LA Madness

There's really no great excuse for abandoning my food blog that I had such aspirations for. But the last few months were a total whirlwind and the most stressful period of my life thus far. I finally let go of triathlon and moved to Los Angeles in hopes of finding a job that would sponsor my visa long term.

However, long story short, it's been so exhausting to deal with visas my whole life with no clear way toward residency any time soon, that I'm going to move to Mexico- Cabo San Lucas- by end of 2014.

Personal life aside, I have had the pleasure of enjoying the awesome food in LA since I came to West Hollywood in December, and luckily still have a few more months to continue to share it with you! To get this blog rolling again, and not bombard it with many individual posts, I've created a short list of my favorite LA spots to date. What I value in a restaurant is that the food is fresh, consistent, and made from real ingredients that prepared skillfully "wow" you with their taste. I have plenty of pics of some of these on my Instagram: tativertiz.

Casual/Healthy:
Gratitude Cafe (Santa Monica and West Hollywood locations)- I've written about Gratitude before. This is vegan/vegeterian heaven! Amazing buckwheat pancakes and other cretive breakfast plates, awesome "bowls" full of superfoods, great gluten free pastries, awesome fresh juices and unique coffee blends/teas. Flavor explosion!

True Food Kitchen (not unique to LA, in Santa Monica)- I eat here at least once a week. You can see the whole kitchen, and fruit and produce are beautifully placed behind the bar giving it a market feel. Great juices/drinks, gluten free options for pizzas and burgers (buffalo, turkey, ahi, vegetarian quinoa), amazing salads, fresh and beautifully plated seafood and meat entrees. It won't break your wallet and you'll get better food than at most upscale restaurants.

Urth Caffe (many LA locations)- I love a coffee shop that has milk alternatives with robust coffee, delicious Chai,and is open from early morning to late at night offering a solid menu of very healthy breakfasts, and salads and sandwiches.

The Farm (Beverly Hills)- A cool Beverly Hills cafe experience. Pricier than your average breakfast or lunch spot, but you're right in the middle of all the glam shops, and the food is as farm to table as the name suggests.

Kreation Kafe (Venice & Santa Monica on Montana St)- Very cool, very LA/hipster/healthy, can be pricey, but they serve large portions of awesome food. Smoothie and juice options are endless.

Huckleberry (Santa Monica)- Brunch! Expect a super long line on weekends. They rotate their menu seasonally, so you can always find something you haven't tried. Their salads and sandwiches are great as are their (often vegan) soups-of-the-day. My favorite dish: quinoa with sunny side up eggs, butternut squash, and brussel sprouts...I know, I know :)

Hugo's Restaurant (West Hollywood)- you could spend an entire year eating your way through Hugo's Bible-length menu. They cater to the gluten free, vegan, vegetarian, and meat lover. It's a healthy hoom cooked, diner type of place. I'm obsessed with their gluten free, vegan tamales, corn cakes, and pumpkin pie.

Bludso's BBQ (West Hollywood)- Remember Franklin's in Austin? Well, I'm not sure I dare say Bludso's is better, but...my goodness those pork ribs!!! I no longer have anything food related to miss from Texas. I can walk to it from my apartment, and you can't believe the self control that takes. Their sauce is made from scratch and either mild or spicy. They have great beers on tap and wine, and their perfectly cooked side dishes make it clear this is high quality bbq (mac n cheese, collard greens, beans, etc).

Venice Ale House- This place is BOMB! The ideal spot for brunch or happy hour, in front of the beach, with a menu that is just sheer genius!! Kale at an ale house? Yup! Organic fish or chicken or grass fed beef tacos on handmade tortillas?! Omelettes with perfectly seasoned breakfast potatoes, and pancakes that taste like the weekend...yes please!

800 Degrees Pizza (Santa Monica & LA)- Neapolitan pizza is arguably the best pizza. What makes 800 degrees fantastic, besides their pledge to authenticity, is the cafeteria set up with a more upscale ambiance than your typical pizza stop. You order your custom or pre designed pizza, or salad, and by the time you get to the register your pizza has cooked in their imported 800 degree oven. They also have wine on tap which is pretty neat!

Clementine (near Century City)- Super cute tiny coffee shop with a fantastic breakfast and lunch, and prepared foods case. They change their menu often to keep it innovative and fresh, and have a delectable selection of cookies and pastries. I don't recommend the hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows unless you can physically and financially afford the addiction.

 Nicer:
The Misfit (Santa Monica)- Freakin' cool seemingly little spot right on Santa Monica Blvd. Once you walk in it's way bigger than it looks, and resembles an old English library. Awesome date spot, great happy hour drinks, incredibly flavored, healthy and elegant plates.

Oscar's Cerveteca (Venice)- Fish tacos!! This place is a must for Mexican food. Corn on the cob is delish! Young vibe and fun atmoshphere. Always packed.

Haru Sushi Cafe (Beverly Hills)- My absolute favorite sushi place in LA. Why? It's very simple: not overpriced, they have brown rice, they fry in healthy oil, their fish is ridiculously fresh, plenty of rolls, and the servers and sushi chefs are so nice it pains me.

Koi (Beverly Hills)- Pricey, but it has hype and backs it up. The retaurant itself is beautiful, with a nice patio in the back and elegant sushi bar inside. It's definitely worth at least one visit.

