Archive for the Category »restaurants «

Dec
22nd		   If You Can Get a Reservation, Don’t Miss This Foodie Haven
Leave a Comment Category: California, Los Angeles, Travel, restaurants Tags: ,

So I may be sealing LA’s reputation to the rest of the world as casual, carefree, and at times a bit wacky, but this is what I encountered while out and about Santa Monica recently.

Yes, Christmas carolers in bikinis and Speedos, ironically singing about a White Christmas. I wouldn’t have it any other way – even the most rushed and stressed out shoppers began to smile. Great spirit. Loving life.

In that same vein, I recently dined at one of my favorite restaurants, just down the road in a similarly spirited part of L.A.- it is Gjelina on Abbot Kinney in the artsy town of Venice Beach. (pronounced Juh-leena)

I dream about coming here. If you’ve ever had the caramel butterscotch salted pudding, you know exactly what I am talking about. Foodies – back me up.

The menu is seasonal, and robust – there are so many choices, even the pickiest of eaters are satisfied. And I’ve been here with my share of vegetarians, dairy-free friends, etc.

The idea is to order a bunch of small plates and share – There are a mess of plates on every table. The brussel sprouts with balsamic and bacon and kale salad are staples for me.

If the food isn’t enough to wow you, the other elements of Gjelina will – buzzy, high energy atmosphere… cool design… outdoor patio…and our Ashton-Kutcher look alike waiter provided good service.

The downer is it’s a bit loud…  and the LA Dept of Public Health recently rated it –  a “C”!  The Huffington Post wrote about it, as foodies were skeptical. It may be irresponsible of me to say, but if I can get a reservation easier now, I am all over it. Gjelina is THAT good.

Book your dinner way in advance, or else you’ll be left with only 5:30 or 10PM . …oh, and DO NOT forget to order the caramel butterscotch salted pudding for dessert. I am trying to replicate it for Christmas dinner…Santa? The recipe would fit in my stocking…

I hope you enjoy this special time of year of great food, family, and friends.

www.gjelina.com

 
Nov
17th		   WIth Thanksgiving a Week Away, The Best Place to Feast Is On The Brain
Leave a Comment Category: New York, Travel, restaurants Tags: ,

I broke my golden travel rule the last time I visited New York: Never, ever, eat at the same restaurant twice in the same visit.

And yet, I enjoyed “Eataly” so much, I almost went there a third time in 5 days. It had that much pull on me, and by the looks of it, everyone who goes there.

“Eataly” is a 40,000 square foot marketplace on steroids; the energy is magnetic. It is hard to describe because I’ve never seen anything like it – the San Francisco Ferry Building comes close, but then again, not – it is a mix of farmers market, gourmet products, and restaurants: all high quality, all from only Italian producers. It is located on 5th Ave, and 23rd St.

Whether it be cookies… or coffee.. there is a sign above each product indicating from which region of Italy it comes. So, of course, there are exciting products you won’t find anywhere else nearby…and are authentically Italian.

Excellent place to pack up a picnic lunch for Central Park!

But in between the dozens of aisles of products…Italian meats…

fabulous cheeses…

and hundreds of bottles of imported wine…

are various places to stop and eat – retaurant style. The magical thing about it, is everything is out in the open under one big roof, so it feels very communal.

The first time I went after a business meeting… and seriously lost track of time. The second time I took the kids for gelato. It was fresh,and not too sweet. Needless to say, they loved it.

One of my favorite cookbook authors, Mario Batali, is a partner in this venture – the first ‘Eataly” started in 2007 in Torino, Italy, and there are now more than a dozen – mostly in Italy and Japan.

Now… if they could only bring one to Los Angeles…per favore!

www.eatalyny.com

 
Aug
04th		   Road Trip: You wouldn’t believe what is in your pit stop meals!
Leave a Comment Category: Family Travel, Technology, Travel, health, restaurants, road trip Tags:

My husband and his buddy just took all of our kids camping for a couple days. Camping is a ton of work  -  I give him credit. So I’ll let him slide on the many fast food stops they made on the way there and back due to bathroom stops, hunger pains, and ah yes.. even a flat tire now and then.

Gotta love my 9 year old daughter though. She came home and said “Mom – you wouldn’t believe the disgusting fast food we saw – Del Taco has chicken nuggets filled with mac and cheese (translation: fried mac and cheese) and funnel cake fried french fries.”

