Breakfast at The Parish - Downtown

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Yes, that's right. The Parish in Downtown L.A. is now open for breakfast, starting at 7:30am. They are serving coffee and pastries. Isn't that awesome!? I was so excited to come here for breakfast, also they were having Facebook promotion, so I got a free cup of coffee with refill!

They also have an happy hour 5-7pm, and 11pm-close.

















Yummy looking baked goods














I wanted to try bacon date scones and also beignets but I guess I'll have to wait till next time.













Lemon-Huckleberry Pinwheel $4
light buttery pastry with lemon curd, little huckleberry












Sausage brioche $4













Big sausage inside. It was also buttery (well, it's brioche, of course buttery)













coffee













Fried chicken, Maple Dijon and pickles $4













My favorite. It was damn good. I thought it's gonna be too salty for me but it wasn't.Delicious biscuit with delicious fried chicken and maple dijon! A must try.














Rating : 4.5 / 5
Service: 4 / 5
Repeat: Yes

The Parish
840 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90015

(213) 225-2400

Breakfast: Mon-Fri 7:30am-noon
Sat-Sun 7:30am-1:00pm
Dinner & Bar: 5pm-2am

http://www.theparishla.com/

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-parish-los-angeles

  Posted in: downtown LA

Pookie's Thai

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           A small place amidst offices, by a pond with ducks swimming in the sun, kitchen busy to keep up with its loyal customers, and Mrs.Pookie flashing a smile at all her guests taking orders and serving the most delicious thai food in Westlake Village. That’s the Pookie’s Thai. The place was started 7 years ago and today its our favorite here in LA. The first thing you notice here is the way its hidden amongst offices at The Water Court. Next, the welcoming nature of the place makes you return every week!

Pond at Water court in front of the restaurant

                Our favorite appetizer is ‘Kra Thong Thong’. Wonton cups filled with chicken, peas and carrots served with a hot n sweet sauce. It’s a great way to start your journey into the enticing flavors of Thailand.

Kra Thong Thong

Another popular appetizer is the Wow! Westlake Roll. It looks like salad wrapped in rolls. Tofu, cucumber, basil, cilantro, carrots wrapped in rice sheets and served with a special sauce. It’s a lovely combination that is so refreshing to the palate. The flavor of the basil simply pops out amongst the veggies dipped in the sauce.

WOW! Westlake Rolls

                To accompany your meal try thai iced tea. A pink drink with a hint of tea.

Thai Iced Tea

                On weekdays you can have lunch specials with duck, beef, chicken, everything. But otherwise, here are a few that we relish. Spicy monsoon noodles are my choice for a nice hot and sweet delight. Made of flat noodles, basil, bell peppers, mushroom and beef, chicken or pork it was a splash of flavor for us in this monsoon weather.

Spicy Monsoon Noodles

            Hi, Yo! Silver is a milder choice made of fried silver noodles, shrimp, chicken, sprouts, tomato and egg.

Hi, Yo! Silver

                Now for the fun part. You must be knowing about the famous red and green curries of thai cuisine. Well here, its definitely the best. They are served with white or brown rice, and you cannot stop eating it. We got a special treat when we ordered the green curry last time. Its called jade curry here, and as you might know the curry is made of coconut milk. But what if it is served to you in a coconut itself with fresh coconut floating in the gravy!! Yumm.. I have had nothing so exotic and yummy!

Ruby Curry(red curry)

Jade Curry(green curry)

                Now coming to the rice, my choice is Prapan’s rice. The rice is full of spice, meat, bell peppers, onions and loads of flavor. Try it with one of the curries, it is heavenly!!

Prapan's Rice

                So the next time you go to this place, don’t be scared of trying anything, I guarantee everything is going to be superb!! Enjoy yourself!!

