Holland's Old Fashioned with Bols Genever, sugar, Angostura, lemon twist.

Wood & Vine is one of my favorite places to dine whenever I’m in Hollywood to catch a movie at the ArcLight or kill some time before Hemingway’s Lounge opens up. It’s a gorgeous venue with a beautiful bar that greets you at the front of the house, followed by a second level for dining tables and comfy armchairs. Outside offers more dining tables, a lounge area and a large table with a firepit in the middle. Perfect for enjoying bar bites and drinks during a cool spring evening.

And even though the restaurant feels and looks awfully stately, the staff is helpful and down-to-earth nice so you don’t feel embarrassed for showing up to dinner in your Casual Friday/tourist attire.

Unfortunately this wasn't my order of charcuterie.

The “farm-to-table” menu, created by Gavin Mills (formerly sous chef of Bastide), is not intimidatingly expensive, ranging in price from $8 carrot soup to $20 grilled flat iron steak. Everything is basically small plates, which my bf hates because he says it’s just never enough. But we found that when we order three plates and a dessert we leave satisfied.

I’m always tempted to get a selection of cheese and charcuterie but bf doesn’t really eat meat. A shame considering the chef breaks down a whole pig once a week to make that charcuterie, using every bit of it!

The cocktail menu has a classic simplicity, echoing the farmer’s market freshness of the dishes. This is showcased in the Rodia’s Garden cocktail with cucumber vodka, lavender syrup, celery and absinthe. It’s served up but very refreshing. I would enjoy this on a sunny day on the patio. Too bad the restaurant doesn’t open til 6pm. The Bumblebee with Rittenhouse Rye is like one of my favorite gin drinks, Bee’s Knees, but with rye. Yum!  And I loved the genever version of the Old Fashioned, the Holland’s Old Fashioned. It was maltier and not as sweet as the traditional cocktail, which was fine with me since I’m usually put off by the sugariness of the classic.

By the way, they have a Black Manhattan cocktail with Averna Amaro but since I’m somewhat of a Manhattan purist I stayed away from it. The server said that it’s pretty sweet anyway. Meh.

Beer drinkers will be pleased by the selection of brew: Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Allagash White and Stone IPA, to name a few, priced $6 to $8. There’s also a bottle of Allagash Curieux for $35 and Stone Smoked Porter for $14. Only issue I had, though, is that they served the beer in a chilled glass. But at least the beer wasn’t chilled, too.

After the jump are a few of my favorite things at Wood & Vine, taken with my brand-new T3i, which I’m still trying to get the hang of. (Case in point: a green photo of the roasted beet salad I shot.)

Bumblebee with Rittenhouse rye, orange juice, lemon, honey, egg whites.

Potato gnocchi with spring garlic, confit onions, truffle, english peas. The risotto was our fave but this took the place of that on the menu.

Grilled scallops with truffled grits, fava bean & corn ragu. I usually have to split this with bf but could easily polish off this plate by myself. Wish the truffled grits was a soup. So creamy.

Butterscotch pot de creme with salted caramel ice cream. Can never say no to this. It's just mean they serve this in a small baby jar.

Baileys whiskey, maple-bacon, salted caramel ice cream. My favorite ice cream flavors EVERR! Together they are just magical.

By the way, on Monday nights, Wood & Vine does a special Farmer’s Market dinner option where you can get three courses made from offerings from the Hollywood Farmers’ Market for $20, as well as a $20 bottle of California wine and $3 craft beer.

Wood & Vine
6280 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, California (map)
(323) 334-3360
Facebook: Wood and Vine
Twitter: @woodandvine

Chipotle yellow fin tuna roll with wasabi tobiko, avocado, sesame chipotle rouille, $13. Surprisingly large amount for a small plate. Really get more than your money's worth.

Brunch is one of my favorite meals of the weekend. No rushing off to anywhere, you can drink as many brunch cocktails as you want and it’s all very leisurely and lovely. But I have four requirements for what constitutes a good brunch: 1) a wide variety of dishes from savory to sweet to choose from, 2) a selection of brunch cocktails, 3) quality coffee and 4) affordability.

