MorningStar Buffalo Wings

I have never been a huge fan of vegetarian foods that look like meat, but MorningStar farms Buffalo Wings are really good.  A friend of mine who eats meat even said these taste like chicken, so if you are a converted vegetarian, this could be a blast from the past, or if you are a lifer like myself this could be your first chance of what chicken tastes like.  Check these veggie buffalo wings with a little spicy kick!

Check out other really great MorningStar products at http://www.seeveggiesdifferently.com/

Pinkberry….I am Hooked!

I have to admit that when i first tried Pinkberry, I was disgusted by it and couldnt even finish the small serving I ordered.  I was so used to thinking that yogurt should taste like Penguins, not something that tasted so pure and fruit flavored.  I pretty much have been hating on Pinkberry for nearly two years, but this past weekend I wanted to eat some fruit(which is very rare) because it was like a 100 degrees in Los Angeles, and I ended up at Pinkberry and had a medium yogurt with strawberries, pineapple and granola.  For the first time, I thought the whole concept of Pinkberry was amazing, and it tasted very refreshing.  I finally understood what everyone was talking about, and I was going to hop on the bandwagon.  I came home and did some research, here are some facts about Pinkberry:

• Approx. 50 Locations and Growing (California and New York)
• o Store Locator
• Calories without any toppings
• o Small 98 Calories
• o Medium 154 Calories
• o Large 252 Calories
• Competitors include Swirls, Kiwiberri, Red Mango USA
• Pinkberry took in an $27.5M investment from Maveron, the venture fund founded by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz
• Pinkberry founders: Shelly Hwang and Young Lee
• Pinkberry serves:
• o Yogurt (Original, Green Tea, Coffee)
• o Smoothies
• o Shaved Ice (Only CA stores)
• o Toppings: Capn’ Crunch, Kiwi, Rasberries, Yogurt Chips, Almonds, Pineapples, Blackberries, Cookies N Cream, Banana, Carob Chips, Mango, Coconut, Granola, Chocolate Chips, Fruity Pebbles, Blueberries, Coco Pebbles, Strawberry

Please email me your favorite combos so I can post some of the most popular ones.
CHACHING33@GMAIL.COM

Original Yogurt, Strawberries, Pineapple, and Granola

****Information provided by Wikipedia

Chanos

Chano’s Drive Inn
3000 S Figueroa St
Los Angeles, CA 90007
(213) 747-3944‎

I went to college at USC and besides going to football games and getting drunk, I ate a crap load of food.  I probably ate a few hundred vegetarian nacho plates during my four years at USC at the world famous Chanos Drive Inn.  This plate of nachos is god’s gift to me, it is filled with tortilla chips, refried beans, onions, tomatos, green chile, and you can top it off with their RED hot sauce.   Chano’s also has great burritos, but highly recommend getting the nacho plate.  Please note that Chanos is the size of your parents master bathroom, so be prepared to eat outside in their patio or get it to go in their drive thru that is facing the wrong direction (you will understand when you get there).

 

Vegetarian Nacho Plate

 

Gwen and Gavin at Marix

If Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale are eating at Marix TexMex in West Hollywood, it must be good, so go try it!

Comme Ci, Not “Comme Ca”

Comme Ca

8479 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90069-5305
Phone: (323) 782-1104

If you want decent food, but don’t want a place to sit, wait a really long time, and then get pissed off and leave Comme Ca then this the place for you!  Last night a friend of mine had birthday dinner reservations at Comme Ca for 830 PM.  All of the guests had promptly arrived at 830 PM, and they said it will be around 15 min and we should have a table, and we were ok with that.  30 Min later the guy is telling us its going to be another 20 min, so he offers us a bottle of champage and some appetizers at their cheese bar.  At this point it is 930 PM and we start drinking some cheap rosea and whatever left over cheese and appetizers the chef was probably dying to get rid of from the kitchen.  When a friend of mine ask the manager how long it was going to be, he responded with “I dont know why the host even took your reservation”, at this point my friend uttered a popular four letter word that ends with “you” and we walked out of the restaurant.  Luckily, someone in the group had called Ago, and they had a table ready for us in a matter of 5 min and we had a great meal filled with Buffalo Mozzerla, Margherita Pizza, Penne Pomodoro, and some great deserts.

