Viewing entries tagged
prosciutto

Napa Valley Grille - Westwood

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Napa Valley Grille - Westwood

I've been to Napa Valley Grille before and find how crazy time flies since it's been a year the last time I talked about it. Last year during my first visit, it was for their grand reopening after an amazing 2 million dollar renovation. Now I am back to try a few additions to their menu. 

Here are the new items on the menu:

Dinner Menu

  • Grilled Ancho-Crusted Albacore Tuna
  • Seasonal Harvest Salad
  • Caesar Salad
  • Crescenza Cheese & Serrano Ham Tartine
  • Oven-Roasted Jidori Chicken Breast
  • Bucatini Pomodoro
  • Grilled Prime New York Strip
  • Grilled Wagyu Tomahawk Chop 

Sides:

  • Creamy Polenta
  • Sautéed Brussel Sprouts
  • Charred Marble Potatoes
  • Sautéed Wild California Mushrooms
  • Cavatappi Mac and Cheese

Desserts:

  • Dark Chocolate Fudge Brownie
  • Warm Sticky Toffee Date Cake
  • Strawberry Vanilla Mascarpone Cake

Charcuterie - Prosciutto, duck salumi, soppressata, housemade brandied chicken liver pâté, seasonal jam, and charred rustic bread

My favorite bite was a slab of chicken liver pâté on top on the rustic bread with a smear of their jam.

Grilled Ancho-Crusted Albacore Tuna -peppercress, pink peppercorn, lavosh, dill sauc

Prime NY Strip - 14 oz, charred onion-thyme jam, green peppercorn-cognac jus. Cooked Medium Rare.

Charred Marble Potatoes - white truffle, crème fraîche, chive

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts - crispy pancetta, sherry

Strawberry-Vanilla Mascarpone Cake - strawberry jam filling, mascarpone cream

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Paper or Plastik Cafe - Mid City

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Paper or Plastik Cafe - Mid City

Paper or Plastik Cafe was founded in 2010 by a family of artists: husband-and-wife design team Anya & Yasha Michelson alongside daughter, Marina, a filmmaker and actor. Their mission is to sustain their customers not only with quality food and drink, but also with culture and community all under one roof.

After a good workout from the gym, I was so ready to eat! I've mentioned this before, but I love finding places that offers a good brunch selection away from the typical. After browsing the menu, I was pretty sure I knew what I wanted to try.

First things first. Caffeine.

Left to right: Cappuccino, Maple Latte, and Canelé. The maple latte was definitely a nice touch and I highly recommend it if you love sweet flavored lattes. I also loved the Canelé. In addition to their made-in-house menu, they also work with excellent local bakeries, including Cake Monkey, Clark Street Bread, CocoBakes, and Bread Lounge.

Avocado & Prosciutto Toast poached egg, aleppo pepper & micro greens

Moroccan Fried Chicken Sandwich - buttermilk, cilantro & jalapeno battered chicken, tangy slaw, harissa aioli on ciabatta

Polentina & Root Vegetable Bowl - red flint polenta and tomato-chile broth, poached egg, roasted broccolini, pecorino

Shakshuka & Griddled Polenta - red flint polenta, labneh, za’atar, sunny side eggs

I will definitely be back. 

7AM - 10PM 5772 W PICO BLVD LOS ANGELES, CA 90019

 

 

 

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Cafe Beaujolais - The Birthday Dinner

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Cafe Beaujolais - The Birthday Dinner

This post is a little delayed since my birthday was back in July. French cuisine has a big space in my heart when it comes to some of my favorite things to eat. This is my second time dining at Cafe Beaujolais. I fell madly in love the first time I came here and just as much the second time. It's located in the heart of Eagle Rock on Colorado between La Roda Avenue and Mt Royal Drive.

1712 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90041

I don't know much about the history besides it being here for quite some time. They are not just known for their fairly priced dishes, but their hunky European men that work there. And, they pretty much all have accents.

John took me here again since he knew it was my top favorite restaurants. The first thing we ordered were their Escargot. These snails were shelled, and cooked in the most luscious butter garlic parsley sauce known to man. Goes amazing with the bread they offer and dangerous for the body. John dislikes Escargot, but loves the ones they serve here.

We had their special salad of the day which was a prosciutto di parma wrapped frisee.

Dressed in a light vinaigrette with a few cornichons. Sounds simple, but was packed with flavor. I will definitely get this again if it's available.

