India's Clay Oven...romance is in the air...maybe it's the spices

7233 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)936-1000
Sun-Thur 10:30AM-10:30PM
Fri-Sat 10:30AM-11PM

I miss seeing people. I miss meeting people. At heart many people say that they could never label me as "not outgoing," but they forget about the time when they first met me and I was quiet. Observant. Wanting to impress, so I chose my words more carefully. Then as time went on I became quite the animated outspoken person that they know me as now, but that only came with spending time with them. My wife Celeste can vouch on everything I just said. I think this mentality is what keeps me the way I am when I visit restaurants. I'm never one to start talking to people I don't know right off the bat. I'll go, and try and be as inconspicuous as possible. I almost desire to be forgettable. Maybe inwardly I want people to work hard to get to know me. Who knows? I try and recall when Celeste (my wife) met me. Was I this hard to get to know? Oh that's right...she pretty much blew me off the night I met her...so at least you can conclude that I was not assertive (it was with persistence that I gained victory) . Anyways, these were things I pondered last time we went out to India's Clay Oven. I still love the fact that I go out on dates with her.

India's Clay Oven isn't a romantic spot per se but I've found that romance is what you make it and where you bring it. Dare I say it can be at a bus stop if you make it right. The place is nice and cozy though and rocking LA's Indian food scene for about 17 years now. They gotten raves from LA Times, LA Weekly, LA Magazine and Elmer Dills from channel 7 and they bring their A game to each customer that comes in, so much so that customers keep coming back. While dining there you may notice them welcoming people by name cause people return, and return with friends. The best type of viral marketing.

One of their items they're especially known for are their samosas. They are without a doubt something special. Lots of samosas suffer from blandness and too hard or thick of a shell. This is not the case with these. They have a knack for being super consistent with how light the outside is and how smooth the potato is with the peas enhancing the subtle spices. If you go in, these are a must try. Not to mention they're pretty hearty sized and a good price.

This time around, we also grabbed an order of Lamb Boti kabab, the Paneer Korma Curry and a plate of Murg (Chicken) Buryani. The Lamb Boti had pretty massive chunks of lamb that came out sizzling on a platter with sweet onions. We drizzled some lemon on it and the explosive flavor on each bite was a knockout. The lamb was moist bearing some sweetness from the onions and the spices were pungent in all those wonderful clay oven ways.

The Paneer Korma curry is without a doubt one of my faves there. It's not completely smooth which is great for the flavors of this dish. Sometimes Korma has the tendency to be a little too creamy where it weights you down early on in your meal. Their's is rich but not heavy and laced throughout with cashews and onion. It's lightly spiced and quite memorable when you have it. The paneer itself is firm and it's mild flavor complemented. I could eat at this plate once or twice a month and be totally happy.

The last words on India's Oven is that the surrounding area is street parking, and after 6 they have valet (if you know the area you know why) . To complete a night of makeshift romance, after you've grabbed your dinner you can head over a couple of doors to LA's best and I think only dedicated movie revival house to catch a double feature.

In the end, I think that this site is my form of getting people to know about me without me having to deal with my shyness. Thanks for partaking in my conversation.

Free Refills: Yes but they also have rocking India's Special beer (as well as other assorted Indian beer)
Entree Price Range: $9 to $15 (one item being $19) and combination plates run $16 to $19

Lulu's Cafe...as bright as a country sunrise

7149 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles , CA 90036
(323)938-6095
Daily 8AM-5:30PM

I love how this week's entries has Pistachio Grill bookended by Lala's and Lulu's. Where to begin? Well, it seems silly of me to say that I can't remember a time out here when Lulu's wasn't here. Even before I was going there I always saw it's busy outside patio filled with the hustle and bustle of people filling their stomachs with some great looking breakfast plates. It seemed to be a hub for the party battle weary. People showing up in sandals and shorts with sunglasses on to hide the hungover look in their eyes. People who do have actual lives, but need a place to recoup. This was my visual introduction to Lulu's.

Over time, I found that I too returned to Lulu's more often than not for a solid way to start the day. They have the magic on the inside to transport you to a very country atmosphere. From the table cans showing off fruit and veggie advertising from yesteryear to the always sunny feel of the room, you get that inner sigh. Though the crowds of people might distract you, you still feel all warm even on a rare LA rainy day.

This last time through we ordered up some classic fare for us, their House Benedict and their special made Granola. Their House Benedict I truly feel is designed to satisfy the heartiest of appetites. It's two medium poached eggs with hollandaise sauce, avocado, tomato and ham served over a toasted English muffin with a side of crisp home fries. They get the eggs on the medium side every time and the ham really makes it so that each bite doesn't wear you out flavor wise. Sometimes a bad Benedict can just wear on your taste buds and while you're still hungry you won't want to finish it. Not so in this case, it's good to the last yolk doused potato.

