Sunday, August 7, 2011

California Food Finds.

I recently came back from a trip to California.  Besides wanting to see the places Ive heard about and saw in movies, I was really excited to taste some new food and visit a few restaurants I have heard of.  Our itenerary was Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, LA, Malibu, and Santa Monica, and these were the places we found along the way.
1. Pinks Hot dogs - Awesome chili cheese dogs, and a landmark in La, after our delicious artery blocking lunch, we could have used some tums.















 2.The Original Pantry - a breakfast diner open since 1924 that serves a wicked breakfast in downtown LA
2 eggs with their amazing potatoes were delicious, but the showstopper was the sour dough french toast.  I really have never tasted french toast this good, I will definitely be trying this at home.

3. Taco Loco - a famous taco place in Laguna Beach


You cant beat these fresh and delicious shrimp and mahi tacos, plus cheese nachos with guacamole.  With a view of the pacific coast, this place made a perfect afternoon trip to Laguna Beach.





4. The Inn  - Malibu Cafe overlooking the coast

The food was just ok, but I really liked the way they served their guacamole, in a small bowl with chips arranged inside.  Here on the right you've got a deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich, now this was definitely worth the trip to Malibu, plus the great view of the beach and surfers.

5. Bazaar - an innovative restaurant in Beverly Hills.  This restaurant serves small plates so we shared 8 incredible dishes between the 2 of us.
We started with the sweet potato chips and yogurt sauce,  the chips were definitely hand made and the dipping sauce was delicious, decorated with balsamic vinegar and olive oil it was a beautiful and delicious start. 
 






This is their version of caprese salad,  if you placed a tomato ball ( which was scooped with a melon baller, impressive) with the melt in your mouth mozzarella ball, basil sauce and crouton, you get the most incredible flavor in your mouth all at once, no wonder this is their most popular dish.





Next was their version of a philly cheese steak, this was an air roll filled with cheese and thin sliced beef on top, incredible melt in your mouth flavor.

Focaccia bread with a spiced tomato spread and manchego cheese. Delicious.








 Deep friend chicken and cheese in a bite size popper.  Amazing.
This was a nice dish, chicken with figs in a mustard sauce.  Nice balance of flavors.
 This one was my least favorite because I'm not a fan of pork sausage, but the fried mixture on the bottom was very tasty, it was a combination of potatoes, mushrooms, white beans and corn, great flavor which I will have to try one of these days.
This was our final dish, boneless chicken wings, with an olive spread.  This was also ok, not my favorite.
Overall we had an amazing dinner, definitely recommend this place.

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