Breakfast Burrito @ Corner Cottage | Burbank, CA

one saturday morning, we decided to search “best breakfast burritos in LA”.  for two people who grew up hating eggs, this a pretty good beginning to eggs (a beautiful one in fact)… hence the genesis of our breakfast burrito list.  so far, we’ve had lucky boy’s in pasadena (kyle’s #1), sweetsalt in toluca lake, huckleberry in santa monica (my #1.  it has creme fraiche in it!), crown burger in noho, and tom’s in noho. this weekend, we ventured to corner cottage in burbank to try this baby out.

here are our thoughts:

breakfast burrito:  served till 11am.  comes with eggs, potatoes and cheese (base price $4.05).  we added bacon and sausage (always) making the burrito 75 cents more! grand slam.  so before coming here, kyle knew that the salsa here was what people raved about.  its bomb and its on fire.  even though he knew that, he ordered our (shared) burrito with extra salsa inside the burrito.  mistake (for me at least).  i can eat spicy but not like him.  for those of you who love fast food like we do, on a del taco hot sauce scale…im a del scorcho but not quite del inferno.

yes, that is a guy is preparing little to-go salsa sides. it is that popular.  they are serious about it. and yes, they make the salsa in bulk (in a rice cooker bowl too).

one bite in and my whole mouth was on fire and my eyes teared up.  struggle city.  but eating more of it helped so i slapped even more salsa on it.  by the end, i had numb mouth.  obviously salsa is great.  bacon was crisp. hash browns provides a great fluffy cloud. we didn’t even really taste the egg.  good, tasty burrito.

ambience:  don’t be scared of their sign outside that says ”breakfast burritos, teriyaki bowls and hamburger specials”… they make a golden burrito here and they know it.  space is small.  bar seats and two small tables inside and a few bench tables outside.  you aren’t really here long.  you order, you chow down and you’re done.

overall:  i would come back here. but i also like lucky boy’s and huckleberry more if we were only comparing the burrito itself.  the benefit of this one is that is it closer for us.

Sugarfish – Beverly Hills, CA

we were excited that another sugarfish opened up in LA.  to put your name in, you walk into an open seating area that is uber aesthetically pleasing.  black with wood accents…simple, clean and very sugarfish.  since sugarfish always gets crowded for dinner, i’m glad they have a waiting area at this location!

the only other locations we have been to are downtown and studio city so we can only speak to these when we say the quality of the fish is outstanding.  this location has the same menu and same concept as the other two.

food: 5 stars.  still my favorite sushi place in LA.  kyle got the nozawa and i got the trust me.  the difference is that the nozawa comes with two piece snapper and the daily special, which on this night was sweet shrimp.  on top of that, we got two pieces of the fatty tuna.  oh, fatty tuna, how have we gone our whole lives without you?!  if i had to pick my two favorite (like had to pick even though i love it all)…it would be the albacore and the toro (fatty tuna)! 

ambience:  simple, clean, trendy.  cool thing about this location: the nozawa bar!  there is a room in the back of the restaurant that seats 15 (reservations only and have to be made online).  $150 for dinner and $130 for lunch. we didn’t even know about the room until we talked to ernie, the manager… en amazing manager btw.  good catch sugarfish!  if you make a res, you will be enjoying a 20 course meal… omakase style (no ordering) in a japanese style room intimately with the chef.  we have never done omakase but are so freaking excited to do this next time we come here!

we chatted for awhile about the omakase room (even got a tour before it started at 7:30pm but no pictures allowed) and found out that sugarfish’s potential expansion into NY.  sugarfish is doing great things and we couldn’t be happier for them.

oh, and who walks into the restaurant while we were eating?! nozawa himself!

overall:  great fish, great people, great experience.  a little pricey but totally worth it.  trust me.