Celeste, obviously, was the one who ordered granola. The fruit was all at peak ripeness, and I think she actually ate all the strawberries before starting in on the granola. The granola itself was hearty and chunky, none of it was too hard or too dry, they didn't over-do it on the cinnamon and it had a nice maple touch to it. To granola connoisseurs this is an important factor. Overall it's one of her favorite bowls in the city.

Though I don't have pictures for them I can also highly recommend their French Toast, most of their egg dishes are dynamite and for lunch their burgers are right up there as well as BBQ chicken sandwich and BLT. Just about anything that has fruit is great! Whoever they get their fruit from has an amazing quality of crop.

Lulu's Cafe has street parking and some limited parking in the back, but the service is on the faster side so the turnaround is at a decent pace. It's located near the shopping stretch of La Brea which makes it refreshing after tiring your feet out. While they aren't open for dinner, they do have breakfast and lunch to satiate those early birds who so desire to fight off the nightlife style that is LA.

PS. For those too lazy to get up they do deliver with a $15 minimum.

Drink Refills: Yup
Entree Price Range:$6 to $10

Milk ... Dessert - Part 1(I'll be back for the full menu)

7290 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323)939-6455
Sun-Thu 6AM-10PM
Fri-Sat 6AM-11PM

"So," I said, "what's all the hype about this new place Milk?" as I continued to see blog after blog saying how incredibly good this new place was. So on our hot and lazy Sunday afternoon, Celeste and I decided it would be the perfect time to visit this creamery of creameries.

We got there and fussed over what to get for a while (on the picture of the menu shown below, the desserts and drinks take up two of the three panels), then got in the line which was pleasantly fast and proceeded to order entirely too much. If there are any actors reading this post that need to put on weight for a part, this is definitely one way to do it!

We started with their Bonbons (the variety changes daily) and had two mint and two coffee. Both were great little morsels of goodness. The one thing I'd caution you on though is that they've packed some concentration of flavor into these things. So if you wanted to try these, but the flavors of the day aren't your thing, save it for another time so you can truly enjoy them. That said, the ones were got were super creamy and I must admit I wanted to grab some more!

Now Celeste, the die hard that she is, got the Cookies & Cream ice cream bar, which she loved. And besides being happy that it was not too rich, this was also the first point at which we could tell how fresh and creamy their ice cream was.

Then of course, this was an awesome surprise... and yes ladies and gentlemen, there were Oreos in the center!

Before she could finish that, they brought out my towering nostalgia, a Rootbeer Float. It was like I was a kid again, except better. Two big scoops of their vanilla ice cream (which they make themselves) sat in a gourmet rootbeer, by the name of Hank's, which I'd never heard of before. Ahhh so lovely.

As scrumptious as all this was, on our way out we looked at the baked goods a little too long...

.... and walked out with 6 of these cookies in a bakery bag. Three were good old chocolate chip. Three were their Ooey Gooey Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies(consider them the cookie version of a lava cake). The center of the ooey gooey was for the people who crave chocolate with a passion, not for the faint of teeth!

We finished off our Milk filled after noon and evening when we poured ourselves some milk and sat down for a movie with our milk and cookies, and I'd highly recommend you do the same! Summer time is now upon us and I predict with the heat rising this home of traditonal creamed desserts done right will be full to the brim.

Free Drink Refills: Nope but what'd you expect free dessert ;)
Entree Price: For dessert .75 to about $6 (I'll be back with a part 2 to have some of their amazing normal food I've heard such great things about).

**************The Tag addendum*************
I'm supposed to post 7 random facts about myself thanks to Catherine over at The Urban Epicurean. The sad fact of the matter is that I don't have anyone to tag as well. She put it best. Lots of people don't mind receiving but giving out is another story. That said I'll let you knowmy 7 things and you can smile knowing that much more about me.

1) I've been wearing the same pair of sneakers for the past 5 years or so. They're a pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction sneaks I scored at an outlet that refuse to die. If I could I would find the same pair again but they don't make them anymore.

2) I could've died when I was younger when I was on a jungle gym by myself and was hanging upside down and fell flat on my head. I still don't know how long I was out for but when I came too their still wasn't anyone around.

3) I'm about to be out of debt for the first time since I was 17. Credit cards can ruin a life.

4) I can make a coin appear in your closed hand. Honest.

5) I've been to every state in the US except Hawaii.

6) I've seen lightning strike down less than 30 feet from me. Scared the living crap out of me. I was 7.

7) I have a very deep love for horror flicks. What can I say...it appeals to my being scared of people watching me when I'm alone.