Food

As cocktail bars continue to open across Los Angeles at an alarming speed, it seems that the majority are centered around Downtown and Hollywood. But, luckily Santa Monica has Brilliantshine. Located on 5th and Wilshire Blvd, just a few blocks away from the 3rd Street Promenade but far enough away to appeal to locals, Brilliantshine took over the old Renee's Courtyard. A converted house with several rooms, Brilliantshine has a casual neighborhood feel. After all, it's in Santa Monica. Brilliant Shine Julian Cox and Josh Goldman are the stars behind Brilliantshine. They have made their mark on a number of places around Los Angeles - Bestia, Acabar, Picca, Sotto, Petty Cash, to name a few. Now Julian and Josh, the Soigne team, bring more craft cocktails to the Westside.
04 December, 2014
For all the travel I do and all the places I have been, I had never been to Austin, Texas. When work took me there for an event, I made sure to arrive early enough the day prior so that I could explore the city - through food and drink, of course. First Stop: Second Bar + Kitchen (200 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701) Second Bar & Kitchen Second Bar + Kitchen is Chef David Bull's casual, urban restaurant that sits next to his upscale restaurant Congress. I entered in the early evening and took a seat at the bar. I was tempted by the great wine list that offers 25 wines by the glass, but it was the artisan cocktails that grabbed my attention, especially the Gin + Jam. Made with Viennese Gin, the jam is made regularly with ingredients from the kitchen. I got the house-made mixed berry and fennel jam. The presentation is so simple - the jam is served on a spoon over the glass of gin. It's up to you if you want to stir it all in. The gin is still the dominant flavor of this drink but the jam added subtle flavor. 
02 December, 2014
A new steak house in Beverly Hills sounds a bit cliché.  I can think of at least five  within walking distance of each other. But, now there is a new one - Ocean Prime, the first California outpost of a restaurant group, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, out of Columbus, Ohio. Located where the El Torito stood for many years, on the corner of Wilshire and Camden, it is a stunning venue and more importantly it is more than a steakhouse. They also emphasize top-quality fish with a raw bar and full seafood menu. Ocean Prime is a 350-seat restaurant broken into two parts separated by a building entrance. On the right side is the lounge with a full bar that leads out to a huge patio overlooking Wilshire Blvd. On the left side, past the hostess stand is another lounge/bar that feeds into a large dining room, as well as a couple more private rooms. If you sit in the dining room, as we did, you will pass the raw bar as you are taken to your seat. So, that is where we started on the menu.
24 November, 2014
If you like flavor and spice, Cardamom is for you. LA's newest Indian Restaurant opened last month and is already getting noticed by the neighborhood. In the location formally home to India's Oven, business partners, and brothers-in-law, Nasir Syed and Badrul Chowdhury, have created a restaurant that represents all of the regions of India. Cardamom Restaurant Nasir actually worked at India's Oven when he first arrived in the US. So it is a perfect circle that he has come back here to open his own spot. But to do so, Nair and his brother-in-law decided to bring their uncle to Los Angeles to help. A successful restaurateur in London who had 32 locations at one point, Chef Manju Choudhury came to LA and spent 2 months creating the menu and training the staff.
17 November, 2014
When you pull up to the corner of Brand Blvd and Dryden Street in Glendale, you see a parking lot. But tucked behind the lot is the large garden patio oasis of Recess Eatery. Recess Eatery Garden Patio And just past the parking lot is the entrance to the charming indoor area that has a small dining room and an open kitchen with a dessert display.
12 November, 2014
It is hard to keep track of how many Italian restaurants there are in the Brentwood area of West Los Angeles. Italian restaurants are like Starbucks....one on every corner and then a few more in between. Many of these restaurants offer delicious modern Italian cuisine. Others offer old school cuisine, serving up Italian-American familiar comfort dishes. Il Piccolo Verde Il Piccolo Verde on Barrington Court, near Sunset, is one of these places. Il Piccolo Verde is a friendly neighborhood restaurant on the former site of Restaurant San Gennaro. Owners Mike Schwartz and Oscar Morel opened Il Piccolo Verde in 2013.
10 November, 2014
Nothing is more quintessential California than a restaurant on the beach overlooking the ocean. For Los Angelenos, we sometimes take for granted the ocean that is in our backyard. We tend to think of the restaurants that line the coast as tourist destinations. Duke's Malibu But tourist or local, an afternoon or evening spent eating at Duke's in Malibu is a great escape. After a beautiful drive up PCH to Malibu, you will find Duke's 9 miles north of Santa Monica. Opened in 1996, Duke's honors the father of modern day surfing and Olympian Duke Kahanamoku. The Hawaiian themed restaurant continues the traditions of the original "Ambassador of Aloha".
08 November, 2014
I asked some friends if they wanted to join me for dinner and cocktails at the Venice Whaler and was met with, "Cocktails? Isn't the Venice Whaler the dive bar at the end of Washington Blvd in Venice Beach? It's a place for beers." Well, yes, that is the location but the 70 year old restaurant/bar has a new owner who has restored the Venice Whaler into an "upscale dive bar" featuring craft cocktails. Venice Whaler
06 November, 2014

This post originally appeared on FoodableTV.com As iPic Theaters continue to open across the country, going to the movies may never be the same again. From...

27 October, 2014
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