I had driven past the restaurant many times before but had never been until this evening for a Yelp Elite event. I read on the invite it would be light bites so I had assumed nothing substantial would be served. I was quite wrong.
The evening started off with a glass of either white or red wine. I opted for the former and was told it was a very dry wine which is just perfect for me since I don’t gravitate towards sweet drinks. The first batch of food served were the mini empanadas. There were two different versions served, the beef with olives and the spinach with cheese. It was quite good, had a flaky crust and the proper ratio of meat to dough. Next were the cebiche amarillo which was yellowtail ceviche served in shot glasses. What was unique about this dish, besides the presentation, were the crispy yucca chips which added a depth of texture to the slightly spicy ceviche. The tagliata, or grilled skirt steak, was served next with a healthy portion of creamy mashed potatoes. There was a bit of peppercorn gravy on the side of the plate which added a layer of flavor and coating to the steak skewers. The rolled eggplant, or envuelto de berenjena, was an incredibly pleasant surprise. It was served piping hot with lots of cheesy goodness, reminiscent of a mini-lasagne. The last entree was the choripan which was a chorizo slider. The buns were a bit thick and I normally don’t eat bread anyways so I used the toothpick to pierce the meat in the middle. It was a thick slice of chorizo, not overly spicy but seasoned just right. There were several rounds of these heavy appetizers which were served before the finale of panqueques de dulce de leche. They were thin crepes filled with a bit of dulce de leche topped with bananas and strawberry. It was light, not overly sweet with a creamy filling.
This Yelp Elite members only event was a lovely way to spend a few hours and I met some great friendly and funny people. I can now officially recommend Malbec as a must try place in Santa Monica. Their food definitely had the perfect combo of flavor, texture and a bit of creativity.
Malbec Argentinian Cuisine
2628 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
http://malbeccuisine.com/santa-monica
I hadn’t returned to the Philippines since 1985, and I found my task of choosing a hotel on one of its 7000 islands daunting to say the least. I chose Boracay because it’s known for its turquoise waters, fantastic water sports, insane beach parties complete with fire dancers and is known for its gorgeous White Beach which is divided into 3 stations. Wanting some quiet time and a bit of privacy, I narrowed my location to Station 1. I happened upon Ambassador in Paradise from many positive reviews on TripAdvisor. Still it was a shot in the dark not knowing anybody who had actually stayed there.
After 3 flights, a van ride, a boat ride and another van ride, we finally arrived at our destination, nearly 24 hours after leaving LAX. From the street, the resort looked quite narrow. As we walked through, the resort spread out a bit wider and was deeper and more expansive than we anticipated. Our room had a partial ocean view on the second floor above the restaurant, close to the beach. It also had a view of the pool and the inner courtyard area. The main dining area was easily accessible using the staircase by our room.
The architecture of the building had a Spanish Mediterranean feel. It might explain why there were many European guests staying at the resort. There were also a sprinkling of Australians. Compared to other hotels, including the more opulent and luxurious hotels down the beach, it appeared Ambassador in Paradise was at full capacity during our stay. I was more than a bit surprised but thought about the how and why of it all. It’s on the beach, has its own private beach area complete with chairs and umbrellas, it’s at Station 1 so there were fewer beach peddlers, it had a great breakfast buffet, the other meals they offered were reasonably priced and the nightly rates of the rooms were quite reasonable for everything the resort offered. As far as amenities, there was a really nice pool in the middle which we didn’t utilize mistakenly until near the end of our visit. The water temperature was actually quite lovely. The resort also had a small non-air conditioned gym in the basement. A few days prior to our arrival, a typhoon had hit and flooded the entire bottom floor. Some of the equipment was still drying as a result.
Our bedroom was nice enough. There was an armoire with shelves and a safe. Our luggage sat outside of it but most of our clothes were able to fit. There was a bench and a table for additional seating. The bathroom did not have air conditioning and the sink did not have a great deal of counter space. The shower area was open to the rest of the bathroom but luckily it was a wide enough space. The room came with a smartphone which allowed guests internet access and allowed local calls. Guests were able to take the phone outside of the resort during their stay.
All in all, for the value and the location, I would highly recommend staying at Ambassador in Paradise. The staff was phenomenal, professional and polite. They had a great variety of food. The nightly entertainment was relaxing. The style of the resort is casual, tasteful and subdued. Best of all, its location was perfect for relaxing and unwinding.
