A.O.C. Wine Bar

Any friend of mine
knows that I'm a big fan of wine.

So whenever I'm on the Westside (near Cedars-Sinai and the Beverly Center), I try to stop by the lovely restaurant that is A.O.C.  The great thing about A.O.C. is that it offers a wide variety of delicious wine with delectable food in an atmosphere that is both romantic and refreshing.  And the new/not-so-new location is absolutely gorgeous.  I may be a bit impartial though, because I love the Lucques Restaurant Group (i.e., Lucques, Tavern, and The Larder Baking Co.), brought to us by the James Beard award winner, Chef Suzanne Goin and James Beard nominated restauranteur, Caroline Styne -- two fabulous women whom LA is blessed to have.

Main entrance.

Steps to the 2nd level dining area.

The restaurant's second floor has a charming, more intimate where you dine surrounded by bottles and bottles of wine.

AOC is a great brunch, happy hour, and/or a romantic dinner option for folks who enjoy a delicious meal in a beautifully-decorated and comfortable setting.  Family-style, shared plate dining is highly encouraged.  Thank you, Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne for your continued devotion of ensuring that Angelenos are well-fed!

Grilled blueberry bread with lemon butter

Famous Bacon-wrapped figs stuffed with parmesan

Spanish Fried Chicken & cornmeal waffle with jamon butter and syrup.

Meyer Lemon French Toast with strawberry, candied lemon slices, and pistachios.

Duck Confit hash with potatoes, spinach, and eggs scrambled.

Grilled asparagus with polenta, roasted veggies, and soft-boiled egg.

Classic steak & eggs with a side of spinach.

cuisine: American
location: Beverly Grove (near the Beverly Center)
hours: M-F: 11:30am-11pm; Sat-Sun: 10am-11pm [Sundays and Mondays close at 10pm]
websites: {AOC | yelp | facebook | instagram | twitter }
attire: Casual/Trendy
recommendations: Not necessary, but recommended
suggestions: Bacon-wrapped dates and the bread.

littlemeats LA Sunday Supper

Often I'm asked the infamous questions, "What are your favorite restaurants in LA?" or "Where is the best _______ [insert food dish here] in LA?"  Equally I often respond with the following questions: "What cuisine?", "What neighborhood?", "Casual or upscale?"  The fact is, as the second-largest U.S. city, our City of Angels is brimming with people from different cultures, nationalities, and ethnicities.  A beautiful byproduct of such diversity is a city full of authentic cuisine, featuring a variety of countries and usually found in ethnic and cultural enclaves from the 1 to the 210, the 118 to the 605.

While I enjoy checking out a new hot spot or dining at a restaurant already dubbed as one of "LA's finest," what I love most about food is its innate power to move people to share, connect, and form lasting memories, some of which have nothing to do with the food.  So I was instantly intrigued when I learned of the Sunday Supper series hosted by littlemeatsla.

In a loft located near Lincoln Heights, which functions both as their home and workspace, the husband and wife team of Johanna and Robin Chang have coupled the concept of Sunday Supper (i.e., communing and breaking bread, prepared with love) with the passion, talent, creativity, and curiosity of Angelenos.  littlemeatsla is "a creative space based in Los Angeles that gives passionate artisans a platform to bring their ideas and products to the spotlight."  And the Sunday Supper series allows cooks and chefs to serve simple, but thoughtful dishes in a comforting ambiance.

I got to enjoy Stevie Cho's home-cooking during my visit.  The nearly three-hour meal consisted of four-courses including smoked salmon and avocado toast, pulled pork gyoza with pineapple tomatillo, 14-hour smoked Austin-style brisket, soy sauce pickles and sweet potato croquettes with a kimchi puree, and persimmon pudding with vanilla wafers.  Everything was delicious, but this omnivore especially enjoyed the fatty, but perfectly smoked beef brisket.  Make sure you save enough room! (Don't get greedy with the snacks/ appetizers).

Beautiful setting -- both on and around the communal table.

Cook and assembly line, hard at work.

