Burger Bargain

I feel like I am on a constant search to find the best burger in LA, but there are so many options that so far we are at a probably 10 way tie. Sometimes I crave a Father’s Office burger and sometimes I dream of the shoestring fries that accompany my Rush Street burger. And almost always at 3am on a weekend, I want my In-N-Out burger with animal style fries (I know…it’s fast food…and a chain…but you can’t beat In-N-Out).

One place I have yet to try but have heard great things about is the burger at The Counter. And on Tuesdays (today!), they have a great burger special that almost makes me want to leave the house in this rainstorm and head there tonight.

Every Tuesday starting at 4pm, at the Santa Monica and Marina del Rey locations, The Counter has a $12 special where you can get 4 mini burgers and 4 beer pairings. These are not your regular mini burgers either, you can choose from a beef, turkey, chicken or veggie patty and they have a large variety of cheese, toppings, and sauces (including grilled pineapples, caramelized onion marmalade, roasted garlic aioli…yum!)

So if you are in the mood for some burgers and beer get there tonight, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

The Counter. http://www.thecounterburger.com/

LaDiDaDi We Likes to Party

 This Thursday, February 11^th, the W Hotel LA (Westwood) is hosting a party with Virgin America.

Party starts at 7:00pm and there will be free ‘botanical beverages’ from Pinky Vodka served until 8:00pm. I’m sure there will be a nice long line at the bar to get the free drinks (either that or the server's trays will empty quickly) so practice your skills at ‘ordering drinks for friends’ and double/triple/quadruple fisting-it once you’ve gotten your drink order.  

There will also be some gratis bites of food making their way around the room. 

(Since many times these events happen when I’d normally be eating dinner, and thus starving, I’m a pro at staking out the kitchen exit from which all the servers originate to snatch up snacks first.)

And if you’re feeling lucky – enter their drawing to win airfare and accommodations for two (compliments of Virgin and W).

See you there!

Whiskey Blue @ W Hotel Westwood

930 Hilgard Avenue, Los Angeles

RSVP: rsvpwlaevents@whotels.com

VDAY Dining Options Under $50/ Per Person

I will never understand the type of person who is willing to spend $150+ per person on a dinner that would normally cost them half that. How desperately are you trying to impress your dinner companion? Or if you’re the demander of such dinner – are you a gold digger? Yes, you must be. 

Valentine’s Day is a holiday in which nearly every restaurant in town forces a prix fixe menu down our throats and jacks up the price. While researching the numerous dining options available this weekend for lovas I was shocked to see even mediocre spots are partaking in this thievery. $64/per person at Daily Grill? $35/pp at Wokcano? You have to be kidding me.

Say you’re an unhappy couple who just doesn’t have the balls to call it quits – or maybe you’ve got a blind date – and you want to get nice and toasted at dinner to make it more tolerable. That’ll cost you another $20-$50/pp for wine pairings. What a joke.

But if you’re a shitty chef and you must go out for Vday here’s some options that won’t rape your wallet as badly as, say, Gordon Ramsay @ the London hotel will ($350/pp?!?!!??!?!?)

·      The Gorbals (Downtown): 4-Course Seasonal Menu (Including Wine!!!), $45/pp

·      BLVD 16 @ Hotel Palomar (Westwood), Prix Fixe $45/pp (Also serving regular menu)

·      BLD (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe, $45/pp

·      Barefoot (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe, $40/pp

·      Ciudad (Downtown), 4-Course Prix Fixe, $49/pp (With $5 wine pairings)

·      Akasha (Culver City): Serving Regular Menu + Food & Drink Specials

·      Beacon (Culver City): 4-Course Prix Fixe, $49/pp (Also serving regular a la carte menu)

·      Cube (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe Fondue Dinner + Glass of Prosecco + Take home box of chocolates, $35/pp (SATURDAY ONLY!)

As always - please make sure to call in for reservations! 

Monday Night Specials!

It's Monday, back to the daily grind. Especially hard after a weekend in Vegas. Sigh. At least there are a few specials around town to help you forget that there are still 4 more work days left to go.

If you are in the Hollywood area, head to Geisha House on Mondays - all food is 50% off. I know Katsuya opening in Hollywood has kind of stolen Geisha's thunder, but the food here is still just as good as ever. And at 50% off it will taste even better. The black cod in miso is amazing, as is the miso glazed rock shrimp. I think I just really like miso glaze. Call ahead to make a reservation and remember the discount is only applied to food.


If you find yourself in Beverly Hills, Nic's Martini Lounge has a Monday night special as well. They extend their happy hour today to last all night. The happy hour includes $7 martinis and appetizers, or a $21 3-course meal. The entrees for the meal rotate weekly but some of the menu items featured are western fried chicken (yum!) and shrimp scampi. You can call ahead for details on this week's menu and should call to make reservations.



