P.J. CLARKE'S, LAS VEGAS

     In Vegas, I stumbled across P.J. Clarke's in the Ceasers Palace Hotel. Hungover and craving good substance and a burger, I decided to stop there. I've actually read about P.J. Clarke's online. It's a classic bar/restaurant established in 1884, and has original locations in New York City and along the Hudson River, but has also opened in Washington DC, Vegas and Brazil. This place is an old-time classic restaurant known for good pub food and especially famous for it's burger, so I tried it.

"THE CADILLAC"

Smoked Country Bacon & American Cheese

     I really enjoyed the burger. I don't know if I was just desperately hungry and anything could have tasted good in my state lol, but it was pretty good to me. Definitely not anywhere near the best, but it was solid- I had no complaints. I ordered the "Cadillac Burger" for $13.75, which is their special and most popular burger. It comes with American cheese and bacon. It's a simple burger, nothing special on it besides bacon, but the meat was cooked perfectly. The negatives: the bun was just okay. It was kind of dry and nothing special. Also, our server said the burger was big, but I thought it was quite small. There was more bun then meat, which I hate. Also the price- $13.75 is kind of ridiculous for a burger that doesn't even come with fries. Even Father's Office, Umami, & Flemings are all cheaper and way BETTER. They should lower the price, especially if the meat isn't a Kobe or Prime beef. BUT because the meat was cooked perfectly, and there was a lot of bacon, it was juicy and had great flavor. This burger definitely isn't in my top 5, but it's worth a try if you stumble across P.J. Clarkes. It's a classic.

THE MEAT COOKED PERFECTLY MEDIUM-RARE

CADILLAC BURGER, WITH SIDE OF FRIES

The fries were okay too. They reminded me of In N' Out fries a little. They tasted fresh. They were good enough for me!

For the original location in New York City and other locations/menu, check out their website!

P.J. CLARKES

Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace

3500 Las Vegas Blvd

Las Vegas, NV 89109

www.pjclarkes.com

*ME THE NIGHT BEFORE IN VEGAS*

QUALITY, LOS ANGELES

     Quality is on 3rd Street in Los Angeles. Located right down the street from TOAST on 3rd, and a lot of other LA brunch "hotspots", Quality is more low-key and a guarantee quick wait, if any. The food is comparable to places such as Toast (which I've blogged about), but it's less of a scene, and a much less of a wait for a table. It's a hole in the wall, but I enjoyed the food. If you want to skip the hassle going to a packed brunch/breakfast on the weekends with a wait in LA, Quality is a good option.

AVOCADO BENEDICT- ADDED BACON

Buttermilk biscuits topped with avocado, poached eggs with hollandaise sauce

Shared this with one of my girlfriends and it was delicious. I loved how it wasn't on an english muffin, but a fresh baked biscuit. It added a buttery flavor which I loved, and a more flakey/crispy texture, and obviously adding bacon makes everything better :) They're known for their biscuits, so I recommend getting a dish there that serves one.

CHALLAH FRENCH TOAST

I like to order something sweet and salty for breakfast and share with someone so I get best of both worlds. I shared this french toast with the benedict, and it was the perfect sweet and savory breakfast. Can't go wrong with challah french toast!

ATHLETE'S BREAKFAST

Chicken breast, side of egg white, side of sauteed spinach with blueberry biscuit

My health nut of a friend ordered this. Something I would never order, don't really do THIS healthy lol, but he said it was good!

QUALITY FOOD & BEVERAGE

8030 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 658-5959

www.qualityfoodandbeverage.com/

FIG & OLIVE, LOS ANGELES

     Fig & Olive was my DineLA pick for this season! I get so excited when DineLA comes- it's a great excuse to dine out at a restaurant you've always wanted to go to, for a more reasonable deal and price. (If you don't know what DineLA is, look at my previous post for info). I've been wanting to go to Fig & Olive, especially because President Barack Obama dined there when he was in LA, so if it was worthy for him, I thought it was worth going to lol. Their DineLA fixed dinner menu costs $44. We had a 8:45pm reservation on a Thursday night, and the place was jam packed. The atmosphere is amazing there. It's trendy & chic and had a great vibe. The food was good too. Not exceptional by any means, but good.

