Habana, Irvine

Can I just say that this was probably one of the most fantabulous dining experiences I've had in a while. I am soo grateful to have been invited to the first buffet brunch at Habana's in the Irvine Spectrum. The attention to detail in the entire place made it feel like I truly was in Cuba sipping on a nice fresh ice cold coconut. To make you truly feel like you've been transported to a different country is no easy feat! 

I would recommend this place for any weekend outing, whether it be with family, friends, date, GNO, GDO, birthday celebrations. You name it. I've heard that their actual menu outside of the brunch buffet is also to die for. I will be going back for sure, you can count on that.

All I can say is this place is a must! Show up in your nicest attire. Have a coconut with rum. Eat everything. Dance to the live music. Have fun and Enjoy!!

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Modo Mio, Sherman Oaks

Modo Mio in Sherman Oaks is the 2nd location of owner George Zaoui who purchased the first Modo mio in Pacific Palisades 3 years ago. I had the pleasure of having dinner here and captured the entire experience. 

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Day or night, Modo Mio makes it easy to sit out on the patio, catch some sun and people watch. At night time, they turn on the tea lights which give it such a homey and romantic ambiance. 

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I asked George what their specialty drink was and he said the Tiramisu drink of course. The bartender, having worked in that same spot for over 20 years, served up a delicious drink with all the right flavors to complement my dinner. 

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I've got to get the carpaccio everywhere I go. I was very pleased with theirs. The meat was fresh and the touch of arugula and parmesan was perfect. This is a very light and adventurous appetizer, do try it!

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What you see below is the Ravioli Dello Chef. It is filled with ricotta and spinach in a pink sauce...deeelish. My 2nd favorite dish of the night.

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I'm not a gnocchi expert, so I can't comment on the consistency of it, but I can say that the sauce was good and we enjoyed it all around.

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The lasagna di carne is made with wide strips of pasta layered with ground beef, pork and herbed ricotta. Hearty and cheesy :)

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Risotto Porcini

Risotto Porcini

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My favorite dish of the night was the Cioppino Adriatico - clams, mussels, shrimp, calamari & salmon in a light tomato broth. Delicious, tasty, gluten free, low carb, just perfect for me. 

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The tiramisu is house made using a family recipe. You can really taste the homemade quality to it. 

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Loved my dinner, and a big big thank you to Modo Mio for the lovely dinner! 

Xoxo,

Nellie Christine

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Jalapeño Pete's, Studio City

Jalapeño Pete's is a new gastropub in Studio City and it is lit! I was lucky enough to go there when the Kansas City Chief fans were there to watch the game and I've never seen a crowd like that before. They had their chant going and the energy was so infectious!

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The bar itself is incredibly spacious and I can see why a crowd like that would go there. There are tvs everywhere so you can pretty much watch the game from every angle and every seat in the house. 

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Now on to the drink stuff. Jalapeño Pete's hands down has THE best happy hour in all of LA. They have a $3 happy hour Sunday through Friday from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on select beers, wines, and well cocktails. The also have a buy one get one free special 7 days a week from 9pm to 2 am....hello!!!! I'm bringing all my friends. 

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Now on to the food stuff....

The menu is Mexican fare, and there are several great options for sharing like the spicy nachos, the flautas, or even my favorite....the tacos. 

The shrimp tacos were seasoned well and I loved the creamy sauce on top. But the short rib taco won my heart over with its flavor and juicyness. My mouth is watering just thinking about and guess what, they've got a Taco Tuesday deal with $2 Tacos :) 

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Chicken Wings

Chicken Wings

Spicy Nachos

Spicy Nachos

Flautas

Flautas

Check em out for yourself and if you enjoyed the video, please give it a thumbs up and leave a message in the comment section on what you thought!

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The Rockefellar, Hermosa Beach

The Rockefeller in Hermosa Beach is a gastropub with great food and even friendlier service. Their happy hour is noteworthy, in that they've got drinks, oysters, and even $.99 cent hamburgers!?! I would totally go back just for that. But now on to the food...

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Ahi Tuna tostadas...I was debating between getting this and the Ahi Tuna Tacos. Kinda wish I got both. The tostadas were tasty, creamy, and had a generous serving of ahi tuna on each bite. 

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The snapper ceviche was really interesting because it had this sweet and spicy mango sauce, and a generous helping of fish with a side of corn tortilla chips. I think this is a pretty good appetizer to share.

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We got an order of their Short Rib tacos. My husband loved these. I liked them too, but I prefer a more saucier, almost like a saucy braised type stew while he likes it less saucy and more meat. It was delicious nonetheless, just a difference in opinion. 