That was a moment of pride. Although it still takes work to make my kids appreciate vegetables – even from our garden – this was a sign of a break through.

On this very topic, I was astonished to read an interesting article on how bad some of these meals can be at fast food, or chain restaurants that you may normally stop at while traveling. For instance, the Italian Classic sandwich at Quizno’s has 1370 calories…86 grams of fat (holy cow!).. and 4490 mg of sodium. (OMG  - the recommended amount is between 1500-2200!)

This info is right out of “Men’s Health” magazine – pretty entertaining stuff that will make you think twice before you order those cheese fries at Outback Steak House. Check it out: http://www.menshealth.com/20worst/worstfood.html.

Another interesting article is “The 10 Most Unhealthy Fast Food Items on America’s Menus” http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/06/15/the-10-most-unhealthy-fast-food-items-on-americas-menu/

But fear not you road warriors, moms and dads alike. There is a smart phone app to save you from fried food overloading. The “Good Food Near You” app lets you find healthy (or healthier anyway) meals near your locale. Type in your zip code and up will pop restaurant info and nutritional info about items.

You don’ t have to be neurotic about healthy food to enjoy this – sometimes if you had the knowledge of a healthier meal just around the corner, wouldn’t you choose it over the Kentucky Fried Chicken  right in front of you?

Go to the app store and search for “Good Foods Near You.” It isn’t perfect – users say that sometimes it merely lists the healthiest items at the fast food chains nearest you, instead of knowing of other alternatives. But that’s a start.  And… it’s free.

A Votre Sante!

 
Feb
09th		   Travel Tip Tuesday: Health Conscious Travelers: Mangia!
Leave a Comment Category: Technology, Travel, health, restaurants Tags: ,

Eating around the world can be tricky…especially if you are a vegetarian, vegan, or just a health conscious eater. But now there’s a website to help – www.happycow.net. It has a global directory that offers lists of specialty restaurants in various countries – from Croatia..to Bulgaria…to Sweden. If you are caught up in the Slow Food movement…. want to eat only organic… have allergies…or choose not to eat any dairy, the directory will list restaurants that offer a variety of options. Who knew you could find a vegan friendly, Ayurvedic pizzeria in Rome? Or a juice bar (wheat-grass on happycow.net makes sense…) in Paris?

I tested some of the samples by typing in my home town… admittedly, most of the restaurants that popped up are not ones I would choose to dine in while visiting top-chef-rich Los Angeles, but for those more dedicated to staying on their restricted diets, the restaurant choices are admittedly plentiful.

Personally, I prefer to try the authentic cuisine of the region and experiment with my palette while on vacation, but the website is still helpful. It is hard to eat clog-the-arteries-rich Fettuccine Alfredo every night. The website also gives you catch phrases in different languages that you might need in a restaurant – like “I don’t eat meat, fish, or chicken…” or “I am a vegan.”

For those of you who have diet-related new year’s resolutions… you don’t have to wait until the cows come home to eat healthy while traveling… it is right here: www.happycow.net

 
Sep
29th		   Bottoms Up: The New Napa
Leave a Comment Category: California, Travel, restaurants Tags: , ,

Continuing my week long special on wine country (mostly CA) this harvest week.

If you’ve been looking for a reason to start drinking wine or to visit wine country, harvest time is one good reason to motivate you. If that’s not enough, how about the recent article in Time magazine highlighting a surprising study that finds heavy drinkers outlive teetotalers..and moderate drinkers live the longest of all. Bottoms up! http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2014332,00.html?iid=WBeditorspicks

Most people do visit wine country to taste the vino. But because wine is so central to food and cooking, there is a whole crop of beyond excellent restaurants too.

This generally is true all over – but specifically I am referring to the wine country I know best – Northern California.

Some of my favorites are:

The Girl and the Fig - Sonoma, CA

The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma…www.thegirlandthefig.com

Tra Vigne Restaurant, St. Helena, CA

Tra Vigne in St. Helena…(patio table for sure. Lovely on a warm night.) www.travignerestaurant.com

Terra Restaurant, St. Helena, CA

Terra in St. Helena, www.terrarestaurant.com

But there are a lot of new choices to be excited about – with the spruced up Napa River, some really dynamic restaurants are opening this year.

Napa Riverfront

One in particular I am dying to try is “Fish Story’ by the team who is responsible for some of my other favorites – Lark Creek Inn in Larkspur – and Bradley Ogden in Vegas. I’ve always been a fan of their food.