phoenix - chandler: tortas el guerro

tommy tries the tortas at tortas el guerro in phoenix...


bistec torta and carne torta

tommy says: the bistec was ok and could've used more meat and flavor. the carne torta was quite tasty. the creaminess of the mayo and avacado contrasted so nicely with a spritz of tart lime and a kick from the salsa verde; the lettuce added a nice lil crunch. torta = spanish for tasty mexican sandwich!

tortas el guero
611 n arizona ave
chandler, az 85225

(480) 963-2633

beverly hills: cut

tommy dines with some famous faces at cut...


parmesan bread sticks and warm gruyere cheese bread


austrian oxtail bouillon, chive blossoms, chervil, bone marrow dumplings


bone marrow flan, mushroom marmalade, parsley salad


8 oz + 2 oz of rib eye, true japanese 100% wagyu beef from kagoshima prefecture, kyushu, japan


kobe beef short ribs “indian spiced”, curried cauliflower puree, slowly cooked for eight hours


sautéed autumn greens, garlic


soft polenta with parmesan


nougat semifreddo, strawberry sorbet, wild strawberries


valrhona chocolate soufflé, milk chocolate hazelnut glacé


complimentary petit fours

tommy says: an amazing meal from start to finish. though difficult to choose, favorites were the bone marrow flan, wagyu steak, short-ribs, polenta, and the soufflé. the bone marrow flan is hauntingly good, silky smooth, rich, and amazing flavor. the steak was incredibly tender and each bite tasted buttery without feeling too heavy or greasy. the short-ribs had bold flavors and the meat fell apart so easily. polenta was out of this world as well, the texture was perfect. the chocolate soufflé was a true soufflé, not a molten cake like most places serve even though their menu reads soufflé, and was light and rich at the same time, fantastically chocolaty. simply heaven... except for the damage to the wallet.

cut steakhouse
beverly wilshire hotel
9500 wilshire blvd
beverly hills, 90212

(310) 276-8500

http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/restaurants/finedining/cut/beverlyhills/

west la: nizam of india

tommy tries another indian joint, nizam of india, in wla...


vegetable samosas


chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and lamb vindaloo

tommy says: tolerable... samosas, tikka masala, and the saag were edible, but kinda bland. lamb vindaloo had an ok kick to it. the hunt for good indian food in la continues... sigh...

nizam of india
10871 w pico blvd
los angeles, ca 90064
(310) 470-1441

west la: purenaked yogurt

tommy strips down for some purenaked yogurt at the century city mall in wla...


plain yogurt with raspberries, blackberries, and captain crunch

tommy says: pretty good. they only offer one flavor, but the fruit was really fresh. located by the fancy food court.

purenaked yogurt
10250 santa monica blvd
los angeles, ca 90067
(310) 553-8733
http://www.purenakedyogurt.com/

west la: pink taco

tommy tries the trendy pink taco at the century city mall in west la...


burrito mojado with carne asada


carne asada and pork soft taco

tommy says: eh. not really sure what all the fuss is about. food was edible, but not much else. feels like a trendy chili's...

pink taco
10250 santa monica blvd
los angeles, ca 90067
(310) 789-1000

www.pinktaco.com

santa monica: fromin's

tommy noshes at fromin's in santa monica...


turkey gumbo


corned beef dip


pastrami reuben

tommy says: eh. mediocre food at best. service wasn't so hot either - all of the food had to be sent back because the server got the entire order wrong except the soup, which just tasted like a mildly spiced vegetable soup, not really gumbo.

fromin's
1832 wilshire blvd
santa monica, ca 90403
(310) 829-5443

malibu: tra di noi express

tommy grabs some quick italian at tra di noi express in malibu...


spinach and ricotta ravioli in a pink sauce


checca pizza: tomato sauce, mozzarella, chopped marinated tomatoes, garlic, basil, and olive oil

tommy says: the pizza was surprisingly quite good! the crust was nice and thin, the sauce was pretty good, and the marinated tomatoes were tasty. the ravioli was ok, but nothing special, and was a small portion. there is also a tra di noi sit-down restaurant, but for a quick lunch, grabbing some pizza from the express window and eating at the picnic tables isn't bad.

tra di noi express
3835 cross creek road
malibu, ca 90265
(310) 456-0169

van nuys: doctor hogly wogly's tyler texas bbq

tommy gets down with some bbq at dr. hogly wogly's in van nuys...


brisket and pork ribs


brisket and hot links
macaroni salad

tommy says: the brisket and hotlinks are tasty! the ribs are good too, but the brisket is where it's at. the sauce is the key to it all with a hint of sweet and a lil kick of spice. the side of mac salad is unnecessary and not that good.

dr. hogly wogly's tyler texas bbq
8136 sepulveda blvd
van nuys, ca 91402
(818) 782-2480
http://www.hoglywogly.com

west la: santouka ramen

tommy finds nirvana in a bowl at santouka ramen in west la...


salt ramen with pork
miso ramen

tommy says: soooooo good! the salt ramen broth was delicious, flavorful, and not too greasy. miso is also fantastic. better than shin sen gumi and soooo much better than chabuya (no contest). quality food from a food court, who knew?! possibly the best ramen in la-la land - love it!

santouka ramen
mitsuwa marketplace food court
3760 s centinela ave
los angeles, ca 90066
(310) 391-1101

http://www.santouka.co.jp/

santa monica: cafe paradiso

tommy checks out the grub at cafe paradiso in santa monica...


