Author: Nicole Isaacs

DAN TANA’S, HOLLYWOOD

Published by Nicole Isaacs

ON MY WAY TO DAN TANA’S 🙂 I went to the famous Dan Tana’s last night for dinner. Dan Tana’s is an old Italian restaurant that has been a Hollywood classic for many years now. Many Hollywood celebrities are regulars at this authentic Italian spot. The food pricey but good. This is what we ordered…. ESCARGOT A LA SHIRLEY I love escargot. I love the garlic flavor. This was good, but lacking flavor a little. Looked a little better than it tasted…I’ve had better. CHICKEN PARMIGIANA, TED DEMME This was out of this world. Probably the best chicken parmesan I’ve had. It was cheesy, saucy, crispy- all consistencies in one dish lol. The chicken was nice and crispy on the bottom and the sauce had great flavor. I love the very generous amount of cheese too lol. Nothing can never be too cheesy! Highly recommended. I would come back just for this dish. It’s the perfect chicken parmesan… WHITEFISH WITH WHITE WINE LEMON SAUCE Another great dish. Sometimes with fish it’s hard to make it …

NANCY LEE’S PIG HEAVEN, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

My sister, some friends & I went to Nancy Lee’s Pig Heaven in New York City for Christmas day dinner. This chinese restaurant was the perfect place for Jews on Christmas, it was packed with them lol! I’ve heard about their famous pork ribs on the Travel Channel, and it’s been on my food bucket list ever since. So being Jewish, I thought Christmas was the perfect night to try it and it was! This quirky little Chinese restaurant has great food, and I will definitely be back again! RESTAURANT DECORATIONS LOL. LOTS OF PIGS! THE FAMOUS BBQ SPARE RIBS Great ribs! Flavorful, tender and I loved the sauce. I remember wishing we ordered more! This was one of my favorite things ordered. It’s what Pig Heaven is famous for so this is a must try! STEAMED PORK DUMPLINGS As you can see things got messy after the ribs lol. I am not a big dumpling fan, but was overuled by the rest so we ordered them. I wouldn’t order again, I just don’t like dumplings that much, but if …

JOE’S STONE CRAB, MIAMI

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I finally went to the famous Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach! I have been wanting to go there for ages, and this New Years Eve, I got VIP treatment, skipped the two hour wait and got seated right away lol! You may have heard of Joe’s, it’s been featured on TV food shows and is quite famous in Miami…..if you love crab and/or seafood Joe’s is a must! Be prepared to wait though, it’s always busy….check out what I ate at Joe’s below! CHOPPED SALAD w/ Honey-Roasted Peanuts, Cucumbers, Black Olives, Feta Cheese, Diced Vegetables, Tossed in Joe’s Vinaigrette (Includes Egg ) Light and flavorful. I loved the honey-roasted peanuts in it, it gave a unique twist to the “ordinary chopped salad”. The dressing was a light vinaigrette and I loved the richness of the feta cheese chunks mixed in. It was a good chopped salad and a perfect starter to a great meal. GRILLED TOMATOES w/ Spinach and melted cheese I’ve never had anything like this before! It was a warm …

BEN’S CHILI BOWL, WASHINGTON DC

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I went on a quick trip to Washington DC recently, and I of course had to stop by the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl! You’ve probably seen it on the Food Network, Travel Channel and other TV show segments, but President Obama is also an occasional patron at this famous chili spot! Open since 1958, the walls are covered with pictures of celebrities throughtout the years who have grubbed at Ben’s- it’s a landmark with a lot of history and a must-go to when you’re in DC! See pictures below 🙂 Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke– $5.70 From the MENU: “Our signature dish! Experience the Chili Half-Smoke, originally made famous by Ben’s in 1958 and a favorite of Mr. Cosby’s since the early 60’s. We put this 1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun and top it with mustard, onions and our spicy homemade chili sauce. Simple, yet so damn good! I usually like my hotdog with chili and cheese, but even though this didn’t have cheese, it was amazing and actually …

