Villa Blanca

Stopped by here for lunch today and wasn't very impressed. It's pretty pretentious and the food wasn't all that.

Look, I get that this is Beverly Hills, but the restaurant that used to be here, Trilussa was way better.

Anyway, apparently this place is owned by the same guy who owns Sur over on Robertson. But, Sur has better food and service.

the white menu to go with the white decor


We sat outside on the patio next to an older couple and two older ladies. I guess this place caters to an older crowd, mostly over 40.

complimentary bread with olive oil and olives


Food was nothing special. I ordered the dover sole with broccolini and fingerling potatoes. It came drenched in butter! WTF. I didn't much care for the sole, but the broccolini was good and the potatoes weren't too shabby. I left most of my dish cuz it just didn't do it for me.



My DC had the nicoise salad. Ehh.. it was okay, kinda bland if you ask me, but he liked it. I thought the green beans were the best part.



The waitress was okay. This place was okay. I don't think I'd come back though. It was pretty pricey for the food that we got. Lunch was about $45.

Villa Blanca
9601 Brighton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 859-7600

BLT Steak

Still my fave steak house in LA!

We came here Friday night right after making a reservation 10 min before showing up.

Service was great, waiter was funny and took care of us, bus boys made sure our waters were filled and table was clean.

Man, those huge popovers are the shiet. I could eat 5 of those and call it a day. Add some of the pate they serve you and it's a damn good meal.



We ordered a ton of food. In retrospect, it was way too much, but hey, we like to indulge!

Lobster: $90!! What?! I know, right? But, it was 3 lbs of lobstery goodness and came in this huge metal plate topped off with bread crumbs. OMFG. Sooooo effen good!!



Duck: Wow, another stellar dish. I had the breast cooked medium and it was still tender as ever. Yum yum yum! Quack quack! I didn't get a chance to eat the thigh, since there was so much breast to eat. But, well worth it at $33.



Wasabi mashed potatoes: Very delish. Slightly spicy and really buttery. I think this by itself is about 500 calories per spoonful.

Poached green beans: Wow, surprisingly great tasting dish! A bit salty, but it had great garlic flavor and was one of our faves of the night.



Gnocchi: Not very good at all. Don't bother. Too heavy and chewy.

Squash blossoms: Ehh.. another meh dish. Fried and too salty. We didn't like this at all.

I had the raspberry drink which was okay, not good enough for me to finish. I ALWAYS finish my alcohol. So, yeah, pass on that. He had the Riesling which was not that good either. I like sweeter Riesling and this one was a bit dry.

Our bill was $221 before tip. Blame it on the $90 lobster. But, it was a damn satisfying!

BLT Steak
8720 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 360-1950

Gordon Ramsay @ The London WeHo

Mr. Ramsay, you failed to deliver.



My date and I were so excited to try this restaurant, but alas, it wasn't a 5 star experience.

Service was slow in the beginning, since we waited about 10 minutes after being sat down before the waiter appeared to take our drink order. Tables were a bit too close together, I didn't really want to hear the stupid conversation of the 16 year olds dining next to us. It was absurd really, these two making out and then asking for "a piece of cooked fish" that wasn't on the menu.

But, whatevs.

We both had a glass of Darting Riesling to start which was quite delish. I ended up having 2 glasses and getting a nice buzz.

I love Riesling


They brought out potato chips with the bombest chive foam ever! I couldn't get enough of the chive foam which was basically sour cream mixed with chives. It was so good, I asked for another serving. Oink. After that, they gave us some good ass bread. It was rosemary and chive flavor and so addictive!

chips n dip


mmm... carbolicious


i loved the chive foam!


Then the appetizers came and this is where it started going downhill.

Salmon Gravlax: too chewy and overall nothing special. Disappointing.

not good


Hamachi with caviar: this was pretty good. I love hamachi and the caviar added lots of flavor to the well seasoned fish.

a good hamachi dish


Curry scallops: Umm.. No. Too salty and what's up with the foam? I didn't like it at all, nor did he.

not that good and small portion


Lobster Risotto: Pretty tasty, albeit the presentation was kinda meh. The peas gave it some nice crunch and made me feel like I was getting some greens.

good chunks of lobster in here


White Chocolate Parfait: Interesting dessert. I liked it, he didn't. The parfait was supple and refreshing. But, it wasn't the best thing ever.

prettier than it tasted


For a meal costing around $120 before tip, this was not worth it. I'd much rather go to XIV.

complimentary chocolates and wine candy


I leave you with a restroom pic. love the mirrors.