212 north canon drive
beverly hills, ca 90210

Geoffrey’s – Malibu, CA

our first time at geoffrey’s was more than 7 years ago (when we were young, broke and dating. those were the days)!  we talk about it all the time as a great meal and about how we are going to come back etc.  we just never made it back until now.  this time we came for brunch!

we came here for my dad’s birthday.  why this place is a gem:  the view!!!  perfect way to spend a sunday morning sipping on a cup of coffee.

what we ordered:

• ahi tuna tartare
• crab cake benedict over toasted croissant topped with hollandaise sauce
• challah french toast
• sautéed sea scallops with maine lobster risotto and a pomegranate reduction
• seafood paella with saffron rice

the tuna tartare were delicious!! i would definitely get this again! great spicy kick. the french toast was eh. nothing special.  go for the seafood.

another shot of the view.  i could stay here forever.

pops was a fan of the paella.  crab cakes were just ok.  they were over a toasted croissant.  not sure how i felt about it…mostly underwhelmed.  my favorite dish (pictured above) were the scallops.  great, great dish.  it’s a little on the heavy side so you definitely dont want more than they serve.  risotto was delicious (i’m not normally a fan of this), scallops were perfectly cooked and i was pleasantly surprised how well the pomegranate worked with this combination!  this is the must get.

got the bread pudding for dessert.  caramel sauce was burnt.  it was ok.

• service:  great!
• ambience: the view is to die for. 
• price:  on the high side.  you really do pay for the view.  great for special occasions. 
• overall: i would recommend this to anyone looking (i) to get away from the hustle and bustle of los angeles, (ii) to wind down from a hectic week, and (ii) for some great seafood.  

27400 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90265

Salju Dessert – Alhambra, CA

our newest discovery: shaved snow!  we are huge fans of shaved ice…but this concept of shaved snow blew our minds!

so one main big difference is that shaved snow is shaved…(wait for it)… frozen milk!  think ice cream meets shaved ice… the milk makes it creamy/fluffy and just a nice place to call heaven when its a tad sweaty outside.

don’t be fooled by how it looks (not the greatest presentation). after a few minutes of research and a 40 minute drive later (on a slightly hot day), we fell in love. how do you go back to a life before this?  we are still trying to figure that out.

you can get it any way you want (like yogurtland, menchies, etc and put coco pebbles and then some gummy bears lol) but I like it with just fruit. what you need to decide:

- size:  we share a medium.
- snow flavor:  our favorite is lychee
- syrup:  condense milk is a must. (it is drizzled on top)
- toppings:  we get coconut jelly, mango, strawberry and red beans.

that’s all ya need!

cost of a medium $5.  cheap price of a piece of heaven, agreed?  we also like the strawberry milk tea!

find us here during the summer. fo sho.

Bäco Mercat – Downtown Los Angeles

kyle read in GQ magazine that bäco mercat was the best new restaurant of 2012.  since it was such a bold statement, we decided that it will be the next place on our list to try.  so for my birthday, he made a reservation for two!

bäco = a sandwich.  apparently, a special one.  we decided to order:

• el pesco bäco – crispy shrimp, sriracha, chive dressing. obviously we got this because of the sriracha. 
• bazole soup – noodles, pork broth, mushroom and a fried egg (haha, no we did not enjoy the egg).
• caramelized cauliflower w/pine nuts, mint and garlic
• hamachi crudo w/ avocado and hash brown ball
• pork bell ricotta cavatelli (recommended by the waitress)
• cocä bondiga (also recommended by the waitress)
• tamarindo & mango soda (made in-house)

one thing we were blown away by:  the bäco pop!  before coming here, we heard that the soda here was amazing.  amazing?  psh.  obviously i did not believe it.  we got the tamarindo and mango soda anyway.  …i was completely wrong. so wrong. the soda was delicious!  i literally was blown away by it.  (yep) i would come here for this soda.  we actually wanted to buy a case of this for our home.  nuff said.

hamachi crudo came first.  this was delicious!! it was a great start to our dinner.  a pleasant surprise was the hash brown in the form of a ball.  great compliment to the hamachi and the guac.

onto the bäco!  besides the fact that it is just a pita sandwich (i really dont know what we were expecting)…it was wonderful!  the batter was still slightly crispy, the sriracha added a great kick!  great, sandwich! we get the craze.

the bazole was something we did not expect.  we really thought it was going to be pozole… ya know, the kind we eat during the holidays.  nothing like it.  think ramen…with a huge egg in it.  broth was good but the dish overall was just ok.

the cauliflower was great.  i was a fan.

the cavatelli (a pasta) was recommended by the waitress.  this was awful.  we did not like this at all.  not only was the cavatelli green, it kind of looked like we were eating worms.  so childish, i know.  but it wasnt just that…the combination of the pork and the cheese…it didnt taste very good.  do not get this.  there are definitely better dishes than this.

cocä aka crispy flatbread…so basically this is just a thin crust pizza in our opinion.  we were not expecting this…at all.  we ordered the bondiga – three cheese, smoked jalapeno and meatball.  anyway, it was just ok.  we were not in love with this.  the cheese is a little overpowering.

onto dessert (my favorite part)! we ordered the (i) caramel upside down cake w/ pineapple and hazelnut and (ii) chocolate banana cake.  they were both just ok.  my the caramel on my cake was on the burnt side, which i am not a huge fan of (some people love this).

