Food | fabliss - Part 30

Brunch @ Red O | Los Angeles, CA

we decided to celebrate “treat yourself 2013” with brunch at red o, rick bayless’ mexican restaurant in west hollywood / mid-wilshire. think upscale mexican. while some people wouldn’t want to spend $$$ on mexican food, we were excited to try it based on a friend’s recommendation (but for dinner).

here is what we ordered:

guacamole – we ordered this based on reviews we read.
lobster jicama tacos – this was a recommendation from our awesome waiter.
crab & shrimp enchiladas suizas – creamy tomatillo sauce, melted sonoma jack, black beans, frisee, watercress
pollo en mole poblano – grilled mary’s young chicken, homemade mole poblano, black beans, watercress salad
coconut tres leches – local stone fruit salsa, Mexican vanilla ice cream, toasted coconut, gooey meringue

i would note that this was absolutely way too much food for the two of us. all the reviews recommended getting the guacamole. simple, light, refreshing. presentation was really nice! but our favorite guacamole is still sol y luna in tarzana!

the mole…was excellent! hands down the best mole i have ever had (and i’ve had a lot). even though i’m not a chocolate fan, i love mole (odd, right?) after been cooked, it doesn’t even taste like chocolate. i dont know how to explain it…the mole itself was just so delicious…the sweet. the savory. chicken was extremely moist. watercress was a nice touch. i didn’t love, love the beans.

crab & shrimp enchiladas were also good. the sauce pretty tasty. we would definitely get this again.

based on our waiter’s recommendation, we ordered the lobster jicama tacos. however, since we had the first reservation of the day, the kitchen did not have any jicama available so instead substituted it with plantain chips. we really enjoyed the “taco” with the plantain chips since it added a crunch!

but…the chef / waiter were so apologetic since this changed the whole dynamic of the dish (we didnt mind obviously). the chef went out to the supermarket nearby and got jicama so that we could get the real thing (pictured above)! we thought this was an amazing gesture!

so this our note about the service: unbelievably great from the minute we walked in till the end of our meal! it really doesnt get any better than this. we love you, red o! thank you for being awesome.

tres leches cake was also good. completely not what we pictured when we ordered it but we really enjoyed this! i think you will be pleasantly surprised since this dessert is very, very light!

decor: as you can see, very nice. love the architecture. very extensive tequila display. great for brunch since so much natural light is let in through the glass roof.

overall, a good experience. we definitely look forward to coming back for dinner. if you are going for brunch i think the must would be the mole. you wont be able to get this taste anywhere else.

enjoy!

Red O
8155 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Neighborhoods: Mid-City West, West Hollywood

By vivilinh | January 18th, 2013 | Food, Restaurants | 6 Comments

Brunch @ Abricott | Pasadena, CA

we were in pasadena, looking for a brunch spot since julienne (in san marino) was closed for the day. french/vietnamese cuisine, good reviews…why not?

adorable place with a wall full of books and wooden floors/decor. pretty homey, if you ask me. perfect for brunch time. two main condiments (i love condiments) are ketchup and sriracha!

i got the spicy pork belly sandwich ($8) based on reviews that we read. seared thinly-sliced marinated korean pork belly with kimchi relish and mayo served on a baguette with french fries. i was not in love with this by any means. pork was dry. the sandwich, overall, was dry.

kyle ordered the vietnamese banh mi. house marinated pork belly and lightly pickled vegetables with mayo served on a baguette. doesnt the vietnamese banh mi look pretty much like the spicy pork belly?! there wasnt a distinct taste difference between the two! the banh mi was also dry. i’ve had better vietnamese sandwiches.

eggs benedict ($10) and house made fluffy-crisp waffles ($7) – not the best.

ambiance was very cute and we wanted to love this place but were just disappointed.

Abricott
238 S Lake Ave
Pasadena, CA 91101
Neighborhood: Pasadena

By vivilinh | January 13th, 2013 | Food, Restaurants | 3 Comments

Lucky Boy Drive-In | Pasadena, CA

the search was on…for breakfast burritos! enter: lucky boy!

food: best breakfast burrito. ever. for approximately $7, we got the (massive) breakfast burrito with bacon, sausage and avocado. what did we love? delicious salsa, potatoes inside, not too eggy or greasy! one burrito for two people is definitely enough food. chili cheese fries are good but fried zucchini (not pictured) is better.

(can you tell he’s excited?)

ambiance/service: reminds me of denny’s or tommy’s (purple and teal seats inside. yep). ample seating inside and out. gets pretty packed but ordering (at a window) and eating is fast so dont worry.
parking: ample parking spots on the side and in the back.
tips: breakfast starts at 6am. cash only.
verdict: we are fans and will be back!

enjoy!

Lucky Boy Drive-In
640 S Arroyo Pkwy
Pasadena, CA 91105
Neighborhood: Pasadena

By vivilinh | January 11th, 2013 | Food, Restaurants | 2 Comments

Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery | Santa Monica, CA

hello, bay cities! we have finally met! our trip to santa monica was all about you, large godmother sandwich with the works (sexy sandwich picture above). ordered:

large, hot godmother sandwich with the works ($8.00) – genoa salami, mortadella coppacola, ham, prosciutto, provolone, mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, italian dressing, hot pepper salad.
small, hot pastrami sandwich with the works ($6.35)

we came here after christmas at around 3pm and it was packed (both the market side and the deli). it’s one of those places where you pick a number and wait for it to be called. the wait time was about 20-25 minutes for us. we didnt think it was too bad since they had cactus cooler! boom. we heard this place is always packed so if you are not a crowd kinda person, stay away. and here we go:

i will have to echo what thousands have said before me…hot, delicious and oh so tasty! but is it just me or is the bread extremely hard? all you (or i) want to do is inhale this sandwich…but since the bread is so hard… you are literally playing a game of tug-of-war. once you bite down, the inside of your sandwich spews out the other side. i can definitely see why people would be in love with this so-called crunch but 5 minutes in, our jaws started to hurt.

between the godmother and the hot pastrami, my preference is the godmother. loved the taste. kyle would go with the hot pastrami. i cant ding this place because of the bread since it does taste good…but best sandwich ever? no, probably not. top 15? probably.

note: we found metered parking on the street! i can imagine parking gets a pretty competitive on the weekends.

Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery
1517 Lincoln Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Neighborhood: Santa Monica

By vivilinh | January 6th, 2013 | Food, Restaurants | 7 Comments

Our New Year – Japanese Style (Oshogatsu)

hello, oshogatsu (new year)!

each dish has a different meaning-good health, happiness, prosperity, etc. a huge, huge thank you to my sis-in-law/chef (check out her site, here) for preparing this pretty spread for new years! (oh, yes! we get to eat this every year!)