Gwen: LA Restaurant Review

Not everything goes according to plan, and when you go to restaurants “on your list” for dinner one night and lunch the next day, it can really throw you for a loop… and this did! I was planning on a romantic (and expensive) dinner at Gwen, but what we never expected was to discover that Gwen is one of LA’s hidden LUNCH gems! Some of the highest quality meats in the city at reasonable prices?! Yea, actually.

Even though the restaurant’s tall ceilings, accented by incredible design and elaborate chandeliers, are still present, this is actually a very casual lunch spot. You order at the counter, take a number (I’m not sure if we actually took one) and the wait staff brings your food to the table when it’s ready. It wasn’t immediate, since they clearly cook from scratch, but it was relatively empty in there and didn’t take long at all.

Mar012018

Casablanca: LA Restaurant Review

Disclaimer: This was NOT on our original list, but it should’ve been! Why? When I first arrived in LA to visit Fit’s family, on the way home from the airport, I remember her mum pointing this place out and saying, “they have the best tortillas ever.” I’ve heard that dozens of times over the years and we finally had the chance to try them out! (Fit went here from time to time while growing up.)

Next up in our Must-Visit LA Restaurants of 2018 project is Casablanca! So, a little more background before we talk food at Casablanca… our friends were in town and were nice enough to let us know! When we asked where they wanted to eat, one said that her brother recommended this spot since they were staying in Venice. I was thrilled to finally have the chance to test out Casablanca’s tortillas and I was NOT disappointed.

Even though we strolled in right around the start of peak dinner hours, they were already nearly full, but we were seated immediately. It is a very interesting spot: imagine a Hollywood-inspired building from a past century that transported you to Morocco and served you Mexican food. While it probably belongs closer to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it fits in Venice very well. It’s been around forever. Warmth builds in the tight dining room with what feels like a low ceiling, especially when you notice the tortillas being made a few feet away and realize that the piano is behind played behind your back. This place has a lot of character.

Feb222018

The Ponte: LA Restaurant Review

When we started this project (Must-Visit Restaurants in LA), we knew there would be challenges depending on our schedules, but we vowed to keep the wheels on the wagon and here we are for our third installment. While we didn’t order our top 40 list, The Ponte definitely would’ve fallen into the top 10. With Food Network celebrity chef Scott Conant behind this high-end Italian restaurant and considering his reputation for pasta mastery, our expectations were high.

But then, we were thrown a curveball. When researching The Ponte, it seemed as if they had a slew of entrees in the $28-32 dollar range, which is in our $$$ range. However, I didn’t consider that my Valentine’s Day reservations might have come with a third wheel on our date: a fixed, four-course meal. Still, as we valeted our car and walked through their enchanting entrance at the back of the restaurant, we decided that our entire focus would be on enjoying this experience.

And. we. did.

Feb192018

Our Week(end) in Pictures

This is from Valentine’s Day to a lovely wedding in Mexico City!

Valentine’s Day included an amazing meal at The Ponte

Feb132018

There is NO National Pizza Day!

Is anyone else extremely skeptical about all of these new National (Holi)days that have been popping up? Am I the only one who thinks that there were actually four National Donut Days and five National Pizza Days in 2017? Could this all be a huge scheme by major industries to get us to buy more of this and that? Is the illuminati behind all of this?

Seriously though, we’re all about trying to find a way to create balance in your life so that you can eat your pizza and look/feel great, but there are some serious challenges that come with all these days being created. While certain pizza might not be “bad” for you, they aren’t going to be the “best” source of nutrition on any given day. The same goes for donuts, ice cream and every other day that revolves around eating foods that are often considered cheat meals or guilty pleasures.

Feb092018

Not-So-Fit Lemon Bars

We are Hungry & Fit…we eat a lot and we work out a lot. We love to embrace the concept called moderation. It’s one of our favorite things. So yeah, you’re allowed a donut here and there as long as you’re not throwing one back every day. I mean, really, you can do whatever you want, but if you are trying to be moderate, be moderate. Don’t kill yourself exercising so that you injure yourself (lookin’ at you, Hungry) and don’t binge every night. To us, life is all about balance and moderation. Add gratitude, and we think it’s the key to a full, happy life. In a way, you can have your cake and eat it too through moderation! Hungry and I chow down but still manage to keep fit. Thus, I present to you the Not-So-Fit Lemon Bars.

I based this recipe off of Genius Kitchen’s lemon bars. Even though I wouldn’t call my recipe healthy, I certainly “healthized” (it’s a word, trust me) it up from its original state. This recipe has much less sugar and way more lemon–I prefer a tart dessert over a sweet one. I love lemon bars because of that tartness. It’s that tang that first hits you and then the sweetness melts you over. Mmm! These Not-So-Fit Lemon Bars are very easy to make and are sure to impress.

Jan292018

Our Weekend in Pics

Whole lotta cuteness

Jan272018

Not-Your-Nonna’s Arrabbiata Sauce Recipe

Sugo all’arrabbiata. The angriest sauce in all of Italian cuisine. It might not be as angry as your nonna when you don’t listen to her, but it can pack quite a punch. Hailing from the Lazio region (think Rome) of Italia, like my ancestors, you’d think that it’d be blasphemy for me to even consider altering the thousand-year old recipe, but… I can’t help myself.

You see, this is a simple sauce that doesn’t quite hit the spice level of fra diavolo, but compared to commercial Italian pasta sauces in American grocery stores, it’ll make your nose run a bit. Typically, its made from striking the perfect balance of tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and red chiles (most use red chili flake), but we’re really going off the walls here and using a much different source of heat.

No, we’re not talking about Calabrian chili oil; we wouldn’t dare use ingredients from Southern Italia. We’d rather take a near 7,000 mile plane from Rome to Jakarta, to pick up some SAMBAL! I hope we haven’t lost you, yet, because this is about to get tasty.

Jan242018

The Impossible Burger

Intriguing. When you think about it, that isn’t a word that you would normally associate with food. You might think, ‘wow, this is intriguing’ at first, but after some thought, you’d find a better-suited word. Sometimes for better and often for worse, we have a tendency to give more credit than is due when it comes to food. Just think about the hysteria that erupts when well-known foods (such as poke and ramen) are brought to areas where the population aren’t familiar with them. Hysteria.

Then, there are the few times that you really are truly intrigued by what you’re eating. The thought of it is so complex, so mesmerizing that you can’t help but learn more about it. And no, we’re not talking about a sushirito here (aka a sushi burrito) or any other nonsensical scheme to be different, cool, or earn money fast–we’re talking about the true gems out there.