Nook Bistro

“The Nook” is named for an obvious reason - it’s in the nook of a West Los Angeles strip mall and it’s difficult to find.  You sort of have to know what you’re doing which makes this aspect of this restaurant one of my favorites.  I like exclusivity and I also like something that requires working a little harder than usual to get it.  Once you’re “in the know”, it’s fun to have the knowledge that everyone else wishes they had.

The Nook is only open for dinner these days (they used to do lunch) but man what a good dinner it is.  The guys who own/run it also have Bergamot Cafe over in Santa Monica which has some of the most edible sandwiches and salads anywhere!  

But I digress….sorry.  The Nook is pretty damn amazing and I especially like their calamari, Niman Ranch pork chop, the Nook burger, and the organic half chicken.  My kids had the chicken this past Sunday and there was literally nothing left of it afterwards.  But my all-time favorite from the Nook is dessert.  And not just any dessert.  The Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding.  Amazeballs.

The Nook has a solidly diverse but yet affordable wine list and a substantial list of interesting beer.  They recently added in mixed drinks and I hear soon will have a beer tap.  If you’re looking for the perfect spot to grab a little nosh and try a wine or beer you wouldn’t normally, The Nook is the place for you!

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back Over and Over

Nook Bistro

11628 Santa Monica Blvd #9, Los Angeles 90025

(310)207-5160

Open every day starting at 5:30p

Reservations

Fab

The BBQ Shop - Meat, Tools, Grills & Sauces

Memorial Day is coming and you need to GRILL!  Check out Fab’s recommendations from DeBragga’s grass-fed burgers to tricked out tools and grills from Gibson, Kalorik and Eva Solo.  Start shopping!  

Why am I still in the office and not standing over a grill with tongs in my hand and a glass of wine on the side?

Third Annual Project Zin 

The Hotel Healdsburg is by far my favorite place to sleep in Napa/Sonoma and on August 17th, you can drink some of the most sought after Zinfandels paired with food from Chef Charlie Palmer in their annual Project Zin event.    I’ll have to check my schedule but I may just have to pop up there for this!

All proceeds benefit the Down Syndrome Association North Bay.

Eat+Drink Supper Club - June 8th

Completely unbelievable but we are SOLD OUT in 4 days for Chef Jocelyn Guest’s Pig-Roast Menu.  LOVE!

eatplusdrink:

Hinoki & The Bird

When the biggest issue you can write about a restaurant is that it’s difficult to find, you know this review is going to glow.  I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Hinoki & The Bird which opened in January.  David Myers imaginative food is amazing but you’ve come to expect that, right?  David’s long list of restaurants include Sona, Comme Ca in West Hollywood and Las Vegas, Pizzeria Ortica in Orange County, multiple Sola locations in Tokyo and now of course, the Silk Road-inspired Hinoki & The Bird in Century City.  

I ventured in to Hinoki & The Bird last night with friends only after having to call the restaurant to truly figure out where it was.  That’s because it’s part of a new building in Century City on a road that didn’t exist when the GPS in your car was last programmed.  

But that was the last of my challenges as I arrived early and seated me immediately.  Unheard of in LA, I know.  I ordered a drink, the Gordon’s Cup on my waiter’s recommendation and eased into some serious people watching.  And then I noticed it.  The kitchen.  The only kitchen I’ve ever seen with the best looking kitchen staff EVER.  Now, I’m not talking model thin, crazy high cheek bones good looking.  I’m talking about the kind of attractiveness that just makes you want to invite all those people to your house, visit and drink long into the night.  Well that’s my version of good looking at least.

Our waiter was sweet and kind and knowledgeable.  We went over half the menu before my friends arrived but that was all I needed to put us in his hands for the evening.  We started with the Raw Bar and devoured the Marinated Tuna and lemongrass salad along with the Scallops with grapefruit and lime leaf.  Next was the Crispy Marinated Chicken with lemon aoli, Chili Crab Toast with spicy cucumber and coriander and Salt & Pepper Marinated Fried Calamari with ajwain-tomato jam.

What I’m about to tell you is shocking, I know, but I ordered too much food.  So hold on to your hat.  After the Raw Bar and Fun Bites items, I moved to the bigger course with the BBQ Pork, Apple marinated Shortrib, the Lobster Roll, Coconut-curried Mussels, Hinoki scented Cod and the Caramel braised kurobuta Pork Belly.

Oh yeah and then we had dessert.  Yikes!  

Nick, one of the managers, came over to see how we were doing and he couldn’t have been more delightful.  Even the restroom had a bit of whimsy and something unusual about it.  If you haven’t tried Hinoki & The Bird yet, you must. 

