Diner Week: CJ's Cafe...feeling the love after church

5501 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 936-3216
Mon-Sat 6:30 AM-6 PM
Sun 7AM-5PM

Here is a where we take a detour from the big, buff, American style diners of Diner Week. CJ's Cafe is a shining example of how Mexican culture has melted into the diner genre in SoCal, making it something practically American by it's own standards...after all, America by nature is just one big melting pot of cultures that have slowly started to "gray" into each other.

Though the picture here shows a tamer time, don't let that fool you. This small cafe has become the equivalent of a 3rd Street brunch spot on Sundays. This happens to be one of THE after church go to spots in the Pico district. Plenty of seating and a fast staff help things from being too nightmarish thankfully.

They offer some pretty unique breakfast plates, i.e. my "Deli omelette" filled with pastrami and cheese. The pastrami was extra lean, not too salty and made me wonder why I this isn't a standard at other places. The hash potatoes are notches above the rest. I do believe that they grill the onions ahead of time and then mix them with the potatoes giving them a flavor packed punch. Most other places just mix them in right away with out cooking them first.

As stated before, their Mexican breakfast plates, such as this Huevos Rancheros plate, really shine. Eggs were done perfectly over medium, the Ranchero sauce was packed with chili flavor though not spicy and didn't compete in any way with the side of chorizo that came with it. I kid you not I'd give this plate at least an 8 on taste. Speaking of which, the chorizo that they serve up is DYNAMITE. I could eat this kind of chorizo with any plate for breakfast. On a side note, be sure to try there tortas which are a showpiece for the ingredients they use.

Parking is a whiz with street AND rear parking. They have a great staff and a well varied menu that should satiate most anyone's morning needs. Their loyal following shows up right when they open, and why shouldn't they...they've got the right formula going on there.

Free Drink Refills:Yes
Entree Price Ranges: Breakfast is $5 to $8, lunch is $4 to $7, and dinner is $7 to $10

Susina's Bakery & Cafe...a standard in my book

7122 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)934-7900
Mon-Fri 7AM-11PM
Sat-Sun 8AM-11PM

Took me forever to get this to you. It's been on my to do lists for what seems like forever. In LA, I think there are few people who don't enjoy their occasional sweets even if they happen to be diabetic! That being said, we have some of the best places to treat that sweetness attack. What's great is we have something that caters to whatever your addiction demands weather it be more of a dairy type thing with MILK, or maybe cupcakes are your thing, See's Candies are all over the freaking place or high end confections can be found at places like Boule. The one place that I have consistently told people about when they want something a little more traditional but done well is Susina's bakery on Beverly. They satisfy the bakery need in my life time and time again, not to mention the fact that those I introduce it to, it becomes one of their infectious places to pass onto others.

Let me get the one thing out of the way that's been a bummer lately. Late night hanging at Susina's has become an impossibility unless you get there early. When I went there last we waited around for 20 minutes waiting for a table to open up and no one moved. This can be attributed to the fact that they have free wireless so camping can sometimes be a problem. But this was not the only instance. On another occasion 8 cops were chilling at a table just hanging out. While I love LA's finest I didn't right then. Oddly enough they used to have a sign that they used to have on the tables stating to not camp when people are waiting or something like that but no more. Hopefully they'll see this and bring'em back.

These cases were forbidden to be photographed. I had already popped all these pictures before the counter person told me otherwise.

Therefore, I took one for the team.

While they do serve up excellent cakes, pies, cookies and my favorite mocha in town, my all star favorite item off their menu is their banana cream pie. When I introduce this place to someone I invariably order up one of these if it's available (on occasion it's not there thanks to it's popularity). It's described as a pie with a "thin shortdough crust lined with chocolate; filled with coconut pastry cream, fresh coconut and fresh whipped cream. Topped with toasted coconut." This is without a doubt one of my top 5 desserts in LA hands down and I'm not even a fan of cream pies due to there overkill on whipped cream. This has not too much of anything. In other words, a perfectly balanced dessert. While decadence can be synonymous with dessert, this is light while being rich in flavor. The chocolate lined bottom cupping the always perfectly ripened bananas is heavenly! This is perfect for two people on an after dinner date (if you can find a seat).

