Viva Gracias Madre!

This is vegan Mexican food heaven! You really have to taste it for yourself. I can’t even describe how amazing the food is here. Just know that if I chose to be vegan this would be my main place to eat. It is that serious.

Ambiance – This little place is charming. Whether you are sitting out on the patio or inside you are sure to be delighted by the decor and friendly faces.

Service- These people mean business. I never had to wonder when my drinks or food was coming because they were on time every time. The young lady who assisted me,                 (Ms Australia) was so nice and her accent was darling. I had a great time with her, such a sweet personality.

Food & Drinks – My favorite part ladies and gentlemen! Just look at the pictures.                    La Quicecneara is a yummy little cocktail with a snowball on top. You can pretty much order whatever you want from the menu from the enchiladas, flautas, chips and guacamole etc everything was so flavorful. I am convinced there is magic in the vegan sauce. When you get a chance make a reservation the food taste even better than it looks.

Price and Parking – The price per person $30 and up. Parking is meter mostly. But there is an area further down that you can park for a fee.

Happy Chasing!!

Chasing Circa 55

I discovered a two for one brunch offer off Living Social and I had to try it here at Circa 55 in Beverly Hills.

I love that their brunch is both buffet as well as off the menu. The selection as you can see the photos are small but very flavorful. I love when a place focuses on quality selection over quality.  I ordered the Cuban sandwich and let me just say wow! While it’s not the most colorful dish it certainly was amazing. You know that moment when you can’t stop eating even though you are about to burst? That was the situation here. The unlimited mimosas were so good too. My server never let me see the bottom. 🙌🏾

I like mine with pineapple instead of orange juice really sets it off.

We were able to hang out at the pool and check out the costume displays as well! It’s a really nice place to visit if you haven’t already.

Happy Chasing!

Location 9876 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills

Parking Valet

Cost Range: $45 per person
  

  


  
  
  

Chasing Yamashiro

For the longest I’ve been trying to make my way to this beautiful establishment. It is by far one of the best looking restaurants in Hollywood. The place looks like it was ripped out of Japan for our enjoyment. I will come back in the day time someday to take photos of the serene gardens that surround Yamashiro.

I only ordered the Pineapple Sake-tini and the Asian BBQ Baby Back Ribs served with mashed yams, Asian 5-spice cornbread, with kale for my main course. I used to be allergic to pork. So of course now that I’m not the whole world is new and exciting. Can I tell you how tender and juicy those ribs were? Are you accustomed to hitting your dinner guest in the arm repeatedly wondering why the chef loves you so much? Am I alone in this? The ribs were falling off the bone at the sight of my fork. I didn’t even want to attack my sides for fear of getting too full. I will say that the mashed yams were amazing. Freshly made yams nice and creamy. The kale had a nice crisp crunch to it. My drink was so good I ordered two of the house-infused pineapple sake, pineapple vodka, and lemon juice concoction.  Please check this place out if you haven’t. It is very rare for the food, the ambiance and service to be on point.

Happy Chasing!

Location  1999 W. Sycamore Ave. Hollywood 90068

Parking $10 Valet

Cost range- Prepare to spend at least $60 per person.

Ps. The only thing lacking here was the absents of attention in the restrooms. Hopefully this is a one time occurrence. Other than that this place is for sure worth the visit. Enjoy!

 

 

She ate Pot?

No seriously the restaurant is called Pot at The Line Hotel lol. Trickery. Anyway I enjoyed this place for sure. Let me start with the basic info.

Location 3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles 90010

Parking-valet. I used Lyft to get here so in my case “free parking”

Decor- This place is Chic and Cozy. You are very likely to pump into a famous star or two as well.

Price range- $15-$50 That would be the lowest cost of a starter and the highest cost of an entree. You do the math. I came for DineLa so my starter, main and dessert was a bargain price of $29. Last day is tomorrow so hit it up!

Now on to the Food!

Our starters consisted of Steamed Dumplings which were tender as I don’t know what. I can eat dumplings all the rest of my days. I enjoyed the rich flavors of the broth it was perfect from being out in the “Cali Cold”. Next up was the surprise factor. Knock G was octopus, jalapeño, veggies, rice cakes, noodles covered in a spicy bbq sauce. A moment of silence for such deliciousness……… This was my favorite dish. The octopus was cooked to perfection not at all chewy. The spicy bbq sauce never overpowered its fellow ingredients, instead enhanced them to their true potential. That dish was worth $30 alone.

