restaurant review: horse thief bbq (or in other words, why is there no good bbq in los angeles?)

(Los Angeles, CA).  Other than Korean barbecue, I find Los Angeles to be seriously lacking in good barbecue - whether it's dry-rub or wet, Kansas or Texan or whatever regional style... and I simply don't understand it.  There is so much culinary talent here, sourcing meat shouldn't be that difficult and normal people here (i.e., not the models/actors or wannabe models/actors that can't gain an ounce) actually like to eat barbecue.  

For years I had been disappointed repeatedly so I don't really even try new bbq places anymore because in my cynical mind, I just didn't want to have another plate of unworthy calories.  Recently (and inexplicably) a wave of optimism came over me so I tried Bludsoe's on La Brea and Horse Thief BBQ in Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles.  (You can read my general overview of the market here.)  A friend had already told me Horse Thief wasn't very good, but I wanted to try it myself instead of always wondering when I walked by whether it was good or not.

Not to discourage optimism, but in this case, it did not prove to be victorious.  Both places were mediocre.    I can't even remember what I ate at Bludsoes, but I can say I won't be returning.  As for Horse Thief, a friend and I tried a sampling of things:

restaurant review: neh in tallinn, estonia

Neh.

During a recent solo trip to beautiful Tallinn, I researched a whole bunch of places to check out while there. Many of the sites on the interwebs spoke highly of Neh, which, one of the servers told me, means "yes" in Muhu Island, the place where its parent restaurant is located. A friend, Mel, also highly recommended it. 

So, after a long day of checking out the Kadriorg district, I decided to dine in the Rotterman district where Neh was located.

travel zen on friday: a favorite place in central park

One of my favorite places in Central Park in New York.  This makes me want to go out this weekend and do a picnic or something!

local restaurant review: marino ristorante

(Los Angeles, CA).  Sometimes I get a little wrapped up with trying the new "it" restaurant or trying the best restaurant to wherever I'm going that I forget to focus on local favorites.  The restaurants that you return to for special occasions or for old favorite dishes year after year, knowing full well that they will not disappoint.  Marino's is one of those restaurants near our house.  It is a family-run restaurant with an illustrious history with old Hollywood, but what keeps people coming back is the consistently good Italian cooking and the warm service.  My husband started coming here years ago with his friends because one of his friend's dad was a regular at the restaurant, and even though his visits have not been as frequent in recent years, the proprietor (Mario Jr. who is carrying on his dad's legacy), always remembers him by name and warmly welcomes him.  It's so rare to have that type of service anymore in a city like Los Angeles.  The space is also very warm and inviting ... where you can dine for hours and not feel rushed or that the restaurant is too loud for intimate conversations.

 

This lovely restaurant is located on Melrose in the West Hollywood/Hollywood area.

Some of our favorite dishes:

• Meatball appetizer (made from the grandmother's recipe) - just simple, hearty meatballs without the need for gimmicky florishes
• Baked clam appetizer with garlicky breadcrumbs
• Lobster spaghetti (or Seafood Pasta) ... actually all the pastas are delicious!
• Chicken Vesuvio- simply prepared chicken but it keeps you coming back

(Apologies that I don't have pictures of all these dishes. The problem with ordering the same things over and over again is that I don't remember to take pictures - a mistake I will remedy in the future.)

Fried calamari - my husband loves this!

Seafood linguine special of the day - bursting with fresh seafood and tomatoes!

Hearty veal chop - perfectly prepared.

The robust wine list often changes as Mario selects the wines carefully each year.  We've gotten amazing recommendations from him throughout the years so we really trust his taste.  Truly a lovely man.

Give this place a shot and you will not be disappointed!  And let me know about your local favorites!

restaurant review: mekk in tallinn, estonia

Mekk.

I was very excited to check out the dining scene in Tallinn. I've heard plenty of good stuff. I heard comparisons to Scandinavian cuisine due to its proximity and history with those countries. That may be true -- I have yet to visit Scandinavia -- but I thought Estonian cuisine definitely had similarities to those of its Baltic states neighbors -- i.e., lots of rye bread and Baltic seafood.

