Cheebo's...In honor of our current sky

7533 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323)850-7070
Mon-Thu 8AM-11PM
Fri-Sat 8AM-12PM

The sky still has it's fresh layer of orange thanks to the fires that have crisped the south land. All that orange has reminded me of our very own Cheebo restaurant here in Hollywood. If you've ever been patrolling down Sunset you'll know that is quickly one of the most memorable places on the strip thanks to it's orange artsy exterior.

Inside your eyes are treated to pop art laden walls while your butts are treated to "getting-to- know-all-about-your-nearest-neighbor" seating. And though the seating is sometimes tight it's always been a friendly environment...maybe Cheebo's attracts all the right people.

While perusing their menu you'll notice it's quite eclectic and for the most part healthy. They strive to use organic, all natural, nitrate and hormone free products, but this doesn't mean flavorless. In fact, most of their plates exude a natural in your face experience. Take their Cheeborrito for instance. While possibly one of the simplest items on their menu, they have paid attention to make sure the the bacon is chopped and spread evenly throughout. They give you 3 extra items of your choice to accompany the eggs, hash browns, bacon and salsa already inside the tortilla.

I'm not going to mention everything on their menu though most of it I could easily write about. I will however make mention of two often bought items. One being the Porkwich. Their description of it is "slow roasted organic pork, pickles, roasted onion, manchego cheese, tarragon may on ciabatta". My description, "pork holiness nestled between artisanal bread". This is one of the "slamminest" (non BBQ) pork sandwiches on the West side. By the way, I love the chips that come with this plate (as well as many of their other plates), they're freshly made and never too salty.

The other favorite is their pizza. The crust is soft on the inside and a little less soft on the outside, the cheese is smooth with lots of "string" character, the toppings are very fresh, and it's consistently like this. It comes out on a wood plank and is good enough for one (with an appetite) or two people (if you're eating light) . Their pizza is by far above average but obviously more artisanal and therefore wasn't on my pizza week postings. That's not to say it isn't absolutely fabulous and worth ever cent you pay for it, it's just not your traditional pie (to some it's even better than tradition) . Pictured above is their Alfredo Slab, a white pizza with ricotta, ham, spinach and mushrooms. It's one of Celeste's favorites and I think has been ordered by someone in our party almost every time we've been. Now if you're going for take out, you may want to to order their famous "slab" which is a 3 foot slab of pizza that can be sectioned off for toppings.

This is just a sampling of the many glorious items they have to offer and though I only mentioned day time meals they will blow your socks off as well when it comes to dinner. I really do wish I could name off all the plates that are special, but I think you'll just have to go and discover for yourself. Oh man, before I forget, they have a killer Arnold Palmer...it's seriously my favorite. It's fresh lemonade and not your typical tea to boot!

Parking can be weird depending on when you're there. It's a safe bet to park on the street around the place but just pay attention to the signs...it is West Hollywood after all. The staff are pretty on it and though the place has some serious hustle and bustle to accompany the noise level, it's generally a pleasant experience always. When you do decide to go, try and grab a spot on their patio on a sunny day, it always reminds me about how nice it is to enjoy Hollywood.

PS. celebs go here...often... & FREE WIFI.

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: Breakfast/lunch $7 to $20 and dinner is $10 to $24 with one special plate (28 day dry aged Prime all natural NY strip) setting you back $35

BIG PS. I have a winner for the ticket give away, thanks to all of you who gave it a shot. Keep checking the site for more opportunities (sometimes they're not the subject of the post) and BIG HINT, I'll have another REALLY REALLY soon.

Osteria Mozza...Mario and Nancy, I'm sorry but I love you

6602 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323)297-0100
Mon-Sat 5:30PM-12AM

Me writing this post today is an obligation. I know full well about what every person who's gone to Osteria Mozza thinks about the place. You can't read too many reviews online and not know that this place is one of the new big hitters on the scene that is a force to be reckoned with. But, like many foodie types in LA, haven't we all become a little jaded to good food? Mario Batali isn't such a fan of bloggers and it's highly warranted, but can he blame me for loving his and Nancy Silverton's restaurant? Dare I say the word transcendent fell off our lips while dining here more than just once!

