PIZZA BUONA

I have to admit, Pizza Buona's crust is the best in the Silverlake/Echo Park area WHEN it comes straight out of the oven. The problem is that they add an entire bag of cheese on the pizza, and with all that oil soaking into the firm wood-oven crust, crust quickly collapses.

We ordered a pepperoni pizza - 1/2 green peppers and 1/2 mushrooms. As you can see from the picture, it's hard to tell what toppings we ordered because it's covered with cheese!

After all that cheese and blotching, the pizza was still pretty good. Then why am I not rating it higher?

When the lady came back to refill our ice tea, her pitcher was frozen ice tea!!! I think my eyes popped out and my jaws dropped...so does this mean that their fridge is so cold that the fresh brew tea turned to a giant popsicle or does this mean that they pre-make their tea, freeze it, and when in use, thaw it out....no wonder why the tea tasted weird.

It would have been nice if they played some music too...they have a juke box but is up to the customers to supply the music???

Service was...eh. If you get here early, you might luck out and grab one the few parking spaces. CASH only. They don't sell pizza by the slice.


Address: 2100 W. Sunset Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90026
Phone#: (213) 413-0800
Rating: 3 out of 5

SEASON BISTRO

Came to Season Bistro last Saturday, which looked like the most happening restaurant in McDonough, GA. It's in a great space with an interesting history --at one point it was a mortuary. They have a live band playing on the weekends (don't sit too close--it's loud and then later you have people dancing). They have a good wine list; we had the Mouton Cadet Bordeaux was very good (really dry, smooth red wine).

Our waitress, who was slightly new to fine dining service, was sweet, but our food took forever; we probably waited for 45 minutes. Once I got my filet mignon I was disappointed with my butterfly cut...


Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought you're supposed to slice the thickest part in half to make it thinner, so you cut the cooking time in half. The spears of asparagus were the scrawny ones. I misread the menu and I thought I was getting potato souffle but got sweet potato souffle instead, which was way too sweet. B had the spicy Thai chicken dish with rice ($14).

P had the special -swordfish.

Despite my filet cut wrong, it was good but there's a price tag for that filet the size of my fist --$29! For dessert, we split the bailey shots in edible chocolate shot cups -no surprises there.

I would have given Season Bistro a 3.7 or maybe even a 4 given that this is in McDonough, GA population of 16,000 (est.), but shortly after we received our entrance I saw something moved towards my purse on the floor, and it happened to be a big 1.5" coach roach. Now the doors are kept open, so the fella could have came in from the front, but since we were in the back and he was going to towards the front...

Address: 41 Griffin St McDonough, GA 30253
Phone#: (770) 288-2544
Rating: 2 out of 5

HIROZEN

Hirozen is one of my boss' favorite sushi/Japanese restaurants, and he's a vegetarian. The boss has taken me here a couple times, and I have to say their sushi is pretty good (well, depending what you order..). Since the boss was gone, I decided to treat myself and headed to Hirozen for lunch the other day.

I ordered the never disappointed eel avocado roll (however, had a run-in with the chef. he told me that I ordered eel cucumber instead. puullease, I never order e.c. roll) for $4.80, and of course their yummy spicy tuna hand roll for $3.80 but not quite Noshi Sushi's orgasmic s.t.. I was feeling adventurous and tried their Blue Fin Tuna sushi and their Saba (Japanese Mackerel) sushi (OK, so I didn't go crazy...). I was hugely disappointed with the Blue Fin Tuna, which was my first time, and for $8.50, it was the blandest thing I ever had at a sushi restaurant. Now it could be just me and that's what Blue Fin Tuna taste like...but geez if it's tasteless, how can you charge $8.50 for 2 pieces? The Saba was quite the opposite...oh, you most certainly can taste that it's fish...a bit too much for me. I should have ordered the albacore sushi instead...next time.

P.S. I don't think it's good for groups cuz it's so small --well at least no parties over 6.

Address: 8385 Beverly Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone#: (323) 653-0470
Rating: 4 out of 5

PIZZA PAULS

Pizza Pauls has a great vibe --you feel like you're at one of those old-school Brooklyn pizza joints for a second.

We came here a couple nights ago and for a sec we thought it was closed but were greeted by Paula and his wife. I really wanted to rate Pizza Pauls higher cuz the ma & pa shops are a dying breed, but after eating Di Fara's in Brooklyn I am spoiled...it was a sad sight watching my slice drooped...we had a pepperoni and mushroom pizza...and it was ok. Now the ice tea was a different story...it tasted like Chinese medicine I sh*t you not. If we come here again, I'll try their calzones and no ice teas for me please.

Addres: 4330 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone#: (323) 663-1219
Rating: 3 out of 5

HOKUSAI

Hokusai's sushi quality is slightly better than Sushi & Kushi IMAI and you certainly pay for it and its presentation (great)!

I was hoping that they would have sushi lunch specials like Sushi & Kushi IMAI (2 sushi/sashimi combo items for $10) but nope, it was cooked meat + sushi/sashimi (i think...). They were still offering their summer $69 omakase (4 rounds..I think) and their $99 omakase (5 rounds...I think), but I'm on a budget so I ordered my usual...

