Antica Pizzeria Los Angeles, CA

Another pizza place in LA. Another good pizza. Another Authentic Neapolitan style but this time they import the flower from Italy. So what's the deal? Well the dough was great but I wanted to be cooked a little longer. The cheese was fresh mozzarella, the tomato sauce was thin but flavorful, a lot of prosciutto but the mushrooms were a disappointment. I also tried the arancino di riso which was a fried rice cone of rissoto with mushrooms and peas and cheese inside. It was pretty good. So the question is why is the great pizza outside of NY in Arizona and not Los Angeles? Good pizza can be had almost anywhere but great pizza??? If anyone has any suggestions in for me in LA please send me a note. And yes I will be back to Antica Pizzeria and let's hope it's hot with no skimping on toppings!!!

Mario Batali's Mozza Pizzeria Los Angeles

Yes another famous chef(Mario Batali) and another good restaurant, NOT GREAT.

I have to say that the service was GREAT and that is rare here in this city which kind of bugs me.

The pizza selections are very interesting and I need to go and try a couple others but still this pizza is not as good as my place Grazie Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Scottsdale, AZ.

The dough was very good but the crust was a little plump. I ordered the speck(cured pork) , buffalo mozzarella, and olive tapenade. Very flavorful but would not order it again. I am looking forward to ordering the pizza with the white anchovies.

It was packed for lunch and saw an actor from sex in the city(the bald guy) and sat next to a producer, big deal. I would go back for the service and to try some strange pizza toppings and we will see how it turns out next time.

www.mozza-la.com/pizzeria/about.cfm

8oz Burger Bar on Melrose

Burger with truffle & parm skins

Perfectly cooked medium rare

Ok a famous chef Govind Armstrong and a trendy stretch of Melrose Ave does this make a great burger place??? Yes, but still not the best burger I have had in LA since I moved here in August. But the burger was VERY good and the truffle and parm potatoes skins were awesome. Before 7pm they have a combo for $15 that comes with 8oz burger, one side and a pint of craft beer that is worth the price of admission. Add $1 for cheese, can't have meat without cheese, and we are in business. I will be going back for that special next time I am on that side of town. The bun is another egg bun which I liked but a little too doughy for me and the sauce was great as well. The meat tasted great and they salt cure the meat in their own meat locker, but that said I think this burger would be better off griddled rather that on the fire. That is my preference for any burger though. Bartender was nice as well. They also have one of my top ten favorite beers La Fin Du Monde from unibroue. I will be back.

www.8ozburgerbar.com/home.html

Fu Rai Bo in West LA

Japanese Yam with raw quail egg

Broiled Mackerel Shoiyaki

Yes I love sushi BUT when you talk Japanese food next next best thing or the next most fun food experience is Izakaya Style restaurant. It is a drinking and small plates like tapas restaurant. Now I went to Fu Rai Bo by myself but I ned to go back with a group to get drunk and try Everything and I will take more pictures. Since I love quail eggs I had to order the japanese yams with raw quail egg and it was a little slimy but rich just like I like it. I also indulged in the hanpen(no picture) which is fishcake stuffed with cheese and it was DEELISH and I will order again. Another of my favorite izakaya dishes is the broiled mackerel. And the best thing is that it is fairly cheap!!! There were large groups of people and everyone drinking and eating and being merry. And so starts a new love affair with an authentic izakaya Fu Rai Bo. I will see you soon my new friend, Question is who's joining me for some japanese small plates and drinks????

IN-N-OUT BURGER Los Angeles

This is the ubiquitous west coast In -N-Out bruger picture for all my midwest and eastcoast friends.

Yes the burger is an icon and yes there is the secret menu that is not that secret anymore. But the burgers are good not great and yes the sauce is DEELISH. I don't enjoy the bun(except the picture today) so I get mine wrapped in lettuce usually(protein style & animal style) and the fries in the picture are animal style both on the secret menu look it up if you must.

The fries for me never ever hit the mark, but I continue to order them this time in the picture I ordered them animal style well done and the extra cooking didn't help. So on the next visit it will be no buns and no fries, I will live.

Enjoy my eastcoast and midwest people, come to LA and visit.

www.in-n-out.com/default.asp

cheeseburger animal style

Animal style fries

Westside Tavern Los Angeles

West LA in a mall next to the movies is the fairly new Westside Tavern and it is one of those places that I just "GET". Is it a tavern? Is it a pub? Well now we call these a gastropub cause it is what I call a food foward pub. I have been many times and yes Grandma loves it too cause the bar is rocking and lively, get her a dewars rocks honey. The cocktails are very involved and sometimes take too long to make but they are good and strong and the beer list is nice as well I always go with the Brother Thelonious.

You can't ever go wrong with the grilled cheese and tomato soup, homemade hummus, cheese & cured meat board, BLT with soft fried egg(too bad it's not a quail egg), and they do have seasonal specials and raw oysters. I recently had the Niman Ranch flat iron steak and fries $23 and it was just what the doctor ordered.

