Category Archives: Restaurants

Abbott's Habit

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Today while David and I were kicking around Venice we stopped to have lunch at Abbott’s Habit, a cafe on Abbott Kinney. Whenever I walk by Abbott’s Habit there are always throngs of people outside so I was excited to try it. To drink I had a Moroccan Mint Tea (and clearly I had Pirates Booty as a side dish).

For the main course David and I both got 1/2 sandwich because we wanted to be hungry for snacks later. I tried the Bobo Chicken Sandwich which consisted of Chicken, melted cheese, pesto mayo, roasted red peppers, spinach, tomato, and red onion on a french roll. It was too good, and the portion was HUGE despite being a half:

It was gooooood. Then we hung out at the boardwalk, the canals and then Santa Monica:

And look what we saw:

A sea lion!!! Tomorrow we head to the east side for brunch with our cousin. Can’t wait!

Sugar Rush

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What does one do when finals are looming? Learn to drive defensively and eat lots of sweets of course! I was lent a car by my awesome cousin so we went to all my favorite places: Clementine, Target and then drove the 101 to the 405, got off at Wilshire, realized I was headed towards Susie Cakes so we made a pit stop. All in all, a perfect day. Over by Ameba Records was a food truck I’d never seen before, Buttermilk. Clearly this was a good point to stretch my legs so I got out and try it.

They had some off the wall items, like a red velvet pancake…

I opted for home made cake doughnuts!

YUM! I got sugar all over my phone and my outfit but it was so worth it! There was just enough sugar to be sweet but not too sweet. They were gone in a matter of moments. I love a classic cake doughnut.

After my freeway adventure, which went well, the car was pointed in the direction of Susie Cakes so we stopped by and got another treat!

OK, so the red velvet was good, but it wasn’t as good as the pineapple upside down cupcake! Remember that? They had it but I wanted to try something new. My cousin Joe had the marble cake which I tried. It was truly delish. The cake was moister than the red velvet cupcake. Boy, do I LOVE treats! I did have a bit of a sugar hangover, which I cured with a run. My run was really hard in the middle but the back of my legs are sore in a way they haven’t been before which I am excited about. Today really was a fun day!

Never Walk 5 Miles in Bad Flip Flops

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because your feet will HURT! At least mine do. I woke up bright and early and decided to go to Clementine for breakfast. Clementine is 2.5 miles from my apartment so after walking there and back I had covered 5 miles, but man did my feet hurt! I really need to wear better shoes. Once at Clementine I had quiche again with a salad. Before the walk to school I got myself a little treat…

Such a great brownie! I told myself that I wouldn’t eat the whole thing at once, but hey I did. And it was delicious and I earned it!

I also stopped at Coffee Bean on the way to school because nothing goes better with a long walk than a large ice tea.

So good! It felt great to have a long walk before class. Plus, I got to study at Clementine. I love Clementine. They even played “Stars and Stripes Forever” while I was studying. It made me feel so patriotic!

-Left Coast

Clementine

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I have a new favorite spot in LA, Clementine. I have been wanting to try Clementine for a while but its just far enough away to be out of walking distance. When my mom came for spring break we tried it, twice because it was so good!

Clementine has great seasonal foods, this means that they change the menu depending on the season which I love! It means that food is natural and freshly grown with no additives and ect. You can tell that its super fresh. Let me tell you, this place gives Flour in Boston a bit of a run for its money. Nothing trumps Flour, but Clementine is DAMN GOOD! Our first trip was for lunch:

I ordered the rare roast beef sandwich with horseradish, marinated onions and arugula. It was so good and it came with a side of pickles! I also had a mint iced tea:

Whoops! All gone...

On the way home from Palm Desert my mom and I stopped by for breakfast. We woke up really early and had breakfast then, so by 10 am we were starving but they were still serving breakfast. Both of us ordered a quiche because quiche is always so good and a compromise between lunch and breakfast.

I had the bacon and leek quiche with a side salad. It was very good. I also had an ice tea and we ordered hot buttermilk bisects.

