Tales Of Spain & Japan

I'll start in Spain. No, I didn't go to Spain, but what I did was visit two fabulous eateries that have scrumptious Tapas on their menu.

First off, Mini Bar, located in Universal City. I brought a bottle of wine from home and shared mini plates of sausages, flatiron steak, bayou empanadas, veggies sautéed in garlic and saffrón with Val and Meli. At the end we were stuffed but we were assured we HAD to try dessert so we settled for a delicious coffee brulee. Our food was great and when our server said her name was Lola I felt like I was probably going to walk out and find myself to be in Spain. When the time arrived to say good-bye, my friends were swearing to bring their boyfriends... It's one of those places you know you'll be visiting again. It would be stupid not to do so.

The next day I joined another set of friends for a very late lunch/early dinner (whatever you want to call it). They selected Ciudad in downtown L.A. and I felt very excited because I had been wanting to eat there since I first heard about it. I was disappointed because they were only featuring their tapas menu (I guess that's what they do on Sundays), but I was happy with the food. Many yummy tastes melting in my mouth to create a symphony of flavor! We had plantain chips, saffrón paella, manchego cheese buñuelos and boneless ribs in mistela... Our server appeared to be hung-over, or maybe sad, thus a bit slow, but everything else was great.

I love, love, love Japanese food. Most of my love went straight to the sushi, but now that I've tried Japanese BBQ I have expanded my love and increased it even more. I was taken on a date last night and when I found out I was going to have to grill my own food I wasn't too sure how that would go. Me and grills don't go together. It turned out that I did just fine, it was a lot of fun and the marinades on all meats are so fantastic I could have been there all night. The staff at Gyu Kaku is very helpful, the place has late bar happy hour and the decor is dim and relaxing... Perfect for a date!

Lucky Tuesday Night Drink

After work, my friend Silvana joined me for a healthy hike followed by a home-cooked meal and brainstorming of the perfect place for a Tuesday night drink. She told me about The Good Luck Bar in Silverlake and we headed there. She promised I would love it and I did, it's cozy and cute, decorated with chinese lanterns, wooden partitions, red wall paper, porcelain vases and a bar that carries signature drinks with names like The Good Luck, Shanghai Surprise and a Rose Whiskey garanteed to knock you off your chair.

Perfect for a week-day drink! Totally adorable!

Eating Here & There

Mia, Mine, All For Me

First off, there's Mia Sushi. I was there on a Tuesday night for dinner with handsome company and a full appetite. Located in Eagle Rock, this tiny but very chic establishment serves tasty sushi to locals and non-locals there to check it out. We ordered rolls with names of Eagle Rock streets and locales and enjoyed every bit of them. Truly delicious.

There's no need to look for sushi in Hollywood with Mia Sushi in Eagle Rock!

Breakfast At Any Time

On Sunday, I was supposed to wake up early and cook breakfast for a friend but woke up at noon with no desire to cook and thinking of the beach. What happened next? We drove to Manhattan Beach where we ate at Uncle Bill's Pancacke House, a house turned restaurant that will impress you with scrumptious, yet very affordable omlettes, their signature buttermilk pancakes and busy servers that will help you out only when really needed.

Good eats, good price and the beach right next door!

Back In Town: Tales Of Prix Fixe.

Prix Fixe in New York

As usual, New York City is fascinating to me. It was my first time visiting in the summer time and although I really like it better when it's cold, it was still wonderful.

I met with one of my friends from high school for lunch at Tabla, a restaurant that pairs American food with Indian influences, where we caught up on all stories and gossip. The company was fabulous and the food was delicious! We had their 3-course summer prix fixe lunch with very tasty perfect-sized portions of the freshest ingredients and exotic flavors!

This is one of New York's hottest spots for lunch and dinner with a bread bar on the main level and a main dining room upstairs. The dining room requires reservations (which we were lucky to have) and the bread bar is casual yet trendy and exquisite.

Prix Fixe in Los Angeles

Upon my arrival to L.A., I set up a dinner date with S and to keep up with the yummy prix fixe tastes from the East Coast, we decided to check out Luna Park where on Mondays, they have something called the Starving Artist Prix Fixe Menu featuring goat cheese fondue, lentil and tomatoes topped salmon, Spaghettis with basil-tomatoe sauce and other options giving you a 3-course meal for the price of a latte and a movie. Their establishment is adorable, the service a little shaky but it's a great deal for the quality of the food.

Business Or Pleasure? Both.

I'll be leaving L.A. tonight. Destination: New York.

I'm going for work but have already thought of a couple of places I want to check out while I'm there.

I'll be back next week, hopefully with tales to share!

Buona Pasta: Divine, Divine!

Somewhere on La Brea (x-street: Melrose to be more exact), there's small pasta manufacturer that offers their clients home-made pasta made with fresh ingredients, imported cheeses and perfectly concocted sauces amongst other wonderful foods. Here, you can buy some linguini pasta and a jar of sauce, run home, boil the pasta, heat up the sauce, mix it together, serve it up and tell your friends you've suddenly become a great chef! If honesty is more your style, you may call them up and make a reservation to have a magnificent meal at Cube Marketplace, Cheese Bar & Cafe, their restaurant, where you will enjoy all the divinity prepared by them, especially for you. The menu changes depending on the season, they greet you with a taste (or two) of cheese from their cheese bar and you may bring your own bottle of wine since they don't have any of their own (no liquor license).

I've scheduled my next visit to Cube already! I'M MESMERIZED!

*Side note: There's no corkage fee and I do strongly suggest reservations since they have very few tables.