• overall:  while some dishes were a hit or a miss, the hits were definitely worth mentioning and recommending.  we would come back here for sure.  
• parking:  street or lot.  expect to pay…its downtown. 
• tip:  make a reservation.  this place gets packed! 

408 S Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Neighborhood: Downtown

Republic of Pie – Toluca Lake, CA

republic of pie is one of my places to just hang out (here and here). we normally come here for pies and a coffee but on nice mornings when we can make it in, we go for the chicken pot pie! it comes in a small, cute cup.  it’s great. make sure you get it!

• tip:  they have live music on the weekdays!  love it!  favorite pies are the chocolate bread pudding (a la mode of course) and banana cream pie (also a la mode).  
• parking: street parking. 
• atmosphere:  homey, library, coffee shop, all in one. 
• service:  always amazingly friendly. 

11118 Magnolia Blvd
San Fernando Valley, CA 91601

Blue Cow Kitchen – Downtown Los Angeles

this is the vietnamese chicken salad at blue cow kitchen in downtown la.  the geniuses behind mendocino farms created blue cow, an upscale full-service lunch spot that is great on a nice, sunny day.  so this salad is  my favorite thing to get here.

second favorite thing to get: country fried chicken rolls (ahem, hawaiian rolls).  delicious!

350 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90071

Sweetsalt – Toluca Lake, CA

adorable place to have brunch in toluca lake. when we come here, we usually order the shrimp po’ boy.  its not like your average shrimp po’ boy (ya know, the deep fried shrimp kind).  this one has cajun shrimp with crumbled chips and a great spicy aioli.  woo! we’ve tried the lobster roll, truffle chicken, pesto chicken panini, and the short rib sandwich but we always come back to the po’ boy.

we tried the tomato soup this time… probably not again. oh yeah, and each sandwich comes with a nice little salad w/ champagne dressing. this salad always makes me feel uber healthy.

i think you guys know that we are always on the search for great breakfast burritos.  well, sweetsalt has a pretty good breakfast burrito that comes with pretty awesome salsa (which i think makes this burrito).

• atmosphere:  very cute. 
• service: everyone is always nice here.  you order at the cash register, sit down. they bring your food out to you and  you get water on your own.  
• parking: street. we never have a problem.
• overall: always a nice choice for brunch on saturday/sunday.

10218 Riverside Dr
Los Angeles, CA 91602
Neighborhood: Toluca Lake

Asian Fusion @ Asia de Cuba – West Hollywood, CA

asia de cuba is our favorite restaurant in la right now.  we went here for our anniversary last year and fell in love. when a deal on gilt came up for a pre-fix dinner for two at this wonderful place, we obviously had to get it.  so, asia de cuba (in the mondrian hotel) sits on top of a hill in west hollywood, overlooking la.  excellent location.

the night we came, it was cloudy out but still warm enough to sit outside.  love it.

our deal ($110) was a four-course dinner for two. for our starters, we chose (i) ropa vieja of duck and (ii) crispy octopus ajillo. the ropa vieja of duck was topped with hoisin sauce served in lettuce cups. note to self, must get this again.  the duck was moist, sweet with a little spicy kick.  this is a little wrap so its not heavy…however, it is a messy.

the amazing view.  too bad it was cloudy out.

the crispy octopus ajillo w/ caramelized onions and sake pickled lychee was highly recommended by our waitress.  this is something we never have ordered but we are absolutely glad we did.  they werent lying when they named this crispy.  it really is! not dry crispy.  moist on the inside, crispy on the outside.  how do they do it?! for someone who loves crispy texture…this was awesome.

note that the plating here is amazing!  so we took a gazillion photos! (yep, i’m one of those)

calamari salad “asia de cuba”.  this is their signature salad.  calamari, hearts of palm, bananas (yeah first time for us too), cashews and sesame orange dressing.  refreshing.  calamari and cashews give it a nice crunch.

we were weirded out by the bananas at first but the tastes blend so well.