Ambassador in Paradise
Station 1, Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan, 5608 Philippines
https://www.ambassadorinparadise.com
I decided to bring my group of friends to Sushi Ippo because it was 5 minutes from the Marciano Art Foundation where I had tickets for the Yayoi Kusama Exhibit and it went with the Japanese theme for the evening. The museum tickets were free so I didn’t want to end up having the group pay an extraordinary amount for their dinner. I checked on Yelp and it averaged 4 stars and it said they take reservations but upon calling, I was told that reservations only apply to parties of 6 or more Monday through Thursday but at 6 p.m. when we were planning on arriving on a Saturday evening, we would have no problems. I also read that there was metered parking and a parking garage so off we went. It’s on the south side of Wilshire and the parking garage is off of Western which shares a parking garage with Wiltern guests. We were asked by the parking attendant where we were going and after I told her Sushi Ippo, she let us in for free. Upon walking out, we noticed that Wiltern guests had to pay $10. The entrance to the restaurant was accessible through the garage. We arrived a few minutes before our friends and the restaurant had a handful of guests dining at the time.
Once our friends all arrived we were finally seated. None of us had ever eaten at AYCE sushi let alone this restaurant so it was a bit of adjustment trying to come up with a strategy. Truth be told, we over ordered in our first round. We were more conservative on our second round but threw in the towel before the third round. There was a sign that hot and cold sake as well as beer was buy one, get the 2nd 50% off though our receipt comped us for the second sake. Also, there was a sign that if we tagged Sushi Ippo on Facebook and Instagram we would get a free macaroon or green tea ice cream which a few of us did at the end of our meal.
We ordered a variety of appetizers, salads, soups, sushi and nigiri. Having vacationed in Japan recently, every Japanese restaurant is cursed with the unbeatable comparison to the quality, freshness and flavor of sashimi and sushi in Japan. The quality of the fish at Sushi Ippo was around a 3.5. The peppered fish had some flavor. The rest of the fish was fine but lacking in the creaminess and butteriness that exists only in Japan. All the fried options were around a 2. They just tasted fried with no real distinct flavor. The sesame chicken was unfortunately flat out horrible and chewy, possibly either overcooked or expired because my husband and I both got sick early the next morning. On the upside, the vanilla macaroon was melt in your mouth good.
All in all, Sushi Ippo was a fine experience. The service was a 4, seafood was a 3.5, non-sushi/seafood items were a 2 but the desserts were a 5. It’s a good value for a fun casual outing with friends. I would have no issue recommending it to people who aren’t as familiar with Japan, sushi and sashimi or those who eat for volume rather than quality. I would definitely pass on all the fried food and any chicken dish because it’s a waste of calories and space in the belly.
Sushi Ippo
3800 Wilshire Blvd, #110
Los Angeles, CA 90010
Working in Santa Monica, I’m always on the hunt for delicious, inexpensive lunch options. I found Greenview Thai on Yelp. It only has 3 stars but after looking at their menu and the photos, my gut told me I would enjoy it.
On my first visit, I ordered the chicken with garlic and black pepper from the lunch specials. It came with a small salad, crispy fried vegetable egg roll and fried rice. With tax, it was $10.95. I had vacationed in Phuket in 2016 and everything I ate except the Americanized salad, tasted like the authentic food of Thailand.
A few days later, a coworker was craving Thai food so I returned and ordered fried chicken from the regular menu. It was different, not like the buttermilk or southern fried chicken I expected. It had a tamarind flavor but it was fried perfectly with a sweet dipping sauce. I was surprised again at how much I enjoyed it.
My third and most recent meal, I once again took a gander at the lunch special menu. I debated ordering a traditional Thai dish. I asked my server what he recommended. He said orange chicken. I was doubtful that a Thai restaurant could pull off a solid non-traditional Thai dish. I was 100% wrong. Just like my first visit, my lunch came with a small salad and the freshly fried and crispy vegetable egg roll. The combination of the fried rice with the perfectly crispy, not overly sauced orange chicken was the perfect addictive combination. I couldn’t quite understand or believe the deliciousness of each bite. After eating half of the dish, I felt my waistline expanding and asked for a box. While putting the leftovers in the box, I ate a few more small bites of the chicken and the rice. When I came back to work, I almost immediately started eating the rest of the meal until it was all gone. So much for leftovers….
