Angelini Osteria- Panna Cotta

By far, Dennis was the winner in terms of ordering (he selected the grilled octopus, brazino, and panna cotta).  Super yummy!  This panna cotta, light, creamy and refreshing!  Served with fresh berries that added a nice amount of tartness to the creamy dessert.  After all the seafood, this dessert served as a beautiful palate cleanser, ending another stellar dining experience!

Angelini Osteria- Torta Nonna

Recommended by our waitress, this dessert was a nice change from the rich, chocolatey concoctions we have been ordering.  I'm not sure what it comprises this dessert but it the topping was roasted pine nuts, one of those true Italian dishes where the pine nut is pervasive in all forms of cooking not just the customary pesto.  Partnered with a scoop of vanilla gelato, it was a great finish to a seafood dinner.

Angelini Osteria- Brazino

Okay, this was by far, the star of the evening.  A whole brazino, crusted in sea salt and aromatic herbs.  They take the whole fish, encase it and place it in the roaring wood oven.  The preparation alone was a work of art.

Once it's cooked, they crack the case and filet the entire fish.  Served with mixed vegetables and mashed potatoes, all the fish needed was light squeeze of lemon.  The fish was clean, light, and moist.  This was a great example of how good quality food needs nothing to make it taste better, it can stand alone and be amazing all on its own!

Angelini Osteria- Seafood Risotto

Seafood risotto- Clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, white fish and other delicacies of the sea with a rich red broth.  Risotto was cooked perfectly al dente.  The broth, I believe shrimp based, was clean, allowing the flavors of the seafood to stand out.  There was also just enough spice in the broth to wake up the tastebuds (you know how sometimes seafood dishes can been slightly bland).  This was a generous portion, laden with seafood, incredible!

Angelini Osteria- Lasagna Verde

I am starting out with the most unimpressive of the entrees selected.  NOTE: this is a relative scale to those items ordered.  Standing on its own, it was delicious but compared to the others, it was the weakest link.

This was selected by Giada as one of the best things she ever ate.  Spinach lasagna noodles encasing a deep rich ragu.  You can tell this sauce was one of those things that has been simmering on a stove all the live long day. 

The best part of this dish was the arugula that was flash fried and used as garnish.  Light, crispy and crunchy, it made you excited to eat your vegetables!

P.S. The bottle of wine we selected was fabulous!  The winemaker trained in California and went to Italy, so it was a blend of both the fruit forward California wines and mineraly European varietals.  One day, I will blow up the photo to remember what it was we drank!

Angelini Osteria- Grilled Octopus Salad

The best part of having a third person in our party was the option to try more entrees.  Grilled octopus, cherry tomatoes, over a bed of arugula.  Let me start by saying, I don't normally see octopus on a menu and say, "oh yeah!".  But this was delightful.  The octopus was grilled perfectly, to keep it tender.  It was clear that the octopus was fresh, and the flavors were clean, not too "fishy".  The acid from the tomatoes and arugula cut through the richness of the meat to create a nice balance. 

Once again, I cannot imagine NOT sharing this appetizer and still having room for the rest of your meal.

Angelini Osteria-Squash Blossoms

So excited about this dish! Sqaush blossoms stuffed with ricotta cheese.  Lightly floured and flash fried, this appetizer is served with a light romesco sauce.  I love squash blossoms.  Or rather, I love ordering them from restaurants as I think there are too many steps to make this at home, beginning with where to buy squash blossoms. 

This appetizer was suppose to be for one person, but I must say the richness of the cheese makes this definitely a sharing type appie.  I almost wonder if served in the spring or summer would this dish be prepped with another type of sauce, perhaps a pea pesto?

Angelini Osteria

Our last dinner of the trip.  While we could not possibly top Osteria Mozza, we made the attempt to come close.  Giada de Laurentiis recommended this place and a couple of Yelp posts actually said they liked this place better than Mario's.  Originally, we had reservations for two but as luck would have it, my cousin was in town.  We asked him to join us. 

Angelini Osteria is the size of a small kitchen.  At six pm, the place was packed!  We were lucky that they had three seats at the pizza bar.  Along with bread, they serve this delicious flat bread brushed with garlic, olive oil, rosemary.  This guy spent all night making flat bread after flat bread between the pizzas and brazino.  All things considered the bar was a nice change of pace- a little show while we ate.