As I said, they have classic treats to satiate your sweet pangs. Here's a sampling of their mini tarts that are always a safe bet when you can't decide.

And here's a sampling of their Italian cookies, which of course go famously with their coffee.

I'm glad I was able to get this down in writing in time for the holidays because you can of course get them to make cakes to go and this was one of the first places I fell in love with in LA heavily. Let me tell you one reason why this place holds a special place for me:

One night while me and Celeste were bringing some friends there, we were chatting and the owner, Jenna Turner, chats us up a bit and comes back with some croissants and various goodies for us to take home for free. I was no one and not trying to report on them or anything. She was just being sweet and genuine to patrons.

While some might say that the fact that they gave us something for free persuaded me to be loyal and write such good things it's merely the fact that she took the time to talk to us and ask us what she thought of things. David Myers over at (which by the way is one of the non-plussed places in my book) comes by tables sometimes and can be seen talking to customers and he's a freaking 5 star kind of guy. Personal attention and kindness go a long way in my book but it's not something that you can do at every restaurant and so when it happens it's something to be remembered.

Susina's is about merging memories of bakeries from our youth with the high end living of today while keeping your wallet a little fuller. Thanks for all the years thus far of new memories.

Free refills: no
Price ranges: even better here's the link to the menu.

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

Ca'Brea...Old World Italian for the Modern Man

346 S. La Brea Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)938-2863
Mon-Thurs 11:30AM-2:30PM and 5PM-10:30PM
Fri 11:30AM-11PM
Sat 5PM-11PM

Sometimes you need to get away without getting out of town and sometimes you don't want to have to make it an all day affair. Going to Ca'Brea allows for this and much more. Covered mostly by trees and shrubbery, though it's large, you really might miss this transcendent restaurant. Here's the funny part, I wasn't able to grab any pics of the interior because at some finer dining places I don't feel really comfortable being a guerrilla photographer in a dim lit place. Please forgive my lacking in that department, but trust the descriptions, or don't and just go there for yourself. I'm sure my interior descriptions won't do the justice needed to give you a picture of their transportive power(if you still feel deprived of atmospheric description, there's a virtual tour on their website).

When you walk in you're treated to an old world bar that seats maybe 15 in a long U shaped counter on your left. On your right you see the maitre'd and the some small square tables that lead you into another room, where you can see the plates ready for pickup on the left and on the right more tables which have been lit to spotlight the food once placed down (hence why the pics came out the way they did). You continue on through to another room where you get a Tuscan marble villa feel and on the right is there patio area which is a wonderful spot for small parties and would be great for having lunch on a warm sunny day.

To begin with, their menu is extensive, but selective (ie-one style dish of tortelloni, one style beef entree) , and really makes it hard on what to decide because everything sounds amazing. After much indecisive hemming and hawing we eventually agreed on starting with the Formaggio di Capra alla Pancetta e Spinaci. It's baked goat cheese wrapped in Italian bacon(pancetta) and served on a bed of garlic infused spinach. Sounds scrumptious and dare I say we were bowled over with the taste. The pancetta was crispy at it's edges while the rest was warm and just the slightest bit chewy, without the distraction of fattiness, and the goat cheese inside was sinfully creamy. Celeste and I are big on cheeses and this was quite the revelation for us seeing as we normally have it paired alone with wine. And the pancetta, while in other instances has bordered on being as salty as prisciutto, had no sign of that in this dish. The spinach had life of it's own and would be wonderful as an independent side dish, but paired perfectly with the pancetta ball. If more spinach were as good as this, I would eat spinach all the time.

I got the Filettini di manzo ai funghi e olive which is sauteed beef tenderloin medallions with fresh mixed mushrooms, black olives and pinot wine sauce. There was nothing I could find wrong with this plate, meaning no cons. It was wonderfully crafted with the succulent tenderloin that had hints of mellow kalamata olives that added a little pizazz to each bite. The meat was incredibly tender; you almost didn't need a knife for it. The variety of mushrooms added much to eat bite with their smoothe meaty texture and every bite begged to be covered in the wine sauce which not only was great with the meat but equally as great on the veggies.

