Author: Nicole Isaacs

FOOD TRUCK GALORE! LA FOOD TRUCK CHOWDOWN- DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Yesterday on June 11, 2011 from 11am-6pm, at the Los Angeles State Historic Park in Downtown LA, over 50 of LA’s most renowned and iconic food trucks gathered for an event to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Tickets cost $10 to enter which went to a good cause, and there were two stages with live bands, carnival games and more food than I have ever seen in my life! My friends and I went to town with all the food trucks there. I had to try as much as I can for my blog. See what I do for my readers! I couldn’t move at the end I was so full lol, but it was fun and worth it. There was a big grass area where people chowed down at picnic tables, and had picnics on the grass while listening to the bands play with the skyline of Downtown LA in the background. It was a beautiful day. There were more than 50 food trucks there, only made it to a couple of them but I …

SHIBUYA, CALABASAS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

SHIBUYA HOUSE ROLL If you love sushi like me, you are probably very critical when it comes to it. Shibuya in Calabasas is known for good quality, high-end sushi. It’s definitely more on the pricey side, but it’s worth it for the quality of fish they have. Shibuya is TINY. If you go for dinner, there will most definitely be a wait because this small place is always crammed to the max. Even during lunchtime all the tables are usually filled. If you go, expect to wait for a table. This little gem is in a small strip mall in Calabasas, so sometimes parking can be tough too, depending on what time of day it is. Shibuya isn’t a fancy restaurant by any means. It’s actually the contrary- it may be a little pricey, but it’s just a hole in the wall with great sushi. THIS IS PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT. TINY & CRAMMED! MY FAVORITE ITEMS ON THE MENU: ~ALBACORE SASHIMI W/ GARLIC PONZU & JALAPENO- SO GOOD. AMAZING QUALITY AND SO FRESH TASTING. IT MELTS …

TOAST BAKERY CAFE, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

TOAST is a a very popular breakfast/brunch/lunch located in the heart of Los Angeles on Third Street. Always buzzing with people with a crowd waiting outside to be seated, Toast is very “LA”, and what I mean by that is it’s very “sceney”- lots of celebrities eat here and wanna-be “actors” and people in entertainment. Right across the street from the famous “Joan’s on 3rd”, where you can sight celebrities there all the time, Toast has a very LA “hollywood” vibe as well, and if you live in LA you know what I mean. But anyway, I love Toast. They have a great breakfast and lunch menu. The food is super yummy. I went to lunch with my E! work buddies, and we all sat outside under an umbrella on a beautiful LA sunny day. The menu is big with lots of options, and I couldn’t decide between breakfast or lunch (they have great pancakes, french toast, waffles, breakfast burritos and omelets), but we all decided to order off the lunch menu. HOT CHOCOLATE- So yummy and …

THE GOLDEN STATE, MID-CITY LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Located on Fairfax Avenue in Mid-City Los Angeles, is a gastropub called The Golden State. It’s a small joint known for their burgers and ecclectic milkshakes and floats. Burgers are “IN” now- all over LA there are new burger joints popping up, each place competiting for the title of “Best Burger in LA”. The Golden State was recommended to me by someone who reads my blog- she noticed I blog about a lot of burgers, and told me that I must try this place. She said it was better than Father’s Office! That got my attention so I definitely had to make my way to The Golden State to try one of their burgers ASAP. The Golden State interior- small and casual spot The menu mainly offers burgers and fries, salads and sandwiches, but they are also known for their drinks- most famously, their beer floats. The Golden State makes their own gelato and all the flavors are super unique. A couple of flavors are chocolate rasberry, peach champagne, spicy chocolate, salted caramel, lavender goat cheese, …

IL TRAMEZZINO ITALIAN CAFE

Published by Nicole Isaacs

One of my FAVORITE sandwiches ever is at Il Tramezzino. There are a couple locations around Los Angeles- one in Tarzana, Studio City, & Beverly Hills. I go to the one in Tarzana, because that is closest to where I live. Located on Ventura Blvd., Il Tramezzino is a very popular lunch spot. This Italian Cafe has amazing sandwiches, salads, fresh fish and pizzas. Everything on the menu is delicious, but they are known for their grilled sandwiches, and there is one in particular that made this place famous. For those of you who read my blog, you probably know that sandwiches and burgers are my favorite food. Their Grilled Breast of Chicken Sandwich (first sandwich featured on the menu), is up as one of the tops of my list for favorite sandwiches. This sandwich is actually grilled “panini style” with sun dried tomato, avocado, provolone cheese & a basil garlic sauce. The basil garlic sauce is like a pesto mayo- which is one of my favorite condiments ever. This sandwich is amazing with Cholula …

