FOOD (LOS ANGELES, CA)

Food
10571 Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
Food
Tel: 310.441.7770
Cuisine: American
$$ ($15-$30)
Sat, 05/13/2017, 12:00pm walk-in
     (5 Piglets)

Food is a café and market all rolled up into one. It is a mom and pop restaurant that serves the community, rather than luring random pretentious peeps to "eat" and play with their food. The food is practical, straight forward and delicious. It's run by a woman named Judy Ornstein, who has over 30 years in the food biz. She's sweet and cares about offering food that isn't too bad for you, at least in my opinion.

Compared to other restaurants around the neighborhood, the food is on the healthier end. It's a good place to grab a bite without feeling guilty with the food you're eating. It's not greasy, it's not too fatty, it's absolutely just right.

The interior

LATTE ($4.00): This latte, though simple, is amazingly delicious. I got one shot of espresso and the froth on the milk was creamy. It was just the way I like it. I actually didn't even need to add sugar to my drink. That's saying a lot...!

AVOCADO TOAST AND ORGANIC EGGS YOU CHOOSE ($14.25): Smashed Avocado, Lemon Juice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Shaved Radishes, Chopped Parsley and Celtic Sea Salt on Lightly Toasted Sunflower Poppy Seed Bread and Comes with Side Eggs, You choose. The avocado toast was fresh and yummy. It was refreshing to taste something so good and good for you too. Everything about this dish was seasoned well and it was even better when I dipped my toast in the egg yolk.

CROISSANT BREAKFAST SANDWICH: This was so good and a little on the indulgent end with the croissant. It was filling and satisfying and the herb salad was a great accompaniment to the sandwich. If you want something that's rich without feeling heavy or greasy, this is the dish to get. 

RICOTTA PANCAKES ($11.00): With Berries and Bananas. OMG THESE WERE DELICIOUS. It was dense enough without feeling heavy and rich without feeling like you're sick. The pancakes were still fluffy and I loved the berries that came with it. It was a filling meal and gave you the right amount of sweetness for the morning. 

All our dishes! 

Overall, Food is a great neighborhood brunch spot for healthy, delicious eats. Everything we had was delicious. You know when you sometimes get a greasy breakfast and leave feeling sick, this isn't the spot that would do that to you! I loved all the bites and they have a great variety for everyone. This will probably be my new go-to spot on the Westside. Thanks Judy for delivering great food and good eats! 

Notable Dishes: Avocado Toast and Ricotta Pancakes 

THE BUTCHER, THE BAKER, AND THE CAPPUCCINO MAKER (WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA)

The Butcher, The Baker and the Cappuccino Maker
8653 West Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
BBCM Café
Tel: 310.360.6900
Cuisine: American, Breakfast
$$ ($15-$30)
Sat, 04/01/2017, 1:00pm walk-in
   (3 Piglets)

Located on the heart of Sunset Strip in West Hollywood sits a very cute brunch spot with an enticing name: the butcher, the baker, and the cappuccino maker. It's a lot of words to say for a restaurant but it explains a lot of what you're expecting for food. The actual place is gorgeous and a perfect location to people watch.

My friend and I were seated al fresco during one of the peak brunch hours. The décor is beautiful, reminiscent of a European café. There is indoor seating, but I much prefer sitting outdoors in the beautiful LA weather. 

The interior

Exterior seating

Mimosas for the table!!!

THE BAKER'S PASTRY BASKET ($9.00): Chef's selection of fresh baked pastries. I actually did not like this. I know how croissants should taste and this was quite stale. The muffin didn't do it for me either. The only good thing was the cookie. For $9, I would pass on this. 

SKILLET BAKED MUSHROOM OMELETTE ($15.00): Hen of the Woods, Potato, Manchengo, Kale Chips, Sauteed Potatoes. I thought this dish was ok. The edges were a bit dry in terms of the egg. It tasted like it was overcooked. Once you get more towards the center, it was more  tolerable. I thought the kale chips were good . The mushrooms were meh. It could've used a few various mushrooms to bring out the flavor. Not impressed. 