salad with burrata, tomatoes and olives


butternut squash soup


boscaiola: farfalle with mushroom, sausage, and peas in a creamy tomato sauce


vecchio roma: farfalle with chicken, sun dried tomato, artichoke in a creamy tomato sauce


macerated berries (berries in balsamic vinegar) with vanilla ice cream

tommy says: the macerated berries were the best part of the meal, the berries were so sweet and the vinegar enhanced the flavor - so yummy! the soup was quite tasty as well and had a touch of indian spice to it. pastas were so-so, chicken in the vecchio roma was on the dry and bland side.

cafe paradiso
2408 wilshire blvd
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 828-0218

rowland heights: onggojib

tommy feasts at onggojib in rowland heights...


assorted banchan


kalbi


spicy black cod

tommy says: yummmy! the panchan selection and quality was fantastic (spicy raw crab and the squid with spicy sauce were standouts). the bbq was tasty and the black cod was delicious! great option if you're hungry in this neck of the woods.

ong go jib
18891 e colima rd
rowland heights, ca 91748

culver city: yogiyo

tommy becomes a fan of yogiyo in culver city...


plain frozen yogurt with captain crunch, strawberries, and blackberries

tommy says: hits the spot! the right amount of tart and the right amount of creaminess. plain is $0.50 cheaper than flavored yogurt (pink grapefruit, raspberry, mango, blackberry). medium plain was $3.50 plus $1.45 for the 3 toppings (individual toppings are $0.95 if you don't get 3). a worthy competitor in the yogurt wars.

yogiyo
8985 venice blvd
los angeles, ca 90034
(310) 559-3889
http://www.helloyogiyo.com

culver city: meltdown

tommy doesn't quite melt for meltdown in culver city...


market melt: herb goat cheese, fontina, grilled eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, walnut pesto on focaccia


classic 3 cheese: sharp cheddar, muenster, and fontina on sourdough
tomato soup

tommy says: the classic 3 cheese was good and tomato soup was ok, the combination was comforting. the market melt was bland. pickles were a bit too fresh.

meltdown
9739 culver blvd
culver city, ca 90232
(310) 838-6358
http://www.meltdownetc.com

west la: pomodoro trattoria

tommy carbo-loads at pomodoro trattoria in west la...


gnocchi all'arrabbiata: potato pasta in a spicy tomato sauce with garlic and parsley


farfalle caprino: bowtie pasta with sundried tomato, goat cheese and garlic in a white wine cream sauce

tommy says: the farfalle caprino was yummy! the sauce was creamy but not too heavy and the flavors melded together nicely. the arrabbiata sauce wasn't really spicy which was a bit of a downer, but the gnocchi were good and weren't heavy and didn't leave you stuffed after three bites.

pomodoro trattoria
1393 westwood blvd
los angeles, ca 90024
(310) 445-9998
http://www.pomodorowestwood.com

west la: jamaica's cakes

tommy digs jamaica's cakes in west la...


cookies-n-cream: cookies baked into vanilla pound cake, layered with chocolate mousse and whipped cream, frosted in rich chocolate ganache
vanilla bavarian: vanilla pound cake filled with vanilla bavarian cream, frosted with white chocolate buttercream
raspberry champagne: champagne sponge cake filled with raspberry mousse and topped with raspberry puree

tommy says: tasty cakes. the raspberry was the favorite of the three, but all were good. cakes were slightly on the dry side, but were still pretty good. buttercreams were smooth and not too sweet! a nice option to take care of a cake craving.

jamaica's cakes
11511 w. pico blvd
los angeles, ca 90064
(310) 478-1971
http://www.jamaicascakes.com

west la: susiecakes

tommy samples susiecakes in west la...


sour cream cheesecake
classic marble cake: chocolate, chocolate chip cake swirled with vanilla cake filled with chocolate and vanilla buttercreams

tommy says: so-so... the cheesecake is neither light nor dense, but somewhere in between. it was not bad, and the better of the two cakes. the marble cake tasted like it was made from a cake mix.

susiecakes
11708 san vicente blvd
los angeles, ca 90049
(310) 442-2253
http://www.susiecakesla.com

west la: amandine

tommy gets some satisfaction at amandine in west la...


delice au chocolat: chocolate cake with a graham cracker and walnut crust
gateau fraise: sponge cake with strawberries and whipped cream
cheesecake

tommy says: yummm. the gateau fraise was light and tasty. the delice au chocolat was rich, and the cheesecake is quite light and airy, so may not appease those who like dense cheesecake. the gateau chocolat (not photographed, chocolate cake with ganache, raspberries, and chocolate shavings) is also really good. a tasty spot to satisfy your sweet tooth!

amandine
12225 wilshire blvd
los angeles, ca 90025
(310) 979-3211
http://www.amandinecafe.com/

west la: pink orchid

tommy spells disappointment p-i-n-k-o-r-c-h-i-d...


chocolate cake, orange walnut cake, cherry cake, and pistachio cake

tommy says: super cheap, but sickeningly sweet. cakes were all pretty bad. will not be returning.

pink orchid
1927 westwood blvd
los angeles, ca 90025

santa monica: tacos por favor

tommy gets messy at tacos por favor in santa monica...


carne asada, carnitas, and al pastor hard tacos


bistec encebollado

tommy says: pretty good. the hard tacos come with guacamole, sour cream, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheese, and be a bit messy to eat. the soft tacos (not pictured) don't cut it - stick with the crunchy ones here. the bistec encebollado was pretty tasty, and the meat was pretty tender. one of the better choices for mexican on the westside.

tacos por favor
1406 olympic blvd
santa monica, ca 90404
(310) 392-5768