The Original Rinaldi’s

Okay, we kept hearing about how we HAVE to try The Hat while we were visiting Cali. We tried The Hat. It was… okay. I honestly am not sure what everyone was hyping up.  It wasn’t worth the 30 minute drive in the wrong direction to find a location closest to us. I felt let down and in need of some good pastrami. We were headed towards the airport but wanted to grab a bite to eat.  We found ourselves in El Segundo and standing in front of a burger place. Sounded good to me.  We walked in and it reeked! Like someone needed to shower mixed with spoiled food. Disgusting! So, we immediately walked out and went into the restaurant right next door. Look! a cute deli! Deal! I started reading some of the reviews and articles that they had on the wall. One stated best pastrami sandwich in LA. OMG! I am in! So I got the Macho Mike. Pastrami with roast beef, mustard, lettuce, pickles, tomato and cheddar! DELICIOUS!! This is what I am talking about. For all of you Hat lovers… think again! Go toe The Original Rinaldi’s!! So worth it. Fantastic service! Nothing gets better at this place. Totally cute location, giant menu and super friendly smiling employees. I would love one of these in Denver.

Bob’s Hawaiian Style Restaurant

While looking for places to eat in the Gardena area of California, we stumbled upon Bob’s Hawaiian. Having been to Hawaii a few times, I am always in search of some good spam. Well, I found some! Bob’s is a cute  restaurant owned by an adorable couple.  Great Hawaiian food and the staff were extremely friendly. The place wasn’t busy during the breakfast hours, but then again, it was during the week. I had to get the typical spam and eggs, with rice, macaroni salad and sausage. Excellent! All of it was excellent! If I am ever in the Gardena area again, I will for sure be back to Bob’s!

 

The Crab Shack

I love this style of eating. Order your seafood, your add ons such as potatoes, sausage and corn and then pick your flavor and heat. When we found this gem while walking around our hotel area, I was ecstatic! We have one near us in Denver called Yabby Hut that I absolutely love!!! This place is the same concept with just a few things different. One thing is that at Yabby, you take all of your shells and pile them as high as possible to make a tower. If you make it past 14 inches(i believe), then you get your picture on the wall and a t-shirt.  I haven’t been able to pile it that high as of yet. I told the server at Crab Shack about it and she told the owner.  They loved the idea, so maybe that will change soon.  The service was amazing! The waitress was super friendly and ready with suggestions. The food was really good.  I like the garlic type sauce kind of hot.  Get the sausage and potatoes. Great add ons! Overall, I am a fan! Great place and good food.

 

OB’s Pub and Grill

We were driving along the coast in the rain looking for a place to stop for a drink and just stare at the ocean. We ended up in Manhattan Beach and in front of this place call OB’s (which is the name of my favorite beach). We were greeted by a server at the door and noticed that there were very few patrons. Everyone that was in the bar was staring at the televisions. At that time, there was a low speed chase going on in the LA area. This seemed to consume the attention of the staff and caused some slow service. The server came over and took our drink order.  She mentioned that it was happy hour and that they had some food bites. She pointed out one main thing on the menu… the grilled shrimp. With lime and garlic glaze, these shrimp skewers were calling my name. I had to get them.  They were so juicy and tender. Flavored very well and actually pretty large portions. Overall, it was a cool place to stop and enjoy a drink, a light bite and stare at the ocean.

 

ink.

I consider Michael Voltaggio my chef boyfriend, so you can imagine that while I was in LA, I had to try ink. We had made reservations for my birthday dinner and arrived a few minutes early. This is the perfect time to have a drink at the bar. The bartender was open with suggestions and hand made each drink carefully. She was awesome! We were seated directly in front of the kitchen where you can see all of the action.

We had already looked over the menu online, so we were prepared on what to order. We started with the smoked hamachi.  Yellowtail is my favorite fish, so I was really excited for this. It was extremely tender and fell apart with a touch of the fork. Next was the scallops. This dish I wasn’t too fond of.  It was kind of bland. Then came the best dish, the salt and charcoal potatoes. Provided with the potatoes was a dollop of sour cream with chives and an eye dropper of vinegar. I thought this was an interesting way to present it, but it was delicious! Everything complimented each other so well and came together for a terrific dish. The last dish before dessert came out. It was the beef tartare. Each bite was even more tasty than the one before.  Last but not least, we had to order the deconstructed apple pie that everyone has videos and pictures of online. This explosion of sweet, warm and delicious pie was amazing! It was everything I thought it would be and more. I couldn’t have been happier with my meal unless Michael Voltaggio himself came to our table. The service was phenomenal. Always being checked on, table cleaned and offering suggestions. As we left, I asked the bartender if they made any drinks with squid ink.  She stated no, but now she will consider that.  After all, the place is called ink.

