go to fraiche for the fraichest happy hour in culver city

did your boss bitch you out? did you miss a deadline? did you get into a gnarly confrontation with a client? or did you forget to kiss the right ass to move yourself up the corporate ladder...again? yup, the minute your work clock hits "GO HOME," go find yourself a fine happy hour to drown your sorrows in and to reboost your spirits. trust me, you will need it to survive the following work day. and if you are lucky enough to be in culver city, might i suggest happy hour at fraiche. with 7 days a week happy hours running from 3-7 pm, specialty cocktails, well drinks, and wine for $5 and draft beer for $3, you will SURELY drown your sorrows. man i dig this place.

the grape ($5). pumped with vodka, elderflower syrup, crushed grapes, and lime, this sweet cocktail will take you to a better place. i promise.

the good apple ($5) with granny smith infused vodka was fragrant to the nose but the addition of star anise was off putting to drink. my least favorite of the three drinks that night.

the st. tropez ($5) was another winner. the gin, lime, and cucumber ice cube reminded me of boozy spa water. i love, loved the cucumber ice cube and had a ball gnawing at it.

the berkshire pork rillettes ($5) with pickled radish and violet mustard were savory and delicious when spreaded on bread.

the ghetto fabulous nacho cheese tasting jar of classy piquillo cheese spread ($5) with manchego cheese and chorizo. i guarantee endless smearings of this cheesy delight on your bread as you drown your sorrows. a definite crowd favorite.

the pate de campagne ($5) with country mustard and cornichons. oh man i love pate and this one did not disappoint.

truffle fries ($5) with parsley and parmesan. truffle odor, fried tubers...need i say more?

and a truffle burger ($12) with onion fondue, truffle aioli, and boschetto. meaty, filling, infused with savory accoutrements that will make your toes wiggle. this truffle burger was muy delicioso and at that price? NICE.

so whether you have a bad day at work or just need a drink, fraiche culver city is THE PLACE to be. love their happy hour...love, love...and i have a feeling you will love it, too.

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

www.fraicherestaurantla.com

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!

a breath of fraiche air

i am a belly of many, many words, but for this one, i want to shut my pie hole and share my pictures instead. thank you danny, aka kungfoodpanda for organizing yet another delicious meal for jackie, kate, remil, fiona, d, and moi to enjoy. but most importantly, thank you chef benjamin bailly for hitting another feast out of the ball park. it was truly delicious and i can't wait to come back to fraiche for more!

smoked trout rillettes ($8) and pate on bread to tease the tastebuds.

baby beets ($13). baby let me beat you into a delicious pulp in my mouf.

frisee aux lardons with oeuf pane ($14). do not be intimidated by the deep fried hard boiled egg. this salad is rather delicious and i remember you fondly since our first meeting at petrossian. hello love. did you miss me?

belgian endives ($14). i would ABSOLUTELY get this again. crispy and savory. almost perfect.

crispy loup de mer ($28). perfectly cooked and crispy in all the right places.

seared daurade royale ($28) on a lovely bed of farro. if i was a dead fish, i would choose a farro death bed as well.

pan roasted scallops ($26) on smooth cauliflower puree. it's so smooth, it's criminal.

kobe beef cheeks with celery root puree ($28). tender are thy cheeks. i want to pinch thee with the tines of my shiny fork.

moulard duck confit ($26). i loosened my belt buckle for this one. absolutely satisfying and the creamy fregola sarda was 100% ooh la la addictive.

truffle spaghetti (off menu item). effin' brilliant. this dish will drive your nose into a tizzy. the smell of truffles was truly intoxicating and left my head spinning in a lovely way.

sunchokes risotto ($18) with an off menu serving of truffles. omfg. there goes the truffles again. i was under a truffle voodoo and i didn't care one bit to break the spell.

green peas ravioli (off menu item). sweet little pockets for my big mouth.


rabbit garganelli ($22). yes, those really cute, fuzzy wabbits make a good dish.

hand cut maltagliati ($19) with pork ragu.

by the time dessert came out, i was already rolling about from an overly satisfied belly. the desserts were lovely indeed.

