Cocktails

FIG Restaurant has been serving up California Cuisine inside the Fairmont Miramar Hotel & Bungalows in Santa Monica for years. But some changes have taken place and now there is the NEW FIG Restaurant. Fig at Fairmont The space is still the same and the covered patio is flush with natural light. The decor now has a warmer feel to it with hanging plants adding life to the space. And there is a wood burning oven that has been added that you can see when you first walk into the restaurant. Fig at Fairmont Fig at Fairmont At the helm of the new FIG Restaurant is the personable Chef Yousef Ghalaini. A native of Lebanon, Chef Ghalaini grew up in his grandfather's bakery where he first learned the art of the wood-burning oven. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley and worked in Napa, Florida, Connecticut and New York before coming to FIG Restaurant at The Fairmont Miramar. At FIG Restaurant, Chef Ghalaini works with local farmers and fresh California ingredients to create his Mediterranean inspired menu that integrates the warm spices and legumes of Lebanese cuisine. 
12 September, 2016
Youthful, passionate, energetic, driven, professional, tasty....these are just some of the descriptions that come to mind about Baldoria in Little Tokyo. Baldoria, which is Italian for a "revelry, merrymaking, a good time," is a restaurant that is celebrating the good things in life. It is about small plates and shared plates; it is about good food, good wine and good drink. Baldoria This little neighborhood gem is also about friendship and fun. It is owned and run by David King, Duke Gervais, Matt Bostick and Aaron Justice. Owner David King previously worked as a sommelier at Mozza and was the beverage director and partner at Cube. It was at Cube that he met chef Duke Gervais and Aaron Justice, who oversees the front of house at Baldoria. It was at Mozza where King met Matt Bostick who is the beverage director at Baldoria. David KingDuke Gervais Matt BostickAaron Justice and Andrea Mai-Tran Baldoria has only been open a few months but the level of professionalism makes it seem as if the restaurant has been open for years. It is because these four guys, who are all in their early 30s, have such great respect for each other, as well as respect and passion for what they are doing. They come from fine dining backgrounds which is reflected in the professionalism and seamless service.
12 August, 2016

El Segundo is the small beach community just south of LAX. I accidentally ended up there once when I missed a turn off of Sepulveda on the way to the airport. But recently I made a point of going there to check out Sausal, a restaurant featuring Nuevo Rancho cuisine. In fact, I hopped off a flight to LAX and was there in less than ten minutes.

Sausal

Sausal is named after Rancho Sausal Redondo, the vast farmstead that once encompassed El Segundo and most of the South Bay. It offers a modern take on rancho-inspired cuisine with an emphasis on wood-fired, slow-roasted cooking. This Nuevo Rancho cuisine melds the bold flavors of Mexican cuisine with the essential flavors of citrus, olives and figs that were brought by the Spanish missionaries and with the fresh California vegetables and produce.

At the head of the restaurant is Chef Anne Conness, who has worked for Michael Cimarusti at Water Grill, Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton at Campanile, Mako Tanaka at Wolfgang Puck’s Chinois on Main and Alex Scrimgeour at Saddlepeak Lodge and ALEX.

05 August, 2016
Tell me a restaurant that is a challenge to get into and I am up for it! After all, month after month, I book at reservation at the 25-seat Maude Restaurant in Beverly Hills. I was in San Francisco and lined up in the early afternoon to get into State Bird Provisions. So when a friend in DC mentioned Rose's Luxury to me, I made it a point to eat there on my last visit to DC. Rose's Luxury Rose's Luxury is a neighborhood restaurant. But to get a seat to eat here, it is based on a first-come, first-served basis.There is no pretension to it. It is a cozy, energetic restaurant that has an inviting manner and delivers on the food. They maintain a first-come, first-served policy because their priority it to remain a neighborhood restaurant and make it possible to anyone to dine there without advance planning. Rose's Luxury But, this means that there is a line that forms around 4pm each day with people hoping to get in that night. And, I was one of them. It was towards the end of winter when I was last in DC so it was a bit crisp and cold outside. But, I arrived at 4pm and was the second person in line. I did not think there would be a big line due to the cold but within a few minutes, the line was inching its way down the street. As we all stood out in the cold, everyone was chatting, making the time pass but also setting the tone for the friendly neighborhood spot.
11 July, 2016
It seems like every time I drive down Ventura Boulevard in Studio City/Sherman Oaks, there is a new restaurant. It is hard to keep up but one of these restaurants caught my eye. With the vibrantly colorful exterior, it is hard to miss Cocina Condesa along Ventura Blvd just east of Colfax. Cocina Condesa Inside the restaurant is a large open space with long high wooden tables and tall red leather chairs, a full bar along the back wall and tv screens above the bar showing the local sports game. The walls are exposed brick while the ceiling is red. Mexican folk art is displayed throughout the restaurant, as well as accents of color. The loud, casual dining room opens up to an outdoor patio that runs the length of the restaurant. This restaurant screams high energy. Cocina Condesa Cocina Condesa features a menu prepared by Executive Chef Eddie Garcia of Mexican street food - tamales, tacos, corn on the cob and more. What that also means is that the menu consists of small plates so it is fun to order a lot of different items for a selection of tastes.
25 June, 2016
On May 25, 2016, The Abbey celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Long a mainstay bar in the heart of West Hollywood, The Abbey has received many awards and accolades over the years. They have been awarded:
  • Best Gay Bar in the World – Logo / MTV
  • Most Popular Nightlife Destination in Los Angeles - Zagat
  • Most Popular Bar in California – Foursquare / Buzzfeed
  • Most Popular Bar Drop off in the United States – Lyft
  • Most Popular Nightlife/Bar/Restaurant Destination in Los Angeles - Uber 
  • Best Gay Bar in Los Angeles – LA Weekly, LA Weekly Reader’s Choice, Time Out Los Angeles
  • Best Nightlife in Los Angeles – USA Today
In time for their 25th anniversary, The Abbey completed the biggest menu update in its history. Known for its flavored cocktails, they brought in mixologist Armando Conway (Pour Vous, La Descarga, Harvard and Stone, Hakkasan) to redo the menu. Armando Conway Now there are more than one hundred cocktails on the menu and each one is made with fresh herbs and produce and house-made juices and syrups. The cocktail menu at The Abbey has joined the craft cocktail world. The menu is broken into categories and I did my best to try one from almost each category when I was invited to check out the new menu.
31 May, 2016
A year after opening, Preux & Proper in downtown LA is like a new restaurant. The decor is the same and the slushy machines on the ground floor are still there, but there is a new chef at the helm. Chef Sammy Monsour Sammy Monsour came to Preux & Proper in January 2016 but is also new to Los Angeles. Raised in Raleigh, North Carolina, he went to culinary school at The Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park in New York. He was working in Boston, learning from great chefs, and then took his art on the road, organizing pop-up events such as "Chuck Taylor’s Fried Chicken All Stars", "The Future of Junk Food" and "Antibellum". But now he has found his new home at Preux & Proper. He also brought his chef de cuisine, Steven Hacker, and sous chef, Paul Trevino who worked with him at Antibellum and kept almost all of the original staff of the restaurant. While the restaurant was first opened with a New Orleans theme, Monsour calls his menu "soul food". There is a mix of southern flavors (New Orleans, Texas, the Carolinas, Alabama) that work well together. Monsour is down-to-earth, charming and outgoing. But what shines the most is his passion for what he does. The food is focused on flavor and soul and is very very tasty!
02 May, 2016
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