Smoked salmon & avocado toast to snack on.

Red onion topping to mix things up.

Appetizer: Pulled Pork Gyoza with Pineapple Tomatillo

A clear example of a LA fusion dish, showcasing Korean/ Japanese, Mexican, and a little Texan cuisine.

A welcome and intro by our chef for the night, Stevie Cho

Side: Sweet Potato Croquette with Kimchi puree.

Side: Cucumbers and Onions, pickled in soy sauce.

Careful carving.  Also, what's BBQ without Wonder Bread?

Main: Sliced 14-hour Slow Smoked Beef Brisket atop a slice of fluffy Wonder Bread.  Yes.

Let's eat! 

Dessert: Hachiya Persimmon Pudding w/ Nilla Wafers. 

Well Done, Team.

Food was great, decor was on-point, but the company was best.  I got to chat with a hotel manager, an engineer, a stay-at-home mom, a photographer, a fashion designer, and a visitor from NYC.  There wasn't a single lawyer in the room (which was awesome)!  In that moment, for a few hours, with a cross-section of LA, was the beauty of community.  If you're interested in experiencing such communal dining, let me know -- we'll go!

Some other things to know:

• Suggested $20-$25 donation to support their cause and make Sunday Suppers sustainable (but any amount accepted).  Payment via cash or Cover only.
• BYOBeverage.  Cool disposable stemless wine glasses provided.
• In true family dinner spirit, you may be asked to assist in small serving/ cleaning tasks.
• Free street parking!
• If it's important to you, there are plenty of Instagram-worthy moments.
• There are two friendly cockapoo's roaming around.  
• First come, first served basis. Space is limited!
• Email admin@littlemeatsla.com for all inquiries about hosting your next event to RSVP for the next available Sunday Supper.

Website: http://www.littlemeatsla.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/littlemeatsla

*

Stay hungry for food; hungry for Life.

MidiCi Neopolitan Pizza

When I first learned that the CEO of Menchie's, the national fro-yo franchise, was venturing to the world of fast, gourmet-esque pizza, I expected another Blaze, PizzaRev, Pieology, 800 Degrees or Pizza Studio [all of which, by the way, I'm not above].  Although I embrace freedom of choice, given the recently influx of create-your-own, quick fire-baked pizza joints, my expectations for MidiCi were decidedly low.

. . . until I glanced at the extensive menu that reaches beyond endless toppings and a thin burnt crust.

 From charcuterie to four different burrata combos (with beets, purple kale, artichokes, or prosciutto), pizza to eight different salads, nutella calzone to spectacular gelato and sorbetto from Leo Leo Gelato, MidiCi has so much to offer it's almost overwhelming.

But the real olive tree that's chilling in the middle of the restaurant and the stunning interior decor will probably calm you down.  I can only imagine how breathtakingly romantic the restaurant would look at night.

Wood-fired pizza oven, imported from Italia.

All natural and fresh produce and protein to meet your every insalata needs.

A line of pizza chefs, hard at work.

Vibes.

Purple Kale (Cavolo Viola) -- purple kale, baby spinach, medjool dates, ricotta cheese, shaved parmigiano-reggiano, mustard vinaigrette, lemon zest -- $7.50

A and I ordered and shared a Purple Kale salad and the Devil's Pizza (Pizza Diavola).

First, the kale salad.  The good: visually stunning, healthy portion, fresh ingredients.  The needs-work: too much cheese.  Thankfully, I asked for my dressing on the side.  Had I not, I think my salad would be drowning in cheesy vinaigrette.  I ended up not using much of the dressing at all, as the ricotta was already rich.  Could have also used some cracked black pepper.

Devil's Pizza -- crushed Italian peeled tomatoes, whole mozzarella, housemade all natural spicy sausage, spicy Italian calabrese (salami), Fresno & Italian chilis, parmigiano-reggiano, extra virgin olive oil, organic sweet basil -- $11.50

The Devil's Pizza -- yummy with a spicy kick!  Everything was great -- the flavors, the level of spice, the right balance of ingredients.  If you like your crust doughy, you'll absolutely love this.  For those who want a crispier Neopolitan crust, ask for the pizza to bake a bit longer.