Sugarfish (many LA locations)- A sushi/Japanese dining experience few have had. This is authentic sushi. You won't find creative rolls with influences from other cuisines. It's a very simple and straightforward menu with set combinations or a la carte nigiris and hand rolls. The sushi literally melts in your mouth. You will be wow-ed.

Toscanova (Century City Mall)- Yes it's "in" the mall, and next to other good spots like Seasons 52 and The Counter Burger, but Toscanova is notches above. This italian/mediterranean restaurant is cozy and beautiful, with delicious wines and awesome happy hour eats. Everything I've tried there has been outstanding- their wild salmon with sauteed vegetables, roasted chicken with potatoes, tuna tartare, a huge salad of vegetables with buffalo mozzarella that is a meal by itself...and the dish that won me over: grilled octopus in a cabbage leaf with garlic and parsley seasoned potatoes. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten!

Taberna Arros (Santa Monica)- New Spanish/Tapas spot on 2nd. They have a few different sangrias- one with jalapeno and other peppers that is ridic! Their paella is amazing, particularly because it doesn't leave you with that fishy after taste that makes you not want to eat seafood in days. They have a ton of hot and cold tapas, fabulous service, and it's super cute and romantic.

Seasons 52 (Santa Monica & Century City...not unique to LA)- Even though it doesn't stand out in LA, I wanted to include Seasons 52 because it's a guaranteed healthy and fresh meal. Their menu is calorie conscious, without sacrificing taste or portion size. If you've been shopping all day or looking for somewhere to eat before or after a movie, it's perfect.

 The Ivy (Santa Monica and Beverly Hills)- Why skirt the obvious, it's overpriced. But they deliver food and an atmoshphere that the little hesitation you get when paying the bill quickly fades and you're back again the following week. Excellent crab cakes, salads, seafood, and steaks. You'll probably spot a celebrity or two;)

Connie & Ted's (West Hollywood)- Another pricey, but worth it, one. By the time their dinner service opens, valet really is the only parking option so there's that. Surprisingly there's not that many restaurants you can go to in LA to get a large selection of raw oysters and Connie & Ted's took advantage of that. The layout is very cool, with a large raw bar that is usually packed. Incredibly fresh seafood in the heart of West Hollywood, with a young professional crowd that is pretty unique for WeHo.

Muzita Bistro- University Heights, San Diego

Wednesday I was feeling rather spontaneous and as usual was spending some time in the morning researching restaurants. I've been doing this since high school. Sometime during sophomore year I became fascinated with the Food Network and cooking. My mom could barely scramble an egg until recently (now she's quite the little wanna-be Martha Stewart), and my dad mainly enjoyed eating out unless he was manning the grill. He can make some insane lamb chops!!

This new hobby coincided with my interest in health/nutrition as I sought to loose some weight that had appeared once I hit puberty- ugh! I grew up eating quite healthy (not the typical "Merica" way), but I'd never really cared about, nor understood, the impact of nutrition on our health and the degree of processing and modifying the majority of our foods undergo. A few months later, I was so into it that I went through a handful of books every couple of weeks and even convinced my mom to drive me to Orlando (I was in Tampa at the time at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy) to visit Le Cordon Bleu :)

Anyway, back on point...I was looking for a unique place that also served healthy food. Enter Muzita Bistro. One look at the menu http://www.letseat.at/muzita/menu and you quickly realize why other countries don't have the obesity problem the US does. Muzita serves Eritrean/Ethiopian food, which is very similar to Indian food, in my opinion- lots of spices yielding a ton of flavor, and concentrated on vegetables and rice. Their "bread" called injera is somewhere between a crepe and a pancake and often used as a utensil. The entrees are meant to be "family style" but they will also accommodate personal selections.

If you're a vegetarian or vegan this place is definitely for you. They even have a key on their menu highlighting meat free dishes. For the rest of us, they have a variety of options: lamb, free range chicken, "natural" beef, shrimp, and fresh fish.

I ordered the beet salad which was pretty straightforward- too much so, actually. Other than the cute presentation, it was nothing more than steamed beets with a subtle hint that they'd been marinated with onion and something else. It was good, but I wouldn't order again as I can make that at home in 5mins.







My entree, however, did not disappoint. Normally I would've tried the lamb, but I'm still seriously full from Franklin's that I can only handle seafood right now :/ So, I went with the prawns....

If you've ever dined with me you probably noticed my love for salt. Thank goodness I have low blood pressure and am an athlete! It runs in the family though- any meal with us leads to a fight over the salt shaker until one of us finally gets up and grabs more from other tables. Yes, I'm that person at the snobby restaurants with 5 different size forks that "insults" the chef by asking for the salt. Sorry, not sorry.

Well, at Muzita I didn't need a sprinkle of salt at all!! Dare I say it was a bit on the salty side? Nonetheless, I was very pleased with the taste and portion size. Four prawns, with a side of stewed vegetables, steamed white rice, and house salad. You must mix the four components of the dish to get the most of it- especially with steamed rice. Everything was well cooked, and the lettuce was crisp with a light dressing.

My overall opinion is that I would return to Muzita but only for lunch. My entree was $16 and the beet salad $9. The lunch prices in the $10-15 for entrees are much more appropriate. That salad should be $5 and the prawns $10-11.

The place itself is quaint. As the picture shows, it's a little cottage, very clean and "modern" on the inside with a bar area as well. The waiters all seemed happy and attentive so no complaints on the service.