Bottega Louie- Chocolate Souffle

Do you know just how yummy this place is?  Let me detail.  Not only are we on day 3 of an eating extravaganza, but we have just had two of the most amazing brunch items we have ever exeprienced that started with a meaty and filling appetizer.  We can barely breathe and yet, when the waiter describes the chocolate souffle and lets us know it will take 20 minutes, we quickly do eating math and figure in 20 minutes we should be able to power through desert.  NOW HOW WRONG IS THAT?!

Well let me tell you, this souffle was worth the belly ache!  The souffle came piping hot, and fuffly high.  You could tell that the majority of the 20 minutes we needed to wait was spent whisking the egg whites to the highest possible peak.  When it arrived tableside, the waiter, dug a well and poured a lovely vanilla creme anglaise.  So let's begin with the chocolate.  Rich, but not sweet.  Decadent and sublime.  Nothing could make this souffle any better with the exception of the creme anglaise.  It was like melted ice cream.  Studded with specks of vanilla bean throughout, it was sweet, creamy, and the perfect foil to the chocolate background.

I had to admit I was quite full when we finished brunch and was actually wavering on desert.  However, when Mayumi told me she had never had one, I could not pass this opportunity and I was so glad we didn't.  It was the perfect ending to a perfect meal.  Well done Bottega Louie, well done!

Can you see the vanilla bean studded througout?

As if it couldn't have gotten any higher

Look how happy she looks!

P.S. don't worry, we didn't let those lovely deserts in the window go unloved.  We took a few home for later and I must say, as I am not a true macaroon fan, I was shocked and amazed to know I loved these!  The tira misu wasn't bad either...in fact...let's just say I think this is what heaven looks like...or at least the lobby.

Bottega Louie- Lobster Hash

I know I have used this phrase way too many times in this blog, but this was one of the best dishes I have ever tasted!  Maine lobster poached just so with perfectly cooked eggs to the whites were firm but the yolk gooey, atop a yukon gold hash with shallots and shaved brussel sprouts.  Once again, Bottega Louie chooses to take it up a notch and add a smoked paprika hollandaise!  OMG!  Every bite made you close your eyes and savor the flavor.  I could not believe how delicious this dish was.  The best part was that it was big enough to satisfy and yet not soooo big that you felt you were getting fooled by volume.  It was truly the squiggly line between the yin and yang...the perfect balance. 

How happy do I look?

Bottega Louie- Burrata Scramble

I am this close to calling this adventure-"a study of burrata".  This scramble combined burrata, pancetta, carmelized onions and baby bella mushrooms.  The eggs were perfectly scrambled, not too hard, but well cooked.  Nestled throughout the eggs were significant chunks of pancetta, circling carmelized onions and mushrooms.  If Bottega Louie had stopped there, it would have been amazing, but they decided to take it up a notch and add fresh burrata.  Interspersed between the scramble were pockets of this creamy, buttery, velvety cheese and floated over the tongue and smoothed the entire dish.  Truly a complex symphony of flavor notes that dances on the taste buds.

Bottega Louie- Portabello Fries

Let me begin by saying everything at this restaurant was top notch.  We begin with our choice of complimentary sparkling or still water.  So of course, we had one of each!  We followed our water service with dark, strong richly brewed coffee, and a summer cobbler- champagne with a muddled cherry, lemon twist, and splash of raspberry liquer.  It was a tasty concoction!

As our appetizer, we started with the portabello fries.  DELICIOUS!  Sectioned like steak fries, these meaty morsels were seasoned and floured in something I will describe as yummy goodness.  Sprinkled with a dusting of parmesano-reggiano and served with a garlic aioli, I could have eaten plates and plates of this.  Perfectly crisped, well seasoned. I knew we were in for another eating experience.

 

Bottega Louie

I have to admit, when we started this adventure, I thought that there are only a handful of people who would be able to hang with me.  Once I excluded all family members, that number was significantly reduced to three- Mayumi being one of them.  Prior to departure, I set the expectation that this was going to be a hard core food trip.  This was not a trip for the faint of belly.