So when I heard about Zengo‘s all-you-can-eat (and drink) brunch for $35 I was elated, and a bit skeptical. After all the Latin-Asian fusion restaurant located in the newishly renovated Santa Monica Place Dining Deck, seemed, well, touristy and mainstream. It has a patio terrace overlooking Third Street Promenade and Ed Hardy and Kitson across the way. I mistakenly assumed that chef Richard Sandoval’s restaurant was, like most eateries in popular tourist spots, meant to appeal to those far from home who want something comfortingly familiar and not too crazy. Yeah, even though it’s “Latin-Asian” cuisine.

But just checking in at the hostess stand gave it an air of exclusivity. Like, maybe cargo shorts and black socks won’t do here. There was no wide-open door located right by the escalator, rather we had to walk down a long, skinny open-air hallway to a large hostess stand. The hostess checked carefully to make sure we had reservations.

Once brought into the dining area, it actually felt like we were in a place other than Santa Monica. Somewhere almost tropical like a resort in Mexico. Unfortunately, on the day we went it was too chilly and windy to sit out on the terrace so we ducked inside instead.

Our waiter immediately attended to us, quick to offer suggestions, saying that on average people order about four or five dishes each. Since these were small plates, sharing is encouraged. So we started off easy with just five dishes and then ended up ordering another five when we felt we could eat more.

Hit the jump for the gallery of every single thing my bf and I had, including the cocktails which I didn’t finish but can assure you aren’t that strong anyway.

Suffice it to say, I loved this brunch. Every dish was so delicious with only one missing the mark for me, the bahn mi sliders which I couldn’t finish. Meh, pork gristle. But then again I’m not a bahn mi connoisseur, maybe gristly is how it’s done. The chipotle yellow fin tuna roll was a highlight with a long roll that seemed awfully affordable for the amount that we got.

Another fave was the Thai chicken empanadas. If anything I would have gladly placed another order of it. However, the omlettes are pricey for their small sizes at $8-$9; consider that a lox omlette (with onions, capers and boursin cheese) around the corner at Jinky’s Cafe costs about $13.

The cocktail selection was basic — mimosas, Marys, bellinis — and very morning-friendly since, as the waiter pointed out, not many people want to get blitzed for breakfast. Wuuut? Tell that to Eveleigh and Ray’s and The Stark Bar! But out of the drinks, I liked the bacon Bloody Mary the best since it tasted substantial. That’s just how I roll. And, yeah, the cocktail menu won’t be a real draw for those seeking variety, but at least the tourists (and moms) will be happy.

By the way, this was a hosted meal. I wasn’t even sure about this condition until the end when the waiter told us that it was. But before that I was perfectly up for paying the $35 a person since it was absolutely worth it. See, if you eat more than two dishes and drink more than two cocktails, you get your money’s worth right there considering dishes range in price from $7 to $12 and cocktails are in the $9-$10 range. This would be perfect to do with a group of friends. That way you can try more things, and divvying up the bill at the end of the meal would be a nonissue. We actually saw a large table of friends celebrating a birthday, a smart idea since there’s none of that “Heyy, I only had a salad and I have to pay $40?!” complications.

I would most certainly come back, maybe the next time my folks are in town or I get a group of buddies together. Hmm, birthday brunch?

By the way, there is a 2-hour table limit and, obviously, you can’t take your leftovers home.

Zengo Santa Monica
395 Santa Monica Place
Santa Monica, California 90401 (map)
(310) 899-1000
Twitter: @zengosm
Brunch hours: Saturday-Sunday 11:30am-4pm

Shrimp veg potsticker with red chile dashi sauce, $10

Bacon bloody Mary with bacon-infused vodka. Smokey and savory. I don't even like tomatoes all that much but loved this one.

Bacon fried rice with scallions and shitake mushroom, $7

Market veg omlette with mushrooms, pea shoots, roasted peppers, avocado, tomato, cotija cheese, $8. Notably smaller than regular omlettes.

