All posts filed under: Los Angeles

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BACKSTAGE, CULVER CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

  It has been quoted that this may be the “Best dive bar in the world”. It has also been said that it is the best dive bar in Los Angeles. I absolutely love this place. I am not really the “dive bar” kinda gal, but if they have amazing AND cheap food, I will be there in a heartbeat lol. This bar is literally the definition of a “dive bar”- it’s a hole-in-the wall bar in the heart of Culver City- it is always busy, drinks are cheap and they have great food. They have happy hour too, so you can get certain things on the menu for half off. They have a great band that performs at 9:30pm every Wednesday night, and they have karaoke on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It is definitely a fun and lively bar, and it gets crazy late at night. Highly recommend checking it out if you are around the area! MAC N CHEESE Known for their Mac n’ cheese, I recommend you try this at least once. …

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YAMASHIRO, HOLLYWOOD

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Yamashiro in Hollywood is perched up in the Hollywood Hills and has the best view of the entire city of Los Angeles. This Japanese restaurant looks like a palace straight out of Japan. It’s breathtaking. This week I went to dinner there with some friends, but I’ve been to Yamashiro a couple times and not only is it beautiful but the food is great too. YAMASHIRO COURTYARD W/ KOI PONDS  Photo credit: Yamashiro BELOW ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I’VE ORDERED FROM YAMASHIRO:  ASIAN BBQ BABY BACK RIBS Mashed Yams, house made spicy BBQ sauce SPICY SEAFOOD HOT POT Shrimp, scallop, New Zealand mussel, shitake mushrooms, snow peas, glass noodles Spicy! It was good and soothing-I love spicy hot soup, but I wouldn’t order again. TRUFFLE HAMACHI White truffle infused ponzu, teardrop tomatogarlic confit, micro arugula I loved this. I love anything with truffle and the raw fish tasted fresh and tender. Such a light and flavorful dish. I recommend! LOCH DUART SALMON Roasted asparagus, preserved-lemon smashed potatoes, fried capers, miso cream This honestly …

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QUALITY, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

     Quality is on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Located right down the street from TOAST on 3rd, and a lot of other LA brunch “hotspots”, Quality is more low-key and a guarantee quick wait, if any. The food is comparable to places such as Toast (which I’ve blogged about), but it’s less of a scene, and a much less of a wait for a table. It’s a hole in the wall, but I enjoyed the food. If you want to skip the hassle going to a packed brunch/breakfast on the weekends with a wait in LA, Quality is a good option. AVOCADO BENEDICT- ADDED BACON Buttermilk biscuits topped with avocado, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce Shared this with one of my girlfriends and it was delicious. I loved how it wasn’t on an english muffin, but a fresh baked biscuit. It added a buttery flavor which I loved, and a more flakey/crispy texture, and obviously adding bacon makes everything better 🙂 They’re known for their biscuits, so I recommend getting a dish there that serves one. CHALLAH …

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FIG & OLIVE, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

     Fig & Olive was my DineLA pick for this season! I get so excited when DineLA comes- it’s a great excuse to dine out at a restaurant you’ve always wanted to go to, for a more reasonable deal and price. (If you don’t know what DineLA is, look at my previous post for info). I’ve been wanting to go to Fig & Olive, especially because President Barack Obama dined there when he was in LA, so if it was worthy for him, I thought it was worth going to lol. Their DineLA fixed dinner menu costs $44. We had a 8:45pm reservation on a Thursday night, and the place was jam packed. The atmosphere is amazing there. It’s trendy & chic and had a great vibe. The food was good too. Not exceptional by any means, but good. MY DINING VIEW FROM OUR TABLE UPSTAIRS APPETIZERS  BREAD W/ THREE FLAVORS OF HOUSE-MADE OLIVE OIL     THREE CROSTINI COMBO MANCHEGO, FIG, MARCONA ALMOND MUSHROOM, TRUFFLE ARTICHOKE, PARMESAN SHRIMP, AVOCADO, CILANTRO, TOMATO This was my …

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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 …

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LITTLE NEXT DOOR, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

     For my work holiday lunch, my E! Fashion Police team went to Little Next Door in Los Angeles. The Little Door, located right next to the Little Next Door, is the fancier restaurant and is one of LA’s best gemspots- it’s French, very cozy, has a lot of charm, and serves great food. It’s on the expensive side-but they have Little NEXT Door which is the extension of the Little Door restaurant and it’s a more casual/cafe version of the Little Door. Is is not only a cute place to have lunch, but it’s also a bakery and wine shop. I just love the charm of both the Little Door, and Little Next Door. You feel like you’re at a cafe or cozy restaurant in France 🙂 This is what was ordered: MEDITERREAN SPREAD Baby artichoke dip, romesco, hummus, tzatziki, roasted garlic mushroom tapenade and pita bread FRENCH ONION SOUP So good! Highly recommended. Very cheesy and flavorful. ESCARGOTS DE BOURGOGNE Half dozen in garlic parsley butter I love Escargot! It was buttery and garlicy, melts in your mouth.   SKIRT STEAK …

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THE LOCAL PEASANT, SHERMAN OAKS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

The Local Peasant is a gastrobub in Sherman Oaks with great food and drinks. There is no sign from the outside, so it’s easy to miss from the street. They have a great selection of unique beers and cocktails, as well as interesting and delicious finger foods. MAC N’ CHEESE W/ BACON & BLACK TRUFFLE OIL Pretty good Mac N’ Cheese! Love the truffle flavor, and it was perfectly thick and creamy. BLUE CHEESE FRIED OLIVES OMG so amazing! This was one of my faves of the night. It came with a chipotle sauce and it literally melted in your mouth. Don’t really love blue cheese because of the strong flavor, but these weren’t strong. They were perfection. Obsesseddd! CRISPY PORK BELLY W/ PICKLED WATERMELON RIND AND SWEET & SPICY TAMARIND SAUCE My other favorite dish of the night. I can’t even describe how much flavor this had. It tasted like the most flavorful, crispy, yet tender piece of bacon I’ve ever had. Pork belly is my new favorite thing lol. Never had a more …

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CRUSTACEAN, BEVERLY HILLS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Crustacean is one of my favorites restaurants in LA. It is also known as the “Home of An’s Famous Garlic Noodles”. This 5-star restaurant was created by the An family, a Vietnamese family who immigrated to the US from Vietnam. All of Hollywood’s hottest celebs have dined at Crustacean- from Oprah, to Shaquille O’Neal, the walls are filled with press and celebrity pictures taken with the An family inside the restaurant. Crustacean has a “secret kitchen” where chefs that are very close to the An family for many years are only allowed in. The An family until this day will not reveal the secret recipe of their infamous garlic noodles as well as other famous Crustacean dishes. This is what drew me to this restaurant in the first place…I had to see what the big deal was about these noodles. Crustacean is upscale and also very pricey, but well worth it! With a big aquarium on the wall with exotic, tropical fish right when you walk in, and a serpentine aqaurium pathway to lead you into the main dining …