After day one, I was starting to think I had met my match.  I could feel myself significantly start to slow down with respect to the food frenzy and yet Mayumi did not seem to be affected.  Alas, she was just a trooper.  I think after the gastronomic experience at Mario's, each one of us realized, we needed to move beyond the diners, drive-ins, and dives and perhaps, take the time to enjoy our meals...we were now in search of symphonies vs. remixes.

Our first meal of the day on Sunday was close to noon!  Can you imagine that?!  Considering that 24 hours ago, we had had three meals and coffee by this time.  Following a recommendation, we ventured into downtown L.A. to Bottega Louie.  The scene was light, airey, and bustling with energy.  We were concerned that it would be a long wait, but we only had a ten minute lull.  It actually worked in our favor as along with being a restaurant, Bottega Louie also sold amazing confections.  We are going to pause now to revel in the masterpieces.

The sell over 85,000 macaroons a week

Stuffed cupcakes

Pastries that remind me of France

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part VI

Chocolate Budino with burbon gelato and candied marcona almonds dusted in cocoa powder.

We were going to get a second pasta, but since we didn't, we got to splurge on desert.  Our choice of poison was the chocolate budino. Rich and decadent, this was chocolate on steroids!  Partnered with a burbon gelato sprinkled with fleur de sel to cut the richness of the chocolate, it was a perfect ending to a perfect meal.

These photos do not do it justice.  The lighting was just too dark to make the shots work without annoying everyone around us.  We left dinner past midnight.  Yes, I said midnight!  It was worth it.  Truly an amazing meal where all the little details created the work of art.  If you ever get to LA, make it a point to dine here!

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part V

Hangar Steak with argula and shaved pecorino.

Okay, this I think is the granddaddy of a true steak salad.  The hangar steak was marinated in a balsamic vineager reduction.  Charred on the edges, it was served with argula and shaves of pecorino.  On the outside, this dish looked so simple.  Yet, it was the simplicity that allowed the flavor to be the star of the show!

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part IV

Tagliatelle with oxtail ragu- OMG!  This was by far, the best pasta dish I have ever had in the USA!  Perfectly cooked pasta ribbons with just enough bite to hold up to the 16 hour braised oxtail ragu.  This dish was perfect.  I don't know how to fully describe its perfection short of saying everything about this dish was done exquisitely.  How good was it?  It was so good that even on the most full stomach I have ever had and at 11pm at night, we considered ordering another dish of pasta to experience lightning striking twice.

Osteria Mozza does a pasta tasting menu.  The only problem is that everyone at the table has to have the tasting menu.  Next time....

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part III

Burrata with bacon, smokey chard, and balsamic onions.

Okay, this was amazing!  The burrata was creamy, buttery goodness! The balsamic onions were tart and robust, a nice foil to the creamy richness of the cheese.  The smokey chard served as a beautiful bridge between the two opposing flavors. Individually, the components were delicious.  Together in one bite, with the grilled bread, it was a masterpiece!  The sommalier said this dish would be change your life and he was so right!

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part II

We ordered from the Mozzarella bar.  To prepare us for their offerring, we were given bruschetta with mozzarella, olive tapenade, and julianne basil leaf.  Just a small bite to cleanse the palatte for the yummy cheese to follow.

There was a tad too much olive, but the cheese was creamy and the julianned basil very fragrant.  It definitely built anticipation for courses to come!

Osteria Mozza- Mario's Place Part I

Note: This dining experience was so off the hook, that each item will be a separate blog entry less you get tired of scrolling.

In true Food Network stalking, we decided to splurge on a fancy dinner and who better to experience than Mario Batali?! How did we know we made the right decision? When we called for a reservation, the earliest time we could get was 9:45pm. You see they stop seating at 11pm. Yes, I wrote it correctly. Located in mid-city LA, this gem of a place sits on the corner of Melrose and Highland.  We arrived 10 minutes late, and the restaurant was still hustling and bustling.  In fact, we had to wiat almost 20 minutes to be seated.  In true service to the diner, as a thank you for the wait, we were given a small appie of proscuitto wrapped breadsticks with truffle butter.  A wonderful entry dish into the world of Mario, the crispy breadstick with the creamy truffle butter and salty proscuitto.  We could not wait for the adventure to begin!

