Soho House - West Hollywood, CA

I was recently given an opportunity to go to the Soho House, a private members-only club, as a guest of a family friend.  Located atop a rooftop on the west end of the Sunset Strip, I was excited upon entering this “other world.”  Upon getting out of the elevator, you are met with an array of movie industry photos on the walls and a giant staircase leading up to the lounge and bar area.  The lounge and bar area is an exquisite space, beautifully decorated and spacious enough to make it feel homey.  Couches and lounge chairs are interspersed with tables for dining and a large bar with excellent cocktails.  The entire room offers a view of outside, through the surrounding glass doors.  This makes for an excellent location to watch the sunset, be it inside or outside.

The food at the Soho House was impressive as well.  Having just gotten off work, I was starving so I ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese and Lamb Meatballs.  The tagliatelle was served al dente, which I typically consider a little underdone.  However, for this dish it worked well.  The bolognese was great as well.  A good amount of meat helped season the entree while leaving some standalone meat at the end.  My only gripe was that the dish could have been a little bigger.  The meatballs came with two slices of bread, which was not enough given how delicious the sauce turned out to be.  The sauce was a fantastic combination of tomato-based sauce with a blend of spices that was a match made in dipping heaven.  The meatballs were also very good and brought out a different sauce flavor than the one achieved by dipping the bread.  As for drinks, though beer is my typical choice, I opted for a Manhattan this time around.  It was very well made with a strong, yet crisp tasting whiskey.

All in all, I would say that Soho House has probably been my favorite place to visit in Los Angeles so far.  The views are exquisite, accompanied by excellent food and drinks.  The ambiance is another highlight, with comfortable couches and workspaces, not cramped together, yet well situated to allow the high profile clientele to mingle.  I saw a number of celebrities in my short time there and enjoyed the atmosphere, as well as the people watching.  Getting to watch the sunset here is just an added bonus.  Needless to say, if you are lucky enough to get an invitation to the Soho House, pounce on it.  This is a spot well worth visiting.

Food: 8.5

Atmosphere: 10

Service: 5

Price: 2

Overall: 10 (The atmosphere really carries weight here)

Lucy's Drive In - Los Angeles, CA

After reading an article on the best breakfast burritos in Los Angeles, it got me in the mood for one.  Fortunately, a number of the places were near my apartment.  My first stop was Frank’s, less than a half mile away, but it must have been closed on Sunday’s for I arrived to a locked door and sight of chairs on the tables.  I then decided to take my breakfast hunger a few miles south to Lucy’s Drive In, located on La Brea near the 10.

I opted for the drive in option, which took about 4 minutes at this cash only joint.  The prices were cheap, with my breakfast burrito checking out at $6.98 for an enormous portion.  Having been hungry all week, this was good to see.  I quickly brought the burrito home and added a bit of hot sauce, having forgotten that while ordering.  The first couple bites in and I immediately realized that this was probably the best breakfast burrito that I had ever consumed.  The egg was delicious and fluffy, unlike many breakfast burritos, which throw a less-than-cared-for egg in.  The meat was plentiful, packed with sausage and adding a little bacon in to enhance the flavor (I had ordered a combo of the two meats).  The cheese was perfectly melted, completing this delicious meal.  By the end of the meal, I was feeling quite full, struggling to finish it off, but refusing to leave any.  This was not a fleeting satisfaction either, as I did not even need a real meal the rest of the day.

Lucy’s is a place that would likely not get recognition by many of the hip LA restaurant crowd, but believe me it should.  A combination of quick, cheap, and delicious food will make me a repeat customer in the future.

Food: 9.5

Price: 8.5

Overall: 9

Ciao Cristina - Burbank, CA

After living in Burbank for a few months, I was never too thrilled with the food selection in town.  Sure, there are a couple decent non-fast food places and Timmy Nolan’s offers some top notch Irish grub, but nothing else really stands out in my book.  This time, when visiting my grandmother with my family we went to Ciao Cristina on my uncle’s recommendation.

A couple blocks walk from my grandmothers house, this made for an easy walk over.  Despite being a small place, the beer list is impressive, boasting about 20 beers on draft.  A classic Italian menu, there were many items that caught my eye.  In the end, I opted for one of my favorites, the Chicken Parmesan.  As a group of six, we went for the calamari as an appetizer.  Bite sized, fried pieces of calamari arrived shortly thereafter with a marinara dipping sauce.  The calamari had a good fried coating and were a bit smaller than typical calamari, but the taste was good.  My chicken parm was well crisped, yet not overdone.  The dish could have used a dash more marinara, but it was better than being overly smothered with it.  The cheese was also well melted over this big slab of chicken.  Accompanying the chicken parm was a small portion of piping hot spaghetti.  My grandmother had a cup of minestrone, not typically my soup preference.  It tasted decent, though I have very little to which  I can compare this particular type of soup.  The gnocchi was also quite impressive, quite fresh and covered with a nice marinara sauce.

In an area that seems a little lacking in terms of great sit down restaurants, Ciao Cristina stands out.  This is a place where I will gladly return when I find myself in the Valley.

Service: 7

Food: 8

Price: 6.5

Overall: 7.5