All posts filed under: Italian

ABC KITCHEN, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

ABC Kitchen in New York City is absolutely adorable and the food is great! It’s pretty famous in New York and a little tough to get into, but it is a great restaurant choice if you are in the city. It’s rustic decor makes it charming and cozy, and when I went it was a Friday night and it was buzzing and packed with people. Creator of the ABC Kitchen menu is the famous chef Jean-Georges, where he is passionately dedicated to creating each dish using only fresh organic and local ingredients. We had a very “cheesy” dinner lol…you’ll know what I mean when you check out my food reviews below! ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH TOAST, FRESH RICOTTA & APPLE CIDER VINEGAR They brought this as complimentary from the house, and after my first bite I knew I was going to have a good meal at ABC Kitchen. The salty and creamy ricotta cheese mixed with the flavors of the sweet squash on that fresh toasted bread was heaven. It was such a delightful combination of flavors, a …

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 …

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 …

LUCALI- BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Lucali, located in Brooklyn, New York could be one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. I think I might have to declare that they have the best pizza I’ve ever had. This place & Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn are my two favorite pizzerias in the world. This is real New York pizza, the ingredients are the freshest, and the flavors are incredible. No need for ranch dressing with this pizza lol, it’s that good. Lucali is what I’d like to call a gem spot. Tiny, cozy, romantic, charming…yet still casual. The restaurant is small but always busy. They make he pizza right there out in the open so you can watch it being made. Also, shhhh don’t tell lol, but I heard Beyonce & Jay-Z eat there every week. They are my idols so I got really excited when I heard that 🙂 ARTICHOKE & GARLIC PIZZA I died and went to pizza heaven. The flavor of this pizza was incredible. The smell of garlic and fresh basil immediately …

LA SCALA, BEVERLY HILLS & BRENTWOOD

Published by Nicole Isaacs

JEAN LEON ORIGINAL CHOPPED SALAD LETTUCE, SALAMI, MOZZARELLA CHEESE, MARINATED GARBANZO BEANS, LEON DRESSING This post is specifically for La Scala’s famous chopped salad. When people talk about La Scala, you most likely will always hear about the chopped salad. It’s light, refreshing, flavorful and perfect. The dressing is light and has a lemon citrus flavor. All the ingredients just work together very nicely. I love that it’s light and crisp tasting but it still fills you up. La Scala is just an all around trendy Italian restaurant in LA- there is one in Beverly Hills and one in Brentwood. Another dish they are famous for is their Spaghetti Bolognese. We ordered the Ravioli Di Aragosta which is their lobster ravioli which was great too. RAVIOLI DI ARAGOSTA LOBSTER RAVIOLI IN A BROWN BUTTER SAUCE WITH SAGE It doesn’t look there was any sauce but there was. It was a clear brown butter sauce and it was so flavorful. The outer edges of the pasta had a crisp to them and the lobster inside was …

BOTTEGA LOUIE, DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Girls night at Bottega Louie! Cutest place in downtown LA, and it totally feels like you are in New York City. The place was PACKED on a Saturday night, the line was out the door- there was almost a two hour wait. Luckily we didn’t have to wait that long, because I’m VIP and shit, lol kidding, but you can’t make reservations at this place you just got to know that you are going to wait. The food was great and the ambiance was super chic and cute. Loved! See below what we ordered… BREAD They bring you bread and set it right on the table with no plates! lol SALAD: MODENA Buttered lettuce, candied walnuts, crumbled goat cheese, shallots, garden herbs & creamy balsamic vinagrette PORTOBELLO FRIES I’ve never had anything like this! They are literally mushroom fries. It came with a delicious garlic aioli dip. I love mushrooms and french fries are my favorite food so it was a great combo for me lol. I recommend this if you are a …

GRIMALDI’S PIZZERIA- BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I’ve heard around that Grimaldi’s is the best pizza in New York. I’ve seen it on TV and have heard about the place through word of mouth, so I ventured out to the one under the Brooklyn Bridge (which is the most famous one), to try for myself. Grimaldi’s is one of the few pizzerias that still make their pizzas with a coal-fired oven which gives pizza a unique flavor (most pizzerias use wood or gas ovens). Grimaldi’s is on the Brooklyn side of the bridge, and my friend and I ran the bridge from the Manhattan side (which I highly recommend doing by the way, it’s so beautiful!). So I exercised only to stuff my fat face with pizza. Typical me… story of my life lol. RUNNING THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE A PIC I TOOK FROM STATEN ISLAND FERRY THAT DAY! MAKING PIZZAS AT GRIMALDI’S! LARGE PIZZA WITH GARLIC, BASIL, PEPPERONI & BLACK OLIVES The pizza was good. It reminded me of the pizza at the famous Lombardi’s pizzeria in …

LA CAVA, SHERMAN OAKS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

La Cava is what I like to call a secret gem–an Italian gem in the valley. Those kinds of restaurants are my absolute favorite. Not a lot of people know about it, yet the food is really spectacular. La Cava is about the size of my bedroom. It’s very small for a restaurant, but it’s cozy and it serves authentic Italian Tuscan food at its finest. La Cava is on the busy street of Venutra Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, but it can be easily missed if you’ve never heard of it. I heard about it through word of mouth and went there for my good friends birthday dinner. I was very impressed with the food and service so I took my family there for dinner on another occasion. The waiters are straight off the boat from Italy; they all have thick Italian accents. Everything at La Cava is made from scratch- the pasta noodles, the sauces, cheeses, etc. I would recommend a pasta dish because the noodles literally melt in your mouth. See all the dishes that were …

PIZZA LOUNGE, LAGUNA BEACH

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I went on an incredible quick little getaway this Christmas to Laguna Beach. 75 degrees, sunny and crystal clear, it was a beautiful Christmas Eve day on the beach. A friend of mine recommended I go to this amazing pizza place in downtown Laguna on the main road (South Coast Highway) which lies right along the ocean. It’s called the Pizza Lounge. She specifically told me to try this “special peach pizza” that is not on the menu- you have to ask for it. So she being a Laguna veteran, I took her word for it. TOOK A WALK ON THE BOARDWALK IN DOWNTOWN LAGUNA ON CHRISTMAS EVE DAY BEFORE HEADING TO THE PIZZA LOUNGE FOR LUNCH- GOTTA LOVE SO-CAL! Right upon arrival, we were quickly greeted by the friendly owner of the Pizza Lounge, who asked to take our order. You can order by the slice out of the options of pizzas already made on the trays shown in the glass window below, or you can custom order different size pizzas or choose from their specialty pizzas on the …