Baby Blues BBQ

After a screening of the frightening (and somewhat hilarious) Paranormal Activity my pals and I wanted to grab a drink and maybe some chow. Three of us, on separate occasions, by different people, had Baby Blues BBQ recommended to us.

This is a place with a great vibe and some pretty delicious BBQ. We all chatted and laughed over a few beers, some sloppy ribs and crumbly delicious cornbread.

I opted for The Deuce, which is a platter consisting of 1/2 a rack of Memphis style ribs, 5 of their BBQ shrimp (which were recommended to our table by some random cook who came out for no reason other than to tell us we should order the shrimp - they were delicious), cornbread and my choice of two from an extensive list of "fixins". It reads like a who's who of barbeque: collard greens, potato salad, baked beans, mac 'n' cheese, okra - fried and sauteed, mashed potatoes, stewed tomatoes, pork 'n' beans, etc. I opted for cole slaw and fried okra. At $22.95 this wasn't such a bad deal.
Top marks went to the honey butter - yes, HONEY BUTTER, that was served alongside the cornbread. It was a true showstopper. I also really appreciated that each table was equipped with its very own roll of paper towels. Not napkins. Paper towels.

Grade: B+

Bottega Louie

If first impressions make the grade then Bottega Louie scores 100%. The downtown LA restaurant, market, bar and patisserie is first and foremost a stunning space with a brilliantly executed concept. Up front you'll find the shop, selling everything from artisan salts and fine wines to brightly colored macarons and stuffed croissants. A long deli counter houses a variety if prepared foods (while visions of picnics dance in my head).

The vast white space (don't you just love tall ceilings??) continues with the bar on one side, dotted with a few little tables, and an open air kitchen on the other.

It's always a great touch to be able to see the inside of the kitchen, both for peace of mind and for great foodie gazing.

A barricade in the path: the hostess stand. The back half of the place houses the dining room. Packed tables of beautiful people, what more could you ask for?

Let's get to the food: the menu is classic. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, poultry and meats cooked in various manner and an impressive list of side dishes, from sauteed spinach, roasted peppers and calamari to fennel & onions, peas & prosciutto and portobello fries. And all of it remarkably affordable.

Maybe you're wondering, like I was, "What exactly is a portobello fry?" Well, imagine, if you will (and I think you will), french fries, but instead of a potato it's strips of giant mushroom.

Yoooooowza!! No words. With a little watercress dip, divine.

Now, the ricotta, mozzarella, garlic and rocket Bianco pizza we shared was salivatingly (saliva tingly?) delicious but my main was perfection:

Look at this table! Does it get better than three perfectly grilled pork chops, a side of apple sauce and a dirty Tanqueray 10 martini? I think not, dear reader.

Top marks: Pork chops

Grade: Service docked some points from that first impression, but what a great spot! A-

Kogi BBQ

Unless you've been living under a rock you've likely heard of Kogi BBQ, LA's twitterific Korean-Mexican fusion truck. If not, allow me to introduce you. The Kogi BBQ fleet, now three trucks strong, travels all over LA, from Torrance to Glendale, on a day-to-day basis, informing the public of their locales via everyone's new fave social network, Twitter (@kogibbq).

On weekends Kogi occupies the kitchen at Venice's Alibi Room. This is where I first enjoyed the delicious fare, but as my BFF Brendan was recently in town and we decided to hit up one of their trucks, the way it's meant to be. We accidentally arrived early , which was a blessing in disguise as it took no time for quite a line to grow behind us.


We kept it real by ordering two beef short rib tacos, two spicy pork tacos and their Kogi special, a spicy pork, Jack cheese quesadilla topped with Kogi's new salsa verde.


Doused with some sriracha, we couldn't help but down this shit asap.

Sure, there can be a wait and sometimes it's annoying to run around town after an arguably overrated taco truck, but Kogi is downright delicious. I love fusion and Kogi makes it right.

Top Marks: Black Jack Quesadilla

Grade: B

Brite Spot

Last night I very luckily happened upon Brite Spot, an amazing all-night eastside diner with an old school feel and an extensive and respectable menu. If you know me you know I love a late night diner run with all the trimmings. I also love fresh, real food. Brite Spot combines these two and proves to be is the cleanest dirty diner food I've encountered.




I devoured my bacon cheddar omelette (deductions for what looked and tasted like processed cheddar on my eggs) but top marks went to the banana cream pie.