chestnut tiramisu ($9) and manjari chocolate pot de creme ($8)

meyer lemon ($8) and caramel pot de creme ($8)

pistachio creme brulee with apricot sorbet ($9). the sorbet was out of control. might i suggest apricot sorbet with a fresh heaping of fruit and make it its own dessert? soooo good.

panettone bread pudding ($9)

chocolate tart with tres leches gelato ($10)

chocolate coulant with peanut butter ice-cream ($12)

apple and pear clafoutis ($9)

*burp*

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

www.fraicherestaurantla.com

price: $$$
verdict: omg, i love it!

x-rated eatings at mario's italian deli and market

i've never understood the allure of a "bad boy." what's there to like about rude dudes that make you worry and feel disrespected all the time? i've known friends that ONLY date bad boys, but the end was always the same...lots of tears and therapy sessions at a bar. good thing i like my guys straight-laced and nice...that is, until i met mario.

i was first swept off my feet by mario's sausages. they are thick and spicy, just the way i like it. if you love a good sausage, then believe you me, mario's sausages are quite the mouthful and will leave you clamoring for more, and clamor you will, i guarantee it.

then i went back because i discovered his other offerings (click on the pic if the small print fails ya).

i already knew he had a good sausage, but i discovered he was a "bad boy" as well. although it was against my nature to even associate with one, the honey maple turkey and avacado description seemed too entincing to deny. against my better judgement i ordered one and took a bite.....

the bad boy sammich came to me so very thick and glorious.

an awakening occured within me when i wrapped my mouth around that toothsome sammich. the only noise i made was "omfg!" did the heavens sing?! YES! better yet, was it orgasmic?! HELLS YES! the symphony of flavors that stormed on my tongue swept through a heavenly spectrum of sweet, savory, and tarty flavor profiles. each component of the bad boy sammich was critical for an absolutely heavenly explosion in my mouth. omg, i love you, you bad, bad, bad boy!

there are most certainly many other things to try at mario's, being a delicious deli and whatnot.

BUT when i'm there, i only have a one tracked mind because even though i never thought i would want a bad boy, it was only after meeting mario that i discovered that that’s all i ever need OR want….

Mario's Italian Deli & Market
740 E Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 242-4114
mariosdeli.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

another yummy 30th

El Caserio (in Silverlake)
401 Silver Lake Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 273-8945
http://www.elcaseriola.com/

price: $$
verdict: tasty, try it!

recently, my friend turned 30. he had a hard time with turning 3 decades old and still alive i guess so when i organized his birthday as i usually am apt to do amongst our group of friends, i decided to hold it at el caserio. it's a cute place with a schizophrenic identity, like it's not quite sure if it wants to serve latin foods or italian so it does both. it's also close to the 101 freeway just in case he wanted to run into traffic to end it all. yeah, i know, i'm a good friend.

from tuesday through friday, they have happy hour which means 1/2 off on cocktails and beer. i immediately ordered myself a mojito. blah! not tasty at all! sir mix-a-lot at the bar did a crappy job with it. the whole drink was bitter and lacked the mint fragrance that normally infuses a good mojito. but i downed that shit anyways figuring that i might possibly get a light buzz? i did not. boo!

crusty bread with soft insides served at the beginning of the meal. i am the quintessential bread whore and really dug this bread A LOT. i believe my friends had to pry the communal loaf from my kung-fu grip in order to get themselves a slice. greedy bastards!! but yummy...mmm....

a nice limey shrimp ceviche to share. i thought the endive leaves were a nice touch.

shrimp saltado. my intention was to get a salad, but the salad turned into a big peruvian plate of crusty thin fries cooked in a tomato sauce with shrimp. how the heck did that happen?! it was rather tasty and fulfilled my french fry craving for the month. i would order this again...that is if i wanted to clog my arteries and die sooner rather than later.

the dinner was a nice one and i believe it was a great way to convince the birthday boy that turning 30 isn't so bad after all. besides, the 30's are the new 20's and life only gets more interesting anyways.

um, no.