Ducks in the pond

Useful Links:http://www.pookiethai.com/home.html

Maria's Italian Kitchen

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                Established in 1975 by Maria Alfano, this Italian Kitchen is a blessing to LA. The owners were actually from Hoboken, NJ, but then fell in love with CA on a visit, and opened Maria’s Italian Kitchen. It is now open in 10 different locations in and around LA, serving fresh pasta, breads, pizza, salad, and much more! Here are a few of their lip smacking dishes.            Like most Italian places Maria’s serve complimentary garlic bread. But these are not like any other you might have tasted. Drizzled with oregano and garlic and eaten with olive oil, the bread gives you an intro to what you are about to savor.

Garlic bread

Cheese fries

              As appetizer we tried their formaggio fritti. We weren’t familiar with what to expect but once we tried it, I am sure its something we will always have! Formaggio is a chewy kind of cheese, which is fried with bread crumbs to make it a fritti. The portion had just two rectangular pieces served with fresh marinara sauce and arugula leaves. Oh! What do I tell you about the sauce!! It was the best I ever tasted. You can taste the freshness, the juiciness and the sweetness of the tomatoes and when combined with the frittas, the combo is heaven! We also had cheese fries. These potato fries were drizzled with cheese and had just the flavor to tell you they were different. Frankly, I wouldnt say they are great. They were well done, tasted good but not extraordinary.

Formaggio Fritti

                For the main course, we tried three different varieties just to get the taste of the place. And oh! I forgot to mention, we had a guest this time. You will hear about her in the next few posts too, ‘cause we are having a holiday together. That is why we could try 3 entrees instead of just 2.                One of them was vegetarian lasagna. This lasagna had spinach, portabella mushrooms, grilled zucchini, smoked mozzarella and sautéed broccoli. And of course their fresh marinara too! It was such a mouthful, and so yummy, I am waiting to try it myself some day. It was a large portion though, so unless you are very hungry, you might end up with a doggy bag.

Vegetarian Lasagna

                The other entrée was the Spicy shrimp and Roasted corn Risotto. For those who do not know, Risotto is simply rice cooked in broth of meat/ vegetable till it gets a creamy consistency and served with any kind of meat. The kind we tasted was accompanied by shrimp, corn, and red chilli flakes, sun-dried tomatoes and cream. It’s a treat for those who love seafood and its distinct flavor cause this dish is loaded with it!

Spicy Shrimp and roasted corn Risotto

                The third was ravioli a la marinara. The description on the menu reads “Delicious paper thin pasta pillows of Ricotta stuffed pasta. Light and delicious” And yes, it was just that. Inspite of being just the basic Italian combination, it tasted so special on my palate when the ricotto just melted in my mouth blending with the marinara. Hmmmm… I need to have it right now! And since it was just the right portion, you can enjoy it all you want, just until you can. It wont get too much into you.

Ravioli a la Marinara

                So maria’s Italian Kitchen is my best choice for fresh marinara, and cheese. I bet you will not leave unhappy after eating at this place! Enjoy yourselves….  

Useful links:http://www.mariasitaliankitchen.com/

BJ's Restaurant

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     BJ's is a restaurant that is famous for its beer and food along with a friendly atmosphere to be with friends or family. Here are a few of our favourites @ this amazing place.

    We absolutely love their Santa Fe rolls.Filled with chicken, beans, cheese, and peppers, served with their Santa fe sauce and avocado cream sauce, it feels awesome. You just cant stop eating them and licking the sauce! While the rolls are our staple appetizer, the last time we were there we tried their Best beginners appetizer combo. Oh yes! It was definititely the best for beginners. They have their Santa fe rolls, Avocado egg rolls, Spinach and artichoke dip with nachos, and mozzerella sticks with marinara all in one plate. You get a taste of all their wonderful spices in the kitchen and they suit everyone's taste on the table too! I am a fan of their dips. The spinach and artichoke dip was great!

Mediterranean Deep Dish Pizza

 Something you cannot miss eating at BJs are their deep dish pizzas. Try any of them. They are all excellent A crunchy crust and hot chewy cheeze, yummmm... We loved the Southwestern and the Mediterranean. Here is the Mediterranean.

A slice of deep satisfaction!