Sea bass ceviche with Aji Amarillo, red onion, cucumber, apple, tomato, shiso, $12

Salmon omlette with goat cheese, spinach, caramelized onion, tomato, $9

Bahn mi sliders with Achiote pork, pickled vegetables, citrus aioli, $9. Wasn't crazy about this one. Bread was fresh and flakey but the pork was gristly. My least favorite dish out of everything.

Sake sangria, $9. Very light compared to traditional sangria because of the sake.

Thai chicken empanadas with chile poblano, Oaxaca cheese, mango salsa, $10. Loved this dish! My favorite. Flakey pastry and tasty curry sauce.

Asparagus with slow poached egg, lemon, xo sauce, togarashi, $7

Lychee Bellini with sparkling wine, lychee, $10. Very, very light and not too sweet.

Pan dulce is Mexican sweet bread, cinnamon whipped cream, Licor 43, star anise, orange agave syrup, $7.

Sorry I don't have a picture of the Carne Adobada. Ate it too fast.

Last night, I swung by Scoops Westside to see if my ol’ buddy, owner Matt Kang, wanted anything to eat. Sometimes he doesn’t get a chance to get out and fetch dinner, especially when there’s a crowd of foodies clamoring for brown bread ice cream. Anyway, we decided on Gloria’s Café, an authentic Mexican/Salvadoran food restaurant that’s huge on Yelp and has appeared on Food Network’s show Guy’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.

It’s nearby Scoops and I usually go for the Salvadoran special with a pupusa, tamal de elote, beans and rice. However, Matt wanted to get a couple of things to split so we decided on the Chuletas de Puerco — pork chops served in garlic sauce or with grilled onions. But when I called to order the food for pickup the nice man on the phone informed me that they didn’t carry that item anymore.*

Apparently it wasn’t a huge seller — maybe because Cuban restaurant Versailles, which has the same dish, is located just next door – and because of that they didn’t want to keep it around for fear that the pork chops would get freezer burns from sitting around too long.

After that explanation I asked for what his most popular item on the menu is. “Carne Adobada,” he replied. The menu described the dish as “tender chunks of carnitas served in Ms. Gloria’s masterly prepared Adobada sauce.” Sold!

When I got the carton of food back to Scoops Westside, its sauciness had it spilling into the refried beans section during transport but whatevs, just as good together. Damn, I’m drooling just remembering it. The pork was sooo tender and juicy and the Adobada sauce with bits of onions was so savory with some spiciness. And even though I usually don’t like tomato sauce, I couldn’t get enough of this one, using it as gravy on my rice while Matt used the corn tortillas to sop it up. As we both ate, we kept murmuring, “This is sooo good, soo good!”

Even 15 minutes later after scraping up the last spoonful, I was still saying it. “Maaan, that was SO good!” It took a cup of black coffee and some Salted Caramel ice cream to finally get me to shut up about it. But I’ve definitely found my new default dish at Gloria’s. So. Good.

Oh! And side note: Their sangria is not only awesome but it’s only $4.50 a glass! A must-have.

* Apparently they’re going to update their online menu since a lot of items have been deleted.

Gloria’s Café
10227 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90034 (map)
(310) 838-0963
Facebook: Gloria’s Café
Twitter: @gloriascafe

Red O's pork belly sopes

I’m going to admit something to you that may get me disbarred from the L.A. Food Bloggers Association, if there was one. I don’t know who this Rick Bayless is. At least I didn’t really before I was invited to a blogger dinner at the new Red O Restaurant (Bayless created the Mexican cuisine menu but doesn’t own the venue). Red O, in the former Chocolat space on Melrose, had only been opened for two days and was already booked solid for a month, and here I was lucky enough to land a seat.

