no. 3

Delancey

Delancey, Delancey, Delancey.....

I have some nice memories at Delancey.  Just a few blocks from work, I've had dinner and drinks after work, before a movie or show. Delancey always doing its part in making for an overall enjoyable evening.
The dark, small, seemingly unpretentious, New York styled little pizzeria tucked into a corner off of Sunset definitely has a draw to it. They have a pretty awesome beer selection, their food is almost always delicious and reasonably priced, and you don't really feel like you're a step off of Sunset Blvd.

We decided to have dinner at Delancey because it is a source of comfort, it's familiar and cozy.
After a long week we wanted to have a hassle free, enjoyable dinner.

We started with:
Antipasti - {Thinly Sliced Bresoala with Arugula, topped with Grana Padano cheese and Lemon dressing}
Very, very good. Light, but very flavorful. (turns out bresoala is a type of air-dried salted beef - which, I did not know!)

For dinner:
Goat Cheese Ravioli w/ Peas and Prosciutto
and
Penne alla Vodka with Italian Sausage

Both pasta dishes are 'two thumbs up!'

The Goat Cheese Ravioli was extremely rich, but oh so good.  It's so rich after a few little ravioli's it's almost too much. Goat cheese, prosciutto and cream sauce! Oh my!
I would recommend maybe splitting it with someone and then getting another side or antipasti to share. 

Penne all Vodka - oh you spicy, delicious devil!
So satisfying. Spicy, but smooth.  This has been a favorite for awhile.  So much so, it's hard to turn it down even when you want to try something new.

But I was surprised by the bad over all customer service.
Kind of a bummer to the whole evening, but what can you do?

Sorry Delancey, but we're on to the next!! 

no. 2

Kitchen 24


Ah, brunch.  I love brunch.
Brunch means it's the weekend, and I'm not at work. Hooray!

This weekend we decided to have brunch and picked out Kitchen 24 in Hollywood as our next dineLA restaurant destination.  I've actually been here a couple times before for lunch, but never brunch or dinner.

 
Kitchen 24 is a modern styled diner with a new take on classic diner food and is actually open 24/7
(I hear it's a hot spot after the bars close)

We started with a proper brunch item, a Bloody Mary {! a favorite of mine !} and a Jalepeno Margarita.
The bloody mary was deliciously spicy and very tall, it made the margarita look tiny in comparison! The margarita was deliciously spicy as well, but also refreshing with crushed cilantro.

Our brunch consisted of:

The Home Skillet  {skillet cooked hash browns w/ 2 poached eggs and sausage and toast}
Really good!  Hash browns can be tricky, sometimes they're too crisp on the outside and almost raw on the inside or just one big crisp - either way, not good. 
K24's were excellent!  Great dish!

and the

Bartender’s Banquet {basically half a breakfast burrito and a waffle with strawberries}
Awesome dish.  As delicious as waffles are, sometimes they aren't quite enough. So this plate is pretty great because you get the yummy waffle, but with something a little more substantial.

Highly recommended! 

We finished our meal with a vanilla/chocolate swirl milk shake and a walk through the Hollywood Farmer's Market.

Cheers to brunch!

no. 1

Rh At The Andaz




After much and deliberation and research we decided on having our first meal from the gift cards at RH at The Andaz Hotel in West Hollywood. A French restaurant inspired by the fresh, local produce.
We were looking for a restaurant that had an interesting menu yet comforting food, not too heavy but something substantial {and also had oysters}.

RH fit the bill!

'Inspired by the sun-drenched landscape of Southwest France, and the freshest produce from Southern California's markets"

First course:
Gin Martini w/ an olive
Fanny Bay Oysters {British Colombia - served with roasted pork sausage}
Hudson Valley Foie Gras {served with plum marmalade, arugula and homemade brioche}

The oysters came first and were amazing. Sweet and briny, beautiful and perfectly sized. The oysters  were from British Colombia and are now a new favorite of mine. The dish was served with a side of pork sausage which was also really really great.  Nice compliment of flavors between the sausage and oysters.
The only downside is that they didn't cut the meat free from the shell before serving, which makes it a little difficult to do yourself with the little oyster fork. Other than that - divine!

The foie gras was served as two thick medallions, with a plump serving of marmalade on the side.
Extremely rich and smooth, also another standout of the meal. Although, the marmalade was quite strong and it over-powered the foie gras a bit.

So far, we are off to a very decadent start!

Entree:
Pinot Noir
Duck Confit {served with sauteed potatoes}
Diver Scallops {served with sweet corn gnocchi}

The duck confit was ahead of the game.  Really great - crispy skin, moist, flavorful meat.
Highly recommended! Potatoes were a perfect compliment making a delicious provencal style meal.

The scallops were okay. Not a bad choice, but it did not compare to the duck confit.
The scallops seemed a little fishy at first, but paired with the gnocchi it was quite nice.
Another great dish - but the duck... the duck!

Unfortunately there was no room for dessert after the rich, comforting, delicious dinner - next meal for sure though!