Pizooki Trio

      Now for the desserts. Their exclusive Pizooki is well worth its popularity. Hot freshly baked cookies with ice cream. You can either have one bigg Pizooki all by youself if you have some space left in your tummy after the delicious pizza, or you can share the Pizooki Trio with your choice of cookies cookie n cream, Chocolate macadamia nut, Chocolate chunk, Peanut butter or oatmeal raisin walnut.






Useful Links:

http://www.bjsbrewhouse.com/

Filippi's flips you over!

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    Famished after a day long stroll in the San diego zoo, we were hunting for some good italian food in Little Italy. We picked Filippi's Pizza Grotto. We are fanatics of italian food, so we were ready to dine in this famous italian deli cum restaurant. We were there on monday evening at 8:30pm, and we had to wait 25min to be seated! So you can imagine how popular it must be! They have other locations all around San diego, and stretching upto Napa too!

   Waiting in line, and observing the deli around me, I counted more than 20 kinds of EVOO(Extra virgin Olive Oil), Wines from all over the world, including their own home brew France ca Chile Flippis. And cheese?? Dont ask me! I couldnt count them....Displayed in the counter, hanging on the counter, there was cheese everywhere! Of course, no italian store can not have pasta! There was loads and loads of pasta everywhere... It was a delight to see almost everything italian in the store.
    
Once you pass the deli and enter the restaurant you know they have been around for  a long long time. The place was full! Tables all over, waiters running all over, 'bottles' hanging from the ceiling everywhere! I later got to know they were bottles of Bell'agio Chianti dry red wine, ordered and autographed by their customers. This place was screaming, 'You are here for SOME experience'!! 



    




We ordered some fresh garlic bread, and then binged into this cheezy, pizza surprise. It was the Vegetarian Special, with loads of cheese smothered all over, mushrooms, onions, tomato and black olives. Ingredients are not so appealing I know!( there was no chicken on the menu) But the pizza was certainly a mouthful. 





     After the pizza, we were ready for more. So we tried their Eggplant Parmigiana in the a la carte (smaller portion) with some lasagna. Yummm... it was perfecto! The pictures may not completely tell you how it tasted, but... neither can I! But if you are any where close to Little Italy in San Diego, do make sure you check out this place. The ambiance itself will bowl you over!

Useful Links:
http://www.realcheesepizza.com/

Calamari and Cannoli at Ferraro's Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, Las Vegas!

