Gus's BBQ

Part two of my dineLA experience brought me to Gus's BBQ in Pasadena.  I met up with a good friend and a fellow food lover, excited to check this spot out.  We couldn't resist the deal: 3 course prefix meal for $16.00!!! We tried to order different items on the menu so we can try all of the yummy BBQ goodness.  We agreed on everything expect for dessert, we both ended up getting the Old School Ice Cream Sundae and we just couldn't resist! I am glad I was able to experience Gus's BBQ.  I enjoyed the food, the atmosphere and the wait staff was great.  Watch out Gus's BBQ... I will be back! Yumm!

Shout out to my dear friend David for being AMAZING!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup- I really loved this soup.  It had a good depth of flavor with a nice kick of spice at the end.  

Pull Pork Nachos- Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.  A MUST HAVE.  

Pull Pork Sandwich with Sweet Potato Fries- The sandwich was tasty but didn't blow my mind.  But the sweet potato fries were very yummy.  

Rib Sandwich with Mac-N-Cheese- This was tasty also, but wasn't very special.  The best thing about BOTH sandwiches was the butter toasted ciabatta bread! The bread was amazing! Crusty, a bit chewy and airy.      

The one thing we couldn't agree to share. The Old School Hot Fudge Sundae.  This mound of goodness is made with Fosselman's vanilla bean ice cream, hot fudge, and honey maple pecans.. One of the times selfishness wins.  

Jar

Thank you LA restaurant week for allowing me to get my fix at Jar Restaurant for a very good deal.  I always look forward to the 1st half of the year and the last half of the year because of DineLA.  For those who are not familiar, DineLA is Los Angeles's Restaurant Week or in this case.. 2 weeks, where participating restaurants in Los Angeles County will dish out prefix meals for reasonable prices.  This gives patrons the opportunity to explore a variety of restaurants and it also helps boost the restaurant business.  Of course, I couldn't resist taking advantage of DineLA, and was able to try out Jar Restaurant in West Hollywood.  The food was amazing, the staff was attentive and even though my bill was pretty hefty ($76.00 total for myself) in the end, it was all worth it.

Amuse Bouche- Char Sui Croissants, very tasty and a nice play on the traditional dim sum buns

Oysters on the half shell topped with thinly sliced radish.  So fresh and when topped with the malt vinegar with shallot sauce, it gave it just the right amount of tartness. 

2nd Amuse Bouche option- Deviled Eggs with Crab

Soup of the Day: Lobster Tomato soup. It had a fantastic depth of flavor and my mouth was dancing the whole time. I had to restrain myself from picking up the plate and licking it clean.   

Jar's Signature Pot Roast: Very tender and super yummy.  

My pot roast came with a side of whipped potatoes, it was so buttery and very delicious.  

Filet of Rib Eye Steak served with baby Arugula, Chimichurri sauce, and roasted onion.  

Butterscotch Pudding

Banana Cream Pie: BEST BANANA CREAM PIE I HAVE EVER EATEN... the crust was amazing and they did not skimp of the amount of sliced bananas in the mini pie.. so simple and so very good

Coconut Sorbet 

Woodspoon

Was extremely excited to come to Woodspoon with a few of my friends last night.  I had actually made plans a few weeks back to venture over to downtown LA to get my grub on at Woodspoon, but they were closing early due to maintenance. This time around, they were open and I was happy.  When we got there, I saw right away that this restaurant was on the smaller size (seating for about 30-35) and you could see the open kitchen towards the back of the restaurant.  We got there about 8:30pm and IT WAS BUSY! Waited about 30-40 minutes before we were seated (party of 5) but the wait was well worth it! The food was amazing and I left extremely happy.

Yucca Fries and Sausage

Chicken Brazilian Grill 

Brazilian Chicken Pot Pie filled with chicken, corn, hearts of palm with a flaky crust. Woodspoon's specialty and a MUST!

Couldn't resist the Plantains

Brazilian Flan with Coconut

*Not pictured is the Fish Sandwich made with Tilipia Fish, which was amazing, but  the photo is playing hide-n-seek with me right now! Will upload asap! 