And for those who don’t know, Rick Bayless is a world-famous chef with PBS series Mexico — One Plate at a Time, several cookbooks and the title of “Top Chef Master” under his belt. Very impressive indeed. So remember earlier this year when foodies were all twitterpated about how L.A. would be the site of his first restaurant outside of Chicago? Well, now you, too, know what the big deal is. Apparently his guy knows Mexican food and he was gonna show off his skills right in our town.

Mattatouille and Teenage Glutster pondering the tequila.

For dinner, I was joined by bloggers Lindsay of LAist, Mattatouille, estarLA and Teenage Glutster as well as two publicists. We were treated to a seemingly neverending stream of tasty delights from pork belly sopes to Heirloom tomatoes and steak salad to Lamb in Chile Colorado.

And even given a tequila flight of Oro Azul Tequila Blanco, Corralejo Reposado Tequila, Don Julio Ańejo Tequila and Jose Cuervo Reserva De La Familia. (Thanks to Glutster for the list as I was on the other end of the table and couldn’t hear the sommelier’s description of each one. Blah.)

Now, the entrees here, dubbed “Mexico’s Celebrated Seven” as they are the top dishes representative of classic Mexican flavors, range in price from the $25 Pollo en Mole Poblano – grilled chicken, mole poblano, black beans, watercress salad — to the $31 Carne Asada Brava – green chile-marinated Creekstone Natural ribeye, roasty salsa huevona, sweet corn tamales and grilled knob onions. Not too bad, I guess, for a special night out.

But if you’d like to keep it light without lightening up your wallet, there are some nice options, especially for a cheapskate like myself. That $11 corn and goat cheese tamale with roasted poblano chiles was divine as that’s a triad of some of my fave ingredients. But if I wanted to treat myself I’d order up the $20 crab and shrimp enchiladas with tomatillo sauce, corn tortillas, Sonoma Jack cheese, black beans, and ensaladita. The Glutster and Mattatouille can back me up on how good this was as it was a highlight for them, too.

Topolo Margarita

As for cocktails, out of the six drinks on the list I only sampled the Tamarind Re-Fashioned ($11) — a concoction of Don Julio Ańejo, tamarind soda, Luxardo cherries, orange, and orange bitters muddled with tamarind syrup — and had a Topolo Margarita ($11) with Sauza Conmemorativo tequila, Gran Torres orange liqueur and limonada — all to myself.

The former was disappointing in that it wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped it would be. I didn’t taste tamarind at all or really the tequila for that matter. But then again I like my cocktails with some kick and this was just too light for me. Everyone at the table agreed, not a favorite.

I did, however, enjoy the margarita. They asked if I wanted it up or on the rocks even though the menu states that it’s served up. In any case, that’s the way to go. Undiluted, with no ice. By the way, the restaurant is still testing out different cocktails so the current menu is likely to change soon.

The restaurant space itself is gorgeous. And at dinner I was fortunate enough to have its designer, Gulla Jonsdottir, sitting next to me so I told her myself. Ms. Jonsdottir was formerly the principal designer for Dodd Mitchell Design and has worked on the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and Beverly Hills’ Thompson Hotel. She’s so fancy that her business card is made from rose petals. Her design firm, G+ Gulla Jonsdottir Design, did such a wonderful job of Red O, instilling a sense of whimsy, charm and sophistication from the tequila tunnel lined with glass display cases showcasing bottles of premium tequila to the wall of golden cowbells to the handmade leather swings at the bar. No sombreros or Spanish colonial arches here.

Rick Bayless and Executive Chef Michael Brown greet the table.

And in the course of our dinner we were able to see the main dining room transform from a beautiful, naturally lit space perfect for dinner with friends to a romantic, candlelit venue ideal for cozying up with your oh-so-lucky honey. During sultry nights, the garage doors will open up to let in the cool night air.

I asked Ms. Jonsdottir which she thought was the best seat in the house — you know, for future reference — and she said the table up against the tequila tunnel with a commanding view of the dining room under the skylights and handmade Mexican chandeliers hanging above is the best. As it’s the table closest to the restaurant’s tequila lounge, which I unfortunately didn’t get to check out during this visit, I would have to concur.