Real banana. Real cream. Real crust. I can safely call this the best diner pie I've ever had. It didn't last long.

Brite Spot is a bit over-priced, but the authenticity of the food, the diversity of menu and the eccentricity of the decor truly make up for it. Echo Park location is a plus but parking can be difficult.




Grade: B-

Malibu's Most Wanted

Those of you who have not trekked out north on the PCH to Malibu Seafood should waste no time. Fresh, delicious and well prepared fish and shellfish await you. Top 3 seafood joints of my life, easy - this place is basically an institution. Menu is extensive, with lots of grilled and fried items. Patio seating exclusively with great views of the Pacific. BYOB but don't forget your corkscrew, there's no corkage here and you may get a nasty sneer from that elderly couple drinking the bottle of white when you ask for help. There's a little market, too, which sells just about everything on the menu. Great date spot, great out-of-towner spot, great post-beach binge spot. A little pricey but worth it. Parking is busy so find a spot on the highway. Try the clam strips - they're to die for (so much so they were sold out last night).

Alaskan Halibut (above) and Chilean Sea Bass. Delicious coleslaw.

Fried shrimp. Fish taquitos. Mmmm...

Osteria Mozza

I'd like to think that I have a pretty solid grasp on the good, the bad and the ugly when it comes to restaurants. My recent trip to Osteria Mozza, Mario Batali's LA eatery, fell into a totally new category: the outstanding! This place really brings to light the difference between dining and fine dining. The entire meal was orchestrated beautifully, so much so that the one and only uncoordinated dual-server plate setting stood out like a sore thumb. Our salty and seasoned waitress was impeccable, the somalier was superb, the bussers were attentive and hardly noticable (the way it should be) and the decor, including the famed mozzarella bar, was simple, elegant and inviting.

Ok but enough about the "stuff" let's talk about the food. I am usually hesitant to go out for italian food, mainly because it's usually cheaper, healthier and tastier to just make pasta at home, but Osteria Mozza ain't your grandma's pasta joint. Not since a trip to Ming Tsai's Blue Ginger back in 2001 have I had cuisine if this caliber. The menu was crafted to near perfectlion, making every bite succulent and significant.

My four course meal started with a shared plate: an oozing, creamy burrata served with grilled bread slathered in olive oil.

This is what my share ended up looking like:

This dish was easily up there with the best cheeses I've ever eaten. A+

Next for me came the Coach Farm goat cheese ravioli
MotherFUCKER, was that good! The cheese was supremely silky, and what a difference homemade pasta makes! A

My main course was a no-brainer: pancetta-wrapped quail with sage and honey.
Forgive the subpar photograph as no image could ever do justice to this unparalleled dish. Two quails completely wrapped in salty-sweet meat on a bed of roasted radicchio, bathing in oil, balsamic and honey and sprinkled with perfectly fried sage leaves. The flavors married together wonderfully with a balance of savory and sweet I can't say I've ever enjoyed so much. This is one of those awesome dishes that highlights the quality of the ingredients and the simplicity of the method rather than the cleverness of the chef or the innovation of a technique. I found it to be extremely playful, very quaint and stellar in it's composition. The balsamic bath got to me a little at the end but that's only because I couldn't stop sopping up every last morsel on the plate. And I've come to the conclusion that I could eat fried sage happily for the rest of my life. A

Dessert brought many delights to our table. I can't quite remember what my dish was called, as by this point I was too enchanted by the wine and candlelight to retain anything but sense memories. A petite chocolate cake dusted with powdered sugar and surrounded by candied almonds was placed in front of me. The crowning piece de resistance was the single scoop of homemade bourbon gelato.
The gelato really took the cake (pun always intended). Sweet, creamy, salty, a little sour; an intriguing flavor indeed. The cake itself was good but not great but as the gelato melted into the warm nooks and crannies (ew, sorry) of the cake I got the point of it all. B

A solid dining experience all around, from valet drop-off to valet pick-up. If you've got the dough and your looking to get a couple Michelin stars under your belt this is a sure bet.

Overall: 4.5 stars

Sister's tagliatelle verde with lamb ragu

Brother's tagliatelle with wild boar ragu

Brother's leg of lamb

Father's halibut

My favorite dessert:
Sister's olive oil cakes with olive oil gelato and rosemary brittle.
Sweeter than you'd think. Truly superb.

Osteria Mozza's famous mozzarella bar.