Gordon Ramsay
The London West Hollywood
1020 N San Vicente Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 358-7788

Barney Greengrass

Ridiculously overpriced food and drinks. But, that's what you get for dining on the rooftop of Barney's New York, while overlooking Beverly Hills. What? The rich don't dine cheaply.

We came here for lunch the other day because my buddy was craving their chicken liver sandwich. Ewwww.

I had the turkey breast with avocado sandwich on wheat with a side of mixed greens. If I wanted to substitute fries instead, it would have been a whopping $3.95. Uhhh.. that's cool. The fries weren't all that anyway.

The sandwich was actually pretty good. I topped it off with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. Mmm mm.. onion. I don't care if I smell like it, gimme my onion! It's so damn tasty. Well, that and garlic. Ok, so I am obsessed with smelly foods.

turkey sammie


My DC's chicken liver sandwich was nasty. But, he loved it. Maybe it's unfair for me to say it was gross since I ABHOR liver. So, according to him, it was damn good. Blech.

for liver lovers


I had a lemonade which was half ice and cost $6. WTF.

Service was good, so I guess I will let that $6 lemonade slide.

In a nutshell, this is definitely a scene-y place where agents and actors converge for lunch. I spotted Lo from The Hills dining 3 tables away from us. Too bad I didn't see Audrina, I like her more. :P

Barney Greengrass
9570 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 777-5877

Mishima

This hot LA weather drove me to my cold soba craving yesterday. After some contemplation, I decided to hit up Mishima since I had to go to Sephora at the Beverly Center.

We walked over from the mall and got our grub on. I had the ten zaru soba with shrimp and veggie tempura and my DC had the seafood stew.

about to dig in


ten zaru soba w/ tons of tempura


My soba hit the spot, but I felt like more food so I had a bowl of white rice with stew. Man, that's what I should have ate. The seafood stew was really good, packed with white fish, salmon, shrimp, mussels, and abalone. No skimping on seafood here!

bomb ass seafood stew


Service was good and prompt. No complaints.

This is a good fast food noodle restaurant. I'd come back every once in a while. But, I do make a good cold soba at home.

Mishima
8474 W 3rd St Ste 108
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-0181

Palazzio Trattoria Italiana

If you are hungry, look no further than Palazzio. This Italian restaurant on State Street beckons customers in with a sign that says "you will not leave here hungry" and boy were they right!

ceiling above the bar area


We were beyond stuffed and we both had half orders of pasta. AND, there was at least half of the pasta left on both plates.

half order and full orders for everything


Our server was polite, friendly and got the job done. He even offered my friend extra garlic rolls to "take for the road". Of course he said no, since we had already devoured 3 rolls each.

Garlic rolls were very good, albeit too oily. I had to leave half of my 3rd roll cuz it was dripping in oil. But, they are freshly baked every 20 minutes and very addicting.

garlic rolls with plenty of oil


I had the spaghetti with meatballs and it was seriously ginormous. Way to saucy for my taste, but my friend liked it alot. I thought the meatballs were okay, nothing special. I've made better meatballs at home. But then again, I add veal, lamb and sirloin to mine. Anyways.

want some pasta with that sauce?


DC had the fettucine with shrimp, artichoke, and sun-dried tomato. I liked his dish better than mine, minus the cream. Not a fan of cream. But, at least his fettucine wasn't over-sauced.

fettucine only had 2 artichokes :(


Overall, this is an okay Italian restaurant if you are super hungry and not looking for anything fancy. It's all down home cooking and large portions here.

Another cool feature is the house wines by the glass. $5 a pop and it's on the honor system. You serve yourself, and just mark how many you've had on the paper tablecloth. Pretty cool indeed.

Palazzio Trattoria Italiana
1026 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93190
(805) 564-1985

Porta Via

We stopped by here for dinner last night and I enjoyed it.

My DC and kid both ordered the fusilli salmon while I opted for the Arugula salad. DC opted to get rigatoni instead of fusilli which turned out to be a good choice.