Three times is a charm for my food experiences at Greenview Thai. Everything I have eaten has left me wanting more. It’s a terrific value especially at lunchtime. Everything is cooked on order and perfectly fresh. The service has been exemplary for all three visits. I am crowning it my go-to for my lunchtime getaways and any group lunches.
Greenview Thai
11870 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
I’ve eaten at locations on Pico, Sunset and Robertson over the last 15+ years. It’s not a restaurant I crave but every time I visit, I remember how solid the food is and how reasonable the prices are.
This time, we went to the Robertson location on Halloween. It was close to the WeHo Halloween festivities had outdoor seating. When we arrived around 6:30, we were able to be seated right away in the covered patio area so we were able to see people passing by in their Halloween garb.
I ordered a salmon dish and my husband ordered a chicken pasta dish. My salmon was super flaky, perfectly marinaded and cooked. The black beans I ordered as a side was a perfect contrast to the crispy fries I ordered as my second side. My 3rd side of roasted vegetables was a pleasant surprise. They had a smoky flavor but weren’t overcooked. My husband’s pasta dish was creamy but not overly sauced and the chicken was tender and nicely seasoned.
Equally as good as the food was the fantastic service which was so prompt and attentive. The restaurant never quite filled up while we were there so it seems like a good choice for a nice, casual, relatively inexpensive weekday meal and is great for people watching.
Bossa Nova is a solid choice for a casual, healthy or hearty meal and is easy on the wallet.
Bossa Nova
685 N. Robertson Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90069
1) Best fast food: Tito’s Tacos has been my go-to since 2000. It’s been open much longer than that but I hadn’t been introduced to it despite living in the neighborhood for 10 years prior. They offer tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, tostadas and chili beans and chili con carne but my go-to are 3 tacos, no cheese, with a small guac. It’s the perfect cure for a hangover but it’s also a substantial enough serving and as of today, it’s $10.80 “all in.” It comes with a whole box of chips and salsa. The beef, more often than not, is tender and juicy and clearly previously marinaded before cooking. My only complaint is I wish there was more meat in the tacos. The taco shells are pre-loaded with the beef upon ordering and the remainder of the shells are filled in with lettuce for my orders. The guacamole isn’t too thick nor is it too runny. As Goldilocks would say, it’s just right. Getting there and beating the line is the challenge as the lines sometimes wrap and wind around. I think I’ve figured it out but I’m keeping those off-times secret and to myself so I can indulge in this treat at my leisure.
Tito’s Tacos
11222 Washington Place
Culver City, CA 90230
2) Best takeout: Shawarma Land is a new find for me, courtesy of the filter option on the Yelp app. I type in “cheap eats” and see what comes up and I head off to sample their offerings. This one, I have to say, is a very pleasant surprise. I have a very detailed review of it in the Local Eats section of my blog, but the quality and flavor of the food is consistent and it’s not overly oily like other similar cuisines. As I mentioned in my review, for a shawarma platter, its $12.06 with tax and it feeds 2 people so it’s $6.03/person. Such a delicious deal!
Shawarma Land
10821 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
3) Best restaurant for delivery on a Friday night: Thai Original BBQ was introduced to me by my dad when I was a kid. A waiter from the now-defunct Universal City location had hit his car and offered to pay him for the damages and treat him to lunch. He brought me with him and I’ve been in love with their food ever since. There was another Thai restaurant in Culver City that has since closed but when this location opened, I pretty much made it my mission to eat there or have their food delivered as often and as regularly as possible. Our usual delivery order is the S-1 which is a half BBQ chicken and fried rice, S-12 which is the teriyaki salmon steak, fried rice and broccoli, chicken sate appetizer which are grilled chicken skewers that comes with a peanut sauce, yellow curry with chicken which is in a coconut curry with chunks of potatoes and recently we changed up our noodle order to phase see-ew which are flat rice noodles, egg, broccoli high we order with chicken. The latter is not overly sauced but the flavors are embedded in the noodles which rounds out the dinner selection. We also get an extra side of the fried rice because it’s so addictive. Our total is typically around $68-$69 and with tip, it’s $82. For $41/person, you get dinner, next day’s lunch and possibly an afternoon snack. The volume and quality of the food is unparalleled. We have ordered from many restaurants in the area since moving to Culver City in 2005 and none of them can compare.