Nancy, if by some weird chance you see this I'm sure you spotted the only time my camera went into the air. Of course it would be one of the few times that you weren't creating one of those incredible mozzarella dishes that are truly devastating (for those that don't know who she is, she's the one with curly auburn hair next to the tall guy behind the counter looking quizzically at me) . You were so focused on making these insanely delectable creations, that you never smiled except when you looked up and saw that sweet little girl sitting in front of you. Your smile is hard not to smile back at. Next time we go we'll go and sit at the bar (which like Pizza Mozza is the secret to walking in without a reservation...you have to wait but it's never a bad wait really and they have a killer bar) .

By the way, the waiter with the green tie...you rock man. Thanks for the killer service. On to the food...

Celeste and I wanted to really give ourselves as much of a night out without breaking our bank so we ordered 2 antipasti (one from the mozzarella bar) , shared a primi plate (which many people do so they don't stuff themselves), had individual secondi plates and shared a dolci. What you're looking at above is their Burrata plate made from the Mozzarella bar. Burrata, for the uninformed, is mozzarella with a center that has cream and mozzarella. Theirs came with bacon, marinated escarole and caramelized shallots. Is masterpiece too strong a word for food? This was an elegant piece of work. The creaminess of the cheese with the slightly salty bacon resting on their artisanal bread with the escarole adding to the smooth texture...ahh magnifique! Words can barely contain the perfection within.

We also had the Crispy Pigs Trotter with cicoria and mustard. Like many, I had never had a trotter, nor did I even know what a trotter was. Our green tied waiter was quick to explain the intricasies of this amazing cuisine. Now while I can't tell everyone that this is for them, I can say that it was unlike anything I've ever had. The feet from a pig with some what of a noble bloodline are cut off and cooked at a very low heat for several hours until they are mostly liquified and then they pick out the bones. The is then shaped into croquettes that are deep fried. This to me was one of the transcendent plates I mentioned earlier. I could come back and eat appetizers at the bar...forever.

This is a half plate (remember we split it) of the Orrechiette with sausage and Swiss chard. One of their more popular dishes, and when you taste it it's easy to see why. It's familiar enough and yet the secret blend of earthy spices with those small chunks of sausage (gosh I wish I knew what kind of sausage that was) made this a perfect "breather" course. By the way, when they ask you if you care for the garnish, say yes, it added a certain special quality to the entire texture of the plate.

Beef Brasato with polenta and horseradish gremolata was my main course. They brought me a knife that served no purpose since the meat was so tender you could cut it with a spoon...a dull spoon. It was a very well composed plate with the the polenta in sauce adding a nice soft texture to the "fall apart" beef. The trick that really tied this together was the gremolata (typically added to an ossobuco plate) it added a little bit of sweet spice to each bite...bravo!

Celeste chose the grilled quail wraped in pancetta with radicchio and honey. The first thing that struck her was the overall sweetness to the meat. They did something they didn't write on the menu that infused these two little birds with almost a smokey maple flavor. The exterior had all the savory flavor of the pancetta and the sweetness of honey, and radicchio was a perfect match (she thought it might have even been sauteed in the pan juices). Now, I know many stray away from small bird choices as a result of just enough restaurants leaving too many bones to deal with pleasantly. This was not the case here, the only bones present were the legs and wings.

To finish off the evening we nabbed their Blackberry jam crostata. Basically, a pastry crust layered with tangy blackberry jam with little scoops of vanilla gelato. Simple but really hit the spot.

I can not find a single thing wrong with this place. When you go out for fine dining this should be what it's all about, great food, superb service, and you leave going "that was worth every penny of my hard earned cash". I can say all of that about Osteria Mozza. Parking is valet but there's plenty of street parking if you don't mind looking and taking a very short walk. In the end I just want to say thank you personally Mario and Nancy for giving LA this wonderful place and I hope to see you next time I pop in.

Free Drink Refills: No
Entree Price Range: Antipasti are $10 to $20, Primi are $17 to $19, and Secondi are $26 to $29. Look to spend about an average of a little over $50 per person and yes it's WELL worth it!