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A great Italian restaurant in Las Vegas!
     I have wanted to try Ferraro's Italian Restaurant for a long time.  I have heard nothing but good things about this restaurant!       While running errands on a day off, I became hungry in the late afternoon.  I had a snack of vegetable samosas at the Origin India restaurant and I was still hungry.  I thought about dining later in the day and having a full dinner, but an afternoon of appetizers and desserts seemed more appealing.  Lighter food is better when the afternoon weather is hot.  Appetizers are nice when the cocktail hours roll around and it was getting to be that time of day.     Ferraro's Italian Restaurant is located at 4480 Paradise Road, at the intersection of Harmon.  Ferraro's is directly across the street from the Hard Rock Casino and it is next door to the UNLV campus.       It has been over twenty years since I have worked in a fine Italian restaurant that had a comparable  atmosphere to Ferraro's Italian restaurant.  I once worked at a Northern Italian restaurant that was managed by an Italian monk.  To say the least, that old restaurant was very posh and it had the feel of a classic fine restaurant in Italy.  The atmosphere at Ferraro's had that same kind of feel.  It was the afternoon hours, so the pace and style of service was a little more casual.  Still, the customers at Ferraro's were dressed in fine clothes for the cocktail hour and early dinner hours.  You might say that I found a place in Las Vegas that has a respectable true business casual clientele in the afternoons.  I really liked the respectable atmosphere, especially since I had become used to dining in a long string of very casual restaurants.  It was nice to get back in touch with the meaning of the word "class"!     I sat at a table in the cocktail lounge in Ferraro's.  The afternoon cocktail crowd was having a good time watching a ball game.  The cocktail lounge waitstaff were busy and fun.  I mentioned that I really was craving a nice cold glass of Italian beer to the waitress when she asked if I wanted a drink.  The waitress said "Moretti on draft!"  I said yes, but the waitress had already was on her way to the bar to get my beer!  This girl was fun and quick!  I do like good Italian beer.  It is refreshingly sharp and not too heavy.     I was glancing at the menu and the waitress said "Calamari!  Ours is the best in town!"  I said yes!  This waitress was not only a great waitress, but she was a mind reader too.  How did she know that I loved crispy fried calamari with marinara, while sipping on a good Italian beer?  Well, truth be told, I think everybody likes that combination in the afternoon!       The calamari was excellent!  Lightly seasoned and floured, crispy fried and the marinara sauce was perfect!  As you can see in the photographs, the calamari had a light color, so the chef used fresh frying oil.  The tomato sauce was top notch!  Even the classic sprinkle of crushed red pepper was placed on top.  That is a classic touch for serving tomato sauce with calamari.  The waitress was absolutely correct when she said that Ferraro's calamari is the best in town!     Dessert!  I craved something sweet.  The waitress suggested tiramisu, but I had plans to make a special tiramisu for this blog.  An Italian friend from Philadelphia sent a few photographs of local Italian restaurant's cannoli from South Philly to my Facebook page earlier that day.       When someone sends pictures of food to my page, I sometimes go into a gladiator state of mind.  Were the cannoli photos a snobbish statement from Little Italy in Philly?  Was this some kind of a cannoli challenge?  Did my friend want to start a cannoli war?       Well, the cannoli battle commenced!  I figured that I would order cannoli at Ferraro's and send photographs of the cannoli back to my Italian friend in Philly.  No holds barred, unlimited time limit, battle of the Italian cannoli photos!     As I waited for my order of cannoli, I was hoping for the best.  The best is what I got!  The presentation of the cannoli was a work of modern art!  The vertical presentation was how I was trained to present cannoli at the fine Northern Italian restaurant that I mentioned working in, earlier in this article.  The difference was, Ferraro's chef painted the plate with chocolate and garnished the plate with suiting edible flowers.  This was a nice looking plate of cannoli!       The cannoli were simply flavored with cinnamon and a very nice delicato touch was used when adding the cinnamon to the cheese filling.  The cheese filling was whisked to the perfect light texture that is necessary for piping.  Just enough sugar was added to sweeten the cannoli filling.  The sweetness level was perfect!  The cannoli shells looked like they were also hand crafted and they had a very light crispy texture.       Of course the photograph of Ferraro's cannoli easily won the cannoli battle between my South Philly Italian friend and I!  The problem was, I hit the wall of eating too much and I had one cannoli leftover.  I asked for the one piece of untouched surviving cannoli to be wrapped to-go and I later gave it to a New York Italian friend that lives here in Las Vegas.  The guy went bananas!  He had cannoli all over his lips and he was trying to talk with a mouthful of cannoli, like homesick New York Italians do.  I just had to laugh!  Yes, my New York Italian friend liked Ferraro's cannoli too!     Ferraro's offers a full menu of great Italian food that is prepared to perfection.  Osso bucco is one of the house specialties.  The chef's quality standard is organic meats and vegetables as well as sustainable seafood.  All breads, desserts and pastas are made fresh daily and there is even gluten free offerings.  The chef at Ferraro's is not only quality oriented, he is aware of the modern trend of guilt free organic sustainable dining.  That trend is a now a standard in Las Vegas fine dining.       Ferraro's also has a state of the art decanter wine bar and they offer very fine Italian wines.  There is live entertainment nightly and the piano is set on a stage that can be seen from the dining room.  For the late night crowd, Ferraro's offers a reverse happy hour.  That is nice for restaurant personnel who start their evening late.     I highly recommend Ferraro's for visitors of Las Vegas and locals alike!  Ferraro's is the place to go for great Italian food with a modern classy casual atmosphere.  Ferraro's is simply doing everything the right way!  Yum!  ...  Shawna