SO DELICIOUS! They came with jam and a cream thing. Not sure what it was but it was delicious. Clementine is my new favorite! Check it out for yourself: http://www.clementineonline.com/

Jin Patisserie

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Last weekend when my Dad and I were kicking around Venice we decided to stop in at Jin Patisserie for cake and some tea! The courtyard was so cute! There were little tables in the courtyard in front of the house that the patisserie is housed in. It was a sunny afternoon and the weather was perfect for sitting outside and having a little cake.

I ordered the Lavender Gateau cake. It was layer cake infused with lavender, butter cream, bitter chocolate ganache, and lavender sponge. It was so light and there was a slight lavender flavor. The chocolate ganache perfectly balanced out the lavender cake flavor. I highly recommend this cake.

To top it off I ordered Turkish tea! So good and we all know about my love of Turkey. I will absolutely visit this place again. On a similar note, I really loved Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice. Its such a great walkable area and I can see myself hanging out in cafes and reading a book. Something to think about for the future…

http://www.jinpatisserie.com/

Mozza

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So when my Dad was in town we went to a great pizza place, Mozza! Mozza is a Nancy Silverton, Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich pizzaria and osteria. They have incredible pizzas with some amazing ingredients…

It was so cute, the menu and the silver wear were in the envelope with this….

Adorable! I was so hungry after our hike in Griffith Park I dug into the bread sticks quickly

We ordered two pizzas (1) Coach farm goat cheese, leeks, scallions, garlic & bacon  and (2) Fennel sausage, panna, red onion & scallions.

This is the goat cheese pizza

Anddd this is the fennel sausage!

I dug into the goat cheese pizza first

And this was the point that the waiter came by and requested that I stop taking pictures in the restaurant. Doesn’t he know that I have amazing 1st Amendment lawyer connections? Anyway, I put the camera away and concentrated on eating. This was probably the best pizza I have had outside of Chicago. Granted it a different style of pizza but the ingredients were all so good , well cooked, and the balance of flavor was perfect. Also, the crust was perfectly thin and crispy. I ate the whole thing and it was delicious. Definitely making a second trip!

http://www.mozza-la.com/pizzeria/menu.cfm#69

Jody Maroni's

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While strolling the Venice boardwalk on Sunday my Dad and I decided to stop for a hot dog at Jody Maroni’s.

Being Chicagoians, we take our hot dogs seriously and high discerning standards. Dad got one but in true Chicago fashion only got mustard and onion.

I was a little less by the book. I had the works: onions, relish, ketchup, and mustard. It was such a good hot dog! Totally grilled to perfection with a great combo of ingredients.

The fries were also so amazing. They were fried to perfection and also salted within an inch of their life.

mmmm. topped the whole thing off with a diet coke.

Nothing like strolling along on a lazy Sunday with a nice diet coke!

Also, an exciting announcement. Yesterday was the busiest day on left coast contessa with the largest number of hits coming on my health post. So glad ya’ll liked my before pic so much. I should post bloated before shots of me more often 🙂

Jody Maroni’s

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While strolling the Venice boardwalk on Sunday my Dad and I decided to stop for a hot dog at Jody Maroni’s.

Being Chicagoians, we take our hot dogs seriously and high discerning standards. Dad got one but in true Chicago fashion only got mustard and onion.

I was a little less by the book. I had the works: onions, relish, ketchup, and mustard. It was such a good hot dog! Totally grilled to perfection with a great combo of ingredients.

The fries were also so amazing. They were fried to perfection and also salted within an inch of their life.

mmmm. topped the whole thing off with a diet coke.

Nothing like strolling along on a lazy Sunday with a nice diet coke!

Also, an exciting announcement. Yesterday was the busiest day on left coast contessa with the largest number of hits coming on my health post. So glad ya’ll liked my before pic so much. I should post bloated before shots of me more often 🙂

Victorrrrrrrryyyy!

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Ok, so potato pancakes are not part of my commitment to health. However, last night I got a job offer from a well respected public interest organization in Los Angeles. I figured a celebration was in order. My friends and I went to Jerry’s Deli in Westwood Village.

I had already had pound cake with lemon curd so instead of a milk shake, I got potato pancakes. It actually worked out because I had only had a small serving of soup before my driving lesson and a small portion of soup can hardly be described as dinner. Not that fried potatoes are packed with nutrients… In any case, the potato pancakes was good (my total guilty pleasure) and I am so relieved that I have something for this summer!