BOILING CRAB, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

This meal was so damn good lol. If you like crab, this is the spot! Located on Wilshire Blvd in Koreatown, the Boiling Crab is always packed and you will most likely experience long wait times, but it was definitely worth it! Menu is simple- basic seafood (crab, shrimp, clams, oysters, etc.) with delicious sides and your choice of sauces and marinades. It gets messy so don’t dress up! Take a look at the mess I made LOL…. CAJUN SPICED FRIES Loved these fries! These are my favorite type of fries. We got sides of ranch and it was heaven for me. Perfectly spiced. Destroyed this basket in 2 minutes tops! 1 POUND SHRIMP W/ “THE WHOLE SHA BANG”! The “Whole Sha Bang” is the type of sauce we picked to marinade our seafood in. It consists of Rajun Cajun, Lemon Pepper, & Garlic Butter and you can choose how spicy you want it. The sauce was honestly one of the best sauces ever! It was so flavorful and the spices worked perfectly together. I …

BEAUTY & ESSEX, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Hidden behind the doors of a pawn shop, lies the trendy yet elegant restaurant Beauty & Essex. Run the by same team as Stanton Social, Beauty & Essex has a more chic ambiance with gorgeous decor and the food is anything but ordinary. I went with a couple girlfriends and it was the perfect night out. Good looking people, amazing food, and a great ambiance. It’s also the perfect place to have drinks before having a night out on the town! Most dishes are tapa/shared plates style. We ordered a bunch of dishes and shared everything….See below! PAWN SHOP IN FRONT OF BEAUTY & ESSEX! BEET TARTARE FLAT BREAD COMPED FROM THE HOUSE AS A STARTER TUNA POKE WONTON TACOS Micro cilantro, radish, wasabi kewpie Fresh, light and flavorful. Loved the wonton crunch with the fresh poke. The creamy sauce pulled it all together for the perfect bite. LOBSTER TACOS Beer battered maine lobster, red cabbage slaw, poblano crema Loved these. Everything is small enough to be the perfect bite and leaving you to want …

GJELINA, VENICE

Published by Nicole Isaacs

A night out at Gjelina in Venice! Located on the charming and trendy Abbot Kinney Blvd, Gjelina is a definite hotspot in the Venice area. With wait times that can easily get up to two hours, this restaurant is always busy and quite a scene. It’s not unusual to spot some of your favorite celebs dining here either. Gjelina has a casual, rustic vibe to it; the food is American with a Mediterrean flare and the menu varies daily based on what is the most fresh and locally available. Take a look below to see what was ordered! YELLOWTAIL CARPACCIO Green olive, cherry tomato, caper & chili This was light and fresh! You can taste the quality in the yellowtail. Melted in your mouth. Great flavors as well….perfect starter dish to get your appetite going. BRAISED SWEET CORN Cilantro, chili, feta & lime I actually really liked this. It was an interesting mix with the feta. A little jarring at first but it worked. The corn was sweet, and the feta gave it a salty kick …

2nd AVE DELI, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I went to the famous Kosher 2nd Ave deli in NYC recently, and went to town! We went all out on ordering lol. There is an abundance of great deli’s in the N.Y.C, but this one is one of the best! Katz’s Deli is also known as the “best” deli in NY, but I must admit although I didn’t like that they didn’t serve anything w/ dairy at 2nd Ave, I liked the pastrami better than the famous Katz’s! See below what was ordered 🙂 FRENCH FRIES! Crispy and freshly cut! Perfect amount of saltiness! PICKLES & PICKLED TOMATO!!!!! I love getting pickles! So crunchy and delish! CRISPY ONION RINGS Sooooo gooood! SPINACH KNISH! Lots of spinach up in here lol! The dough part was crispy, flaky and delicious. A classic Jewish food originating from Eastern Europe! Must try at any deli. You can get different fillings as well instead of spinach such as potato, meat, cheese etc. MATZAH BALL SOUP! Also a must order at a Jewish deli. Soup is good for the …

PESCADOS CAPITALES- LIMA, PERU

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Mariscos, ceviches oh my! Located in the seaside Miraflores neighborhood in Lima, Pescados Capitales is a very popular restaurant famous for their ceviche and fresh seafood dishes. The entire menu is based on the 7 deadly sins, and every item on the menu has a little abstract story in it’s description. The name of this restaurant is a play on words; “pescados” means “fish” in Spanish, and “pecados” means “sins”. The menu itself is very unique and creative, and they make reading it fun and entertaining which goes hand in hand with their food too. All dishes were creative and unique and gave your idea of tradional ceviche a twist with fun ingredients and sauces! Check out what was ordered below! FRESH ROASTED CORN NUTS WITH SALSA Instead of bread, they bring you fresh corn nuts to the table. Corn is very popular in Peru and I found they bring this out at many restaurants there before they take your order. The perfect salty snack to get your appetite going! CAUSA With yellow potato, avocado, creamy shrimp topped with …