 

Grand Central Market with Eggslut and Villa Moreliana

I was watching Foodporn one day and saw the episode featuring Eggslut. I was planning my trip to LA already, so Eggslut jumped on my list of places that I had to try. We arrived at Grand Central Market and were put off a bit when we saw how long the line was for Eggslut. Apparently the word got out. We decided to check out the rest of the market before we got in line, just in case it got shorter.  The market is amazing! Any kind of food that you could crave was available and for decent prices. I was overwhelmed and wanted to try something from each place but my stomach just wouldn’t allow it. We finally wandered back to Eggslut and jumped in line. I was starving and realized that this line wasn’t moving too quickly.  About 20 minutes into the wait, my fiance headed over to Villa Moreliana and grabbed some carnitas tacos and handed me one of them. The taco melted in my mouth. The meat was so tender and very well seasoned. I wanted more, but I also wanted Eggslut. I had to continue to wait.  The line took roughly an hour and 15 minutes to get to the register.  I ordered a Fairfax. The Fairfax has soft scrambled eggs and chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and sriracha mayo in a warm brioche bun. I added avocado and bacon which was the best decision of my life! We somehow scooped 2 seats at the bar and watched the magic happen.  The sandwich was phenomenal. By far, the best breakfast sandwich I have ever had. I was in love. Sure it took an hour and a half to grace this beautiful creation on my taste buds, but it was well worth it. I cannot speak highly enough of Eggslut. Now, if only they would open a location in Denver…

King Harbor Brewing

We stumbled along a brewery at Redondo Beach on the boardwalk. The place was packed! We were lucky that someone got up and freed up some seats so that we could sit down and enjoy a beer or two. As we sat there sipping our beers, the line keep growing out the door.  This place is super popular. The atmosphere was awesome. Great view looking over the marina and great for people watching. The beers were good.  They didn’t seem to have anything crazy to try, but I enjoyed the hefe.

 

American Junkie

We were walking along the boardwalk and started looking for a place to grab some brunch. While looking at the menu on the host podium, a gentleman greeted us and offered for us to come in and looking around.  They were having a brunch special for $8 a person to have all you can eat breakfast buffet.  We glanced over the arrangement and the menu and decided to go with some nachos.  I know! Not at all brunch ish or part of the special, but it sounded amazing! Along with breakfast special, they also offered bottomless mimosas for $11. One was $7, so immediately I knew it was well worth getting bottomless.  Plus, who can say no to bottomless booze? The staff was upbeat and super friendly.  Everyone was great with suggestions and stopped by to chat every once in a while. To top it off, they have a free photo booth! Great way to capture some memories of your experience. My only complaint is that the bar regulars seemed obnoxious and disruptive to others in the restaurant.

 

In-N-Out needs to build one in Denver!

A trip to Vegas isn’t complete without a trip to In-N-Out. We took a cab from the hotel to get a burger first before heading to the airport. I would suggest getting your fries animal style, but I didn’t this trip.  A double double with some fries was plenty enough for me. I don’t understand why they won’t build one in Denver. So for now, I have to get it when I can. Love you In-N-Out!!!

 

Seasons 52

Someone gave us a gift card to Seasons 52 for our anniversary and my mom was in town to watch the pup, so we jaunted on down to Park Meadows to taste the hype I had heard about. I know this place is a chain restaurant, but honestly you wouldn’t have known by our experience. We didn’t have a wait once we arrived without a reservation. We were greeted by an upbeat lady and seated with the same enthusiasm. We hadn’t even looked at the menu prior to dinner, so I took more time than usual to look over the menu. We started with the shishito peppers while we decided on our dishes.  They were amazing. Covered with roasted corn and goat-feta cheese. I have never had them served this way before. I went with a staple of mine for my meal, the filet minon. Ordered medium rare, it came out cooked to perfection. Brian went with the lamb and was completely satisfied as well. I actually finished the whole plate of steak, vegetables and potatoes.  After we were done, the server brought over the tray of desserts. Normally we don’t go with dessert, but she said peanut butter and chocolate. I was sold. The peanut butter was almost a mousse. It was smooth and topped with peanuts on top.   I loved it so much I felt like licking the glass clean. Brian got the carrot cake and loved it as well. The service was phenomenal. We went well over our gift card and every bit of it was worth it. Don’t believe the nonsense about this place being a chain, they are damn near perfect in my opinion. I will be back for sure!