Hinoki & The Bird

10 Century Drive, LA 90067

(310)552-1200

Reservations

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back Over and Over

Hinoki & The Bird

When the biggest issue you can write about a restaurant is that it’s difficult to find, you know this review is going to glow.  I’m sure by now you’ve heard of Hinoki & The Bird which opened in January.  David Myers imaginative food is amazing but you’ve come to expect that, right?  David’s long list of restaurants include Sona, Comme Ca in West Hollywood and Las Vegas, Pizzeria Ortica in Orange County, multiple Sola locations in Tokyo and now of course, the Silk Road-inspired Hinoki & The Bird in Century City.  

I ventured in to Hinoki & The Bird last night with friends only after having to call the restaurant to truly figure out where it was.  That’s because it’s part of a new building in Century City on a road that didn’t exist when the GPS in your car was last programmed.  

But that was the last of my challenges as I arrived early and seated me immediately.  Unheard of in LA, I know.  I ordered a drink, the Gordon’s Cup on my waiter’s recommendation and eased into some serious people watching.  And then I noticed it.  The kitchen.  The only kitchen I’ve ever seen with the best looking kitchen staff EVER.  Now, I’m not talking model thin, crazy high cheek bones good looking.  I’m talking about the kind of attractiveness that just makes you want to invite all those people to your house, visit and drink long into the night.  Well that’s my version of good looking at least.

Our waiter was sweet and kind and knowledgeable.  We went over half the menu before my friends arrived but that was all I needed to put us in his hands for the evening.  We started with the Raw Bar and devoured the Marinated Tuna and lemongrass salad along with the Scallops with grapefruit and lime leaf.  Next was the Crispy Marinated Chicken with lemon aoli, Chili Crab Toast with spicy cucumber and coriander and Salt & Pepper Marinated Fried Calamari with ajwain-tomato jam.

What I’m about to tell you is shocking, I know, but I ordered too much food.  So hold on to your hat.  After the Raw Bar and Fun Bites items, I moved to the bigger course with the BBQ Pork, Apple marinated Shortrib, the Lobster Roll, Coconut-curried Mussels, Hinoki scented Cod and the Caramel braised kurobuta Pork Belly.

Oh yeah and then we had dessert.  Yikes!  

Nick, one of the managers, came over to see how we were doing and he couldn’t have been more delightful.  Even the restroom had a bit of whimsy and something unusual about it.  If you haven’t tried Hinoki & The Bird yet, you must. 

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back Over and Over

Hinoki & The Bird

10 Century Drive, Los Angeles 90067

(310)552-1200

Open: Tue-Sat 5:30p-10:00p, Lunch Tue-Fri 11:30a-2:30p

Reservations

eatplusdrink:

I can’t believe this but we’re actually almost SOLD OUT for this dinner!  How AMAZING is that!  

The Eat+Drink Supper Club

A Curated Experience with Chef Jocelyn Guest

I’ve never been to a whole pig roast and I’m guessing you haven’t either.  Now you have the chance to see it up close and personal and taste some of Napa’s premiere, small-batch wines paired with each course of all the pork you can eat.

Saturday, June 8th
7:00p Cocktails & 8:00p Dinner: $100

Chef Jocelyn Guest is an up and comer in the meat world with a position over at Lindy & Grundy - the all-organic, nose-to-tail butcher on Fairfax.  If you haven’t visited yet, it’s a must see.  Soon Jocelyn will have her own multi-night Supper Club with communal dining.  Now’s your chance to experience her cooking BEFORE she becomes a hot shot!  

I have 24 seats available for this June 8th dinner.  $100 per person includes EVERYTHING (all beverages are complimentary), all you have to do is bring your hungry, thirsty self. 

Menu
Starters
Deviled Eggs with Bacon Fat Mayo and Sriracha
Smoked Ham Hock & Jalapeno Cornbread Hush Puppies
Chicken & Waffle Bites

Main
Whole Roasted Hog
Micro-Greens Salad with Almonds, Apple, Dill
and Green Goddess Dressing
Blistered Asparagus
Biscuits

Dessert
Banana Cream Pudding Cake with Seasonal Fruit
  

Wine Pairings

Exclusively from Olabisi and Winemaker Ted Osborne

2010 Chardonnay Carneros - Ceja Vineyard

2010 Chardonnay Napa - Chappell Vineyard

2008 Chardonnay Mendocino - Double Top Secret

2007/2008 Petite Syrah - King Vineyard

2007/2008 Syrah - King Vineyard

I can’t believe this but we’re actually almost SOLD OUT for this dinner!  How AMAZING is that!  

The Eat+Drink Supper Club

A Curated Experience with Chef Jocelyn Guest

I’ve never been to a whole pig roast and I’m guessing you haven’t either.  Now you have the chance to see it up close and personal and taste some of Napa’s premiere, small-batch wines paired with each course of all the pork you can eat.