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Their Chermoula Seabass was done very well and a good option if you want to go with something healthy. The mediterranean was made with char braised fennel and wild pico rice, red-vin glaze, and freso chile.

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Oh, but their Truffle mac and cheese...perfect on its own or as a side dish to practically any one of their entrees. If you like mac and cheese and are often disappointed with what is out there, you won't be disappointed with this one. I thought it was really flavorful, I could taste the truffle, I could taste the bacon, and the taleggio and parmesan cheese. WINNING!

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They carry locally brewed beers and we had a good time trying them. They even had a sour, my favorite! Their happy hour is Monday thru Friday from 5pm to 7pm. The food and drinks are TOTALLY worth checking out. 

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What an amazing feast we had! I only wish I lived closer so I could check out their happy hour too! 

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Killer Shrimp, Marina Del Rey

Secret recipes, delicious food, and waterside dining is what you can expect from Killer Shrimp. I suppose its called Killer Shrimp because they are known for their Shrimp dish. I recommend getting the "Original"....Shrimp cooked in their famous and super secret sauce. A recipe I'm told that only the owner knows. I can't tell you what is in it, but I could definitely taste the chili flakes and saffron. It was a very unique sauce for shrimp and because it's what they're known for, I do recommend trying this. 

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Although the steak can be hit or miss, my grilled hangar steak happened to be uhhh-mazing!!! It was incredibly juicy and tender. Cooked perfectly, seasoned well. I'm picky when it comes to steak but this was a good one! But my favorite part would have to be the bone marrow griddle cake that it comes with. So indulgent but totally worth it!

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For a side, we got the Lobster Mac and Cheese...because, well, Lobster mac and cheese. This was creamy and had quite a bit of lobster pieces.

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If you want something a little fresh, I recommend the aquachile for that.

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For dessert, I went with the sweet potato pecan by. Very rich and sweet. Two bites is all you need!

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All in all, I'm very happy with what I ordered and would recommend them all. I would also recommend this place for a nicer family dinner or date "night"...but instead of going at night, you should definitely go while the sun's out so you can truly enjoy the ambiance. Hope you enjoyed my review! Leave a comment and let me know if you have ever been to Killer Shrimp.

xoxo,

Nellie Christine

Surfside Bar & Grill, Venice

Venice Beach, CA was originally founded by Tobacco millionare Abbot Kinney in 1905 as a beach resort town. Fast forward a century and it is now one of the biggest tourist attractions in LA. Visitors can take advantage of the beach which stretches for miles, watch live performances, OR my favorite thing to do which is, eating of course!

Venice Beach has so much to offer but when it comes to food it can be hit or miss. That’s why I was excited to try a new restaurant that happens to be in the heart of it all, Surfside Bar and Grill.

Venice has a plethora of carnival food like hot dogs and pizza, but I was looking for something a little more for the adults. That’s why I was excited to try a new restaurant that happens to be in the heart of it all, Surfside Bar and Grill.

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The menu at Surfside is as diverse as the people in and around Venice including both Mexican and Asian influence, from Korean fries to Mexican Pork Skewers. Personally, I’m open to it all, as long as it tastes good, I’m in.

The Korean Fries was made with caramelized kimchi, onions, cilantro, sesame seeds, cheese, bulgogi steak, and sriracha mayo. The bulgogi had so much flavor and went really well with the fries and cilantro for freshness. I’d order this for taste and biggest bang for your buck. Definitely great for sharing in a group.

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You can’t go wrong with the Mexican pork skewers or the chicken wings. Loved em! 

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The salad I had was also worth ordering too. It was very well portioned. Dressing was deliciousl Loved the sweetness from the caramelized pear and sugar coated pecans. But most importantly, had two little fried goat cheese patties. YUMM! This may not be a regular on the menu, but all their salads are equally incredible.

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I'm always a little skeptical of Korean/Mexican food fusion because of one bad experience I had, but their Korean tacos were so tasty, just like the fries. The tacos are made with bulgogi, short rib, carm kimchi (not even sure what carm is), onions, cilantro, and a sriracha aioli. 

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The Surfside fish tacos are made with grilled wahoo, tropical marinade, pineapple habanero slaw, served with chips and salsa. I think this dish might be a little more filling than the other tacos because you get a generous portion of fish. 

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The breakwater Burger is made with ½ lb angus beef, Applewood bacon, aged cheddar, tomato, grilled onion, lettuce, pickles, tangy sauce on a brioche bun. It was so juicy and tasty, and another great option for biggest bang for your buck.