Thai Original BBQ
10036 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.thaibbqculvercity.com
4) Best Happy Hour: Ruth’s Chris is hands down the best of the best. Everything on their Swizzle Hour Menu is $9. Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 4-6:30 p.m. On the rare Friday night that both my husband and I are freed up by 5:30, we run over and put our name on the wait list hoping for a table or 2 seats at the bar to open up so we can enjoy a nice inexpensive dinner with nice surroundings. Our usual go-tos are either the pomegranate or Cosmo martinis, the seared ahi tuna, spicy shrimp, roasted artisan chicken sandwich with salad for my husband and the steak sandwich, no bread, with crispy fries for me. That’s $54 and with tax and tip, it’s around $72 so that’s roughly $36/person for a nice steakhouse dinner experience with drinks.
Ruth’s Chris
13455 Maxella Avenue, #230
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
5) Best sushi and sashimi restaurant: No restaurants on the Westside can compare to the quality and value of the sushi and sashimi at Sakura. They don’t have a website. It’s all word of mouth which is how we found out about this almost hole in the wall restaurant on Centinela, in between Culver and Washington. Our orders vary but with sake and beer, our per person average rate with tax and tip is about $36-$40. My order typically includes tuna sashimi with grilled salmon. My husband usually orders a 12 piece sushi assortment, a California roll, a spicy tuna roll, and a nabeyaki udon with shrimp tempura. Nowhere in LA can you order all that food and get away with paying anything less than $60-$80/person. Hands down, Sakura is one of our favorites.
Sakura
4545 S. Centinela Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90066
I am always on the hunt for delicious, inexpensive eats close to home. I set the filter on my Yelp app to find these hidden gems and one that piqued my interest was technically one city over from Culver City in Palms.
Shawarma Land sits on Venice Blvd. and is adjoined to a Turkish market behind it. Though the actual restaurant is accessible from the street, the sidewalk is painted red so one would either have to park on the side street, at the next block where street parking is allowed on Venice or in the back lot and walk through the market. They have a decent covered outdoor patio which offers a few tables and they also have a few tables inside the restaurant. It’s very casual. You place your order at the counter and they call your number.
I’ve now eaten at Shawarma Land twice, once eating onsite and today I called in my order. The same girl helped me both times. I’m not sure if the gentleman in the back is of any relation to her but they work together seamlessly. Both times, I ordered the shawarma plate but asked for a 50/50 split of chicken and beef. Just like my initial visit, today’s meal was delicious and filling. The photo only shows the top layer of meat which covered a bottom layer of rice. Both types of meat were juicy and flavorful and there was a sheen of oil on the rice possibly from the natural juices of the chicken and the beef penetrating the kernels of rice. Included with the plate was a nice helping of hummus and a cucumber and green salad. For $10.99 which ended up being $12.06 with tax, it was a very generous amount of food. I gave 2/3 of it to my husband and we were both quite full and satisfied.
For an incredibly inexpensive and filling meal, I cannot recommend Shawarma Land enough. It offers great value, massive portions and delicious quality food.
Shawarma Land
10821 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
I admittedly have never watched an episode of Top Chef so I have zero knowledge of Chef Shirley Chung and her culinary expertise. However, I do enjoy trying new eats especially in my hometown of Culver City and Ms. Chi definitely held a great deal of promise. It is housed in the space of former Korean BBQ restaurant, Hanjip, which got off to a great start but seemed overpriced and overhyped for what it was. Culver City has tried several times to welcome some Asian eats into its hood but most have failed or not been successful enough to sustain themselves in the high rent area of downtown Culver City. This restaurant though might have a shot at longevity. Its roots are Asian but it gives enough appeal to those who have never gone to a Chinese restaurant. For those who don’t know that the red and black covered round bowl with white ladle is the white steamed rice bowl that is served to every table and patron at all authentic Chinese restaurants, this is the place for you to to start your Asian food journey.
Ms. Chi offers a happy and non-threatening introduction to Asian cuisine. The restaurant is not filled with odious scents and live seafood in an aquarium holding your dinner entree hostage. Rather it melds the Americanized Asian fare and bumps it two more notches towards the American palate. The cheeseburger dumplings is the perfect example of American Asian Fusion. It truly tastes like its name and it’s quite wonderfully savory. The tater tots at Ms. Chi aren’t coated with the standard vegetable oil flavoring. Rather it has a slightly sweet red or green pepper aftertaste which seems a bit different but perfectly placed in the restaurant’s fusion cuisine. The Brussels Sprouts with the runny egg is perfectly charred but is slightly softened once the silky yolk is broken and seeps into the smoky crevices. The star of the evening, however, was the Beijing noodle. It tasted like bolognese with thick al dente Asian flat noodles resembling the Italian parpadelle pasta. The flavor explosion was quite complex and unmatched by anything I have ever tasted.