Saturday, June 8th
7:00p Cocktails & 8:00p Dinner: $100

Chef Jocelyn Guest is an up and comer in the meat world with a position over at Lindy & Grundy - the all-organic, nose-to-tail butcher on Fairfax.  If you haven’t visited yet, it’s a must see.  Soon Jocelyn will have her own multi-night Supper Club with communal dining.  Now’s your chance to experience her cooking BEFORE she becomes a hot shot!  

I have 24 seats available for this June 8th dinner.  $100 per person includes EVERYTHING (all beverages are complimentary), all you have to do is bring your hungry, thirsty self. 

Menu
Starters
Deviled Eggs with Bacon Fat Mayo and Sriracha
Smoked Ham Hock & Jalapeno Cornbread Hush Puppies
Chicken & Waffle Bites

Main
Whole Roasted Hog
Micro-Greens Salad with Almonds, Apple, Dill
and Green Goddess Dressing
Blistered Asparagus
Biscuits

Dessert
Banana Cream Pudding Cake with Seasonal Fruit
  

Wine Pairings

Exclusively from Olabisi and Winemaker Ted Osborne

2010 Chardonnay Carneros - Ceja Vineyard

2010 Chardonnay Napa - Chappell Vineyard

2008 Chardonnay Mendocino - Double Top Secret

2007/2008 Petite Syrah - King Vineyard

2007/2008 Syrah - King Vineyard

eatplusdrink:

Salt’s Cure

This is what happens when friends go to dinner and blog - dueling reviews!

Heather: This review is incredibly old because Craig and I are crazy busy and had a bit of mis-communication.  But we’re here now so here we go.  Craig’s going to do a lot of complaining about Salt’s Cure which tells you he has exacting standards.  He also doesn’t play well with others but then again, I don’t either.  That said, I liked Salt’s Cure - a lot - and would go back if it wasn’t so far away from where I live.  You see, I used to live right up the hill from it’s locale but now I have kids and live on the westside of LA.  If Salt’s Cure were in West LA, I would certainly be there more often.  But it’s not, so I’m not.  :(

The menu is incredibly limited and changes almost daily.  That chalkboard above is pretty much it which is amazing if you think about how much they save in printing menus every day.  The meat is a little salty but don’t you expect that from a place that cures/brines everything and is called SALT’S CURE?  Exactly.

Go, eat the food but the past part are the owners - those two guys in the picture above.  How can you not love them?  They take their meat VERY seriously and I can appreciate that.  Just like I appreciate Craig for his high expectations and demanding nature. 

Craig: I had heard about Salt’s Cure for some time.  Heard about it opening, heard about lots of people going there, heard about, heard about.  But I actually, come to realize, knew very little about the place.  I certainly didn’t know that their fancy chalkboard contained the only items on the menu and not just the specials.  (Wait, you have, like 9 total dishes?)  I didn’t know the guys behind the bar owned the place.  And I certainly didn’t know that all those appealing dishes other people were ordering that were not on the chalkboard were actually on a printed wine menu.  I mean, guys, get it together!  You can’t tell me the whole menu is on the chalkboard and then hide the cheese plate on the wine menu.  You hide a cheese plate from me, and I will come after you.

Aside from my cheese rant, the place was enjoyable enough.  The food was good, and the wine was good.  After a long and stressful week, it was a nice, relaxing evening even amidst the rare Los Angeles rain.  But what made it really great, not to be too pandering, was the company at hand.  In the end, it doesn’t matter if you go to a McDonald’s, it’s the glittering nature of conversation and friendship that makes even what was really just an “OK” meal a great time.  So go ahead and try Salt’s Cure once or twice.  It’s not a repeat kind of place.  Unless you repeat with a good friend.  In which case, you should try someplace that matches the company.

Craig’s Rating: Worth going back…maybe.

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back

Salt’s Cure

7494 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood (323)850-7258

Reservations

eatplusdrink:

Picca

I’m going to take the surprise out of this review and let you know that my vote for Picca has always been “Go again and again”.  

And I have.  

Liberally.  

And usually with a taxi, given the deliciousness and wide range of cocktails made only with Peruvian liquors.  (You’d be surprised how strong pisco is.)  

The delight in Picca is when you go “again and again” and take someone who is tasting this delightful hotspot’s food for the first time.  Like a pro, I know to order the Black Cod Anticucho (even though I have no idea what anticucho means), and the Chicharron de Pollo (fried chicken nuggets!), and then I look all smart when my good friend looks across the table with a smile.  Little does she know that I only know what to order because this restaurant’s staff are just as helpful and friendly as any in town.  Conversation makes a meal, and the conversation certainly was the best part of Tuesday night’s dinner, but it certainly helped that Picca’s small plates are universally delicious the perfect complement to a fantastic dinner with a good friend.  