My first taste of Estonian cuisine came in the form of the food served at Mekk, which, I was told, was short for the Estonian language equivalent of Modern Estonian Cuisine. Located in the outskirts of the old town near Freedom Square, it was easy to find and get to. Below are my thoughts.

travel zen on friday: kyoto, japan

Where is this shrine?

restaurant review: ballard inn

(Ballard, CA).  The Ballard Inn & Restaurant is home to some truly wonderful cooking which I first discovered over 7 years ago when I was introduced to their pork belly on cabbage at a food & wine event hosted by Wally's in Westwood, California.  Based on the allure of that one dish, I made sure to check out the restaurant during a wine trip in Los Olivos, and I was not disappointed.  The food was amazing and the service was impeccable.  I recently went out there again to see if anything had changed.

Was I disappointed?

restaurant review: telegrafas in vilnius, lithuania

The facade.

During my recent solo trip to Vilnius, I wanted to try a bit of fine dining. I checked the interwebs and the local publications, and came up with Telegrafas. Below are my thoughts.

travel zen on friday: little alley in santorini

A hidden little alleyway in Santorini - home of one of the most beautiful sunsets ever!

my favorite tasting rooms in (or near) los olivos

There's something so peaceful about looking at rows of rows of grape vines...

(Los Olivos, CA).  I started going on wine tasting trips long before I even developed any taste or preference for wine.  For me, wine tasting started out as a fun getaway with friends.  It was less about the wine and more about the company, the views, and getting a bit tipsy.  And like most novice wine drinkers, I started out enjoying sweet, light wines (e.g., riesling, muscato, champagne, etc.).  How times (and tastes) have changed!  Perhaps it's because I have been exposed to better wines or my taste buds have simply evolved as I've gotten older, but now my preferences are completely different and rather specific.  Of course wine taste is rather subjective, but I'm only noting what I enjoy so you can gauge whether you will enjoy my recommendations.

how to get cheap-ish tickets to watch an opera in milan

For many opera lovers, an evening enjoying a performance at Teatro alla Scala (or La Scala, for short) is a must. But, tickets could get pricey (although some people may qualify for a discount), especially seats in the boxes and orchestra.

For budget conscious travelers, a cheap way to get tickets is to line up at the box office on the day of the performance to score as low as €9 tickets. For the performance I saw, the walk-in tickets, also called "admissions" tickets, cost €11. Admissions seats are in the second row of the galleries. (When I saw a performance, however, people seated in the second row sometimes had to stand to see what was going on onstage.)

If, like me, you don't have a lot of time to line up on the day of the performance without a guarantee of getting a ticket, or do not qualify for the discounts but still want to enjoy a performance on the cheap, there is still a way... plan well ahead of time so you can buy them directly from La Scala. Below is my step-by-step guide:

travel zen on friday: cabo san lucas, mexico

Dramatic sunset colors in Cabo. That's all nature.

backporch in ballard via airbnb (for wine tasting in los olivos)

Steps leading up to the apartment where there is a nice balcony.

(Ballard, CA).  On a recent wine tasting trip in Los Olivos, we decided to get accommodations through airbnb instead of a hotel.  I've used airbnb previously and have had a decent experience but there's always a sense of nervousness that you might end up with something disappointing.  Fortunately, the reviews and pictures on airbnb are usually reliable (at least in my personal experience).  It is also a very easy website to maneuver - just plug in the place you want to visit, the dates, the number of people, whether you want the entire place (i.e., the whole house, condo, apartment, etc.), a private room or a shared room, and you'll get a variety of options with very comprehensive photos, descriptions and reviews.

Since our trip was a bit impromptu, there weren't a lot of options but we were fortunate to come across the Backporch in Ballard.  They only required a one night minimum, the reviews were fantastic and the pictures were lovely.  Since we visited Los Olivos many times, we knew Ballard was very close (about a 5 minute drive) and we were planning to dine at the Ballard Inn anyways (which turned out to be walking distance from the apartment), so the location appeared promising.

So how was the stay?