Pink's- Los Angeles

Mayumi was dying to eat at Pink's.  Given the tight schedule, we had to squeeze in a small appetizer of Pink's prior to heading to Mario's.  Located on La Brea in mid-city, I think Pink's has a constant line.  With over 50 different types of dogs, it was almost impossible to narrow it down.  We finally decided on the classic chili cheese dog.

The actual dog itself was delicious!  It had a nice flavor and good snap to the bite.  However, the chili left a little to be desired.  The texture was very creamy.  It needed a little more grit.  The flavor a little bland for our taste.  Now, in terms of hot dogs, first rate.  Not sure it's a destination joint, but certainly something to consider if you needed a snack and were in the area.

Twig and Willow Anniversary Party- Food truck festival

My friends teased me that it was like the food trucks knew I was coming to Southern California.  A little research discovered that there was going to be an anniversary party for a small boutique that would be visited by three food trucks- The Grilled Cheese Truck, the Lime Guys, and the Lobsta Shack.  Talk about a hat trick! 

Never mind that it was pouring rain.  Never mind that we had had three meals already and it was barely pass noon.  Never mind that we were planning to eat at Mario Batali's that evening, we were determined to get some good eats.

The Lime Guys- Season 2 winners from the Great Food Truck Race.  And yes, the guys from the show were the ones that showed up.  Surprisingly, this truck had no lines (everyone was in line for Grilled Cheese).  To divide and conquer, I stood in the Grilled Cheese line while Mayumi went to Lime truck.  Our selection- Carnitas fries.  DANG!  Crispy fries, perfectly shredded carnitas, a lovely chipotle slaw, guacamole, and cojita cheese.  This dish was to DIE FOR!

Still in line for the Grilled Cheese and having finished our fries, we moved onto the Lobsta Shack.  Lobsta roll over everyone!  Simple, but perfect as it highlighted the sweetness of the lobster.  The bun was sacrificed due to stomach constraints which was unfortunate because it was a delicate brioche bun toasted with butter.

We finally reached the front of the line for the Grilled Cheese Truck.  In the Pouring rain, we selected the signature melt- Grilled cheese stuffed with macaroni and cheese, carmelized onions, and bbq pulled pork.  There was a special which had fontina, artichoke, spinach on a potato rosemary bread, but once again, we were having to "sophie's choice" our food.  We did splurge on a half sack of homemade tater tots sprinkled with sea salt.  This sammie was AWESOME.  The mixture of the mac, the cheese, the pork, the onions...it was a party in your mouth!  And the tots!  YUMMY, CRUNCHY, FANTASTIC.  They had desert tots and blue cheese tots on the menu as well (refer to above reference to Sophie's Choice). 

All three trucks were just first rate.  So even though the actual store was a disappointment, the trucks more than made up for it.  Thank you Long Beach!



Pizzeria Luigi

Of all the places I definitely wanted to hit while in San Diego, Pizzeria Luigi was the number one spot.  I had heard many good things about it and wanted to experience it firsta hand.  After driving around the same 3 miles of San Diego over and over again, we found it.  The problem was, it did not look like the video clip from Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives.  After a quick google hit, we realized this was the second location.  As we still had plans to hit Long Beach and the day quickly turning into a rain storm, we decided to stay put and pick out some pie.

This is one fo those places were you can purchase by the slice.  Of the pies already made, we selected a pizza margerita and a chicken pizza with pesto, feta, and sun dried tomatoes. 

First of all the crust- thin, crispy, and very tasty.  This is my kind of crust!  While I am a Chicago girl at heart, I think I am really a New York pizza kind of girl.  Duh-licious!

Both pizzas were just amazing.  A nice blend of flavor combinations where there wasn't so much topping that you couldn't enjoy the crust's compliment to sauce and cheese.  If it hadn't been our third meal of the morning, we probably would have ordered more, but alas there were food trucks to be had!

What a wonderful way to say goodbye to San Diego.

Claire de Lune

We still needed a good cup of joe.  We stumbled across a great little independent coffee shop while roaming the streets.  Claire de Lune looked like one of those old hotels, reconverted to a great little hang out place.  We ordered the "Vietnamese " coffee.  Now, it was like the wonderful french pressed with sweetened condensed milk coffees that are the standard faire. It was a combo of the original concept mixed in with the techniques of a good latte.  Pretty tasty!

