Wanting a sandwich, we headed to Ggiata in West Hollywood. Found parking right across the street, but I am sure you might have to drive around to find a spot at certain times. As we were there early-ish, there was no line and all but 1 place was available for seating. There are 2 tables outside and I think there are 2 inside. Went with a special, The California Club, and one sandwich off of the normal menu, The Turk. It took a few minutes for the food to get ready, so we took a table outside to enjoy our drinks while we waited. When our food was ready, we decided to stay and eat there.

The sandwiches were wonderful. The Club was a mess. Dressing everywhere when I was done. And it was so worth it. Sesame roll, full of sesame flavor from the first bite. The pastrami was a nice touch and really complimented the sandwich. The Russian dressing really made it. The avocado was nice to help with the richness of the sandwich. The Turk was large and packed with flavor as well. Great bread and the aioli was a nice touch. Everything is so fresh. The staff is friendly, the shop is clean, the food is wonderful. Need to go back and try all of the menu here. The cookies, muffins and cakes look great.

Spend $60 for one of the worst rib eye’s I’ve had at a sit-down restaurant. I would have been disappointed if it was at a diner for $14.99. Terrible butchery and tough at Mid Rare. Too lean. WTF are they smoking?

$12 plus tax

1. Khao soi from Pa Ord
2. Mango sticky rice from Bhan Kanom Thai
3. Al pastor tacos from Angels Tijuana Tacos
4. Kalbi and assorted tofu stew from BCD tofu
5. Hainan chicken and crispy pork from Heng Heng Chicken Rice

Not pictured: in-n-out, Portos, KBBQ

So many good burgers out there, but this is the best and I’ve tried almost all of them. Sooo good! Have you had it??

Hi everyone! I’m excited to announce that I’ll be starting my 3 month popup residency at the Hollywood Farmers Market beginning this Sunday, July 6th.

Our current menu features a vegetarian Japanese curry arancini, kimchi spam fried rice arancini, and Filipino chicken adobo arancini.

We’ll be updating the menu starting August 1st, so come by and try them while they’re still available. Hope to see you there!

IG: mister.riceball

1. Squash blossoms with ricotta romana, parmigiana reggiano
2. Margherita
3. Spaghetti all’Arrabbiata
4. Rigatoni all’Amatriciana
5. Tiramisu
6. Orange spritzer and non Negroni.

Good and fresh donuts with Danny's face everywhere. And pink, so much pink from walls to boxes! Got the cinnamon roll and a pineapple fritter. Very well done. Not yeasty at all. Fluffy dough and nice, not overly done glaze. All of the donuts look great. Nice folks working there.

Not my favorite style of Italian food but if you’re looking for a Sunday gravy, red saucey American Italian restaurant, this is one of the better ones in LA. The meatballs were definitely the highlight. Cesar salad was forgettable and the penne a la vodka was meh. The fusilli carbonara was good though. Service was ok. Atmosphere was above average. Price was reasonable, especially for the portion sizes. Valet parking only. 6.5/10

I'll be visiting LA for the first time, staying near Vine & Hollywood Blvd. Which of these restaurants would you choose for dinner on a Saturday?

Mirate

Musso & Frank Grill

Osteria La Buca

Sushi Note

Bacari Silverlake

Élephante Santa Monica

Providence

Nobu

This was around 20 bucks, and was worth every penny. Bread is amazing, eggs were almost perfect (undersalted in my opinion). This was half, so good to share.

After so many recommendation and rave reviews here, I’ve been eager to try this place. My expectations were very high, and I was impressed.

In terms of value, the total I paid for the amount of food I ordered, burger, fries, shake, and a soda, was excellent. It all came out to around $22 with tax, which is reasonable. The shakes looked really good and didn’t want to pass it up the first time rather than trying the chicken sandwich.

The burgers were good. They reminded me a lot of Shake Shack, especially due to the bun’s taste and consistency. I think it’s a very good quality smash burger. I do think it could’ve used more grilled onions though.