SWEET POTATO FRIES DELUXE ($7.00): Ranch Style.. These fries did not do it for me. I love crispy sweet potato fries or fries in general, but the ranch style was pretty awful. Sometimes simple is always better. 

THE BUTCHER'S EGG BENEDICT ($16.00): Pork belly, buttermilk biscuits, Hollaindaise, Sauteed potatoes. I'm sorry, but when I get a benedict, I wand the yolk to ooze out of my heart's desire. This failed miserably. It was a poor effort and the egg was overcooked. I did like the biscuit idea as the base, but other than that, I thought the dish was just ok. I substituted one of the pork bellys with salmon, and my friend that was good, but not great. 

Overall, I thought this place was just ok. I loved the space, but that was about the only thing the place has to offer. The place gets packed because I think anyone and everyone wants to come to see and be seen. The food was slightly bland,  overcooked, and well, just not as flavorful as I had hoped. 

PROVIDENCE (LOS ANGELES, CA)

Providence
5955 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038
www.providencela.com
Tel: 323.460.4170
Cuisine: American/Seafood
$$$$ ($50+)
Sat, 03/04/2017, 8:30pm
     (4.5 Piglets)

Providence is probably one of the nicest restaurants here in Los Angeles. Chef Michael Cimarusti brings seafood with a touch of elegance and a modern flair. The ingredients are fresh and he handles the seafood with respect that it truly deserves.

The ambience is modern and gorgeous with classiness that isn't pretentious. The menu consists of 3 sets, ranging from a seasonal menu and a chef's tasting menu. We ended up choosing the chef's tasting for $220 to get a taste of all the goodness the chef has to offer. 

AMUSE BOUCHE: A shot of tequila. Who doesn't like to start off the meal with some alcohol? 

AMUSE BEETS: It was a ravioli but made out of beets. It was refreshing and light. 

AMUSE MUSSELS: This was one of my favorite dishes of the night. I loved the toast and the mussel broth with foam had so much flavor, 

COURSE ONE: FLUKE SASHIMI: Cherry Leaves and Blossoms, Geoduck. Suprisingly, this was really good. It was tender and melt in your mouth. It had a nice balance of flavors. 

COURSE TWO: LOCAL BOX CRAB (DOCK TO DISH): Hokkaido Uni, Petits Pois, Hazelnut. This was actually pretty delicious. I loved the uni and I'm usually very particular about it. I thought it was super fresh. The crab was succulent. It was a good dish. 

COURSE THREE: ABALONE: Eggplant, Turnip, Nori. The abalone was tender and not at all rubbery. I thought it was cooked perfectly. All the flavors meshed well together. 

COURSE FOUR: SPINY LOBSTER (DOCK TO DISH): Macadamia Nut, Black Truffle. Wow! Did you see how many truffles there are?! They actually didn't skimp on the truffles which I appreciate. The dish was great and the spiny lobster was easy to eat. One of my favorite dishes of the night. 

COURSE FIVE: LIVE NEW BEDFORD SEA SCALLOP: Golden Osetra Caviar, Salsify, Crispy Potato. This was one of my favs. I loved the presentation. The scallops were fresh and I enjoyed the saltiness of the caviar along with the crispiness of the potatoes. So many textures and flavors all rolled up into one dish. 

COURSE SIX: STRIPED BASS: Artichoke, Baby Carrot, Black Truffle. This dish was good. The fish wasn't overcooked, which tends to happen everytime I have cooked fish. The carrots and artichoke offered freshness to the dish. 

COURSE SEVEN: A5 WAGYU: Beet Cured in Kombu, Kale. The wagyu was delicious. It was melt in your good. I thought the beets were a nice addition but quite honestly, I would've enjoyed it just as is, without the other stuff. As good and as expensive this piece of meat is, I want to enjoy how good the ingredient is. 