For the second course I ordered the Marinated and Grilled Pork Chop served with soy ginger glaze, scallions and rice. That pig did not die in vain let me tell you. He was treated right. The pork chop was not only visually amazing but the first bite and every bite after caused me to close my eyes and forget that I was dining with two other people. “Oh, was I talking? My bad I was in a food trance.” My cousin and her best pal ordered the Hickory Smoked Duck Breast and the Spicy Vegan Pot. The smokey flavor of the duck was spot on. Love it when you can taste the sweetness with the savory and a touch of smoke. It was so good. I will give you a warning spicy really means spicy here so don’t be a punk. You’re welcome.

Dessert was none other than the Ice Cream Sliders! Imagine vanilla ice cream, Kochujang Caramel, and Ginger honey toasted brioche buns! It was a perfect ending. Very enjoyable dinner experience.

Wait! There is more! If you happen to order from the regular menu (which you should) try the Poke Me salad and Vegetable Pancake. They both were so flavorful. You can’t go wrong. Chef Roy Choi is amazing. After you eat here you can either stop by the Commissary Bar or take a short walk over to Break Room 86 bar for some funky 80’s classics and awesome decor. Have a great weekend what ever you do!

Happy Chasing!

 

 

 

 

 

The Locol Take Down!

Imagine going to a grand opening for a fresh ingredient, sit down restaurant, in an area where that is not the norm. It was literally history in the making. Watts in Los Angeles is not known for  healthy eateries so this opening was not just a new restaurant but an improvement to the livelihood of it’s consumers.  A line for days and smiles galore, everyone gathered with anticipation. I was honored to meet the owner Chef Roy Choi and his fantastic team. They really put their best foot forward on this incredible movement that will no doubt flourish in this community. I couldn’t be more inspired and delighted to be among the people.

Now, let’s get into this!

Address- 1950 E. 103rd St, Los Angeles 90002

Parking- easy. no meter just park where there is space

As soon as you step out of your car the aroma will hug your senses. Locol strategically has screen windows instead of glass so the whole area can take in all that deliciousness pro bono!

My order consisted of Messy Beef Chili Bowl and two Foldies. The chili was hands down lip smacking good! We are talking onions, hot sauce, crackers, cheese and wait for it……rice just sending shocks of amazingness to every taste bud. This $6 chili is a must get.

The foldies are meat packed into a tortilla. The best way I can describe it is a quesadilla shaped taco lol whatever, it’s good! I had the Carnitas and BBQ Turkey foldies which were both very tender and flavorful. Each foldie is $2.

My cousin and I both experienced a few other items on the menu such as the BBQ Turkey burger, Fried Chicken burger, and the Crushed Tofu and Veggie Stew! Yes, we went in on the menu lol. Everything was good. Whether you are vegetarian or not, that stew is amazing and for $1 extra you can add more rice. You can’t beat that people! Honestly this place was just amazing from Chef Roy Choi, his team, the service, and especially the food there is no way I could come here once. It will be in serious rotation and I hope you can try it for yourself soon. Locol is open from 11am-10pm daily so when you get a chance go try it! Have a terrific day.

Chase Away!

 

 

Chasing Beer Belly!

Hi everyone! This is my first post and I’m so happy to share my passion with you. I’m all about chasing the flava. So let’s get right into it!

Beer Belly is located in Koreatown and it’s a cute little space with actual parking! I know, the mind reels. There’s also $3 dollar valet parking during peak times. What I like about this place is that it caters to everyone. They have the yummy not so healthy concoctions as well as healthier options such as grilled broccoli, two options of salads, and a brussels sprout dish.

Once inside you will be greeted with smiles and a menu. My cousin and I tested out the amazing Pork Cheek Chili Cheese Fries, Gorgonzola Au Gratin Mac, and the Jidori Hot Wings (mango and buffalo bleu cheese sauce)  Still doing the happy dance.

How was it in detail? Well I’m glad you asked! I’m a huge fan of chili cheese fries. Especially the ever popular pastrami on top, but every now and then the tastebuds need some excitement. I caught it! Pork cheek was tender and moist. I felt like it was apart of the cheese, all gooey and tantalizing. The fries were just a bonus. A Christmas bonus though! Yum.

I don’t know what I was expecting when the Gorgonzola Au Gratin Mac came to the table but it passed with flying colors. Little elbow pastas surrounded by cheese with a crazy top layer of au gratin to tie it all in. Oh dear. That was a problem. It had the audacity to taste even better the next day (I had a small corner left over). The cheese was rich and almost smokey in flavor. I enjoyed it very much.

The Jidori wings have a great sauce selection (some sauces are spicy and others aren’t) and that’s where my love affair ends. I prefer my wings very tender and with plenty of meat. These are the smaller wings so they don’t have much meat. Easy problem to solve though,  order the Buttermilk Fried Chicken or Duck Meatballs instead.

In conclusion, I would recommend this place for the food, the atmosphere and the parking access. If you find yourself in Koreatown please check it out and tell me what you thought!

Chase Away!