She said that they’re looking to include a cigar lounge, too, in the near future where guests can enjoy cocktails with their cigars. Noice!

I would totally love to come back and grab some drinks whilst swinging at the bar, depending of course if those swings ever free up.

Red O Restaurant
8155 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90046 (map)
(323) 655-5009
Twitter: @Rick_Bayless

Pitfire Pizza's Big Sur

When I lived in Mar Vista for 10 years, I hated the fact that there weren’t any cool eateries or bars within walking distance of my hovel near Venice and Centinela. Cut to four years later and now there’s a fancified Alibi Room, Rockenwagner Bakery, the Curious Palate and, most recently, Pitfire Artisan Pizza, which opened last month. Hmm, maybe it’s time for me to move back.

I first became familiar with the gourmet pizza restaurant on my many trips to the Edison downtown as it’s located just around the corner from the bar. And what was impressive about it is that everything is of such high-quality and so fresh, what with its farmer’s market ingredients, artisanal beers and even homemade cookies.

Wood-burning oven

So, yeah, I was so de-lighted to find out that this good pizza joint took over the space of bad pizza joint, Shakey’s, on Washington Boulevard. The new space — designed by Barbara Bestor, the same architect who designed Intelligentsia and wine bar Lou — is spacious and modern. No cushy couches here. Several booths take up the wall of windows looking out at Washington Boulevard and there are a couple of communal tables, a marble counter and plenty of banquettes. Outside, off the parking lot, there’s an outdoor patio that seats 30 diners and features an olive grove and edible garden, featuring tomatoes and herbs.

Seems like all my old neighbors love the restaurant as it’s filled with families in the early evening hours, giving it a real community feel. Kids running around, standing on chairs…staring at me while I eat. That’s why I think I’ll go in the later hours after 8pm when the restaurant is filled with couples on dates and booths of friends drinking wine and beer. And on Thursday and Friday nights there’s a DJ from Venice’s Walnut Avenue Radio spinning some “atmospheric music.”

As for the drinking situation, currently the restaurant sells wine as well as bottled beer, but is looking to install a wall of 6 to 8 kegs where that cute picture of the welcoming alien is currently located.*

I’ve only been a couple of times since this location opened but so far my favorite eats are the farmer’s market plate which always features, you guessed it, fresh produce from the farmer’s market. And I love the spicy Big Sur pizza with wild Gulf shrimp, marinated tomato, lemon zest, roasted garlic and red chile flakes. For dessert, I recommend the off-the-menu pizookie but you should request that they heat up that delicious chocolate chip cookie in their bright red Mugnaini wood-burning oven first. YUMMY!

And the good news is that Pitfire Pizza (all locations) is debuting its new spring specials today!

Seasonal Spring Specials

• Grilled Pineapple & Appalachian Country Ham Pizza ($10.25) grilled pineapple, charred poblano chile, Benton’s country ham, red onion, mozzarella
• Roasted Artichoke Pizza ($9.95) roasted artichoke slices, blistered cherry tomatoes, wilted spinach, black olives
• Sausage and Spring Greens Pizza ($9.95) rennel sausage, arugula, charred scallion, roasted fennel, fresh mozzarella, fresh garlic
• Spring  Salad ($9.00) grilled asparagus, roasted pee-wee potatoes, radish, goat cheese, pine nuts, lemon champagne vinaigrette
• Broccoli Rapini Pasta ($8.95) gemelli pasta, pepperonata, rapini “pesto,” parmesan
• Farmer’s Market Plate ($9.95) chili roasted fennel, roasted rainbow carrots with rosemary and garlic, grilled treviso raddichio with balsamic, grilled asparagus with parmesan
• BBQ Chicken Panini ($8.95) avocado, gouda, colesla with housemade bbq sauce

Pitfire Artisan Pizza
12924 Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90066 (map)
(424) 835-4088
Twitter: @pitfirepizza

* There is now a huge refrigerator covering the alien. That’s where the kegs will be stored.