THE GOLDEN STATE, MID-CITY LOS ANGELES

     Located on Fairfax Avenue in Mid-City Los Angeles, is a gastropub called The Golden State. It's a small joint known for their burgers and ecclectic milkshakes and floats. Burgers are "IN" now- all over LA there are new burger joints popping up, each place competiting for the title of "Best Burger in LA". The Golden State was recommended to me by someone who reads my blog- she noticed I blog about a lot of burgers, and told me that I must try this place. She said it was better than Father's Office! That got my attention so I definitely had to make my way to The Golden State to try one of their burgers ASAP.

The Golden State interior- small and casual spot

     The menu mainly offers burgers and fries, salads and sandwiches, but they are also known for their drinks- most famously, their beer floats. The Golden State makes their own gelato and all the flavors are super unique. A couple of flavors are chocolate rasberry, peach champagne, spicy chocolate, salted caramel, lavender goat cheese, brown bread, lychee yuzu, almond, caramel oreo, and pistacio Triple Sec. They feature new ones all the time. The gelato is homemade and you can choose any flavor as a scoop for your beer float. They offer an exclusive selection of wine and beer on draft and bottled too. If you don't drink beer, you can get a float with Root Beer, Coke, or even Ginger Ale!

Gelato bar with kitchen in the background

     I went with my co-workers for lunch during a work day, so didn't get a beer float which I will definitely be going back for, but we all did try "The Burger", which is their famous burger. Made with Harris Ranch Beef, Fiscalini Farms cheddar, glazed applewood smoked bacon, arugula, aioli, & ketchup, the burger was delicious. Everyone really enjoyed their burgers. Unlike Father's Office, you are allowed to make substitutions at The Golden State, and there IS ketchup. (No Ketchup at Father's Office- read my post about it). Do I think it was better than Father's Office? No, I like Father's Office better. But, I did really like "The Burger" at Golden State and would go back again. The meat was cooked perfectly, and just the way I asked- medium-rare. The bacon, cheese, arugula, aoili and ketchup is always a good combination, and the bread was a warm brioche bun which was also good. I ordered Jalepeno Cabbage Slaw as my side with my burger and it was amazing. Loved it. Great flavor, and different tasting. Highly recommended!


Golden State's "The Burger" with Jalepeno Cabbage Slaw



"The Burger" with french fries

  


"The Burger" with Golden State Potato Salad

     Overall, The Golden State was great. I'd go back again. Everything was good. I definitely will try one of their unique gelato flavors and a beer float next time. If you love burgers like me, this place is worth a try!

GET ON IT.

THE GOLDEN STATE

426 N Fairfax Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 782- 8331

http://www.thegoldenstatecafe.com/

IL TRAMEZZINO ITALIAN CAFE

      One of my FAVORITE sandwiches ever is at Il Tramezzino. There are a couple locations around Los Angeles- one in Tarzana, Studio City, & Beverly Hills. I go to the one in Tarzana, because that is closest to where I live. Located on Ventura Blvd., Il Tramezzino is a very popular lunch spot. This Italian Cafe has amazing sandwiches, salads, fresh fish and pizzas. Everything on the menu is delicious, but they are known for their grilled sandwiches, and there is one in particular that made this place famous.
     For those of you who read my blog, you probably know that sandwiches and burgers are my favorite food. Their Grilled Breast of Chicken Sandwich (first sandwich featured on the menu), is up as one of the tops of my list for favorite sandwiches. This sandwich is actually grilled "panini style" with sun dried tomato, avocado, provolone cheese & a basil garlic sauce. The basil garlic sauce is like a pesto mayo- which is one of my favorite condiments ever. This sandwich is amazing with Cholula hot sauce too. I regularly add hot sauce to any sandwich I eat, but on this sandwich in particular is amazing. The bread is fresh and crispy, and the combination of everything works perfectly. I love that basil garlic mayo sauce. It makes the sandwich. I've had other amazing grilled sandwiches at Il Tram (they're all good), but this one is my favorite.

Il Tramezzino's famous "Grilled Breast of Chicken Sandwich"

Good shot of that Basil Garlic Sauce

Sandwich w/ Cholula Hot Sauce...compliments it well.

     My friend ordered the Insalata Lorenzo, made with mixed baby greens, chopped romaine, grilled chicken breast, chopped roma tomato, avocado, garbanzo beans, pine nuts & shaved Parmesan with their special red wine balsamic vinaigrette on the side. All their salads are fresh and yummy. Great selection of different salads too.

Insalata Lorenzo

     For dessert, we ordered their famous Croissant Nutella with Banana & Strawberry. This is heaven. It's heavy because of the bread but it's so good. Great dessert to split with someone.