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The Mac and Cheese was more of a pasta dish than mac and cheese, not enough cheese or sauce to my liking so I would probably skip this, even though my expression says otherwise :) I'm just happy to be here! 

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They’ve got brunch daily from 11 to 2 pm, and happy hour Monday through Friday from 3 to 7pm on drinks and Food! You really can't go wrong with any of the drinks so I'll leave that one up to you to figure out. 

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The dessert on this day happened to be a cast iron skillet of freshly made bread pudding, topped with vanilla bean ice cream, drizzled with caramel. Yes, this was as epic as it looks. Something you definitely want to share. 

The next time you go to Venice, head on over to Surfside and let me know what you think of it! Check out my video as well and show some love! 

Xoxo,

Nellie Christine

EMC Seafood, Koreatown

EMC Seafood and Raw Bar is restaurant located in Koreatown of los Angeles. I had the pleasure of experiencing it first hand and I'm now a fan.  The ambiance is that of a upscale restaurant with plenty of seating.  They have many options to choose from when it comes to the raw bar, from Octopus, to scallops, to live uni. Everything was extremely fresh and delicious. Read on to see what we ate.

From the Raw Bar, I tried the Octopus, Scallops, and the uni. All are great options and I would order them again. If you are an uni lover, then you'll like the uni here. Its soft, buttery, with a hint of the sea. It's difficult describing the taste of uni to those who have never had it. All I can say is go with someone who likes uni and try it out. 

Uni

Uni

Octopus

Octopus

Scallops

Scallops

My favorite dish though, besides the uni pasta (more on that later), is the Spicy Albacore Tuna Crisps. Holy Moly! First of all, I'm a sucker for crispy wontons, secondly, their tuna mix was really flavorful. It was drizzled with eel sauce and topped with micro greens for freshness. I seriously wish I could order like 5 of these and eat them all myself. I was really sad that I had to share...(insert fat girl "humpphh"). I would put this on my must order list.

Spicy Albacore Tuna Crisps

Spicy Albacore Tuna Crisps

Oysters

Oysters

If you're the kind of person who knows your oysters, then you'll love EMC because they actually have different kinds to choose from like the Fanny Bay or the Fat Bastard, freshly shucked to order. They come with horseradish, cocktail sauce, and homemade ponzu sauce, but I always have my oysters with just lemon and salt. My mouth is literally watering as I'm writing this!

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Oyster shooter

Oyster shooter

Now on to the cooked food...I ordered shrimp, seafood stew, and the bone-in rib eye steak. They were all delicious, so its just a matter of preference and if you happen to be feeling it when you go. But I do want to elaborate on the steak a bit because this was quite different. First off, the meat was cooked exactly how we ordered. It came with a semi-sweet balsamic glaze that had caramelized onion and whole garlic. This was different than how I normally take my steak..(covered in loads of butter), but I think unique enough and worth mentioning. 

Whole Shrimp

Whole Shrimp

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But of course, my favorite dish, and probably their most popular dish, is the Uni pasta, made with cream, fish roe, chives and dried seaweed. This was so rich and creamy, and had the taste of uni throughout the dish, without it being overpowering. They really got it right in my opinion.

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The drinks at EMC Seafood are also noteworthy, as they take a lot of pride in their mixology. My favorite, also highlighted in the video, was their lychee drink. The good news is that they've got happy hour that includes both food and drink! Two happy hours in fact, a daily one and a late night one. Before you go, check the day and time of their happy hour as it varies with each location. 

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To sum up everything, if you're into the raw stuff, you can't go wrong with anything. I had an assortment and there wasn't anything I didn't like. Same with the entree's as well, but out of everything the absolute must orders are the spicy albacore tuna crisps and the uni pasta. And if you're not into seafood, they have a good number of delicious options for you too! 

Watch my video and if you like it give it a thumbs up and leave a message in the comments section. Love you all and thanks again for your support!!

 

Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken

I recently had the opportunity to try out Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken. I ordered their fried chicken sandwich with their savory doughnut as the bun! It also comes with bacon, cheese, and your choice of sauce. I am such a huge fan of buffalo sauce so I went with their Sriracha buffalo sauce....SOOO FREAKING GOOD! I also ordered another sandwich with their cheddar buscuit. Equally as good but I think the doughnut is where its at. 

If you are a fan of the sweet and savory, you could also do what I did except with a sweet doughnut. And do they have doughnuts or what. They had all kinds of interestingly flavored doughnuts...like pumpkin, bacon, and even creme brulee! If you are a doughnut lover, you need to try this place!

Check out my video and let me know your thoughts!