BERRI’S CAFE, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

TWO WORDS: LOBSTER PIZZA. I’ve managed to land my drunk ass at Berri’s Cafe two times in one week. Both at 3am. That’s how you know I had a good week, lol. Berri’s Pizza Cafe on 3rd street is a club after the club. Not really, but this Italian pizza cafe bumps loud house music and is packed all hours of the night, especially with people that just left the club wanting to get their grub on. Specializing in pizza, I go to Berri’s for one reason…for their famous LOBSTER PIZZA. If you don’t like seafood, that’s a damn shame, and even though Berri’s menu is big and has something for everyone, I am blogging especially for the lobster pizza, so sorry lol- don’t mean to discriminate against you non-seafood lovers. Even though it wasn’t a smart move, my friends and I ordered champagne with 24K gold flakes lol. It was actually amazing, but probably not the best move at 3:30am. Next, the pizza. Berri’s Cafe is known for making great pizza. So many different and unique …

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Southern Hospitality, a Memphis BBQ joint in New York City, brings Southern Comfort food to the Big Apple. Creator of the restaurant, Justin Timberlake along with his friends Eytan Sugarman & Trace Ayala opened up this celebrity hotspot in two locations in NYC- one in Hell’s Kitchen and the other on the Upper East Side. Southern Hospitality serves real Southern dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, Southern fried catfish, catfish lollipops, chicken and waffles, fried pickles, grits, crawfish & cheddar hush puppes, mac n’ cheese, and so much more. Located in Hell’s Kitchen, I walked into Southern Hospitality on a Sunday night and it was poppin’. The place was packed. While waiting for the rest of our party to show up, General Manager Bryan Zabinski brought my sister and I to the bar to try Southern Hospitality’s house specialty cocktail. Made with Justin Timberlake’s tequila “901”, this drink was so delicious. Similar to a Mojito but made with tequila, it was also made with crushed/muddled berries. Sweet but still crisp and refreshing. Loved it! When the rest …

SUSHI ROKU HAPPY HOUR & WINETASTING AT MALIBU WINES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

After a beautiful day winetasting at Malibu Wines, I went to Santa Monica for happy hour at Sushi Roku. Located on Ocean Ave. with views of the ocean, and just a couple steps away from Third Street Promenade, Sushi Roku is a popular sushi restaurant with a good happy hour. I heard about Sushi Roku Happy Hour from being featured on a news special on TV. Supposedly one of the best happy hours in Los Angeles, so I wanted to try it out. I love happy hour- it’s perfect for an after work early dinner when you don’t want to eat so late, and of course everything is half off which makes it even better! I went to the Sushi Roku in Santa Monica (they also have one in West Hollywood and other locations). The Happy Hour is from 5pm-6:30pm Monday-Friday & 4:30pm-6:30pm on Sundays. COCKTAILS: Roku’s Fusion Martini- $5. Skyy Vodka, Honeydew Cantaloupe, & Watermelon with Pineapple & Cranberry Juice combined. So sweet and delicious! It tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher! lol. Our bartender was super …

SERAFINA, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Serafina Restaurant Group was created by Vittorio Assaf & Fabio Granato in 1995 when the two opened up Serafina Fabulous Pizza. Following the success of the first location, they have opened up Serafina Fabulous Grill, Serafina Osteria, Serafina Broadway & Serafina at the Time Hotel, all in New York City. Serafina Restaurant Group also founded Geisha in New York, and Geisha House in Los Angeles, and other restaurants around the world. Serafina is a New York City hotspot. All locations are always buzzing with people wining and dining. A lot of celebrities dine at Serafina such as Lady Gaga, Cameron Diaz & A-Rod, Kim Kardashian & many more. It is also NBA player Sasha Vujacic’s favorite restaurant. I went to Serafina Fabulous Grill on 29 East 61st Street between Park & Madison. It is so charming and cozy- when you walk in right away it feels like you’ve been transported to Italy and you are far away from the hustle and bustle, tall concrete skyscrapers and crowded streets of New York. Serafina Fabulous Grill is a three room restaurant with …