los angeles: the sycamore kitchen

tommy lunches at the sycamore kitchen...

grilled short rib sandwich; charred broccolini, chili flake, reggiano 

double b-lta: crispy and braised pork belly, butter lettuce, balsamic, tomatoes, avocado, mayo, country bread; butternut squash soup

salted caramel pecan babka roll; butttercup

flourless lemon custard cake; chewy molasses cookie; chocolate hazelnut fudge cookie

tommy says: fantastic sweets, so-so savory sandwiches.  the grilled short rib sandwich was a bit greasy and a bit bland.  it really could've used some salt and an acidic component.  the double b-lta was fine, but nothing particularly special.  the soup was very tasty.  the best things here are the baked goods! salted caramel pecan babka roll, buttercup, and flourless lemon custard cake were all delicious!  the buttercup is like a sweetened buttery, flakey, croissant. salted caramel roll is the most amazing sticky bun.  cookies were good, just not as good as the other sweets.

the sycamore kitchen
143 s la brea ave
los angeles, ca 90036
(323) 939-0151
http://thesycamorekitchen.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: 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

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

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

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

culver city: cafe surfas

tommy grabs a quick bite at cafe surfas in culver city...


spanish herbed tuna panini: albo tuna with herbs, aged white cheddar, pea shoots dressed with avacado oil on country white bread


tomato soup


orzo salad


mac and cheese with nueske applewood smoked bacon bits

tommy says: so-so... tomato soup was watery and bland, mac and cheese was too heavy and bland, the panini was ok, but skimped on the tuna. orzo salad was good.

cafe surfas
8777 w washington blvd
culver city, ca 90232
(310) 558-1458
http://www.cafesurfas.com

west la: nook bistro

tommy finds a hidden lunch gem at nook bistro in wla...


chicken tortilla soup


three cheese mac with manchego, cheddar and gruyere


catfish burrito with lemon aioli, nappa cabbage slaw, charred green onions and oven-dried tomatoes


char-grilled flat iron steak sandwich with red onion jam, manchego cheese, salsa verde aioli and baby arugula

tommy says: the steak sandwich was fantastic! the meat was cooked to a perfect medium rare and everything just melded together beautifully. the catfish burrito was interesting and pretty light which made it taste more like a sandwich wrap instead of a hearty burrito. the filling in the burrito wasn't dispersed evenly so some bites were really tasty while others were a bit lacking. the mac 'n cheese was eh - not terrible, but not worth ordering again.

nook bistro

11628 santa monica blvd

los angeles, ca 90025

(310) 207-5160

http://www.nookbistro.com

santa monica: monsieur marcel

tommy drops in at monsieur marcel at the promenade in santa monica...


croque monsieur


french onion soup


mac and cheese

tommy says: everything was bland and heavy. fries were the only thing worth eating. the panache (half beer, half lemonade) was quite tasty. come for a quick drink and maybe some fries.

monsieur marcel
1260 third street promenade

santa monica, ca 90407

(310) 587-1166

http://www.mrmarcel.com/

los angeles - downtown: langer's deli

tommy fills up at langer's deli...


#44 - hot pastrami, sauerkraut and nippy cheese grilled on rye
#19 - pastrami, swiss cheese, cole slaw, and russian style dressing

tommy says: yummmm... langer's is known for their pastrami sandwiches with #19 being the most popular, but #44 was equally tasty, if not better. simply delicious!

langer's
704 s alvarado st
los angeles, ca 90057 [map]
(213) 483-8050
http://www.langersdeli.com/

los angeles - west hollywood: basix cafe

tommy goes for soup and sandwhich at basix cafe in weho...


tuscan tomato bread soup with a parmesan cheese crisp


chipotle chicken panini: chicken breast, tomato, red onion, provolone, basil, & chipotle mayo

tommy says: the tomato soup was ok, but nothing special. the panini was a bit on the bland side which was disappointing since you would expect the chipotle mayo to give it a kick. so-so lunch... maybe the breakfast is better?

basix cafe
8333 santa monica blvd

west hollywood, ca 90069 [map]

(323) 848-246
http://www.basixcafe.com/

chicago: sopraffina marketcaffe

tommy grabs lunch at sopraffina marketcaffe...


assisi sandwich: artichokes, roasted red peppers, roasted tomatoes, marinated red onions, smoked mozzarella, lettuce and chipotle mayonnaise on multigrain flatbread
asian chicken slaw
tomato mushroom bisque

tommy says: not bad, not bad at all. the sandwich was quite filling, the soup was quite tasty, but the slaw was poorly dressed. pretty good for a quick lunch. similar to a panera bread...

sopraffina marketcaffe

aon center - retail lobby level
200 e randolph st

chicago, il 60601 [map]

(312) 729-9200

http://www.sopraffina.com

phoenix - scottsdale: orange table

tommy hits up orange table in the valley of the sun...


ruben


cafe


arrogant bastard burger

tommy says: best burger in phoenix! ruben was quite tasty and the cafe was refreshing. can be tricky to find, but its worth the search!

orange table

7373 e scottsdale mall, #6

scottsdale, az 85251

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