That being said, in terms of overall taste, I’d rank the burger behind For The Win, Heavy Handed, and Burgers Never Say Die. I think the Burgers Never Say Die burger has a better seasoning and juiciness to it. Now yes, I would agree the cheapest and best value overall goes to Win-Dow, but I’m merely talking about my overall taste preference.

I liked the fries, but they were a solid 7.5/10 for me. I think they could’ve used a bit more salt or seasoning. I rank them above Easy Street but below Heavy Handed’s beef tallow fries and also For the Win.

The S’mores shake tasted great. Nice way to finish off the lunch.

That said lack of refills on soda is annoying. I need something cool to wash down all this hot food. I’m assuming most eaters are getting their food to go. But you get thirsty eating all this and the soda goes quick.

So in terms of overall rankings, here’s how I’d put my overall smash burger and fries combinations:

1. For The Win
2. Burgers Never Say Die
3. Heavy Handed
4. The Win~Dow
5. Easy Street

I didn’t include Hi-Ho since I don’t view them as smash style but they are great too. Overall, I was very pleased with Win-Dow and I appreciate all the reviews and recommendations here. I was not disappointed. Perfect lunch option if you want something quick, not worried about eating healthy and calories, and decently priced for your budget.

I took my parents out to Providence for their first time and as always, Providence provided an incomparable experience between food and service.

Each photo has a caption of what the dish is but I’ll Share more details here.

Service from the start is insane. The attention, the care, the heart and soul of each and every waiter, runner, busser, host - you rarely find that elsewhere. And part of the reason is how well Chef Cimarusti and Providence treat their team. Most of the staff has been around from the start 19 years ago. They stick around because they know they are well respected by both the establishment and customer base. And they don’t patronize customers just for tips. You can feel how genuine each FOH member is and how they just love talking about the dishes and sharing this experience with you.

Dinner is $325 pp. Drinks and some dishes are additional charges.

The amuse bouche is “off-menu” but everyone receives it and let me tell you - this alone is worth the visit. It’s utterly insane how much flavor and technique goes into literally one bite items. Pictured you have a wagyu tartare nori chip; salmon crepe; potato soufflé puff filled with Uni butter; and a sashimi “chip”.

The first photo is the famous Uni egg, the one dish that has been at Providence for the entire 19 years. I’ve loved this on my recent visits. And I loved it even more now. My parents are open to eating a lot but uni has never been something they enjoy. They still tried this and were blown away. They now love uni as much as I do.

Each table is given a fresh baked loaf of red fife sourdough bread with wheat from Tehachapi farms. It’s served with Normandy butter and sea salt. This is probably the best sourdough you’ll ever eat.

Risotto is served with fresh shaved truffles from Spain. You can choose to have the truffles with raviolo, omelette or soft scramble eggs. The truffle is light, aromatic, and paired so well with the light creamy risotto.

I ordered the Agave Last Word - simple, bold, and refreshing. The bees sneeze is sweeter and tasty. The Japanese Penicillin was always my favorite and it’s just amazing how much flavor goes into this drink. This is made tableside and the bartender gives you an amazing history of each liquor and how the drink is made.

The sashimi is simply outstanding. The hibiscus and lemon juice add a tart yet floral component to the already amazing fish.

Kaluga Caviar - do I even need to explain? But that crispy potato is like the best French fry you’re ever going to eat. The crème fraiche alone can, as Guy Fieri says, be lathered onto a flip flop and make you want more of it.

The box crab was a surprise because crab, to me, can very easily be ruined when it gets over complicated. Not that I ever doubted the Providence team but this was such a perfect way to elevate crab to an extraordinary level of flavor and plating.

The black cod. This was literally mind blowing. I don’t think any of us have ever had a flakier, softer fish served that literally peels away without any effort and melts in your mouth. The candied Kara Kara oranges on the side could feed me for life.

Scallops were as fresh as can be. Seared well, soft to the bite, and the pea component was very strong to counter the subtlety of the scallop but still presented in such a unique and delicious format.