Celeste had the Costlette D' Agnellao Grigliate Ai Funghi e Tartufi, which is grilled lamb chops with black truffle and mustard sauce. As a cook, she was intrigued by the way the overall flavors were so gently infused through the meat(which was cooked to medium), and the utmost tenderness of the meat...so much so that she now wants me to get her the chef's cookbook so she can maybe get a clue as to how they specifically did it. She was also soaking every bite of meat in the sauce, but certainly not because the lamb needed it. Each element stood on it's own two feet, even the asparagus which she usually doesn't enjoy for lack creativity used on the vegetable.

I'm telling you what I told Celeste, "This dessert may be one of my all time favorites in the history of my eating" and it's for sure in my top ten. We got a Crema di Vaniglia which is a vanilla cream custard covered with a soft, rich, caramelly vanilla cream sauce. The description kind of says it all...it's a little bit of heaven in your mouth. I always have a hard time with things like creme brulee cause for some strange reason is a little too heavy on my stomach from all the cream, but this left me feeling just fine and my mouth was left with the best after dinner taste I've had in a long time. The custard was incredibly light and the sauce was thin and barely sticky enough to cling to the custard. If you're tired, get the Tiramisu for a pick me up, but other than that you have no excuse but to get this dessert. Simply stunning!

Ca'Brea is great spot for any occasion really. Power lunchers and intimate daters are welcome alike. With an already great history of reviews, how well rounded a menu they have, and their killer atmosphere, I can only imagine that Ca'Brea will be in the game for many more years to come.

PS. Street parking is available as well as valet.

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: $18 to $24 for main courses and $7 to $12 for antipasti

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A dear blogger friend of mine by the name of Tannaz over at All Kinds of Yum is doing an amazing thing this weekend that EVERYONE in LA but especially on the East Side should stop on by. I could speak highly of it but I'll let her tell you the details. If you haven't checked out her page you should for sure. Great writer and very informative. Take it away Tannaz:

I'm writing to tell you about a Bake Sale. On August 18, I, along with a team of dear friends and lovers of baked goods, will be hosting The No Cookie Left Behind Bake Sale, as part of Share Our Strength's Great American Bake Sale (heretofore known as SOS's GABS). SOS is a fantastic organization dedicated to the cause of ending world hunger, and the proceeds from GABS specifically go towards fighting childhood hunger in the United States. With GABS, they motivate people around the country to hold bake sales in their own community, with the proceeds going to SOS. Turns out, I'm one of these people.

Our bake sale will take place on Saturday, August 18th, at and around SCOOPS Ice Cream Shop in East Hollywood, from noon to 4 pm. There will be delicious goodies (maple vanilla granola, fleur de sel caramel cake, pumpkin cupcakes, vegan something cupcakes (I don't know what kind they'll be yet, but the girls of SporkFoods will be making them, so they will undoubtedly be amazing), lemon bars, Mexican chocolate rice crispie treats, Persian baklava, Barefoot Contessa coconut macaroons, and on and on!), as well as live music, and good good times.

(Scoops is at 712 Heliotrope Ave., just north of Melrose, between Normandie and Vermont.)

I would love nothing more than if you guys would stop by, say hi, and eat some cookies. It'd be great to meet you all. I'd also greatly appreciate if you spread the word about our event. And finally, if you're interested in contributing some delicious baked goods, by all means, let me know!

Absolutely Phobulous...pho for the lazy

350 N. La Cienega Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90048
(310)360-3930
Mon-Fri 11AM-9:30PM
Sun Closed

Not too bright of an idea to write a post on a mostly full stomach while eating even more. I sit here at my computer stuffing my face with some corn bread I got for lunch from Bristol Farms. It's good and yet there's a task at hand. A task that makes it increasingly hard to write about something being tasty when the last thing you want to think about is more food being tasty. Well you'll just have to bare with me cause that's how I roll. Might I also mention wow...already 50 posts this year. A personal milestone for me indeed.

Pho lovers seem to be very particular about their pho. First lets back up, pho, pronounced "fuh", is a rice noodle soup in clear broth with fresh herbs and veggies in it. It would seem the simplicity of it is what makes them so hardcore about it...it's the balance of simple ingredients that are to agree in harmony in a large bowl. The way the meat, broth and herbs create a single flavor...it's just one of life's simple treats.