But in this town the burger is what is king and a lot of people talk about what makes a burger good or pretentious or bad. I love this burger and I think it is great!!! I like the brioche bun it's delicious get over it people. The arugula which I usually don't like on a burger actually works. The burger is seasoned well and the grind is perfect. So kill me because I like an egg bun this burger is awesome. They will cook it perfectly to medium rare which some restaurants still really don't know what that means or looks like unless you are at Mastro's.

www.westsidetavernla.com/

Laurel Tavern in Studio City

Laurel Tavern in Studio City has been in the last couple months one of my go to places.

The fact that they have no servers I have slowly been getting used to it, but will never love.

To sound a little Seinfeld like " what's the deal with no happy hour?" I have been there at 5-6pm and if they had their great craft beer selection at $2 off the place would be packed. I like the classic rock music BUT just not loud enough to sing along with Jimi, the Stones, or Zeppelin.

Ok, I'm done with my ranting cause the beers are great, all California craft beers, full bar, and a very interesting bar food menu. Yes they have Marrowbones, but I am addicted to the pork belly skewers with a maple glaze(don't tell my doctor). The cheese course is nice but how do we know what cheese is offered without a server? The burgers are good not great, but good enough so make sure you order the bluecheese burger.

Yes I will be back but please for all of us hire a server!!!!

http://www.laureltavern.net/

Pork Belly

Marrowbones

Grazie Pizzeria&Wine Bar is the Best Pizza in Arizona!!!!

Chocolate and bananas? Yes Please


Pizzeria Bianco who???????????? Are you kidding me? Yeah it was ok but not NY Times best in America!!! But in my humble opinion Grazie Pizzeria & Wine Bar IS the Best in Arizona hands down!!! The crust, texture, chesse, ingredients, and authenticity is what sets it ahead of anything that is going on in Arizona. Add in some cool music an Italian beer that is not available ANYWHERE else (menabrea ever heard of it?), and an all Italian wine list with "almost" all of them available by the glass. All the dough is made in house daily for the pizza as well as for the dolce one of the best desserts in the world. In the pictures here are the "complimenti alla mamma" with spicy salami, fresh riccota, ham & mozzarella(who took a slice already???). And the "dolce della casa" which is a handmade dessert calzone with bananas & nutella inside and 3 huge scoops of ice cream on top unreal. Try some new wines you have never heard of it Will be deelish.

Salads for starters are huge. At lunch they offer a pannini with homemade bread cooked in the wood burning oven. I guess when I go back to AZ to see the family you know where I'll be having dinner!!! There are three of them Verado in Buckeye, North Scottsdale, and the one that I go to is in Oldtown Scottsdale on Main st & Goldwater. Why wait in line for 2 hours for an inferior pizza?? Grazie Grazie

http://www.grazie.us/oldtown.html

An Arizona import in Santa Monica??? La Grande Orange Santa Monica, Love it!!!

La Grande Orange now in a partnership kind of going corp still bringing great service and great food to a hipster/yuppie clientele. They are packed for Sunday brunch and you can't go wrong with anything on the menu and as of last month they were bringing the 2nd best pizza from Phoenix to Santa Monica as well(Best Pizza in AZ coming soon). But I haven't been back since the beginning of September.

Since I have been here 8/28/09 officially the La Grande Orange has the be the best burger I have had!!! (Inn n out, Westside Tavern, The Counter, Bill's, Laurel Tavern)

Ground fresh daily, grilled on white maple, freshly shredded sharp cheddar, roasted green chilis, homemade seasme seed bun, and of course a fried EGG(no not quail egg I wish!!). The taste, flavor, seasoning, temp, texture was just perfect. The service was great as well, which I have seen in ths city can be spotty.

Check out La Grande Orange http://www.lagrandeorangesm.com for breakfast, lunch, dinner, homemade sangria and this deelish Burger!!!!

Welcome to LA Quail Egg Boy, Ever heard of KOGI????

Well thank you all my friends and family I do like it here, but What is Kogi???? And Where?? And When are we going????

Well I searched out the kogi truck which is the hottest thing in town right now!!! For all of new Eastcoasters and Midwesterners it is a Food truck playing the lastest top 40 hip-hop and serving korean bbq and korean flavors in an authentic 4inch corn tortilla taco, or a quesadilla, or if your really drunk or really hungover i say maybe the burrito is the ticket.

I go for one (the staple) kalbi(which is short-ribs) taco and the black jack quesadilla. The quessadilla has spicy korean pork and the make this thick salsa verde that they should bottle and sell for $4.95/bottle. Needless to say I'm hooked. And today TIME MAGAZINE was shooting the truck for a story. I would call it $9 of heaven. For the record it is NOT completely a drunk food cause it is amazing with the sun shining and sober. For the party people better get the tweet and get in line early or your going to bed drunk and hungry!!! You have been warned. For their locations go to http://kogibbq.com/ and enjoy.

As a new angelino I say LONG LIVE The FOOD TRUCK!!! John T. Edge has been in town and researching for a new food truck book. Hope its available by the holidays.