Arclight In the Galleria at Sherman Oaks in Studio City California

Arclight Sherman Oaks

15301 Ventura Blvd
(at Sepulveda in the Sherman Oaks Galleria), Sherman Oaks, CA
www.arclightcinemas.com/

 If you are in LA, taking in a movie at an Arclight theatre is a fun thing to do.  You can order site specific seats online for any of their locations.  What makes the Arclight different from a regular theatre?  Well, it is nice to pick your seats-- but they also have a bar and restaurant inside.  This makes it a perfect one stop spot for a date, movie night with the girls or the family.  The seating is spacious, and plush. You will definitely pay more for all the extras, with tickets around $15 each.

We went in a little early and ordered food.  Of course my diner chose the burger.  I will have to say the few bites I had were pretty darn tasty.  If the rest of the food is on par there is no reason not to eat here and get the full experience.

Oh and have the sweet potato fries.

Caioti Pizza Cafe Studio City LA California

Caioti Pizza Cafe 

4346 Tujunga Ave., Studio City, California 91604
Map Link and Directions
818.761.3588 Fax 818.761.3606
caioti@earthlink.net

 

Caioti is a cute little spot of Tujunga in Studio City.  On Sundays they have breakfast food on the menu as well as their classic Italian.  I ordered the old world style pizza.  It comes usually comes on a thin crust with no tomato sauce.  I opted to add sauce, and in hind site should have ordered it on the side since the crust was so delicate. E ordered the french toast and it was good as well.  This is a family friendly place, so feel free to bring all the kids.

Euro Pane Bakery - Pasadena - Pasadena, CA

Euro Pane Bakery 

950 E Colorado Blvd
Ste 107
Pasadena, CA 91106
Neighborhood: Pasadena

(626) 577-1828

 

I am and have been a Food Network junkie since the times when Emeril was bamming in a studio apartment sized kitchen on tv.  Those where the days I would come home high and pretend my bean burrito was foie gras. First off, I had no clue what foie gras was, but was sure it was fashionable and tasty.  Now I do know what it is, and I wouldn't come near it with a ten foot pole. I am also way long over my green phase. 

But I digress.

The whole round about point is that I watch food network like a wide eyed loris and typically dream of the strange and inviting concoctions presented.  A particularly favorite show of mine, besides Triple D, is The Best Thing I Ever Ate.  Like I said before I often daydream of the foods they show, but I never pegged myself as someone who would run to one of the restaurants shown.

Ok, we all know that is a lie, of course I would run to any restaurant that was well in my perimeter. 

On one show Adam Gertler was in a nondescript neighborhood bakery.  I was half watching when the egg salad sandwich caught my eye. My attention became acute, and at that very moment I knew one day I would be eating one of those sandwiches.  So creamy and inviting they looked. Fast forward to a week ago when I was in California.  After a short search on the internet, I found the home of the tempting egg salad sandwich.  It was in Pasadena, only fifteen minutes from where we were.  Did you get that, FIFTEEN minutes.  Well, this was a no brainier.  We went!

I walked in and could hardly stand it.  I ordered, then waited, then looked around, then waited, and finally my plate from heaven came out.  The bread was crusty with a schmear of tomato pesto.  To the side was the most fabulously delicious egg salad I have ever tasted.  It was simple mixture of homemade mayonnaise and soft boiled eggs delicately spiced.  I ate the whole thing, which was a feat for me.  This is a must anyone traveling the area.

They also serve the softest most decadent macaroons around.  The most popular is the chocolate and caramel with fluer de sel.  Eat it, Eat it, Eat it!

Chin Chin Chinese Food Los Angeles California

Chin Chin

Studio City 

Ventura Blvd
www.chinchin.com

 

Chinese food in Los Angeles.  The food was good.  Not stellar.  If you cant find anything else it will do.We had the szechuan dumplings, I think I would have preferred the pot stickers.  The spring rolls were fresh and soup was hot.  What else can you say about soup unless it is delicious...  E had the ribs, and seemed to enjoy them.  All in all I would give it a medium OK.

In-N-Out Burger vs. Fatburger Round Two

Fatburger Los Angeles
Ventura Blvd
https://www.fatburger.com/

Fatburger KO round one!  What can I say... Look at the picture.  This burger joint has got it (big fat burgers) going on. The burger we ate -- and I say we sparingly here- was huge.  This fat-boy was tipping out of its buttered bun at every angle.  There was oozy cheese, grease, onions, lettuce and some kind of pickle relish.  We ate, stomachs swelling with delight.  The fries and onion rings were tasty, but merely side companions to the gargantuan cheeseburger. We ended greedily with a Maui Banana milk shake.  OM Gosh (this is the only text fitting here)-- pure delight. If you are around a Fatburger, I suggest you eat here.  Make sure you're hungry because they ain't lying with the moniker.

In-and Out Burger
Sepulvida (by LAX)
http://www.in-n-out.com/

We stopped at In and Out Burger on our way to LAX.  We had heard its praises sung, and really we just needed to eat another burger before we left LA---- right?  The place was Pa double double cked packed!  I was worried we would not make our flight, but these burger slingers knew what they were doing.  A short wait later our burgers arrived. They were quite beautifully presented for fast food fare.  I liked mine alright.  It was a cheeseburger, but I did not love it.  Don't get me wrong, I would eat it again, but I think Whataburger is much better.  In-and-Out Burger is one of those must try things.  Now I have tried it, and can move on to the next.

In-and-Out Burger vs. Fatburger

It's is our last day in LA and although the trip has been packed with fun, there is still one big descision to be made.  Should we eat In-and-Out Burger or should we have a Fatburger?  This predicament presented itself when we saw a Fatburger on the side of the road.  All along we had planned on eating In-and-Out burger, but what we had not factored in was the aroma and allure of the shiney happy Fatburger that caught our eye. Hmmm. What to do?  We could let gluttoney take it's course and go for both.  I don't have the stomach for it, but I know E does.  Whatever the choice, I am optomistic for a good outcome.

Mariner's Restaurant Natchitoches Louisiana

Mariners Natchitoches Louisiana

http://www.marinersrestaurant.com

If you find yourself in Natchitoches Louisiana and you are wondering what to do, there is an answer, eat!  We were told that Mariners near the river was the place to go.  From the site of the packed parking lot we knew it had to be a local favorite.  As we made our way in we couldn't help but notice the decor. It was like a time warped lake lodge from the seventies complete with a token marlin poised on the rafter.  You may think this was a bad thing, when in fact we quite relished it.  It was reminiscent of a time more simple with groups of families congregating over dinner.  The food was oh so good starting with the salad bar.  My brother asked me if salad bars scared me, I assured him that they were low on my list of worries.  The salads were simple, clean and fresh.  Next we ordered the oysters combo which consisted of oysters Rockefeller and oysters Bienville- it was fab.  I ordered the soup of the day, seafood bisque and my brother ordered the Cajun platter.  My soup was ok.  The Cajun platter was a fiesta of alligator, blackened shrimp, fried crawfish and etouffe. The etouffee was to die for.  I would drive there right now to go eat it.  The only sad part was that we were too stuffed to try the dessert.