Craig’s Rating: Go Again and Again and Again

Picca

9575 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles (310)277-0133

Open Every Day: 6p-11p

Reservations

Salt’s Cure

This is what happens when friends go to dinner and blog - dueling reviews!

Heather: This review is incredibly old because Craig and I are crazy busy and had a bit of mis-communication.  But we’re here now so here we go.  Craig’s going to do a lot of complaining about Salt’s Cure which tells you he has exacting standards.  He also doesn’t play well with others but then again, I don’t either.  That said, I liked Salt’s Cure - a lot - and would go back if it wasn’t so far away from where I live.  You see, I used to live right up the hill from it’s locale but now I have kids and live on the westside of LA.  If Salt’s Cure were in West LA, I would certainly be there more often.  But it’s not, so I’m not.  :(

The menu is incredibly limited and changes almost daily.  That chalkboard above is pretty much it which is amazing if you think about how much they save in printing menus every day.  The meat is a little salty but don’t you expect that from a place that cures/brines everything and is called SALT’S CURE?  Exactly.

Go, eat the food but the past part are the owners - those two guys in the picture above.  How can you not love them?  They take their meat VERY seriously and I can appreciate that.  Just like I appreciate Craig for his high expectations and demanding nature. 

Craig: I had heard about Salt’s Cure for some time.  Heard about it opening, heard about lots of people going there, heard about, heard about.  But I actually, come to realize, knew very little about the place.  I certainly didn’t know that their fancy chalkboard contained the only items on the menu and not just the specials.  (Wait, you have, like 9 total dishes?)  I didn’t know the guys behind the bar owned the place.  And I certainly didn’t know that all those appealing dishes other people were ordering that were not on the chalkboard were actually on a printed wine menu.  I mean, guys, get it together!  You can’t tell me the whole menu is on the chalkboard and then hide the cheese plate on the wine menu.  You hide a cheese plate from me, and I will come after you.

Aside from my cheese rant, the place was enjoyable enough.  The food was good, and the wine was good.  After a long and stressful week, it was a nice, relaxing evening even amidst the rare Los Angeles rain.  But what made it really great, not to be too pandering, was the company at hand.  In the end, it doesn’t matter if you go to a McDonald’s, it’s the glittering nature of conversation and friendship that makes even what was really just an “OK” meal a great time.  So go ahead and try Salt’s Cure once or twice.  It’s not a repeat kind of place.  Unless you repeat with a good friend.  In which case, you should try someplace that matches the company.

Craig’s Rating: Worth going back…maybe.

Heather’s Rating: Worth Going Back

Salt’s Cure

7494 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood 90046

(323)850-7258

Open: Closed Tuesdays, Dinner 5:30p-10:00pm, Sat & Sun Brunch AND Weekday Lunch 11:00a-3:00p

Reservations

Picca

I’m going to take the surprise out of this review and let you know that my vote for Picca has always been “Go again and again”.  

And I have.  

Liberally.  

And usually with a taxi, given the deliciousness and wide range of cocktails made only with Peruvian liquors.  (You’d be surprised how strong pisco is.)  

The delight in Picca is when you go “again and again” and take someone who is tasting this delightful hotspot’s food for the first time.  Like a pro, I know to order the Black Cod Anticucho (even though I have no idea what anticucho means), and the Chicharron de Pollo (fried chicken nuggets!), and then I look all smart when my good friend looks across the table with a smile.  Little does she know that I only know what to order because this restaurant’s staff are just as helpful and friendly as any in town.  Conversation makes a meal, and the conversation certainly was the best part of Tuesday night’s dinner, but it certainly helped that Picca’s small plates are universally delicious the perfect complement to a fantastic dinner with a good friend.  

Craig’s Rating: Go Again and Again and Again

Picca

9575 W. Pico Blvd, Los Angeles (310)277-0133

Open Every Day: 6p-11p

Reservations

eatplusdrink:

Connie & Ted’s

Eater National claims this is the next hot, super anticipated restaurant in LA.  Who’s going to try it out first and let us know what they think?  :)  Click-thru for their top picks across the country.

Connie & Ted’s

Chef: Michael Cimarusti
Projected Opening: May

Chef Michael Cimarusti is on the verge of opening his new seafood-centric concept Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood this month in a building that Eater LA describes as the “seafood shack of the future.” Despite the untraditional digs, the Providence chef intends to focus on the classics such as lobster rolls, fried fish sandwiches, clam steamers and more. Also: burgers and steaks.