Croissant Nutella w/ Banana & Strawberry

     Before going to Il Tramezzino, I went on a great hike at the top of Reseda called Caballero Canyon Trail. If you like hiking this one has great views and is beautiful. Il Tramezzino is down the street from Reseda and Ventura Blvd., so if you want to grab a bite after that has healthy selections,  Il Tram is close and the way to go.

IL TRAMEZZINO

18636 Ventura Blvd.

Tarzana, CA 91357

(818) 996-8726

http://www.iltram.net/

GET ON IT.

BERRI'S CAFE, LOS ANGELES

TWO WORDS: LOBSTER PIZZA.

   
     I've managed to land my drunk ass at Berri's Cafe two times in one week. Both at 3am. That's how you know I had a good week, lol. Berri's Pizza Cafe on 3rd street is a club after the club. Not really, but this Italian pizza cafe bumps loud house music and is packed all hours of the night, especially with people that just left the club wanting to get their grub on. Specializing in pizza, I go to Berri's for one reason...for their famous LOBSTER PIZZA. If you don't like seafood, that's a damn shame, and even though Berri's menu is big and has something for everyone, I am blogging especially for the lobster pizza, so sorry lol- don't mean to discriminate against you non-seafood lovers.
     Even though it wasn't a smart move, my friends and I ordered champagne with 24K gold flakes lol. It was actually amazing, but probably not the best move at 3:30am.

     Next, the pizza. Berri's Cafe is known for making great pizza. So many different and unique pizza combinations, such as a Seafood Pizza, a Spicy Mediterrean Calamari Pizza, Goat Cheese and Portabello Pizza, and more. Unfortunately I can't get myself to try any other pizza because I'm stuck on the Lobster Pizza. It's thin crust made with a pink sauce, lobster and shrimp, and lots of cheese. With some crushed red pepper sprinkled with some parmsean cheese...OMG. Heaven...



BERRI'S LOBSTER PIZZA

I know you're droolin'...

      We ordered a couple other dishes such as coconut shrimp, penne bolognese, eggplant bruschetta, and two amazing desserts: a warm chocolate mousse cake with rasberry sauce on top, and tiramisu, which was one of the best I've had. It was so creamy and was made perfectly. They also have incredible garlic bread and pesto dip. Great to soak up all that alcohol lol. But really, I recommend getting pizza at Berri's. That's what they do best.

Coconut Shrimp

Penne Bolognese

Eggplant on garlic bread

Chocolate & Rasberry Mousse

Tiramisu



Night out in Hollywood with my E! Fashion Police girlies, ended at Berrie's Cafe at 3am lol



2nd night in a week out in Hollywood at BEACHERS MADHOUSE, and ended at Berri's at 3am lol



BERRI'S CAFE LOBSTER PIZZA. GET ON IT.  

BERRI'S PIZZA CAFE

8412 West 3rd Street

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 852-0642

http://www.berriscafela.com/

This pic sums up Berri's Cafe on 3rd. Packed with Hollywood club-goers late night.
Photo by: owner of Berri's

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY, NEW YORK CITY

    

     Southern Hospitality, a Memphis BBQ joint in New York City, brings Southern Comfort food to the Big Apple. Creator of the restaurant, Justin Timberlake along with his friends Eytan Sugarman & Trace Ayala opened up this celebrity hotspot in two locations in NYC- one in Hell's Kitchen and the other on the Upper East Side. Southern Hospitality serves real Southern dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches, baby back ribs, Southern fried catfish, catfish lollipops, chicken and waffles, fried pickles, grits, crawfish & cheddar hush puppes, mac n' cheese, and so much more.
     Located in Hell's Kitchen, I walked into Southern Hospitality on a Sunday night and it was poppin'. The place was packed. While waiting for the rest of our party to show up, General Manager Bryan Zabinski brought my sister and I to the bar to try Southern Hospitality's house specialty cocktail. Made with Justin Timberlake's tequila "901", this drink was so delicious. Similar to a Mojito but made with tequila, it was also made with crushed/muddled berries. Sweet but still crisp and refreshing. Loved it!

     When the rest of our party arrived, we headed downstairs to our table. Upstairs seemed more of the casual part of the restaurant, while downstairs was more "private", darker and more of a lounge. Sitting at the table next to us was a bunch of NBA players from the NY Knicks with their families. There are definitely lots of celebrities that eat at Southern Hospitality. I really liked the vibe there...cool yet "homey" & casual- you definitely don't feel like your in a big city!

     Now to the food...I literally wanted to order everything on the menu lol. Everything sounded amazing. But, narrowed it down to this:

APPETIZERS:

~Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls w/ Sriracha-Spiked Ketchup- OMG. These were the best. My favorite thing we ordered. Obsessed, and need to go back just for these! They were melt-in-your-mouth. So amazing.