Steak "Maitre D'Hotel" - Thin cut Girlled Top Sirloin Served with garlic butter and frites. I wished the steak was a New York or Rib Eye, but there was still a lot of flavor from the steak. The garlic butter was soft and melted throughout the steak. Pretty straightforward.

My choice:

Pave De Boeuf Au Porto Et Au Roquefort - Flamed Filet Mignon in Port Sauce and Roquefort Cheese, medium rare. I was nervous to order this. From 1-10 I was probably a 20. I'm not a fan of stinky cheese and hate Gorgonzola and goat cheese (I know). I just can't get passed the flavors. But, I love some bleu like Stilton. This Roquefort cheese was delicious. Has a slight sharp bite, but doesn't taste overly fermented or stinky. It was lovely mixed into the port wine and the filet. This dish just isn't the same without it. Served with a side of potato au gratin and veggies. I recommend this dish.

If you are in the area or just looking for a fantastic, authentic French restaurant, please check out Cafe Beaujolais. It's fantastic. Don't forget to order their specials. They do the traditional coq au vin from time to time.

 

 

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Amara Chocolate - Old Town Pasadena

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Amara Chocolate - Old Town Pasadena

I've been to Amaras a while ago before they started to serve food. Just located conveniently off the Fair Oaks parking structure on Green Street and Raymond, you really don't need to travel far after parking. It's not everyday you find a cafe that serves Venezuelan food. The menu has a lot of exciting unique offerings like Arepas and Cachapas.

I started with one of their signature lattes, the Cacao. This was 61% dark chocolate, served over ice but you can just imagine how thick and creamy this was. Extremely rich in flavor and mellows throughout your meal as the ice melts. They also carry lemonades which they sweetened with agave syrup.

Passion Fruit lemonade

Pabellon Arepas

The Pabellon includes shredded beef, white cheese, black beans and sweet plantains. Salsa verde of the side served with mixed greens. The arepas is grilled white corn flatbread cut open and stuffed. Really tasty and filling from the beans and plantains. I loved how crispy the arepa was even after soaking up the salsa verde.

Cachapas Mediterranea

Grilled housemade yellow corn crepes with basil pesto sauce, Italian Burrata, Spanish Chorizo, roasted tomatoes, prosciutto, salame and olive oil. The cachapas had little corn kernels running through the batter. Loved the burrata and the different types of cured meats.

Lunch was ended with some Spanish churros. These Spanish churros were eggs and dairy free. We received the Ice Cream Churros which comes with 6 ribbon shaped churros topped with a chocolate chip vanilla ice cream with a side of chocolate sauce. What's not to love about indulging in delicious sweets?

Make sure to check them out when you are in the area:

55 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena, CA 91105

 

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Le Pain Quotidien

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Le Pain Quotidien

Le Pain Quotidien (The Daily Bread) is a Belgium cafe serving baked good as well as their known tartines. I came to this restaurant for the first time when I worked a block away. I was immediately hooked on their cappuccinos. During that time, Starbucks was the only coffee shop that I really knew of. But after having a hot cup from Le Pain Quotidien, it opened up my palate to explore different espressos out there. Besides their coffee beans, I also very much enjoy their food. It's simple, but tasty. It's also not heavy like the American traditional breakfast items.

Here are a few breakfast items that we enjoyed during a lovely Sunday brunch.

Rustic Tuna Tartine

Sliced bread with a slather of hummus topped with tuna, white beans, diced tomatoes and basil pesto. Refreshing with the brightness of the lemon juice. This is a guiltless pleasure, like most of their dishes.

Chicken Chorizo Omelette

A nice and fluffly omelette filled with chicken chorizo and cheddar cheese. I like the like greens to lighten up the dish.

Prosciutto Ricotta and Fig

It sounds so simple, but everything married beautifully. There's no greater breakfast than having prosciutto. I've been obsessed and have been saying yes to everything prosciutto. The dried figs add a nice texture to the soft bread and prosciutto. I also love the arugula. Arugula pairs extremely well with sweet and savory dishes like this. This tartine was ringing as a top hit at our table.

Quiche Lorraine

This wasn't the best quiche I've ever had, but it was still tasty. Served with mixed greens and sliced watermelon radish.

Total for everything was a little over $70 for 4 without tip (only 2 cappuccinos ordered). A little steep, but compensated for good food and good times.

Find a store near YOU:

http://www.lepainquotidien.com/finder/locations/

 

 

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