The moral of this story is that don’t go to Comme Ca, it is a waste of time and we should be thankful there are longstanding well run restaurants like Ago!

Dishes recommended at Ago: Penne Pommodoro, Marghertia Pizza

Ago Restaurant   

8478 Melrose Ave
West Hollywood, CA 90069
323-655-6333
www.agorestaurant.com

Joe’s Pizza

Joe’s Pizza
111 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90407
(310) 395-9222

www.joespizza.com

Living in Los Angeles I always struggle to find great pizza, but I have written about Vito’s pizza in West Hollywood which is amazing, now I am going to tell you about a popular New York pizza place that recently opened in Santa Monica.  Joe’s Pizza is located on Broadway and Ocean right near the 3rd street promenade, this is a much different vibe from its orginial Bleeker street location in the West Village of NYC.  But, if you like cheese slices and want to keep it simple and quick, Joe’s Pizza is probably your best spot in Los Angeles.  The ironic thing is that nobody knows about this place, and all I see is random tourist that so happened to be walking by the best cheese slice in Los Angeles.  Keep in mind that these thin slices are light on cheese and sauce and I would recommend two or three if you are a pig!!

Sorry for the crappy picture on the iPhone, plus I was really hungry and was eating while I was taking this picture.

Taco Bell $5 Meal

So now that gas is like $12 a gallon, and people have no money to buy clothes, eat at restaurants, or enjoy life, Taco Bell has brought us a way to stuff our face for $5.  Taco Bell is my all time favorite fast food joint, and for $5 I can get a Chalupa (w/ beans no meat), Crunchy Taco (w/ beans), Bean Burrito, Cinnamon Twists, and a large Drink.  The odd thing is that they are probably going to charge you more to add beans despite the fact you are not using their meat, which made me think that if the meat is worth less than the beans, what kind of meat are they using??? The caloric content of this meal is 1080 calories without the drink, so I would def. fill that large drink with water!!!

http://www.tacobell.com/bigbox/

Little Dom’s

Little Dom’s
2128 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Phone: (323) 661-0055

Little Dom’s is the sister restaurant of Dominicks of West Hollywood located on Hillhurst in the heart of Los Feliz.  I stumbled on to this restaurant one evening when I was starving and looking for a new place to eat.  I would highly recommed making reservations as it seems the secret is out on this popular Los Feliz eatery.  My guest and I ended up eating at the bar, where they serve their full menu and have a great selection of wine and appetizers.  The service at the bar was very good, and the crowd seemed a lot more friendly than the usual Beverly Hills and Hollywood restaurants I eat at.  I would recommend all three dishes I tried and the wide variety of wood oven baked items that are on the menu. 

Watercress, Celery Root, Avocado, and Citrus Salad

Wood Oven Baked Ricotta & Mushrooms w/ crostini

Pizza Margherita

Marix Tex Mex Cafe

Marix Tex Mex Cafe
1108 N. Flores Street 
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(323) 848 -2458
http://www.marixtexmex.com

You would be surprised to hear how many great places there are to eat in West Hollywood, one of my favorites is a Marix, located on a small street just north of Santa Monica Blvd.  The restaurant has a big variety of vegetarian items, the food is always good and the breakfast is the best mexican breakfast in Los Angeles.  The biggest problem is that for dinner this place is always crowded and has a very long wait, so I recommend eating during the day.  Here is my favorite breakfast dish I had this weekend.

Chilaquiles Verdes (Thin Tortilla Chips w/ Tomatillo Sales, Scrambled Eggs, Topped with Jack Cheese, Cilantro, Sour Cream & Cilantro)

Served with very tasty black beans.

La Buca!

La Buca

5210 1/2 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3145
Phone: (323) 462-1900

http://osterialabuca.com/

La Buca used to be one of those restaurants that only true LA foodies knew about it, but the damn restaurant expanded and is so freakin popular and big that you have to make reservations and the staff got a little Hollywood.  The fresh made pasta, pizza and the friendly owner make this one of my favorites for true italian food in Los Angeles.  I would recommend this place to everyone, even jerks from New York!

Killed the Appetizers, Bruschetta di Pomodoro and Burrata Padovana

Close up of Burrata Padovana

Pappardelle Fumé