To top off this very unique and exemplary meal, the service was top notch. William was our server and just kept dishing it out which was fairly quick because the kitchen crew did not miss a beat.
Overall, Ms. Chi is top notch and I thank every person who we met tonight who helped shape our dinner experience and now I clearly need to find Chef Shirley Chung’s Top Chef episode(s). 😎
Ms. Chi Cafe
3929 Main Street
Culver City, CA 90232
Don Chuy’s had been in the neighborhood for a bit but somehow we had never managed to visit. I did, however, occasionally look at how many stars it received on Yelp and it somehow hovered around 3-3 1/2 stars so it didn’t seem like a priority. Tonight, however, was the exception. I wanted to try somewhere different which wasn’t far from home and not expensive but was savory and I had a hankering for some chips and salsa. I went on Yelp and looked for Mexican restaurant options and Don Chuy’s was the closest and the menu was reasonably priced so off we went.
I had read that they didn’t have a liquor license at the moment which didn’t matter because we lived 5 minutes away and we have our own stash at home. I didn’t think I would find parking in the small parking lot but lo and behold there were at least 3 available spaces when we arrived. We entered and saw the sign alerting customers of the lack of alcohol and inside the intimate but tastefully and traditionally designed restaurant we saw 2 TVs with the Dodgers game onscreen so we knew it had a casual but potentially fun vibe. We assumed the restaurant was nearly empty due to the lack of alcohol which really was really a blessing for us because the service was top notch. Our waitress was fantastic. I was torn between the carne asada, ribs and the fish and she immediately recommended the ribs which is apparently quite popular. My husband ordered the “orijinal burrito” with chicken which was massive and contained tender pieces of chicken with rice and a dollop of sauce with melted cheese. My ribs were fantastically tender, fall of the bone meat, with a rich, savory, dense red seasoned but not overly spiced sauce that blended in perfectly with the rice and the refried beans with ooey gooey cheese melted on top. As this was our first visit, our server mentioned that the restaurant was family owned and most days and nights, the husband and wife would ordinarily be milling about or behind the counter making sure everything was in order but Fridays are their nights off. No matter. The food and service were impeccable and I am so incredibly happy to have found a place so close to home that will eventually become my second home.
Thanks Don Chuy’s for your fantastic food and fantastic service!!
Don Chuy’s Restaurant
11800 Jefferson Blvd
Culver, CA 90230
The two month old restaurant’s name is misleading, inducing you to believe that the menu items are all a work in progress. On the contrary, Michelin-trained Chef Jackson Kalb has exhibited his mastery and experience in his ability to quickly serve up one exceptional dish after another, maintaining the integrity of quality and complexity of tastes in each and every bite. He has transformed the standard Italian fare into something I would categorize as humbly sophisticated. At first glance, the dishes appear as if they could have emerged from your Italian mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen but that notion of homeliness is immediately extinguished with one bite of the intricate dishes. Encapsulated into each dish is the perfect commingling of flavors, textures and spices.
We started with the brussels sprouts and combined its substantial smoky robust flavor with the contrasting light, crisp leaves of romaine in the spicy Caesar salad which had a touch, a sprinkling of a citrus vinegar dressing. Next to be served was the “Hollywood” tagliatelle which had just a hint of meat and sauce, enough to accentuate each bite of the hand rolled pasta. It was followed shortly with a very different, but by no means inferior, pasta dish. The bavette’s crowning achievement was the stracciatella di bufala which oozed into the crevices of the silky strands of dark ink pasta and was interspersed with little jewels of rock shrimp. As if that wasn’t decadent enough, we finished off the dinner portion with the very lean and subtly seasoned “eye of the rib.” Underneath the tender slices of beef was a thin coating of potato purée providing a sampling of a meat and potato dish for those so in need. We ended our Enoteca immersion with a nod to our childhood, encapsulated in the form of a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie.
Workshop Enoteca’s offerings are exceptional in flavor, quality and value, the trifecta of a winning foodie combination, and is destined to be our second home in the weeks and months to come.
241 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
https://www.eatworkshop.com
Grace Gambin
You must be logged in to post a comment.