Geisha House. 6633 Hollywood Boulevard. (323) 460.6300
Nic's Martini Lounge. 453 North Canon Drive. (310) 550.5707

That's just how we roll...

The man and I finally made our way to The Foundry this weekend. Being the last day of DineLA we figured we should get there before we can no longer afford it (will someone please start paying me to eat and write about it?!) Long story short: my tummy couldn’t fit all the food on the DineLA menu so I just ordered from the regular menu. It was a helluva lot more reasonably priced than I expected and the food was really tastey.  The man on the other hand decided to be manly and order the big ‘ol four course special. Here’s the lowdown on our menu options:  

MY MENU CHOICES:

Chopped Salad (hazelnuts, currants, mixed veggies), $9

Decent, but too many beets in this salad for me...

Grilled Cheese Sandwich (with Short Rib), $12

Delicious Delicious Delicious Delicious Delicious. And a great deal!! No wonder this guy is opening a restaurant solely dedicated to the oozey goodness of grill cheese – this was amazing. The bread was super buttery and there was an overdose of cheese (that’s a good thing). If only I could pretend there are no calories in butter and cheese…

Grilled Cheese

THE MAN'S CHOICES (DineLA, $44):

Romaine & Clementine Salad

Good, but I think I liked it better than he did (he likes his salad with meats and cheese and heavy things – not healthy veggies and fruit)

Duck Confit & Squash Risotto

My FAVORITE thing we ate that night. Rich and delicious – the arugula and blue cheese were the perfect compliment to the rich flavors of the risotto.

Beef Tenderloin

Perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. Though, the man complained that the menu said it came with olives and there was only one on the plate. I’m not sure why he cared….

Blood Orange Bar

The man was pretty sure that the blood orange bar was going to be some dessert that only girls would like – for him ‘dessert’ does not involve anything healthy (like fruit). But we both loved it. A pastry like bar (like a lemon bar) topped with blood oranges, goat cheese ice cream, and balsamic vinegar (my favorite condiment of all time) – the combination of all ingredients was heavenly. Really delicious. 

Blood Orange Bar

Best part of the night: 

As we were about to leave Eric Greenspan (the head chef) came up and asked us how our meal was (and as I’m a nerd I got excited talking to this ‘celebrity’). I told him the grilled cheese was 'to die for' (I hate when people say that – it sounds so pretentious, why did I say that?!!). His response:

That’s just how we roll.

Oh Eric Greenspan I love you and your deliciously unhealthy food.

Vegas, Baby, Vegas

Oh how I wish today's Groupon deal had landed in my inbox a few days earlier, you know, before I booked my last minute ridiculously pricey 1 hour flight to Vegas.  But there are 25 more weekends left (yes, I counted), until this Groupon expires, and another Vegas trip is inevitable.

Today's deal is a discounted rate of $49 for a round trip ride on a luxury (this ain't your yellow school bus) bus from Blue Groundways. The tickets are usually $99 so this is a steal, especially considering the other perks included.  The ride features: Sirius radio, free Wifi, movies, meal service AND a free (you know how we love free) drink!

Blue Groundways has trips leaving from LA, the Inland Empire (more affectionately known as the 909), and OC.  There are 2 trips daily, seven days at week at either 9:30am or 5:00pm.  Must call at least a day ahead to make your reservation.

So make sure you sign up for your Groupon account asap and cash in on this deal, available today only! I can assure you that you won't regret it.  Except maybe when you need to catch the bus home but are mysteriously stuck on the roof of Caeser's after taking some rufies...or are they floories.

Vegas here I come!


http://www.groupon.com/
for more info on the bus company:
http://www.blue-ground-ways.com/

Friday Feature: Bottomless Mimosa Guide

TGIF!!!! Even though it's raining, it is Friday, thank god. And it's Super Bowl weekend! If you want to get your boozing started early on Sunday before the big game, what better way than with bottomless mimosas?

This week's spot: Cafe Was in Hollywood.  Owned by Ivan Kane (nightlife veteran), Cafe Was is a sort of French themed Bohemian joint (think Moulin Rouge, "Elephant Love Medley"....I love that movie).

On Saturdays AND Sundays, Cafe Was has bottomless champagne, mimosas, screwdrivers or bloody marys for $15.  And their brunch menu sounds pretty good, featuring the standard brunch fare, some french items and heartier lunch-type options.  They even have crepes (my fave! with nutella!).

Cafe Was also seems like a great spot to check out on any other night of the week, they have a piano in the middle of the room and almost always have live music.  Something different from the usual scene in Hollyweird.  They have bottomless carafes of wine every night for $15 with purchase of an entree and have different weekday specials (grilled cheese special on Mondays....half price wine on Wednesdays).

Seems like a larger venue so reservations may not be necessary but they are always suggested.


Cafe Was.1521 N Vine St. (323) 466.5400.  http://www.cafewas.com/