COURSE EIGHT: ARTISANAL CHEESES: HOMEMADE TRUFFLE CHEESE. OMG. The cheese on this thing. It was creamy and soft and the truffle was prominent with every bite. It was just as delicious as I thought it would be and I loved every bite. 

COURSE NINE: RASPBERRY, LYCHEE, ROSE. This was absolutely amazing for a palate cleanser. I thought it wasn't overly sour and the raspberry was super prominent with each bite. I loved it.  

COURSE TEN: MEYER LEMON, BURRATA. This was also a good palate cleanser but I thought the previous course was better. I didn't really taste the burrata but the lemon was good. 

COURSE ELEVEN: ALPACO, COFFEE, BARLEY. This was a decently good dessert. I loved the ice cream and I only wish there was more of it. It tasted really good with my coffee as well. 

Overall, Providence is an amazing restaurant for a special occasion. The service was always on point and they try to make sure your experience will be a great one. The dinners can be quite long, with the chef's tasting menu being approximately 3 hours. I appreciate the detail they put into the dishes and for the amount of money spent, you would leave feeling full and satisfied. 

Notable Dishes: Mussels Amuse Bouche, Homemade Truffle Cheese and A5 Wagyu

JOE'S STONE CRAB (SOUTH BEACH, MIAMI, FL)

Joe's Stone Crab
11 Washington Ave
Miami, FL 33139
Joe's Stone Crab
Tel: 305.673.0365
Cuisine: Seafood
$$$ ($30-$45)
Mon, 2/20/2017, 8:00pm walk-in
   (3.5 Piglets)

Stone crabs are one of the most sought out delicacies in Miami. The crabs have small bodies and are rarely eaten, but the claws are large and contain delicate crab meat that is so delicious, you'd want to eat 10 of them in one go. They take a bit of time to mature, but once the crabs are at the right size, the claws are detached and the bodies are thrown back in the water where they can regenerate! So enough about this bio stuff, lets get talking about this place and the food! 

Joe's Stone Crab is an iconic eatery in Miami. They have another location in Las Vegas, but I think it's always a good idea to eat at the O.G. place. The restaurant itself is massive with a huge bar where you can grab a drink while passing time for your 1-2 hour wait. Yes, the wait usually is always that length of time since they don't take reservations! 

It's casual-ish with waiters dressed up in tuxedos like the olden days. They're very proper and lack a bit of the complete service I was hoping for, but I guess if you want to focus on the food, it's pretty darn good. 

Free Bread Basket

MAINE LOBSTER TAILS (STEAMED OR BROILED-MARKET PRICE). This was just ok for me. The lobster cost around $50-$60, which I think it s a bit overpriced. The tails themselves were rubbery and a bit overcooked in my opinion. The sauce helped a bit but once lobster is overcooked, the dish couldn't be saved. 

GRILLED ASPARAGUS ($9.95). The asparagus was good but nothing special. I probably wouldn't order this again but if I need vegetables, sure, why not?

KEY LIME PIE ($8.95). This was almost my favorite dish of the night. It came as a very close second and probably the best key lime It was luscious and not overly sweet and the pie crust was amazing. I seriously loved this pie! 

MY FAVORITE DISH. JOE'S STONE CRAB (LARGE-MARKET PRICE). The crab was absolutely amazing. They come broken up for you so all you have to do is peel off the shell and eat the luscious piece of crab. We got the large, which ran about $60 ish. The crab meat was cold and sweet and came with an amazing sauce. It's worth ordering one just for yourself. 

Overall, Joe's Stone Crab was pretty good, but the service could use a bit of improvement. If I came here again, I would just stick with the stone crab and the key lime pie. We had ordered a glass of wine, which they brought out but the wrong one where we then sent it back. The waiter gave us a hard time about it. In addition, we were overcharged another $60 for another set of stone crabs that we didn't order. The waiter also gave us a look as though we were wrong. Other than that, the place was good. 

Notable Dishes: Stone Crab and Key Lime Pie