The arugula salad was refreshing, loaded with shaved parmesan cheese and contained bits of sliced mushrooms. I could have done without so much cheese, so I took most of it off.

so much cheese!




Fussili salmon was pretty good. It came with slices of asparagus and bits of dill. I liked it, but I didn't think it was anything special. I could easily replicate this dish at home. DC and kid both enjoyed it so that's what matters.

fusilli salmon.. a bit too oily at the end


rigatoni with salmon


Service was pretty good. Prices were a bit pricey, but it's Beverly Hills. What do you expect?

They charged us $6 for a bottle of flat water we didn't order, but once we told the host, he took it off immediately. I'd come back just cuz the patio dining is chill.

Porta Via
424 N Canon Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 274-6534

Bond St @ The Thompson Hotel

On a recent girls night out, we wined and dined at Bond St. Dressed to the nines, the 4 of us enjoyed a very lovely evening, complete with martinis and lots of delicious food.

Service was impeccable, and our waitress was friendly, knowledgeable and accommodating.

We were seated at a booth facing and it fit all of us comfortably.

Unfortunately, I was a bit too tipsy to remember the specific names of what we ordered, and Bond St does not have a menu online. So, bear with me as I try to recount the various dishes.

Hamachi appetizer: 8 pieces in ponzu sauce and topped with greens. Soooo yummmy! One of my faves. I love hamachi anything, so this was a no brainer.



Sea Bass Tempura: YES!! Orgasmic was the word we all agreed upon when eating this dish. It truly is a remarkable appetizer. Lightly breaded and topped with small slices of jalapeno, red onion and greens. A must try.

simply orgasmic


Eggplant in Miso appetizer: Um no. I did not like this one. My GFs did, but then again, we can't all like the same things. I thought it was too saucy and overpowering for me.

mehhhh


Spicy Yellowtail roll: Very good. Comes in a cut roll with 6 pieces.

sushi, uni and salmon


Uni: Not my thang, I didn't even eat this.

King Crab Dynamite Hand Rolls: Now this was to die for! I could eat 4 of these lil rolls. Succulent and just plain delicious. Another must try!

heaven on a plate


Lychee Martini: Yes, you should only order this if you like lychee. You won't be disappointed! I had 3 or 4 or 5. I can't recall.

my fave elixir


After dinner, go upstairs to the rooftop lounge and enjoy the sweeping views of Los Angeles. They have comfy couches where you can sit, chat and people watch.

in the fancy restroom


If you plan on going to Bond St, make sure you put away some funds. Our dinner was $200. Drinks were about $150. But, I had a blast, so it was worth it!

Bond St
9360 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 601-2255

ROTD #3

Yay! I got my 3rd ROTD on Yelp. It's funny, this one is for another fitness business. Last time was core fusion and now it's spinning.. I don't even work out that much! haha

Cafe Med

On a lazy weekday afternoon, my friend and I headed over here for some Italian grub.

I was surprised how much the service had improved since my last jaunt here. The waitress was polite, helpful and got shiet done.

We both ordered a pinot grigio which tasted okay. I'm more of a Riesling girl, but the only Riesling they had was dry and no thank you ma'am. Gimme some sweet wine any day. It's my dessert, as I do not fancy sweets.

refreshing.. but a bit dry for me


I had the Tagliolini Pesto with Santa Barbara prawns. This wasn't on the menu, but I asked to add prawns and she said no problem. That's what I like to hear. This dish was one of the best pasta entrees I've had in a long time! 4 big pieces of prawns decorated the sides and OMG.. heaven on a plate. I loved it! Pesto with the handmade pasta was just perfect. I could go for another plate right now.

dang, now those are some prawns


My buddy had the Fettucine al Tartufo Nero. Translation: fettucine with butter, parmesan cheese and black truffle. And it was truly divine. You could taste the truffle. OMG. Another awesome pasta dish!

check out the shaved black truffle.. yum!


We dined al fresco and watched all the interesting people. I swear Hollywood sure is a melting pot. Why do people have to front? Alas, it made for good entertainment.

Bill was around $60 before tip. Come here and try the homemade pasta. You won't be disappointed.

Cafe Med
8615 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 652-0445