Girasol, meaning "sunflower" in Spanish, opened in Studio City one year ago. Chef/owner CJ Jacobson has blended his influences, which include Axe, Wolfgang Puck Catering, Campanile and The Yard, as well as time on Top Chef, and most impressively, his time at Noma in Copenhagen, the world’s best restaurant. I enjoyed the food the first time I went and 6 months later, felt the same. The food is fresh and seasonal, with ingredients foraged and sourced from local farmers. And the presentation of the food is so bright, cheerful and inviting.
  What started as planning a trip to the Red Sea to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah of a good friend’s daughter has turned into a 2 week vacation to explore Israel and Turkey. While the trip is not for another few months, we are beginning to plan what we want to do and where we want to go. While some people may start by planning where they are staying, I am starting with where I want to eat. After all, I don’t want to waste any time on a meal that isn’t delicious.
On more than one occasion, when I have traveled to Chicago for work, I have stayed at the Kimpton Palomar Hotel. On numerous occasions, I have had drinks at the bar at Sable where Mike Ryan has crafted a serious cocktail program. But, in all the visits, I have never made it past the bar into the restaurant....until my most recent trip to Chicago. Sable Kitchen & Bar After a long event during the day, my colleagues and I wandered over to Sable Kitchen & Bar for dinner. We were ready to explore the seasonally inspired menu of social plates meant for sharing. I couldn't have asked for better dining partners - four hungry women with no dietary restrictions and open to everything. We started to review the menu and were on the same page in our choices. We tried to cover every section on the menu and managed to order at least one item from each section (except the "between bread" section). It was hard to choose but in the end, we were very satisfied with our dishes.
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