santa monica: urth caffe

tommy helps himself to brunch at urth caffe...


bread pudding with apples and warm milk


salmon scramble

tommy says: bread pudding is nice and warm and tasty! the salmon scramble was ok, but a bit too salty and could've used a smooth goat cheese to add another texture and creamy flavor. it gets pretty crowded on weekends which can make finding seating troublesome at times.

urth caffe
2327 main st
santa monica, ca 90407
(310) 314-7040

www.urthcaffe.com

burbank: porto's bakery

tommy hearts porto's potato balls and sweets...


meat-filled potato balls





pan con lechon (roasted pork sandwich): slow roasted pork, mojo garlic sauce, and grilled onions, on a grilled cuban bread


tres leches
strawberry shortcake

tommy says: yummmm... potato balls! sandwiches were ok. desserts were really good. have had breakfast sandwiches in the past which were yummy. also, bonus: pretty cheap! they've also got another location in glendale.

porto's bakery
3614 w magnolia blvd
burbank, ca 91504
(818) 846-9100

www.portosbakery.com

santa monica: bread & porridge

tommy tries the bread, but no porridge at bread & porridge in santa monica...


complimentary corn bread


mac 'n cheese


beef stew


shepherd's omelet: omelet with spinach, mild goat cheese, mushroom and onion. served with roasted red potatoes


blueberry tart with vanilly ice cream

tommy says: mac 'n cheese was pretty decent. beef stew was no good, super bland; the base basically tasted like thick peppery water. omelet was tolerable, but the ingredients weren't evenly dispersed so all the cheese was clumped in the middle and there was just too much spinach.

bread & porridge
2315 wilshire blvd
santa monica, ca 90403
(310) 453-4941
http://www.breadandporridge.com

venice: agra indian kitchen

tommy finds some decent indian food at agra indian kitchen in venice...


complimentary soup


vegetable samosas


chicken tikka masala
bhendi masala: okra sautéed with onion, tomatoes and herbs


naan
volcano lamb

tommy says: finally found good chicken tikka masala in los angeles!! samos and naan were good too. bhendi masala wasn't so great, and the volcano lamb was crazy spicy (spicier than vindaloo) and couldn't really tell what it tasted like except hot. will be back for samosas, naan and chicken tikka masala... the search for other yummy indian dishes continues...

agra indian kitchen
2553 lincoln blvd
venice, ca 90291
(310) 827-0050
http://www.agraindiankitchen.com/

west la: raku

tommy tests out raku in west la...





pork belly


agedashi tofu


bacon wrapped enoki mushrooms





miso black cod



tommy says: was hoping this was related to the raku in vegas, but it isn't. food was ok, but nothing exciting. bacon-wrapped enoki mushrooms were the good. black cod was ok, but not as good as asakuma.

raku
11678 w olympic blvd
los angeles, ca 90064

(310) 478-3090

west la: le saigon

tommy is pho sho about le saigon...


spring rolls


pho saigon dac biet: rice noodle soup with cooked and rare beef

tommy says: pretty good pho, though the cooked beef was a lil tough. will probably stick to pho with just rare beef in the future. spring rolls weren't bad either.

le saigon
11611 santa monica blvd
los angeles, ca 90025

(310) 312-2929

santa monica: bagel nosh

tommy starts his day at bagel nosh in santa monica...


omelette


smoked salmon

tommy says: for lala land, these are great bagels. they skimped on the smoked salmon, but put slathered on the cream cheese pretty well.

bagel nosh
1629 wilshire boulevard
santa monica, ca 90407
(310) 451-8771

san fernando valley - sherman oaks: cafe bizou

tommy ventures off into the valley to try cafe bizou...


french onion soup


beef strogonoff: fettuccini, sliced ny steak, onions, and mushrooms in a burgundy wine sauce


monkfish on saffron shrimp risotto with fried carrots in a lobster sauce

tommy says: food was bland all around. the monkfish was dry and risotto was not creamy at all.

cafe bizou
14016 ventura blvd
sherman oaks, ca 91423
(818) 788-3536

www.cafebizou.com

santa monica: roll house sushi

tommy goes to roll house sushi in santa monica...


spiderman: softhell crab with avacado, cucmber, tobiko, gobo, and kaiware


caterpillar: unagi (eel) and cucumber topped with avacado














tsunami caliente roll: spicy tuna, kaiware, and avocado topped off with a jalapeno and spicy mayo house sauce

tommy says: the fish was fresh and good quality, but they put some kind of sauce and additional topping on all of them which detracted from the experience. would consider going again, but would be sure to specify to serve the fish plain.

roll house sushi
1509 4th st
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 394-3956

www.rollhousesushi.com/

santa monica: boa steakhouse

tommy steaks out boa in santa monica...


boa chop chop salad: artichokes, salami, chick peas, pepperoncinis, tomatoes, olives toasted pine nuts, and aged provolone cheese


french onion soup


truffled cheese fries


bone-in rib-eye with foie gras butter


bone-in rib-eye with chimichurri sauce

tommy says: the salad was very refreshing, and the soup was pretty good too. cheese fries were tasty and indulgent. most importantly, a satisfying steak. it ain't no cut, but that's not really a fair comparison.

boa steakhouse
101 santa monica boulevard
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 899-4466

www.boasteak.com/balboa

santa monica: broadway deli

tommy tries broadway deli for the first and last time...


french dip


french onion soup


eggs benedict with creamed corn and hash brown


bread pudding

tommy says: bleh. save your cash and calories.

broadway deli
1457 3rd street promenade
santa monica, ca 90401
(310) 451-0616

los angeles - silverlake: cha cha cha

tommy feels the heat at cha cha cha...


jerk pork: shredded pork tenderloin will spicy jamaican jerk sauce


garlic and goat cheese pizza


guava and goat cheese quesadilla


jamaican jerk chicken: chicken breast marinated in a secret jerk spice recipe


ceviche guadalupe: swordfish, salmon, and shrimp marinated in lime juice, ciliantro and spices

tommy says: the jerk sauce is tasty, but spicy - more so with the pork since the sauce coated every shred, the spice was still there with the chicken, but not as intense. the guava and goat cheese in the quesadilla were a nice combination of flavors. as was the garlic and goat cheese pizza. ceviche wasn't that great.

cha cha cha
656 n virgil ave
los angeles, ca 90004
(323) 664-7723

www.theoriginalchachacha.com