Neighborhood Sushi

I'm always in search of no-frills neighborhood restaurants that aren't too pricey to necessitate a special occasion, but aren't too cheap to warrant over indulging. I think I found just the place. Ninjin Sushi in Santa Monica is a great spot with a great vibe. Although Ninjin has been opened for 3 years, it took a "break" between year 1 and 2, and has been reopened under new fervor for the past year. The management certainly knows what they're doing, offering complementary edamame, and a chef's special (which in our case were fish cakes). Maybe they were just in a good mood on that night, but I fell for them like Beyonce.

The fish was fresh and the presentation was fantastic. Most of the specialty rolls were $8-$11, and some of the highlights were the Ninjin Roll, Spicy Tuna Crunch Roll, Caterpillar Roll, Spicy Tiger Roll (my personal favorite with jalapenos inside), Volcano Roll and Rose Roll. Unfortunately, I wasn't warned that I would be eating with Cris Angel, so before I had a chance to shoot all of the rolls, they had disappeared from the plate. Here's a couple for your enjoyment:

Spicy Tiger Roll

Chef's Special Fish Cakes

Caterpillar Roll

Ninjin Sushi
607 Colorado Blvd.
Santa Monica, 90404
(310) 451-9800
$$

Moules Over, My Frites Are Here

Oh, I am in French heaven! Last night, I ate dinner with a friend at Soleil Westwood, as Wednesday night is Moules Frites night. Now, "what does that entail?" one might ask. Ah, alas, dear friend, that is just what I am going to tell you.

Every Wednesday night, the folks at Soleil graciously offer ALL YOU CAN EAT Mussels and Fries for a measly $14.95. This place is absolutely adorable, and I probably would have never gone had it not been for this amazing deal! Which, by the way was to prove to my semi-recent LA transplant friend from NY that LA does have good mussels and fries. Jaimey-1, Caryn-0.
Both she and I were pleasantly surprised with the garlic and wine steamed mussels, the crusty french bread, and the abundant basket of shoestring fries! The service was also fantastic, and the mood is very French - low lighting, outdoor seating and guess what - you're allowed to take your time with your food! No rushing you out the door here! So, go, sit back, and enjoy plates and plates of yummy mussels and don't feel bad about it one bit (just make sure you give them a 24hr heads up for the reservation)!

Soleil Westwood
1386 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 441-5384
$$

Road Tested: Manhattan

Okay, okay. So it's only taken me a couple months to add some of my food highlights from my trip to New York. Let me just tell you, New York in June is wonderful. I'm going to blame my tardiness on the sadness that has filled the void that reading in Bryant Park or shopping in SoHo once filled. But, the depression has ceased, and now I am ready to share with you three of my favorite eateries in NY.

Belgium Fry Heaven

It's probably safe to say that Pommes Frites was one of the most "looked-forward-to" attractions in all of beauteous NYC. Let me just say, it completely lived up to my expectations. Real Belgium fries with a plethora of dipping sauces (mostly mayonnaise based which is awesome). Some of my favorites included the sweet mango chutney, and the parmesan peppercorn dipping sauce. Fries are served in paper cones which fit perfectly into the precut holes in all the counters. This is perfect after-bar stop, and if you're lucky like I was, a little flirting will get you a round on the deep fryer.

Pommes Frites
123 2nd Ave. (between 7th & 8th St.)
NYC, 10003
(212) 674-1234
$

Spring in Your Step

Spring Street Natural Restaurant was the perfect place to center myself with good, healthy food after all the dirty dirty money I spent in my favorite part of the city: SoHo. Their ingredients are mostly organic, and their philosophy is to serve natural food at a reasonable price. I think you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the type of bread they place before you. Spring Street offers you fresh baked pumpkin bread: nuff said. I recommend the Spring Street Natural Taco Salad ($11.50) with fresh guacamole, salsa and brown rice. Or, the Southwestern Grilled Organic Chicken Salad ($12.75) with grilled corn, cranberries and tamari roasted almonds. The layers of flavor are unbeatable. Trust me, you'll leave feeling full and energized and ready to take on the city!

Spring Street Natural Restaurant
62 Spring Street (corner of Lafayette)
NYC, 10012
(212) 966-0290
$$

So Sweet

Coffee Sweet Heart is a hidden gem of NYC. With no sign on the door, you'll just have to follow your nose to this little coffee shop/bakery. What makes CSH so special, you say? Most of their baked goods are fat free and/or sugar free - and you wouldn't even know it! On a busy morning, this was the perfect place to grab a iced soy latte and a fat free and sugar free carrot muffin. So moist and delicious! A guilt free muffin makes Jaimey a happy girl.



Coffee Sweet Heart
69 8th Ave
NYC, 10014
Phone: (212) 807-1125
<$

La Paella in Your Face

Spain is so hot right now - just ask The Cheetah Girls. I wish doing "movie research" was the reason I stumbled upon La Paella on Friday night, but a romantic dinner date will just have to do. How boring am I?