*Ice Tea $3 (that's a lot for ice tea, yes?)
*Eel Avocado cut roll $8 (good but the pieces were pretty small...might as well throw a few more bucks for a Caterpillar roll)
*Spicy Tuna hand roll $5 (good but the smallest spicy tuna h.r. I had thus far)
*Albacore sushi $5 (good but Restaurant Komasa's is still better)I didn't see mackeral on their menu...

Since it's a bit pricey, I rather spend my money at Sushi & Kushi IMAI or mark some more unknown Sushi territories

Address: 8400 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone#: (323) 782-9717
Rating: 4 out of 5
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CAPPUCCINO'S

This is where we order coffee when we are too lazy to go to Coffee Bean. I also order breakfast and sometimes lunch from here. Jay and the staff are really nice but sometimes you have to s-p-e-l-l everything to them...

For example, I would ordered a fried egg bacon sandwich, and the word "fried" confused a few staff. Once I got scrambled eggs, a few times the egg was fried but mostly yellow, but luckily I ordered it enough that they finally know how to make a fried egg bacon sandwich. Once I ordered a cold cheese sandwich for my boss and they used shredded cheese --seriously, who uses shredded cheese for a cheese sandwich?! I told them never ever to use shredded cheese when someone is ordering a cheese sandwich. However, you can make the exception if you're ordering a grill cheese sandwich...

Anyways, this is like all the other sandwich/deli places in the Wilshire/Crescent Heights area. They offer sandwiches, salad, breakfast, smoothies, coffee (have an espresso machine), gift cards, and cigarettes.

Address: 6380 Wilshire Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90048
Phone#: (323) 655-6583
Rating: 2.7 out of 5

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BLUE DAHLIA CAFE

Hmm...guess I should have ordered the burger even if I wasn't in the mood for burgers...

Tonight was one of those nights where you're driving forever trying to figure out what to eat. We head to Philippe's for its 100th Birthday around 7pm, but woahhhh that line was a bit too long for us. So we find ourselves in Chinatown which bf made a quick pass on Chinese. I recalled reading reviews on the Tiara Cafe, so we headed there just to find out that it was closed...even thought it's supposed to be open from 5:30pm-10pm on Mondays. And then I remembered the good reviews at Blue Dahlia Cafe. The restaurant was deserted in the front --we were worried that it was closed too, but then I remembered the photos of the back patio and was hoping patrons were in the back...yes, we weren't the only people there.

We ordered the Quattro Panini, Mozzarella, Basil Pesto & Peperonata Panini, and the Prosciutto & fig bruschetta. The paninis came with salad. The Paninis were ok -- no wow factor like Froma's paninis.
I think there was only one waiter there (he was also the bus boy) and the problem with that is s/he needs to be always in the front and act as a Host as well (I wonder if he was also the chef...), consequently making the service slow, lacking attention --like when our water/ice tea should been refilled.

I won't be coming back any time soon unless I am in mood to try their hamburger.

Address: 738 E 3rd StLos Angeles, CA 90013
Phone#:(213) 613-0621
Rating: 2.7 out of 5

Photo credits: Soo L.

SUSHI HIROBA

It's been awhile since I've been at Sushi Hiroba. I'm happy to see that they got rid of the conveyer belt sushi style --I always thought it was a waste to throw all that food out.

*Tornado roll (albacore w/white onions on top of spicy tuna) --ok, I still perfer Noshi Sushi's spicy tuna
*Raw raw roll (salmon, tuna, yellowtail, avocado wrapped w/ cucumber skin) --B's favorite out of the 2 because it's really light
*Tuna Tartar --mayo is in their tartar, so def had a unique taste, slice of cucumbers around the tartar
*Eel avocado roll (yes, no soggy rice!)
*edamame
*Red Bean Ice cream (don't order this --tastes like strawberry ice cream)

Nothing really stood out for me, but their sushi quality is good and there's always plenty of parking in their lot. We spent about $50 --same as Saito's and 100x's better!

Address: 776 Vine St Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone#: (323) 962-7237
Rating: 3.7 out of 5

POTBELLY SANDWICH WORKS

Potbelly is just like Subway but they offer milkshakes.

We were starving after spending 2 hours in the Spy Museum, so we settled on Potbelly. The bread is a little longer --8", and they heat all their sandwiches. We had 2 sandwiches, 1 pop, 1 bag of chips for $11. Yeah, it's easy on the wallet, but don't have high expectations...

Address: 555 12th St NW Washington, DC 20004
Phone#:(202) 347-7100
Rating: 3 out of 5

DONG II JANG RESTAURANT

I really have to try coming here without a big group. The 1st time it was $25/person. The 2nd time it was $40/person. Last night/ the 3rd time it cost $42/person (14 persons in our group). Although the beef is tasty I cannot warrant a place more than 2 star if I spend that kind of money and am still hungry!

Address: 3455 W 8th St Los Angeles, CA 90005
Phone#: (213) 383-5757
Rating: 2 out of 5

Photo credit: Steve C.

