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.

Feb072018

Connie & Ted’s: LA Restaurant Review

Second stop on our 2018 “Must Visit Before We Move Out of LA” Food Tour (last stop was Sqirl and next week is… well, we’re not sure yet, but we’re going to have a nice, romantic meal at The Ponte on Valentine’s Day) is Connie & Ted’s. Connie & Ted’s is a restaurant based on a New England love story featuring, well, Connie & Ted who are this restaurant owner’s grandparents. When you think New England, you perhaps think lobster or clam chowder or some kind of seafood–and that’s what Connie & Ted’s is all about! The restaurant is huge with plenty of staff and it is everything seafood. Obviously, expectations are high based on their reputation, perennial presence on Mr. Gold’s 101 Best List, etc.

Feb022018

Carmo (New Orleans, LA)

An important note: Fit had been here before and was excited to return because of their amazing vegetarian selection. After our meal, she did say that it was much (much) better the last time she went, and that they probably had somewhat of an off-night. Taking her word, I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt.

All that hype, unfortunately, raised my expectations and I was looking forward to something magnificent. Carmo was an interesting find in the beignet & crawfish capital of the country: a vegan-friendly but still meat-serving funky joint serving meals from around the world. I was immediately skeptical when I looked at the menu. How could someone prepare and serve dishes from cuisines across the entire globe? I love the CONCEPT of traveling around the world during dinner, but could the kitchen execute?

Jan302018

Sqirl: LA Restaurant Review

Recently, we launched one of our most exciting projects of the year: LA’s Must-Visit Restaurants of 2018. What does this mean exactly and why is it so exciting? Well…it means instead of ordering Indian for the fifth week in a row, we are going to try new places! Each week, from this list that you’ll find in the post linked above, we are going to try a highly-rated (from someone or another) restaurant in Los Angeles and then tell you, our beloved readers, about it! Our first stop in this epic adventure was Sqirl, a “contemporary breakfast and lunch” as they word it.

It was rather a chance occasion that we did this; my brother’s girlfriend’s cousin (I know, it’s a mouthful) was in town and they were all going to breakfast at Sqirl. We got an invite and said, why not! Sqirl is just on the border of Silver Lake and East Hollywood and boy do you notice. No parking and plenty of hipsters abound! We parked a few blocks away and hiked down one of Silver Lake’s many mountain-like hills to a little cafe. The cafe is “hip” with plenty of hipsters both in line and cooking, serving, and/or cashiering. If you don’t know the exact address, you’ll find Sqirl by the at-least 15-person wait line (and that’s if you’re lucky and/or smart and go at 8:30am) outside. The format of food-getting is wait in a line to get to the counter, order your food, and hope for a table. Like I said, it’s a little place, so there aren’t many of them. The smartest thing to do is split your party into table-grabbers and food-orderers.

Jan282018

LA’s Must-Visit Restaurants of 2018

As we wrap up the last weekend of the first month in the year, we consider what else does 2018 have in store for us? Well, how about you switch roles, sit in the driver’s seat and ask yourself, what do we have in store for 2018? You’ve followed us on our move from New York City to Boulder, Colorado. (That road-trip, with a long stop in Mason City, Iowa, is when we started this blog!) After two years of eating all the delicious food in Boulder, we packed the animals in the car and headed to Los Angeles.

While we’ve been in LA for about three and a half years, we realized that there are so many top-notch restaurants that we haven’t been to yet! With a move coming up at the end of the year, we decided to show some restraint, avoid going back to our favorite eateries for the 10th time and make an epic list of LA’s must-visit restaurants of 2018! Every week of 2018, we’re going to try one new restaurant on the list, try to take some amazing photos for you (if the lighting is right) and review our experience there!

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.