MY DINING VIEW FROM OUR TABLE UPSTAIRS

APPETIZERS 

BREAD W/ THREE FLAVORS OF HOUSE-MADE OLIVE OIL

 

 

THREE CROSTINI COMBO

MANCHEGO, FIG, MARCONA ALMOND

MUSHROOM, TRUFFLE ARTICHOKE, PARMESAN

SHRIMP, AVOCADO, CILANTRO, TOMATO

This was my favorite part of the whole meal. I loved these crostini! Next time I go to Fig & Olive I can make a meal out of the different crostini they offer with a nice glass of white wine. I loved all three we ordered. The flavors were amazing and fresh tasting. Each one is so unique and delicious. Highly recommend ordering a couple different kinds of crostini, they have a bunch of combinations to choose from.

NORTHERN ITALIAN MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE SOUP

Cremini mushroom, garlic, onion, thyme-White truffle olive oil

Great soup. Love mushroom and obsessed with truffle. Of course I am going to order this soup! Duhhhh

 

BEEF CARPACCIO

Filet mignon, 18yr old Balsamic vinegar, baby arugula, tomato, parmesan, truffle olive oil

This was another great dish. The thinly-sliced beef literally melts in your mouth. Great flavors with the truffle oil and parmesan too. The tomato and arugula added the perfect texture.

ENTREES

STRIPED BASS PAPILLOTE
Steamed striped bass filet in papillote with zucchini, eggplant, fennel, tomato, thyme, scallion, saffron served with olive oil mashed potato & chives - Arbequina Olive Oil
Although it was not offered on the DineLA menu, I heard the bass at Fig & Olive was amazing so I came to the restaurant already planning to order it, and our server recommended it so it sealed the deal. It came to the table in a steaming "puff" paper bag on a plate. Our server cut the bag open and folded over the sides. It was quite the production actually, the presenation was very unique. They cook the bass in the paper bag so the flavors of the vegetables and sauces really marinate the fish. The flavors were great, loved the marinated vegetables with the fish too, but the fish itself wasn't extraordinary for me. I was expecting the texture of sea bass which is silky, melt- in-your-mouth tender, and easily flakey when you touch it with a fork. This striped bass was not as tender and it wasn't that melt-in-your-mouth texture I was hoping for. Although the flavors were there, as well as the unique presentation, I felt something was missing. I've had better fish before.  

ROSEMARY LAMB CHOPS

Grilled lamb chops smoked a la minute with a bouquet of Herbs de Provence goat cheese & chive gnocchi, roasted honey eggplant - Rosemary Garlic Olive Oil

This was another dish recommended by our server and added an extra cost to the DineLA menu, but our server insisted it was unique and one of Fig & Olive's specialties. I'm not a crazy lamb person, so I'm biased. But I tasted it and it was perfectly cooked, but it had almost a burnt charred flavor I didn't like. I love my meat charred, but the outside tasted burnt, even though the inside was cooked perfectly medium rare. If you like lamb you might love this dish but I wouldn't recommend it, it just wasn't something special for me 

DESSERT

CHOCOLATE POT DE CRÈME

Crunchy Praline Financiers & Vanilla Cream

Overall I would definitely return to Fig & Olive. I would order different things to try though. The restaurant is beautiful and it's great for so many occasions- it has such a sexy and chic atmosphere. The bar makes good drinks too. If you live on the East Coast they have a couple locations in NYC. Check it out :)

FIG & OLIVE

8490 Melrose Place  

Los Angeles, CA 90069
(310) 360-9100

http://www.figandolive.com/


ENJOYING DINNER XOXO

WINTER 2012 DINELA WEEK!

