, which was cooked to perfection and also had a thick crust which I prefer. An Italian meal would not be complete without a pasta, so we ordered the house favorite, which was a Casarecce pasta topped with lamb ragu. I always say that dessert is a different stomach, but on this occasion I just could not eat anything else, so I simply ordered a cappuccino, which never seems to disappoint me. Though I enjoyed the meal as a whole, I subtracted points from my rating due to the rapid service and the lack of flavor in the chickpea purée. Accordingly, I gave Sotto a 7.1/10 on the Conch scale and I would highly recommend Sotto those who crave Italian.

Cava, Montecito,CA

Last week the Moldo's, along with two other families, hit the road for a lovely one week vacation in the beautiful seaside city of Montecito. This was not my first time going to Montecito, and every time we have gone so far, we always go to the same restaurant, Cava. Cava is a unique restaurant because it features both Spanish and Mexican food. The first day that we arrived, we went to Cava expecting a satisfactory lunch meal. I being a carnivore, decided to order the steak tacos. Before my meal, the waiters put chips and guacamole out on the table. I always eat too many chips before my meal, so this time I limited myself on them. My meal came out sizzling and looking as if it had just got off the grill. The meat was a little dry in the taco, but once I added salsa onto it, it made it taste much better. Overall I though the meal was quite good, but the tacos are very filling, so I was full after three of them. Cava is  high quality mexican food for a reasonable price, "You get what you pay for." I gave Cava a 7.75/10 on the conch scale because the waiters make you feel like you're at home. I felt the service was a little slow which made me dock of points, but I was very pleased with my one of numerous dining experiences at Cava.

Waterloo & City

On December 23, two days after I was let out of school for winter break, the family and Abby(cousin) decided to go out for a continental and modern meal. Arriving at the restaurant located on the outskirts of downtown of Culver City, I noticed the restaurant was modernized and had lights scattered throughout the restaurant to support the holiday season. Throughout my life of dining I have never had the opportunity of trying bird, but that statement changed after my meal at Waterloo & City. I began my meal with the quail, which was topped with a sweet sauce. I enjoyed the flavor of the quail, but I felt as though the sauce was a little to sweet, which took away from the dish. My entrée was the dish i was really looking forward to. For my main meal I had short rib ravioli, stuffed with onions and spinach, and finally topped off with a drizzle of truffle sauce. Due to the richness of the plate, there were only six pieces of the pasta, but the taste of the meat and the sauce just kept me asking for more. What is better than finishing my meal off than with the best dessert, donuts. The donut dish had chocolate sauce and a caramel substance sauce. I gave the restaurant a 7/10 on the conch scale because I was not very pleased with my appetizer, but the entrée and dessert made up for my disappointment.

K><>ZO

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.