Dinner, however, was anything but stale. La Paella is an adorable Spanish restaurant, with twinkle lights and lace curtains. You walk in, and the smells of fresh seafood and quite conversation take you back to a time before date night at The Cheesecake Factory was considered acceptable.

We were sat in the back of this small restaurant, amongst cook book lined bookshelves and racks of aging wine. The waitress was Spanish. Am I dreaming?

We decided to just do tapas (next time, I'll hit up the Paella). Almost everything we had was delicious (save the one special we ordered that we both disliked), so I'll just shower you with pictures so you can go try for yourself!

Start off with a glass of Sangria ($5).

Fresh and light and fruity!
Enjoy the fresh baked bread and duo of garlic mayonnaise and olive tapenade.

Then move on to these assortment of tapas:

Patatas Bravas ($3.95)Lightly fried potatoes coated in a spicy tomato sauce.

Champinones con Chorizo ($5.25)
Delicious and rich - the combo of the mushrooms and the sausage was divine!

Calamares a la Plancha ($5.50)
Grilled squid lightly seasoned with olive oil, garlic and parsley drizzled with lemon juice. So fresh and not a bit on the chewy side.

Manchego con Membrillo ($4.75)

Fresh manchego cheese (my favorite) topped with slices of quince paste. Sweet and salty!

Espinacas con Pinones y Pasas ($5.95)

A heaping plate of sauteed spinach - little bits of creamy nuts and sweet raisins makes this dish really special.

Jamon Serrano ($9.75)
One of the specials of the evening, serrano ham with figs - great quality!

The other special was avocado stuffed with crab which was drowned in a thousand island type sauce and tasted too fishy for my liking. I'll give it to them since 1)it's not a menu regular and 2) 6 out of 7 ain't that shabby.

Like I said, I can't wait to go back here and try the Paella! The restaurant had charm and good food. You can just feel the fast pace life of Los Angeles slow down with each tasty bite (or was that just the Sangria...?). This is a great date spot, and a wonderful hidden gem inside this big ol' city!

One thing to note: Like all good Spaniards, La Paella will be taking a vacation after this Saturday's dinner service and will reopen on September 12. So, either go this weekend, or wait a few weeks if you can stand it. In the meantime, you can busy yourself with a little of this action.


La Paella
476 S. San Vicente Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90048
(323) 951-0745
$$

La Paella

Feel Like Royalty

Photo Courtesy of royaleonwilshire.com

Per Zagat, here's a new restaurant with fun themed nights. Although the main courses might be a little pricey for a gal on a budget, their small plates and bar menu ($7-$13) seems like the way to go. Straight from the article:

"... check out Royale, a fresh-out-of-the-box Downtowner that's already offering an assortment of special nights – "Eastside Mondays" (the music of East LA, from 9 PM–2 AM); "Built Tuesdays" (a get-together of artists, photographers and so forth, from 8 PM–1 AM), and "Soul Food Friday" (the last Friday of every month, including appetizers like crispy pork spareribs and mac 'n cheese, and live music from 9:30 PM–2 AM)."

Who said there's nothing fun to do on a weeknight?

Royale
2619 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, 90057
$$-$$$

Just A Little Bit Hollywood (In a good way!)

Photo Courtesy of magnoliarestuarant.com

In a city that teases, offering yummy dishes in super small portions, it's nice to find a place that understands why people go to a restaurant: to eat. Magnolia in Hollywood is chic and makes you feel like you're in the "in" crowd, without having to sacrifice half your plate for the sake of looking cool. Plus, the reasonably priced take on upscale comfort food won't dent your wallet and will allow you a drink at The Bowery or The Well after dinner.

To drink, I had a really really good (and generous) glass of Pinot Noir from Monterrey... the name escapes me (I believe it started with a "C"). If you like Pinot, I recommend it!

To start, the Ahi Tuna Tartar ($12) with homemade tarot root chips was fresh and light and enough for two people to share!
For the main course, the Grilled Pork Chop with Sauteed Spinach and Sweet Potato Mash ($19) was to die for! I don't usually order pork, but something was swaying me in this direction. The pork was moist and wonderful, topped with a fresh apple reduction. And I would have married the Sweet Potato Mash if it were to propose. We would have lived quite a happy life together. Shame.
And dessert, (the most important meal of the day), The Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwich ($8). What can I say: homemade ice cream, chewy chocolate chip cookie, HUGE portion size. I was in heaven.
All in all, this is a great place to get your Hollywood fix and actually go home full! As I was leaving, the place was certainly picking up (they have a nice bar too), so it's got a really hip and late night vibe. Come on and eat at Magnolia - all the cool kids are doing it!


Magnolia
6266 1/2 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, 90028
$$$