after appetizers, we were given a great palette cleanser: coconut sorbet! delicious!

the view is so amazing.  here’s another shot.

lobster mash was great (mastros, you still win my heart for best lobster mash).  we got this because we thought it would go well with the gambas gigante mai tai a.k.a. giant prawns in red thai curry, rum, and coconut cream.  the curry was good.  we wished it was hotter (temperature and spiciness).  side note: its hard for us now that we have been to thailand…curry was so good there.  now every time we have curry, we compare it to our thailand adventure!

anyway, curry was good. prawns were gigantic.

our second main and one of our favorites: char siu beef short ribs w/ chili orange salsa!  this is absolutely amazing (and it’s amazing every single time we have it). this is definitely another must get dish! taste – think explosion of flavor.  presentation – impressive, clean and very colorful.

dessert – mexican donuts.

tip:  other things that we love here that we couldnt order because it wasnt part of the tasting menu – miso cured alaskan black cod (fish was perfectly prepared) w/ grilled shishito peppers and plantain fried rice topped with avocado salad aka guacamole (asian cuban fusion…get it?!)

• overall:  obviously we are big fans of this place.  we recommend this to anyone looking for a nice view of la and great food.  price point is on the high side so this is definitely a special occasion kinda night.  
• ambience: dining room inside is all white.  large windows overlooking la.  
• service:  great service every time.  we have never gone there when it’s ridiculously packed so you get a lot of undivided attention. 
• parking: valet only.

8440 W Sunset Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Neighborhood: West Hollywood

Blue Dog Beer Tavern – Sherman Oaks, CA

we heard this place had great burgers and have been waiting to try it.  good thing we have awesome friends who went to try it with us.  we came here on a sunday, a little after 11am (opening time).  this was a great time for us since we beat the crowd.

what we ordered:

• the dickens – onion rings, aged cheddar, swiss cheese, and root beer bbq sauce (i’m a sweet bbq lover) $12  
• the fire starter – beef patty, pepper jack cheese, crispy onion strings and a fiery dose of deep-fired jalapeños  and honey chipotle dressing. $12
• black ‘n bleu burger – beef patty blacken, bleu cheese, bacon and bbq sauce.  $12
• blue dog burger – grilled mushrooms, bacon, caramelized onions, swiss cheese, root beer bbq sauce
• ice cream sandwich $7

blue dog beer tavern, think dogs. lots of them. everywhere (even on the menu).

thoughts on the dickens burger (pictured above).  it was a good burger.  greatest? no, but still a good burger.  i had to get this one because its everything i love: bbq sauce and onion rings.  i liked the bbq sauce and onion rings but nothing stood out.

i take that back.  one thing that did stand out was the bun (same bun on all the burgers we ate).  great bun.  soft, but not too soft that the whole thing get soggy and falls apart.

the fire starter (below) was very, very good in my opinion.  loved the jalapeños and the chipotle sauce.  would definitely get this again.

black ‘n bleu burger.  according to our friend, it was pretty good as well.

each burger comes with salad or fries (regular or garlic).  for those who know me, i never opt for the salad.  anyway, for some reason, i always think that garlic fries are going to be awesome.  8 out of 10 times, i am wrong.  i love garlic but most of the time, the garlic is way to strong for a social setting and you are battling bad breath all day and into the next day.  so, these garlic fries are intense.  just look at my one bite.  yeah, intense.

unless you like popping cloves in your mouth, stick with regular fries.

blue dog burger.  pretty much the dickens but instead of fried onion rings, caramelized ones and some nice bacon.  our friends thought it was just okay.  (they are still huge fans of golden state)

onto the ice cream sandwich.  i was crushed that there were no non-chocolate desserts.  but everyone said we had to get this delicious ice cream sandwich.  they were right.  it was a hit and devoured in 5 minutes.  definitely must get this.

awesome story about dessert: our server over heard kyle making fun of me for not having any dessert to eat so he came out with a bowl of vanilla ice cream just for me!! i instantly fell in love with this place.  blue dog, i thank you for being so freaking awesome and for the consideration.

overall: great joint to watch sports.  great place to hang out with friends and enjoy a burger and some beer.  you wont be disappointed…especially with the ice cream sandwich.  price point is on the high side, especially for a burger but one can argue this is on the gourmet side.

tip: small parking lot so you might have to search the streets for parking.

4524 saugus ave
sherman oaks, ca 91403
neighborhood: sherman oaks