Liberty Farms Duck Breast - throw away every other dish from the night. You think you know perfect? Well, you don’t. You have never had any meat this soft, this flavorful, this PERFECT. It’s been around for about 10 years and the kitchen makes about 3-4 variations a year. As soft and tender as the meat is, the skin is still as crispy and crunchy as your favorite chicharron from a local taco stand frying it up in all the lard they can use.

A5 Wagyu - I have a Japan trip coming up. I think I can cancel it because this steak is as comparable to what you’ll find in the motherland. It’s like a slab of meat butter that melts away when you look at it the same way you look at your girlfriend the first time she took the clothes off.

Monkfish - this was a bit firmer/dense to the cut but once you take a bite it turns into a cloud of the ocean. A nice touch was the Parmesan ring for a little sharp saltiness.

Chocolate Mint Tea - if there’s ONE thing I wasn’t too impressed with this time was the tea. On my last visit it didn’t have mint but the regular tea tasted like straight hot chocolate. I was confused and delighted with every sip. For some reason this time it just wasn’t as strong in that flavor. I still enjoyed it for what it was but it just didn’t seem the same as before.

Desserts - you start with a coconut hibiscus raspberry palate cleanser that is light and fresh. Then the house made chocolate truffle with gelato and peanuts topped with a miso caramel. My oh my this was like losing your virginity to a goddess. Followed by saffron rose macarons, petit four, and a strawberry tartlet.

First time at the newly reopened Somni in their brand new location. I’ve been to the old location twice in the SLS hotel next to the Bazaar and can say that the new spot is definitely an upgrade. Private parking lot with complimentary valet is a plus. Once you enter the gate, they have this beautiful courtyard with city-protected trees where you enjoy your first few bites. Then you move to the split chef’s counter for the rest of the meal.

I haven’t posted every single course as there like 25 of them but the majority of them, especially the eye candy ones, are here. Skip the pics of you want to avoid spoilers lol. My favorites of the night were the truffle mushroom tarte (they had a smaller version of this at the previous iteration of Somni) and the sweet shrimp chawanmushi seafood risotto dish. Only thing I didn’t enjoy was the main beef dish; thought the steak was too rare and kinda tough but I’m sure it was intentional with the older cow he was using. Plating and presentation for every course was absolutely beautiful.

Service was impeccable too; they had a lot of nice quality of life things such as free valet, blankets in the courtyard, utensil and utensil resting stones changing every course, synchronized service, etc. Shoutout to the head hospitality person MJ for remembering me from Somni 1.0 (I’m sure they have data for this but it still felt nice to be “recognized”). Chef Aitor and his team are running on full cylinders and I expect for them to get 2 Michelin stars back in the guide next year.

Pandan milk and coconut milk butterfly pea.

We went to the Electric Owl a little while ago, just after Ozzy had passed. They had an Ozzy tribute playing the entire time we were there. But this is about food, service, and ambiance, not Ozzy. There is parking on site, paid parking, but there is parking right at the restaurant. We lucked out and found street parking very close. The décor is really well thought out and maybe even classy. The train coach feeling is real and well done. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable and checks in the right amount of the time. Water glasses kept being refilled, the waiter checked in several times, even to make sure it was not too loud. It was not. It was Ozzy! We got the Dynamite Krab fries. Oh, these are good. Good size cuts on the French fries, not too small so everything falls off, not so large that all you seem to get is potato. Great flavors and texture. And a good amount of food on the plate. We also got the L.A. Smash as well as the Grill Daddy Burger. The Grill Daddy Burger was cooked to a good medium, still juicy, not undercooked, just right. And the bun and toppings were a great match. The bun didn’t fall apart too fast, not too many toppings, but still a handful. And the flavors, so good. It works well. The L.A. Smash was good as well. Good size, great flavor, not overwhelming. The folks there all seemed to be enjoying themselves. We arrived early, but the place was filling up when we were leaving. I need to go back and try some of the other things out here. It is definitely worth a revisit.