Two more days of Dine LA week! Don't forget to check out the list of restaurants and menus, and take advantage of getting more for your money at your favorite LA restaurant! Can't wait to blog about my restaurant pick! Coming soon!

http://discoverlosangeles.com/restaurantweekv2/

LA CAVA, SHERMAN OAKS

     La Cava is what I like to call a secret gem--an Italian gem in the valley. Those kinds of restaurants are my absolute favorite. Not a lot of people know about it, yet the food is really spectacular. La Cava is about the size of my bedroom. It's very small for a restaurant, but it's cozy and it serves authentic Italian Tuscan food at its finest. La Cava is on the busy street of Venutra Blvd. in Sherman Oaks, but it can be easily missed if you've never heard of it. I heard about it through word of mouth and went there for my good friends birthday dinner. I was very impressed with the food and service so I took my family there for dinner on another occasion. The waiters are straight off the boat from Italy; they all have thick Italian accents. Everything at La Cava is made from scratch- the pasta noodles, the sauces, cheeses, etc. I would recommend a pasta dish because the noodles literally melt in your mouth. See all the dishes that were ordered below:

FRESH CRISPY BAKED BREAD W/ OLIVE OIL/BALSAMIC TO START!

BURRATA CHEESE CAPRESE W/ MARINATED PEPPER SALAD
Tip: Put a slice of this on top of the warm crispy bread. Heaven. Love burrata cheese. More rich and flavorful than mozzarella.

POLENTA E FUNGHI

Fresh cornmeal with sauté mushrooms

I absolutely love mushrooms. The warm polenta cake on the bottom was delicious, and mixed with the sauteed flavorful mushrooms, great combo, great appetizer!

FRITTURA DI CALAMARI

Fried calamari and zucchini

INSALATA TRICOLORE

Radicchino, endive, arugula, topped with parmesan

PIZZE MARGHERITA
We were brought all different kinds of fresh pizzas, and they were all amazing. Super thin and crispy with fresh flavorful ingredients on top. Each pizza had loads of flavor and tasted like an authentic Italian pizza you would have anywhere in Italy. I highly recommend you try a couple different ones to share with your table. Amazing!

SALMONE ALLA GRIGLIA

Grilled salmon served with chopped tomatoes & spinach

TAGLIATELLE ALLA BOLOGNESE

Tagliatelle pasta with meat sauce

Best bolognese I've ever had. The noodles just melt in your mouth. They are made from scratch, and they are silky and tender. Not starchy and thick. I recommend this pasta!

COSTOLETTE DI AGNELLO

Roasted lamb chops with rosemary, veal sauce & balsamic vinegar,

served with mashed potatoes

SPAGHETTI DI MARE

Spaghetti with fresh seafood in light tomato sauce

VEAL PAPPARDELLE (ON THE SPECIALS MENU)

Papardelle is a thick, flat, and long pasta. Again, the noodle texture was amazing. You have to order a pasta if you go to La Cava. You can really taste the difference between homemade noodles. This veal pasta was a special of the night and was recommended by our server, but it just wasn't as flavorful as the Bolognese. Wouldn't order it again.

 FRUTTI DI MARRE PASTA (ON THE SPECIAL MENU)

RAVIOLI IN SALSA ROSA

Homemade ravioli stuffed with spinach & ricotta in a pink sauce

Simple but great. The pink cream sauce was rich and flavorful and the ravioli melted in your mouth. Can't go wrong with this dish. It's safe and delicious.

PESCE BIANCO ALLA LIVORNESE

Superior white fish sauté with tomato sauce, fresh oregano & capers

served with spinach & roasted potatoes

GAMBERONI ALLA GRIGLIA

Grilled prawns served with chopped tomatoes & spinach

 HOMEMADE TIRAMISU

HOMEMADE CREME CARAMEL

One of the best desserts I've ever had. This one was special. It tasted like a creamy rich white chocolate pudding. I can't even describe how amazing it was. It was so satisfying and perfect after a great meal. Even the chocolate lovers at the table loved this. Highly recommended!

 WARM CHOCOLATE SOUFLEE CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE ICE CREAM

GUAVA SORBET

Seriously, everything at La Cava tastes great. Out of all the dishes ordered above, nothing didn't taste good; everything has lots of rich flavor. It's an all around amazing restaurant, serving great Authentic Italian food. It's hard to find a really good Italian restaurant in LA, and this is definitey one of them.

LA CAVA
13565 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
(818) 981-1517
www.lacavashermanoaks.com