Auntie Em's Cupcakes

Happy New Year everyone!

Starting the new year with a craze that exploded in 2010.. Cupcakes.  I didn't go wild during cupcake craze, and tasted my fair share of cupcakes, overall I thought they were all ok to pretty good, but nothing phenomenal.  Enter Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock... A very dear friend of mine gave me Auntie Em's cupcakes for the holidays, 1 Red Velvet and 1 Chocolate.  When I took my first bite of the Red Velvet cupcake it was like an explosion of creamy cheesy goodness and super moist cake.  I was in cupcake heaven... The Chocolate Cupcake was just as good! Moist chocolate cake topped with chocolate ganache like frosting.  Wow... what a way to end 2010...

Apparently, 2011 is going to be the year of the Pie... I keep telling my dear friend to start her own pie business because she makes THE most amazing pies... she probably thinks I am joking.... I am not! :)

Wishing you all a joyous and super yummy 2011!!!

Red Velvet and Chocolate Cupcake

Hello San Francisco

In the beginning of December my girls and I took a mini vaca to San Francisco.  Southwest was having a deal for round trip airfare from LA for $80 I could not pass it up!  While in San Francisco, we explored various local eateries such as a Thai Restaurant, Tommy's Joint: a dive bar with killer eats, a small diner called Max's, The House of Prime Rib and of course, the trip would not be complete without a stroll down the Fisherman's Wharf.  The food was amazing on so many levels.  The incredibly fresh seafood at the Wharf, the various cuts of brined meats at Tommy's Joint and the luscious prime rib from The House of Prime Rib made this trip a memorable one.. Oh, and of course my girls made the trip amazing too! :) I feel like I only got a very small taste of San Francisco, and I hope to go back very soon... maybe this time I will drag Tone along with me!

Fisherman's Wharf

Sourdough Crab and Turtle Loafs from Boudin 

These crabs were fresh and super tasty!

chopped crab

Fried Calamari with fries 

Crab meat Po'Boy Sandwich

Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl... incredible on so many levels

This was by far the highlight of my day while at the Fisherman's Wharf. While waiting for our oysters to be shucked,  we befriended the shucker and I told him that he was "making me a very happy woman"... kindness seemed to pay off because he gave us an extra oyster and a few crab legs on the house! Kindness wins again! :)

Raw Clams were so sweet and yummmmy!

Lobster Bisque 

This poor little crab held on for dear life..Highly recommended  Nick's Light House on the Wharf
one of the best oysters ever!

Tommy's Joint

Turkey Breast Dinner was super moist 

Pastrami was killer and very tender

Corned Beef was also very good

BBQ Brisket was tender and amazing

Max's Diner

Turkey Pastrami Melt with Sauerkraut was very flavorful but my only gripe was how greasy the bread was.  I know it's a sandwich melt, but I didn't like the amount of grease on my hands afterwards.  However, overall very tasty!

Breakfast Scramble with Potatoes

House of Prime Rib

I saw this beautiful, bullet shaped cart pull up next to our table and I was so so happy....

Starter Salad with House Dressing.. I loved the beets!

Prime Rib thinly sliced with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes... the prime rib was fantastic.  It was soft and filled with flavor.. if I wasn't dining with friends I would have literally licked the plate clean.. One of THE best parts of dining at The House of Prime Rib besides the amazing food and service.. if you finish your plate, they ask you if you want seconds..

Thai Food 

Crab Noodles- a bit like pad thai but with crab meat

Pineapple Fried Rice 

Eggplant with Beef

Pad Thai with Chicken

Luna Park

After much anticipation, I finally made it to Luna Park in Los Angeles. Before even entering the restaurant I knew I had to get the Smores.  Luna Park had a special going on for a Prefix Meal for $26.00 and it was worth it! I will definitely be going back and will be trying all sorts of yummy foods there again.

Hush Puppies

Tuna Tartar with crispy wontons

Chicken soup was TOO good

flat iron steak with pesto 

spareribs

margarita pizza was very good!

SMORES!!!! with homemade graham crackers, chocolate sauce and of course, melty marshmallows!