Benihana

I’m sure most of you have been to Benihana before.  The food is pretty much the same across the board, at all the locations I’ve ever been to, from Michigan, to California.  But did you know that Benihana will grant you $30 on the month of your birthday if you register with them?  Its actually a pretty sweet deal, and its the main thing that keeps bringing me back to this place.  And if you’ve never been…well you are missing out on one heck of an experience.  Master chefs cooking in front of your eyes on a teppanyaki table, while entertaining with their creative tricks.  The onion soup and ginger dressing salad is so good.  I also love drizzling their steak and seafood sauces over my rice.  I wish I could learn their recipe! It’s perfection every time!

Me at the sushi bar…gettin drunk at happy hour!

Went there for my boo's birthday….looks like he's a happy camper

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Q’s Billiard Club, Los Angeles

Q’s Billiard Club

11835 Wilshire Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 477-7550

http://www.qsbilliardclub.com

FUN FUN FUN FUN FUN!  Wednesday night is Trivia Night where you can gather a group of your friends and compete with other groups of people answering trivia questions.  The winner gets a $100 tab, I think 2nd place gets $75 and third place gets $50.  I swear we were in 2nd place the whole night, then finally ended up in 4th because of the last question.  Grrr. I still had a blast!!! I highly highly recommend. It is soo much fun!  Food wise, for the best bang for your buck, I’d say order the Turkey Burger. It’s filling and delicious.  But beware if you don’t like stinky cheese.

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Smoking Joes, Mumbai

The best pizza place to order from in Mumbai is Smoking Joes.  They had soo many varieties to choose from.  They were all very unique and new to me since I’ve never heard of Chicken Makhni pizza before.  They also had pita pizza pockets.  I was told to try the honey chicken pizza pocket. My first reaction was, “it’s good, but I probably would never order this myself.”  Sure enough the craving slowly crept up and that was all I could think about.  The best part is that they can actually stuff your crust with cheese or meat!  Also, you can get your pizza CGC style: CREAMY GOOEY CHEESY where they put an extra layer of cheese in the center of the dough.  Wish there was a Smoking Joe’s in LA!

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The Counter

www.thecounterburger.com

For a great way to build your own gourmet burger, check out The Counter.  When you walk in, you’re given a clipboard that allows you to custom build your burger, starting from the bread, cheese, sauces, meat, and toppings.  They have plenty of options to build a truely unique burger each and every time you go.  It seems though that I always get the same toppings: bleu cheese, grilled onions, pepperoncini’s or jalapenos, tomatos, etc.  You can also get this on a bed of lettuce if you don’t want the bun.  Comes out great every single time.

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Lenzini’s Pizza, North Hollywood

I was thrilled to be invited to come taste Lenzini’s Pizza…and what can I say except that it was BOMB! Crunchy melty mozzarella sticks, tasty juicy chicken wings, and ooey gooey pizza.  C’mon…how can it not be good? Of course, I ordered their namesake pizza, the Lenzini Special made with a pesto sauce rather than the usual tomato sauce, drizzled with olive oil on a thin crust, which I love.

But most importantly, what sold me on this place is that it is very hard to find pizza places that actually serve whole wheat pizza dough.  AND I love the fact that their pizza’s are thin crust. They also have vegan cheese upon request.  And best of all, they don’t skimp out on the ingredients.

The chicken wings were nice and meaty.  Everything I tried was just as it should be.  They also demonstrate great customer service, which makes the experience all the better.  And if you don’t feel like having pizza, they also have other items like sandwiches, salads, desserts, etc.  It was a bit out of the way for me but totally worth it.  Check it out, what’ve you got to lose?!?

Mozzarella Sticks

Lenzini's Special

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Art On A Plate: Red Medicine, Beverly Hills

Red Medicine

8400 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

www.redmedicinela.com

Beautiful and artistic creations is what you’ll find at Red Medicine. The pictures on their website are absolutely breathtaking.  The visual presentation with the edible flowers and overall creativity are unlike anything I’ve ever had before.  The food itself is Vietnamese inspired, although it is not your traditional Vietnamese food.  I have to admit though, besides the visuals, freshness and creativity, I was not at all pleased with the actual taste of the food. My sandwhich, the Heritage Porkbelly glazed with vinegar and malted barley was unique but I was not a fan of the taste at all.  My friends noodle dish was also very plain because it only had a little bit of chicken and vegetables, and the rest was all cold noodles with no sauce or flavor.

Let that be your warning. With that said, is there a reason to go there still? The answer is yes, because the appetizers and drinks are incredible and will still be an experience all on its own, I just don’t recommend the entrees.

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Oyster House, Studio City

If you LOVE oysters, then you’ll LOVE Oyster House.  Its a no nonsense place for you to just get your fix of oysters without the foofooey frills or prices of a fancy restaurant. In fact, this place is quite the opposite. Its a tiny little restaurant North of the Boulevard, at quite a random intersection. It is very dark and dreary inside, since there aren’t too many windows.  The workers are all 50+ and have been working there for ages.  Yet, there is something quaint about that.

Oh, and did I mention their drinks are cheap too?  They also make their own Peach vodka drink.  It’s a dive bar, so I really recommend you try their dirty martini. You’ll love it and it goes so well with the oysters.  Their food is really good. I ordered a pasta, but they accidently gave me the eggplant parmesan instead…but it turned out to be a happy accident.  Plus they accomodated by giving me a small plate of pasta.  Their oysters are chilled and so fresh!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Not to mention, they’re actually good for you!  Increases your libido and some other stuff.

I try a lot of restaurants, but its rare that I’ll go to a spot more than once unless I really like it.  This is one of those places that I have made a regular spot.  I can’t wait to take my friends.

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El Pollo Nortenito, Van Nuys

El Pollo Nortenito

14522 Vanowen Street

Van Nuys, CA 91405

I love trying random hole-in-the-wall restaurants.  They can be quite pleasantly surprising, like El Pollo Nortenito.  I was on a mission to find this Creole restaurant that I has just bought a restaurant.com coupon for and when I got to the location the restaurant was actually out of business!!  I was bummed as hell, but low and behold across the street there was smoke coming from a bbq and something told me to check it out.  Well, I’m sooo happy I did because the food was UH-mazing!  They have combination plates of chicken and beef and delicious homemade salsa, at very affordable prices.  Even though it’s a bit out of the way, located in the heart of Van Nuys, I would still drive out there JUST to have this again.

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