santa monica: bodega wine bar

tommy celebrates surviving another week by partaking in bodgea's happy hour


bruschetta and olive tapenade with crostini


pepperoni and mushroom pizza

tommy says: happy hour (ends at 7pm) food menu is limited to a couple of pizzas, bruschetta, and hummus. wine is $5/glass, beers are $3! the bruschetta and pizza were ok, but nothing special. the crust on the pizza was very fluffy and bready... so thin crust lovers may want to avoid it. nice and chill ambiance to throw a few back and take the edge off.

bodega wine bar

814 broadway
santa monica, ca 90401

(310) 394-3504
http://www.bodegawinebar.com/

west hollywood: lucques

tommy has easter dinner at lucques on melrose...

bread, almonds, olives, butter, and salt

spring salad: mache, baby carrots, asparagus, and sugar snap peas

grilled lamb sirloin with fennel bread salad, roasted lemons, and mint chutney

sauteed sand dabs with celery root puree, chive blossoms, and sunflower seed brown butter

vanilla pavlova with spring berries, creme fraiche, and crushed pistachios

tommy says: overall, underwhelming... the sand dabs were good, but the lamb was cold... perhaps its unfair to judge based on a prix fixe menu, but there will be some hesitation before trying lucques again...

lucques

8474 melrose ave

west hollywood, ca 90069

(323)655-6277

west los angeles: versailles

tommy goes to the o.g. versailles on venice blvd...


#1: lechon asado - cuban style roast pork marinated in versailles's garlic mojo criollo sauce served with rice, black beans and sweet plantains


#6: versailles famous garlic chicken - the house specialty, roasted half chicken marinated in garclic sauce with sliced onions, served with rice, black beans, and sweet plantains


#20: ropa vieja - traditional cuban dish of shredded flank steak in a tomato and wine sauce

tommy says: there is nothing on the menu that isn't worth ordering. many a meal has been consumed with friends here and all have been phenomenal. pork and chicken dishes are favorites. outstanding food, ginormous portions, and fantastic prices make this a regular pick... will continue to frequent this joint often!!

versailles

10319 Venice Blvd

Los Angeles, CA, 90034

(310) 558-3168
http://www.versaillescuban.com/

santa monica: jack n jills

tommy goes up the hill to brunch with jack n jill in santa monica...


corn bread


chocolate chip pancakes: three hotcakes with semisweet chocolate chips


big spicy breakfast burrito: three eggs, chorizo sausage, roasted potatoes, bacon, cilantro, onions and cheddar cheese


beverly frittata: egg whites, spicy ground turkey, grilled onions, tomato, garlic and mozzarella cheese served pancake style

tommy says: good brunch, but nothing to write home about. a cute and convenient neighborhood joint that delivers with good flavors and generous portions. pancakes were run of the mill (not crazy about the batter), the burrito had a tiny kick to it, and the frittata needed some help from cholula. the burrito and frittata would be worth ordering again, but avoid the cornbread, it was as dry as sawdust...

jack n jills
510 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA, 90401
(310) 656-1501
http://www.eatatjacknjills.com/

los angeles: natalee thai

tommy tries natalee thai...



hot stuff beef: spicy beef with chili, garlic, bell peppers, onion and mint leaves


pad thai: noodles, shrimp, chicken, egg, bean curd, bean sprouts, green onion, chopped peanuts


ruby curry beef: beef, bamboo shoots, green peas, chili, coconut milk in red curry

tommy says: flavors were good, but beef was dry... overall, just average thai food...

natalee thai

10101 Venice Blvd

Los Angeles, CA, 90034

(310) 202-7003
http://www.nataleethai.com/

santa monica: enterprise fish co

tommy partakes in happy hour at enterprise fish company in santa monica...


fresh oysters


alaskan king crab claws


soulmates?

tommy says: cheap happy hour specials... $1 oysters! but whoever was shucking didn't do so great a job.. there were bits of shell in them. the crab claws were ok, but nothing to write home about.

enterprise fish co

174 kinney st

santa monica, ca 90405

(310) 392-8366
http://www.enterprisefishco.com/

los angeles: papa cristos

tommy goes greek at papa cristos for their thursday night family dinner...

loukaniko: greek sausage

taramosalata: greek caviar

pita, olives, feta

dolmades: rice stuffed grape leaves

tzaziki: yogurt cucumber dill sauce

spanakopita: spinach and feta pie

tiropita: cheese pie

lamb

potatoes

chicken

greek coffee

baklava

belly dancer

tommy says: hmmm.. the market area had some fantastic items! at the restaurant... the food was just ok, but it was a fun atmosphere. will be back to just order off the menu to see if the quality is better when the food is not mass produced to feed a herd...

papa cristos

2771 pico blvd

los angeles, ca 90006

(323) 737-2970

http://www.papacristos.com/index1.html

culver city: honey's kettle fried chicken

tommy gets heart healthy at honey's kettle fried chicken in culver city...


fried chicken, fries, biscuit and honey

tommy says: chicken and fries were great, and the biscuit was amazing. the honey works perfectly with both the chicken and biscuit. the skin on the chicken was crisp and didn't taste greasy, and the meat on the inside was moist. the biscuit tasted so buttery, you know it has to be bad for you, but if you were truly concerned with eating right you wouldn't be here in the first place...

honey's kettle fried chicken

9537 Culver Boulevard

Culver City, CA, 90232

(310) 202-5453
http://www.honeyskettle.com/

nyc - the village: tomoe sushi

tommy gets his sushi on at tomoe in the village...


salad with ginger sesame dressing


sea bass


sushi regular dinner

tommy says: fresh fish and healthy portions! a bit pricey, but maybe that's because i'm spoiled and used to excellent sushi for cheap in los angeles...

tomoe sushi

172 Thompson Street

New York, NY, 10012

(212) 777-9346
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tomoe-sushi-new-york

nyc - upper west side: popover cafe

tommy does brunch at popover cafe on the uws...


basket of popovers with strawberry butter


eggs benedict with smoked salmon

tommy says: popover never disappoints. another fantastic brunch! the popover with strawberry butter was great and the lemon hollandaise on the eggs benedict was scrumptious.

popover cafe
551 amsterdam ave
new york, ny 10024

(212) 595-8555
http://www.popovercafe.com/

nyc - meat packing district: highline

tommy goes thai at highline...


chicken and shrimp fritters with preserved garlic sauce
fried calamari with roasted ginger-avacado macadamia dip


braised beef short ribs with yam

tommy says: the appetizers were ok, but nothing special. the short ribs were delicious as was the black noodles with beef (not pictured). the decent food combined with tasty cocktails and a very cool, loungey vibe make highline an affordable yet fun option for this neighborhood.

highline

835 Washington Street

New York, NY, 10014

(212) 243-3339
http://www.nychighline.com/