Valentino Italian Restaurant
3115 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 829-4313
www.pieroselvaggio.com

price: $$$$
verdict: it's aight

i took advantage of restaurant week and had dinner here the other night. it's a really gorgeous place, uber snooty, and slightly makes you feel retarded for spending that kind of money on food during these hard economic times...until you realize, HOLY SHIT, it's a dineLA deal and that's OK.

i started my meal off with a drink. OF COURSE! they had a nice reisling by the glass for $12 that i couldn't resist. having a good meal without wine is like eating an ice-cream sunday without a cherry on top. i then moved on to my appetizer of two jumbo shrimps in a diced tomato sauce. it was tasty, but i wasn't blown away by it. as the meal progressed, i discovered that this would be the theme for the night,"yummy, but nothing special." my entree was lamb ossobuco which was really tender and fell off the bone as you forked it. there was a slight sweetness to this dish though which seemed strange to my palate. the meal then culminated with a chocolate mousse dome for dessert which was their rendition of the tiramisu. little unidentifiable crackly pieces were imbedded in the mousse which gave the dessert good texture with every bite. nice!

but alas, the portion they gave for each course was way too small! i'm not sure if it's the consequence of eating dinner for $44 bucks so portion size was restricted to the smaller end. in any case, my eating buddy and i left valentino slightly hungry and unimpressed. perhaps if i win a million dollars, i would come back. otherwise, there are a gazillion other snooty eateries to conquer before i feel valentino's call once again. i require that i be seduced by my tastebuds first, and not just by ambience. valentino didn't do it for me this time.

mario has juicy sausages

Mario's Italian Deli & Market
740 E Broadway
Glendale, CA 91205
(818) 242-4114
mariosdeli.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

ron jeremy might have the biggest shlong in porn, but mario's has the thickest sausage by far (yes, i like using outdated porn as reference for my reviews).

have you ever tried mario's sausages? holy crap they are tasty. and for roughly $2.50ish a pound, you can buy up as many tasty but cheap sausages as you want to go! i recommend the spicy ones because frankly, the other sausages look a bit thin and limp. i don't know about you, but thin and limp sausages don't exactly excite me. best thing is that you can cook them at home at your own leisure! they are especially perfect for nights when you want a good sausage but don't want to deal with the hassle of going to the local bar to find one. and imagine this, these sausages aren't attached to hairy bodies that sometimes fart in the middle of the night. sweet.

joe don't know italian

Chicago Joe's
820 S 4th St
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 382-5637

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

*shrug* it's ok. i think i was expecting better tasting fare because the folks i went with raved about the food. the restaurant itself looked charming with these quirky street signs tacked inside the restaurant. there was also a little nook for the bachelorette dinner that my friend had there. nice.

the food, however, not so much. one of the regulars in our party recommended the meat lasagna. i ordered that because i really dig lasagna too. entrees came with a choice of soup or salad. i opted for the salad and picked the creamy garlic dressing. oddly enough, that salad was the best part of the meal...oh, and the soft, yet crusty bread they served as you waited. mmmm...carbs.

my meat lasagna was too meaty and too cheesy, i know right? when are either of these two ingredients ever too much? in this situation, i disliked the fact that there was overwhelmingly more meat than the pasta itself. i felt like i was eating a chili bowl without the beans. the cheese was pretty funky too. it reminded me of a creamy brie cheese which i enjoy on crackers, but not in my pasta. the cheese made the lasagna altogether too mushy and again, there wasn't enough pasta to provide contrast in texture while eating it. overall, the lasagna portion was too big and just not yummy enough to warrant the fat grams that night.

a friend that sat right next to me ordered spaghetti and was able to get 1/2 an order of meatballs and a sausage. i think the kitchen staff just couldn't resist. 2 words: food porn. her entree came out with an erect sausage placed between two meatballs. i didn't know it was possible to get food THAT excited, but it was. i saw it coming and i thought, HOW APPROPRIATE for this bachelorette night.

crunchy lasagna

Italia Express
10250 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 282-0711

price: $
verdict: not worth my time

this place serves standard sbarro-esque fare in a fancy food court up in the century city mall. i ordered their lasagna which wasn't impressive. the lasagna was a bit dry and crunchy. yes, imagine that, dry and crunchy lasagna noodles with dry and crunchy ricotta cheese. strangely enough, for what it was worth, it was fine to eat. ahhh...when i'm in a food court, i don't have any foodie standards. sadness :(

the best thing about italia express was the service i received which bumped it up a notch. i asked the server to give me extra tomato sauce for my lasagna which she happily smothered. i liked the fact that she didn't skimp on my request and was courteous to the finicky customer before me too. thanks lady, the extra sauce softened the crunchiness of the lasagna. but in general, don't eat here unless you need to try out your dentures to see if they work.

where did the moisture go?

Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen
48400 Seminole Dr
Cabazon, CA 92230
(951) 849-5058
www.villapizza.com

price: $
verdict: it's aight

in that particular food court, there's not much to choose from. villa fresh looked like a shiny star out of the lot.

the food is a bit sbarro-esque, but it's decent. the pizzas do have a crazy thick crust to it and it's huge. they also serve the typical fried appetizers like deep fried mozzerella sticks and an egg roll like concoction with pizza filling inside. i just inquired about those...i was at cabazon to do some shopping after all and it didn't make sense to go up in 3 dress sizes by inhaling all these fried foods.

i ended up ordering the lasagna which came with a super garlicky bread roll...they were both tasty. similar to sbarros, they never seem to give enough tomato sauce because half way through the lasagna, the darn thing must have soaked up all the sauce and moisture in the air but it remained dry as hell. where did all that sauce go?!

the food was decent and the bill came out to be $8.81 with a drink. not bad for a carbo recharge as i plowed through a few more stores afterwards.

carb load

Yummy Pizza Inc.
891 W Baker St
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 979-2669

price: $
verdict: it's aight

located in a strip mall surrounded by three japanese restaurants on a somewhat quiet street, it pulled us in because we were hungry and needed sustenance. you know, the carbo filled, doughy kind of sustenance that going to a japanese restaurant could not seem to fulfill at that time.

yummy pizza inc. was an unexpectedly cute find. the service was AWESOME. the lady that helped run the place made us feel like we were sitting in her very own dining room in her house because she was super attentive and made sure we felt at home...and we did. i ordered a calzone and garlic bread while my friend ordered their gyro. the garlic bread was interesting. instead of the typical french bread infused with butter, it was a flat round bread brushed with "essence of garlic?" not sure how else to describe it because it seriously was round, flat, and had no evidence of garlic on it. it was tasty though and the calzone was yummy too. the calzone was mostly made of bread with a bit of filling. i guess my desire for carbs was fulfilled that night.

the place serves average tasting food, but the service really makes it special. they also have a small selection of beer for you to pair with your food. if i lived around there, i would definitely go back to eat some more.

mikey makes meatballs!

Michelangelo Pizzeria Ristorante
2742 Rowena Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
(323) 660-4843
http://www.michelangelo-silverlake.com/

price: $$
verdict: omg, i love it!

it's pretty delicious here. a great italian place to dine in for lunch or dinner. there's nice indoor seating if you prefer to be away from the elements, or outdoor seating which has a protective plastic awning to protect all you delicate eaters out there.

my favorites are their caprese salad, ravioli radicchio, and meat ball panini. as "boring" as this may sound, their meat balls are very tasty. tasty balls served in spaghetti or with bread as a sammich, the meat balls really pack a taster's punch. try it at least once if you get a chance to dine here.

one downfall would be the service. if they are busy, you would probably have to flag down your server for every little thing. that can be a real drag if you're starving. otherwise, a VERY yummy place to chow.

horrid parking, but there's valet parking if you don't mind. i mind, so park up the street and walk down!

vampires beware!

The Stinking Rose
55 N La Cienega Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 652-7673
www.thestinkingrose.com

price: $$
verdict: it's aight

the decor is a bit quacky, lots of colors, and mood lighting...you know, the kind that makes everybody look good...even carrot top the comedian (oh snap!). it could be date place, a hang out spot, or plain ole family din din time...the atmosphere is quite versatile.

everytime i go, i always get the same run down of eats. i start with the bagna calda (roasted garlic simmering in olive oil to smear on your roll), then the roasted garlic potato onion soup which is SO GOOD! the filo dough cap that seals the soup is amazingly yummy...at this point, i usually order the ceasar salad because i'm pretty much stuffed, but upon occassion have ordered their pastas which is just "alright." garlic ice cream is usually on the list too, which tastes fine to me. i don't have any issues with garlic..in fact, i LOVE it. if you are on "team garlic," you should check this place out, too.