~SoHo Sliders w/ pulled pork

~Grilled BBQ Chicken Quesadilla

~Cornbread w/ sweet honey butter

ENTREES:

~Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Creamed Spinach and Mac N' Cheese- MMM. Loved everything. Ribs were great, creamed spinach was made creamy & perfect, and same with Mac N' Cheese. It was all delicious.

~Classic BBQ Combo- Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs & their Beale Street BBQ Chicken with Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, & Cornbread Stuffing

~Grilled Bone-In New York Strip w/ Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, & Warm Black Eyed Peas Salad

I will definitely be returning to Southern Hospitality. So many more things I want to try on the menu. I was STUFFED. Bad idea to be dressed up in tight clothing lol. This is FOOD COMA type shit. All I wanted to do was go to bed after lol. What a great dinner!

NEED I SAY MORE??? GET ON IT.

SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY BBQ

 (HELL'S KITCHEN LOCATION)

645 9th Avenue

New York, NY 10036

(212) 265-1000

www.southernhospitalitybbq.com

Dinner at Southern Hospitality with sister and friends then out clubbin'!

SUSHI ROKU HAPPY HOUR & WINETASTING AT MALIBU WINES

    

     After a beautiful day winetasting at Malibu Wines, I went to Santa Monica for happy hour at Sushi Roku. Located on Ocean Ave. with views of the ocean, and just a couple steps away from Third Street Promenade, Sushi Roku is a popular sushi restaurant with a good happy hour. I heard about Sushi Roku Happy Hour from being featured on a news special on TV. Supposedly one of the best happy hours in Los Angeles, so I wanted to try it out. I love happy hour- it's perfect for an after work early dinner when you don't want to eat so late, and of course everything is half off which makes it even better! I went to the Sushi Roku in Santa Monica (they also have one in West Hollywood and other locations). The Happy Hour is from 5pm-6:30pm Monday-Friday & 4:30pm-6:30pm on Sundays.

COCKTAILS:

Roku's Fusion Martini- $5. Skyy Vodka, Honeydew Cantaloupe, & Watermelon with Pineapple & Cranberry Juice combined.  So sweet and delicious! It tasted like a watermelon Jolly Rancher! lol. Our bartender was super sweet and promised it would hit us and that there was plenty of alcohol in it. She was right! These were dangerous... Lol.

~Our bartender Camille, made us her own specialty drink she created herself. It was one of the best drinks I ever had! It was made perfectly. Not sure the exact ingredients, but I know it was made with tequila, Agave Nectar, crushed muddled berries, Sprite, and some kind of juice. It was so smooth couldn't even taste the tequila but it definitely got me tipsy! So delicious. Thanks Camille!

FOOD:

***Note: Not everything we ordered was from the Happy Hour menu. Some things were from the regular menu. The items NOT on Happy Hour menu I noted in parenthesis.

~"Hanabi" Spicy Tuna on Crispy Ricecakes- $4. I always order this when I go for sushi. My favorite!

~Seabass "Harumaki" Springroll with Herb Citrus Dip. $5. Good, but wouldn't order again. The fried shell takes away from the seabass.

~Kobe Beef Skewers with Black Pepper Sauce- $16. Very good! Recommend. (Not on happy hour menu)

~Spicy Tuna Roll- $5. Traditional spicy tuna roll.

~Crunchy Spicy Tuna with Avocado & Spicy Mayo- $12. Loved this. My favorite type of roll. (Not on Happy Hour menu).

~Baked Hand Crab Roll- $9.50. This is also one of my other favorites to order when I'm at Sushi. But Katsuya makes a way better one. Not enough crab in the one at Roku. (Not on Happy Hour menu)

~"Roku style" Albacore Tacos- $6. These were so good! My favorite item on Happy Hour. Best thing we ordered of the night. We had to order another one of this. Fresh albacore with avocado and ponzu sauce with fresh lemon in a crispy wonton taco shell.

~Yellowtail Sashimi- $4. YUM! Fresh fish sashimi is the best.

FOR SUSHI ROKU LOCATIONS & MENU GO TO:

www.sushiroku.com

     In addition, Malibu Wines is an amazing place to go for winetasting. It's in the mountains in Malibu with picnic areas and bands that play live music. Everyone brings big picnic baskets- fresh baguettes, crackers and cheese, fruit, etc. You can't bring your own alcohol, but it's only $20 for a bottle of wine and they give you complimentary wine glasses to take home with you. Tasting fees are cheap too. There are a bunch of tables and chairs, and big grass area where you can park yourself on a blanket and have a nice picnic. When I went, there was a Spanish guitar music band playing- they sounded like the Gypsy Kings! It was very romantic and beautiful. Highly recommend this place, but don't forget to bring your own food!

MALIBU WINES

31740 Muholland Highway

Malibu, CA 90265

(818) 865-0605

http://www.malibuwines.com/

As you can see, I had a beautiful day :)
XOXO