YE OLDE TACO HOUSE

After a couple drinks at La Cita's last night, we stopped by at Ye Olde Taco House to grab some grub to soak up the alcohol. I ordered my usual carne asada soft taco, and although it wasn't dry, it was just on the fatty side....B had no complaint with their pollo taco (shredded kind). I would only come here again if I head to La Cita's.

Address: 340 S Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone#: (213) 625-2700
Rating: 3 out of 5

NICKEL DINER

So Nickel Diner doesn't have eggs Benedict, but their scrambled eggs with Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, and parmesan are not bad (def need to add salt).
I really like the their fries that came with B's spicy pulled pork sandwich.
It's more of a shoe-string fry than Pete's --really crunchy too. The spicy pulled pork is pretty tasty too (not too spicy (if i can handle it, you can too), ask the bbq sauce & cole slaw on the side).

p.s. I haven't tried it yet, but they offer bacon donuts!

Address: 524 S Main StLos Angeles, CA 90013

Phone#: (213) 623-8301

Rating: 4 out of 5

FROMA

Froma is our new favorite place to order lunch. Their paninis are yummy!

I've had their:
Tedesco Panini (prosciutto speck, fond o hirtenkase, arugula) B+
Espagnola Panini (jamon serrano, manchego, roasted peppers) A -
Tacchino Panini (smoked turkey, sundried tomatoes, djion mustard, manchego) A-
Palermo Panini (burrata, marinated sun-dried tomato) A+
Burrata Salad (artichoke, roasted peppers, comes with bread) A (no greens)

They also have a great cheese selection. If I had to pick on something I wished they would expand their wine by the glass list.

Oh, I think they can only seat a total of 12 people there, so definitely not good for groups over 4 (bar seating style).

Address: 7960 Melrose AveLos Angeles, CA 90046
Phone#: (323) 653-3700
Rating: 5 out of 5

THE CASTLE

We caught the tail end at the Castle after the James Joyce Irish Pub. Everyone had pretty much left...except the hardcore techno dancers or the drunks (like us). The Castle is probably the closest thing to Cherry's (LA -it's closed a long time ago). It's dark, you have the go-go dancers, techno music, and I really wanted a glow stick --just kidding. The music wasn't the annoying "thump, thump" techno music. And that's all I remember...

Address: 2004 N 16th St Tampa, FL 33605
Phone#: (813) 247-7547
Rating: 3 out of 5

JAMES JOYCE IRISH PUB

B wanted me to check out Ybor City last weekend. Ybor is like Bourbon St. in New Orleans minus the people puking on the street. Since most of the bars/clubs had a cover charge, we settled on JJIP, which had no cover charge, live music, a pool table, and 2 dart boards. Service was good --no long waits for a drink. You can smoke inside. Overall, we had a good time.

Address: 1704 E 7th Ave Tampa, FL 33605
Phone: (813) 247-1896
Rating: 3 out of 5

VILLAGE INN

Village Inn was the first place we ate in Tampa last weekend. V.I. is like an upgrade of IHOP and Denny's. For a second I thought Denny's owned V.I. because you have the Denny's green and the menu looked like theirs as well.

They had eggs Benedict but there is something scary ordering e.b. at a diner...so I opted for the chicken fried steak that came with pancakes, eggs, and potatoes and was pleased.

So if you're craving diner food, come here.

Address: 22601 State Rd 54 Land O' Lakes, FL 34639
Phone#: (813) 909-4906
Rating: 3 out of 5

SAITO SUSHI

Saito's sushi is gad awful--the quality was poor, the cuts were sloppy, and the rice was soggy. I have absolutely no idea why Saito's Sushi is highly praised. They need to renovate the interior as well.

We ordered...

2 spicy tuna rolls (the grossest s.t.r. I've thus far --I stopped at 2 pieces)
1 eel avocado roll (edible)
1 japanese mackerel sushi (not fresh at all!)
1 albacore sushi (not fresh at all)
1 yellow tail roll (B had that)
edamame

Total was $50 (that's just crazy for bad sushi. Noshi Sushi would have been 1/2 the cost)

It was so bad I had to go next door to the Garage and grabbed a slice of pizza to wash the taste away.

Address: 4339 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone#: (323) 663-8890
Rating: 1 out of 5

PURE LUCK RESTAURANT

I think I ordered the wrong things at Pure Luck Restaurant...I started off with the mushroom soup, and was surprised to find coconut in the soup...I don't like coconuts. They should rename it Thai mushroom soup. Very watery too. We also had the rosemary fries, which came with garlic aioli--you can't taste the rosemary if you eat with the sauce.

For my entree I had the beet salad. At first glance, I was confused if they accidentally gave me an onion salad --there was literally 1/2 red onion in the middle of my salad...oh, I found the beets shortly after. B had better luck with his entree. He had a "carnita" soft taco and a tofu soft taco. I wasn't impress with the "carnita," but the tofu soft taco was good.

When I more hungry, I guess I should try the rice noodle, pesto gnocchi or the "pulled pork" bbq sandwich.

Address: 707 N Heliotrope Dr Los Angeles, CA 90029
Phone#: (323) 660-5993
Rating: 3 out of 5