El Indio- Redux

Disappointed by a less than stellar breakfast, we decided to return to what we knew best.  Actually, what really happened was we were trying to get a pastry and coffee from Extraordinary desserts, but it was still closed.  We wanted more so we went back to El Indio.  We re-watched the clip from the Food Network and realized we hadn't ordered anything they featured.  We enjoyed the food we did order so we curious how much more we would have enjoyed the food they highlighted.

We ordered a tamale with chili beans and shredded beef taquito.  OMG, IT WAS AMAZING!  The shredded beef was so flavorful and delicious, we were seriously contemplating how to bring a tub of it home with us.  The masa was light and the texture smooth, probably one of the best tamales I have tasted.

This Hobbit breakfast made up for Cafe 222's under performance.

Check out the shredded beef in this tamale!

The homemade tortilla machine

Cafe 222-San Diego

I had high hopes for this place and this was Bobby Flay's Best Thing I Ever Ate- Wake Up Call Selection.  When we arrived, the inside was already full.  It wasn't that hrd to do considering that the actual restaurant was teeny tiny. It worked out well for us though, because we got a seat on the "patio" and even though it had been raining, it was at least airy.

We ordered what Bobby did- Peanut butter and banana stuffed french toast.  Upon recommendation, our second entree was the homemade corned beef hash.

Let's start with the coffee.  Surprisingly weak.  It was a disappointment to true caffeine addicts like ourselves.  How do I know this?  Because Mayumi kept reminding me that it was $2.75 :)  Next the french toast.  Now all things considered, it was not bad.  The bananas are mashed so fine you cannot tell where the bananas end the peanut butter begins.  However, beyond that, it was just good french toast.  Certainly not the best french toast I've ever eaten let alone the best breakfast.  Bobby Flay, seriously?

And then the corned beef.  Yes, the hash was housemade.  They included potatoes, carrots, and green peppers.   However, there was more hash than corned beef.  It tasted almost like a potato pancake infiltrated with corned beef.  It needed more bite, more texture.  A disappointment.  How big a disappointment?  Well, we did not finish either and packed it up to give to the homeless. 

El Indio-

Okay, so after all this running around, we were finally ready for dinner.  To be honest, we were hoping to try Mama Testa Taqueria where Bobby Flay had the fish taco throwdown.  We programmed Garmen and everything.  When we go there, we were shocked to find the restaurant empty.  This raised several red flags as it was on a fairly busy street and it was 8:30 on a Friday night.  How god could a place be, if it was deserted?

El Indio was our plan B.  I hope El Indio will forgive us for ever thinking it was second best to any other Mexican joint.  The special of the night was Shrimp Enchiladas.  In addition to one of those, we ordered a fish taco ( how could you go to San Diego and not try one?!), and carne asada tacos.

I am not sure where to begin.  The shrimp enchilada was yummy!  Bathed in a flavorful verde sauce, the shrimp were cooked perfectly.  The reason the shrimp taco to 3rd place was, we normally don't order shrimp enchiladas so we really had nothing by which to compare.

The fish taco was devine!  The combo of the cabbage, sauce, and cilantro was a perfect backdrop for the tempura battered fish.  I argue it was my favorite.

However, the carne asada tacos were a treat.  Huge chunks of steak wrapped with a pico de gallo and tons of guacamole.  The reason I think it should have been 2nd place, was that the taco had too much meat for me.  Now, if that is why a dish makes 2nd place, that's a pretty good thing.

They make everything from sratch, including the corn tortillas and chips.  Perhaps its the volume of turnover that makes everything here so cheap.  In any case, some of the best Mexican out there!

CB cupcakes

Okay, we decided to take a break from eating and hit the outlet malls.  Off to Carlsbad we went to see if there were any good Veteran's Day sales.  We did find a good sale here and there, and alas a different kind of cupcake store.  CB cupcakes lets you choose the type of cake (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet), choose the frosting, and then toppings.  Everything was assembled on demand. 

The concept was nifty and the cupcake pretty tasty.  The presentation was not any spectacular, and that's not just because we had left Extraordinary Desserts.  Still, a pretty tasty cupcake.

There was a huge sign that said, no photos please.  Guess we can't read.