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

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

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

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

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

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

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

santa monica: anisette

tommy brunches at anisette in santa monica...


french onion soup


smoked salmon


steak and eggs with hollandaise


crab salad, scrambled eggs over puff pastry with tomato sauce

tommy says: french onion soup was very tasty! steak and eggs were hearty, but just ok. smoked salmon was good, but its not really something you can mess up. crab salad was pretty good too.

anisette

225 santa monica blvd

santa monica, ca 90407

(310) 395-3200

http://www.anisettebrasserie.com/

santa monica: warszawa

tommy drops in for happy hour at warszawa in santa monica


hot dried plums wrapped in lean bacon and garnished with caramelized walnuts


polish grilled sausage with creamy horseradish sauce


potato pancakes


chopped filet mignon (steak tartar) with onions, polish pickles, marinated mushrooms, and egg yolk


chicken pierogie with sorrel sauce


cheese, potato, and onion pierogies

tommy says: appetizers are half off and drinks are $1 off during happy hour, wednesday through friday 6pm-8pm on the patio. plums were a bit too sweet. chicken pierogies, steak tartar, and potato pancakes were a little on the bland side. sausage and cheese pierogies were good.

warszawa

1414 Lincoln Blvd

Santa Monica, CA 90401

(310) 393-8831
http://www.warszawarestaurant.com

santa monica: caprice pastries

tommy satisfies his sweet tooth at caprice pastries...


various pastries

tommy says: the most amazing customer service! jean louis is extremely helpful and friendly, and bakes up some mean pastries! be sure to try some of the cookies, the almond cookies with orange marmalade filling are fantastic!!

caprice fine french pastries
3213 pico blvd
santa monica, ca 90405
(310) 453-1932

santa monica: josie restaurant

tommy indugles his fancy side at josie in santa monica...


gruyere and mushroom quiche


tomato soup with goat cheese-stuffed poached tomato


bacon-wrapped grilled quail: crisp polenta croutons, frisée, pickled onions, golden raisins, pomegranate, and toasted pine nuts


heirloom tomato salad with arugula, burrata cheese, and bacon


buffalo burger: ground buffalo sirloin stuffed with gruyère, caramelized onions and mushrooms, and topped with foie gras
truffle fries


mesquite-grilled prime rib-eye medallion with pop’s peppercorn sauce, garlic mashed potatoes, and a gorgonzola-candied garlic-watercress salad


lemon sabayon cake: summer berries, brûléed lemon sabayon

tommy says: everything was tasty, and the complimentary quiche was a nice touch! the rib eye was cooked perfectly and the mashed potatoes were quite tasty! standouts were the quail and dessert. the burger was tasty but a bit on the rich and heavy side. overall, a decadent meal!

josie restaurant
2424 pico blvd

santa monica, ca 90405

(310) 581-9888

http://www.josierestaurant.com