My favorite part of the entire meal?  Unsurprisingly, gelato.

Hazelnut and Lemon sorbetto with fresh mint.

Vanilla & Chocolate with Nutella.

While the price point may be higher than other fast pizza places, the ambience and substance make it worthwhile a visit.  Check Midici out, especially if you find yourself on Ventura Boulevard, hungry for something quick and delicious!






cuisine: Italian
location: Sherman Oaks (San Fernando Valley)
hours:
websites: { MidiCi | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
attire: Casual
parking: Street
price range: $5-$12
notes: They serve weekend brunch (breakfast pizza and mimosa) and happy hour (beer/wine) on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8pm-1am.

Madera Kitchen

Just like how Manhattanites avoid Times Square, Angelenos avoid Hollywood.  Not because Hollywood is void of interesting characters (far from it), but because its high density of tourists make street-navigating frustrating and parking near impossible.  On the rare occasion that I make a trek to Hwood, it's for a movie at the ArcLight Dome or a show at the Pantages or the Hollywood Bowl.

Yet Madera Kitchen, a restaurant/ event venue located in the heart of Hollywood, manages to stay away from the maddening fray.  In fact, Madera provides an atmosphere that is akin to the laid-back style of West LA.  With abundant natural lighting, open patio space, and cool beats playing in the background, this is a perfect place to enjoy a casual Sunday brunch balanced by the right amount of people-watching.

The eclectic indoor and outdoor design & decor immediately sets this place apart from any other restaurant.  Each "room" in the restaurant creates a vibe slightly different from the other, but is overall welcoming.  Clearly, the artistic interior designers of this restaurant know what they're doing.

The Brunch menu, now available on Saturdays and Sundays, is also heavenly.  Amazing combinations of fresh ingredients coupled with very reasonable prices = a memorable meal indeed.

Plus, bottomless mimosas for $14!

The good news?  The food is as good as it sounds on the menu.

Blueberry pancakes, squash blossom frittata, bfast sandwich.

Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes w/ orange curd, berries, and whipped creme fraiche -- $11

Looks decadent, no?  Though drenched in orange curd and topped with a too generous portion of creme fraiche, the pancakes were surprisingly fluffy and not overly dense.  This was a sweet touch to our predominantly savory meal.

Open-face Breakfast Sandwich -- bacon, eggs over easy, cheddar, jalapeno aioli, arugula, tomato -- $10

For just $10, you can appease your appetite with this beauty of a breakfast sandwich.  All of the contributing players are great on their own (hi, bacon), but combine them atop a toasted brioche and you have yourself a very satisfying dish.

Squash Blossom Frittata w/ cherry tomato, zucchini, smoked mozzarella, basil pesto -- $12

Non-meat eaters, rejoice because there is a delicious option for you too.  Neither dry or over-cooked (both of which frittatas can easily be), this veggie frittata packs in a lot more flavor than expected.  Win.

Chicken & Waffles -- buttermilk waffle, herb fried chicken breast, spicy maple syrup -- $13

Ah, yes.  Fried chicken & waffles -- the epitome of comfort food and the ultimate combo of sweet and salty.  Some may prefer Roscoe's, but the crispy, still juicy boneless chicken breast served atop buttery waffles and with a spicy syrup was a highlight to this meal.

In addition to a great brunch, Madera has happy hour from 5:30-8pm.  Yes, 8!  Plus, the happy hour menu features some special deals depending on the day of the week ($2 sliders Tuesdays, $1 oysters Wednesdays, $5 ceviche Thursdays and $5 flatbread Fridays).  Madera, you're definitely tempting me to frequent Hollywood more than I imagined.  See you again soon!






cuisine: American
location: Hollywood
brunch hours: Sat & Sun: 10am-4pm
happy hour(s): Tues-Fri: 5:30pm-8pm
websites: { MK | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
price: $10-$25
attire: Casual
parking: Street meters (read the signs)