All posts filed under: United States

DSC04121.jpg

P.J. CLARKE’S, LAS VEGAS

Published by Nicole Isaacs

In Vegas, I stumbled across P.J. Clarke’s in the Ceasers Palace Hotel. Hungover and craving good substance and a burger, I decided to stop there. I’ve actually read about P.J. Clarke’s online. It’s a classic bar/restaurant established in 1884, and has original locations in New York City and along the Hudson River, but has also opened in Washington DC, Vegas and Brazil. This place is an old-time classic restaurant known for good pub food and especially famous for it’s burger, so I tried it. “THE CADILLAC” Smoked Country Bacon & American Cheese I really enjoyed the burger. I don’t know if I was just desperately hungry and anything could have tasted good in my state lol, but it was pretty good to me. Definitely not anywhere near the best, but it was solid- I had no complaints. I ordered the “Cadillac Burger” for $13.75, which is their special and most popular burger. It comes with American cheese and bacon. It’s a simple burger, nothing special on it besides bacon, but the meat was cooked perfectly. …

DSC04107.jpg

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 …

5490745262_f9087687f1_o5B15D.jpg

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 …

DSC03926.jpg

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 …

sunset_640x390.jpg

CASA LAGUNA INN & SPA, LAGUNA BEACH

Published by Nicole Isaacs

       I stayed at Casa Laguna Inn & Spa in Laguna Beach this Christmas Eve, and not to sound corny or anything lol, but it was truly magical. The weather was clear and sunny, in the 70’s. Gotta love California in December. We really lucked out with the weather because we got to see the most beautiful sunset. But regardless of the weather, Casa Laguna is truly heaven. Staying there takes you to another world. It’s quaint, and it has the charm and coziness of a Spanish style mission, lots of greenery and fountains, but it also has a beachy feel with spectacular ocean views.      Casa Laguna is definitely on the pricey side, but I think it’s worth to splurge on the good things in life occasionally. I did the Sea and Spa package. It came with a Deluxe Ocean view room and a soak and massage for two. The 45 minute champagne sunset soak is in a secluded private tub elevated on a bluff to see the ocean. We had it perfectly in time …

DSC03989.jpg

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 …

littlenextdoor.jpg

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 …

LP.jpg

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 …