As I was saying , pho lovers are hardcore about what you get when you get pho. I went to Absolutely Phobulous this weekend and had a good meal with Celeste. We got the Pho Beef Combo (rare beef, brisket and meat balls), the Vietnamese Crepe (rice crepe with spiced ground pork, mushrooms and onions and comes with Vietnamese ham and cooked bean sprouts with crispy onions), and two orders of Spring rolls. The rolls we ordered were the Fresh Spring Rolls and the Royal Rolls. The Spring rolls had typical shrimp and vermicelli and were yummy but the real standout was the Royal rolls which had marinated pork sausage with golden wanton skin which gave a nice hearty flavor to it as well a refreshing crunchy texture to play against the freshness of the outside rice paper...very yummy indeed.




The pho itself was good...should I be the one to say it wasn't the best or was the best? Probably not. It was very fresh and hearty. The meat was of good quality, the staff was super sweet, and we had a good time. The Vietnamese crepe was fun and while the spices of the meat and the ham was awesome the texture of the crepe itself kind of got old in your mouth when it's all you're eating (kind of smooth and slick). I'd recommend sharing that plate. If you look on yelp you'll hear Absolutely Phobulous was overpriced for what you get while others say it's really good and they enjoy it. I enjoyed it and so did Celeste. They then proceed to name off a bunch of other east side spots that are better. The argument is just that... sometimes you don't feel like driving that far for pho. The other argument is sometimes the rich and famous know a little more than we do cause they get lots of finer food. Not that I'm a media whore but Cameron Diaz stops in as well as other celebs. Kind of a nice perk. I like it and sometimes don't feel like driving to Echo Park, or worse, Monterey Park for killer pho. Henceforth I dub it pho for the lazy. As for the prices...typical west side prices. If you're over here you know what to expect and know that it's actually not pricey at all (especially when you consider you'll be home sooner than later).

All that being said, I shall be writing about my favorite pho place soon enough(which IS on the east side).

Free Drink Refills: Yup
Entree Price Range: $7 to $9

King & I

272 S La Cienega Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90211(310)652-9845
Mon-Thur 11Am-9:30PM
Fri-Sat 11AM-10:30PM

King and I is a place I've been going to for quite some time since it's so close to where I live and it consistently brings a tasty dining experience every time I go. Located in the "it's Beverly Hills but not really Beverly Hills area'' of La Cienega just south of Wilshire in a small cafe next to an "overpriced for what you get" sushi house (for the record me and the misses used to regularly hit the sushi house that used to be there before called "Samurai Sushi"...used to be so good and the sushi chefs were like family. I miss them *sniff sniff*).

This place has stellar thai food and a chill intimate little vibe going for it. I've sampled many things from their menu but as of the last couple of times I have really been digging their Sweet Angel which is shown below. It can best be described as a mixture of chicken, shrimp and something else that I'm blanking on right now but it's all mixed together after it's ground up and then shaped back into a chicken body part like a thigh or breast then fried up. It's cool looking and tastes phenomenal. Their pad thai is wonderful (flavorful and not too dry), their pad woonsen (glass noodles plate) is flavored a little bit differently then most, it's not too salty cause sometimes it tastes like it's been strained through some Campbell's chicken soup. Their pineapple fried rice is very fresh tasting and not too heavy on the curry. Speaking of which, all their curries are awesome and not too heavy which is sometimes a problem we have with other curries. A specialty they kill with is their chicken with cashews in chili paste...sigh...this is how this plate should be all the time. So good. Their appetizers are all great from the chicken satay and potstickers to the standard we often get (and shown below) , the Thai Toast which is ground shrimp and chicken on what appears to be melba -style toast. Put a little chili sauce on that and it's pretty spectacular.



A small mention should also go for their thai ice tea and thai coffee. If you haven't had either I would say go here and taste a fine example of what each should taste like. While Thai coffee may not go great with a meal, Thai tea goes great with most meals especially the spicy ones as it's the perfect salve for an on fire tongue (hint hint for curries). Parking is available in the back and the service is great. I'd say it's a decent place to take for date or a work lunch.

Free Drink Refills: Yes on the soda but not on the Thai iced teas or Thai coffee
Entree Price Range: About $11 a plate average