I am, fwiw, not hating on Fazoli’s. They are drive thru customizable pasta! Who could hate!!!

My point is that, other than the eye poppingly $18! piece of dessert toast, coursed second? after the salad?? - nothing in our order was sub $30. Fazoli’s, at least in Bloomington, IN in the very early aughts, was sub $6?? For the EXACT same arrabiatta, I wish I was kidding. It was soft like my Michigander nana had cooked it. Al dente WHERE?!

Underwhelming is a consistent theme these days w restaurants, due to (waves sort of generally) but like, this was AGGRESSIVELY mid, food wise. Service was great! Shout out Christy! But the food was sadness embodied.

This was only $9! With unlimited pickles and chili peppers. When it comes to value no other smashburger spot comes close... unless I'm missing something?

After visiting another restaurant in this strip mall, we wanted to come back and try Luv2Eat. We arrived just after 5pm midweek and the place was fairly full, but there was a table for us. A few more folks showed up and the place was full and folks started going onto the waitlist. Service is fast, menus and water dropped off. When we were ready to order, someone was right there. As busy as they get, service is great and friendly. Water was refilled constantly. The place is kind of small, and seats are close, but it is still comfortable and not too loud. We got the Papaya Salad with Shrimp, as well as the Pad Kapi with chicken as well as some rice. It was plenty of food and we brought some home afterwards. The food came out pretty quickly. Very fresh, hot and even with a medium spice level, had a nice kick of spice. Not too hot, but you know you have had something with some spice. The salad was very flavorful and everything that was cooked was cooked just right. Good dressing, freshly cooked shrimps, the salad was a winner. The Pad Kapi was really good as well. Not dry, over cooked chicken. It was juicy and full of flavor. The seasoning was spot on. Good bite of heat but not overpowering. The rice was good as well. Not a lot to say about rice unless it is messed up, this was cooked just right. It gets a bit loud, being such a small shop, but everyone was smiling and having a good time. This is definitely a have to go back and try everything type of place.

Carnitas el artista Chilaquiles Burrito 10/10 1 burrito was enough for 2 people to split lol

Easy street burger 7/10 The burger was okay, but I didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary. There was a line though which surprised me.

Community goods Sliders 10/10 Did not dissapoint at all 🔥 long ass line but I would stand for these again 🤣

Jemma di Mare wagyu beef 9/10 Coming from Chicago they did a great job on this beef and it even came with giardinara. $36 sandwich, but service and quality were actually really good.

Du-pars pancakes 8.5/10 Ordered open face sandwich instead but tried the pancakes and they were not dissapointing.

Matsuhisa 10/10 I liked that it had the same quality and service as nobu but it was less boujee inside and made it feel more casual. Scallops in an orange was my favorite.

Eggtuck 10/10 I also tried their burger sandwich but I would definitely just stick to the egg sandwich.

Larchmont village wine spirits 8.5/10 I got the conquistador and the tuna sandwich and the tuna was definitely the better choice. I’d got back for that tuna sandwich.

In n Out 9/10 Cold cheese is pretty cool I like that it makes it taste more cheesy, but nothing life changing. If anything the chopped chilies are a way better option.

Brothers Cousins tacos 10/10 Everything on the menu slaps, but I especially like their buche from the carnitas.

Le coupe 7/10 Was pretty dissapointed. Service seemed to be on the slower side and the chicken didn’t have much of a kick or Cajun taste to it. Only good thing was the chicken was huge. Would give another try, but I was surprised this place had hype behind it.

Ggiatta Caesar Wrap 9.5/10 Dressing was so good and they definitely didn’t skip on the chicken. Would come back.

Thank you for the great food LA, I’ll be back soon.

1. Chicken katsu curry
2. Chicken udon
3. Musume wings
4. Hearty salad
5. California rolls

Amazing food, exceptional service, lovely ambiance.

Dined here for the second time and both times me and my partner had brilliant food.

Cost: $77.7 including tip.

insanely good wagyu meal at Matú 🤤