NomNoms: Cafe du Monde (New Orleans)

Cafe du Monde is a real New Orleans institution. I went to enjoy the classic combination of cafe au lait and beignets every single night I was in New Orleans (sometimes drunk and sometimes not).



Cafe au lait and beignets

Cafe du Monde
1039 Decatur Street
New Orleans, LA

NomNoms: The Brooklyn (Seattle)

Happy hour!



Oysters!



Mussels!

The Brooklyn
1212 2nd Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

NomNoms: Meskel (Seattle)

Vegetarian combo, lamb and chicken



Injera



Honey wine

Meskel Ethiopian
2605 E Cherry St
Seattle, WA

NomNoms: Top Pot Doughnuts (Seattle)

Sugar and glazed

Top Pot Doughnuts
2124 5th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

NomNoms: Piroshky Piroshky (Seattle)

Yummy yummy yumminess can be found at this Russian bakery.





Smoked salmon pate



Potato and mushroom

Piroshky Piroshky
1908 Pike Place
Seattle, WA 98101

NomNoms: Restaurante Guelaguetza (Los Angeles)

This is a Oaxacan restaurant but I've had bad experiences with the typical Oaxacan dish of mole, so I decided to go a different route and ordered something else.



The best horchata in the world - with chopped nuts and cactus fruit puree



Botana de Molotes - fried corn dough filled with potatoes and chorizo



Torta

Guelaguetza
3014 W. Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Wakasan (Los Angeles)

I've been dying to do an omakase meal (which is a chef's choice type experience), but it's so expensive! I found out about Wakasan through Yelp. It is extremely reasonably priced at $35 per person for 13 courses. However, some of the courses seemed to be fillers and were not very impressive.



Marinated spinach



Marinated bean sprouts and seaweed



Potato salad



Cold marinated eggplant



Sashimi - scallops, tuna, and amberjack



Grilled salmon



King crab legs



Soup of beef, vermicilli, and potato



Fried chicken and slaw



Rice with ikura (salmon roe) and uni (sea urchin)



Miso soup



Egg custard



Red bean ice cream

Wakasan
1929 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Workout LA: Malibu Creek State Park

Malibu Creek State Park
1925 Las Virgenes Rd
Calabasas, CA 91302

NomNoms: Boule (Los Angeles)

Beautiful macarons - fleur de sel, pistachio, chocolate,
meyer lemon, and apple jacks



Walnut fig bread

Boule
408 N. La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048

NomNoms: Philippe the Original (Los Angeles)

Philippe the Original opened in 1908 and is the home of the French dip. It's definitely a blast from the past, plus delicious and cheap.



Beef double-dip, side of dill pickles, $0.60 iced tea

Philippe the Original
1001 Alameda St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

NomNoms: The Stand (Los Angeles)

I love Chicago-style hot dogs but this was not yummy. There was way too much stuff on this hot dog so that each bite you only got to taste one thing. Also, the chips were overcooked.



Chicago Dog - pickles, onions, tomato, relish, sport peppers, mustard, and celery salt

The Stand
1116 Westwood Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles (Los Angeles)

Thigh and waffle



Sides of biscuits, smothered potatoes and gravy, and greens

Unfortunately, the sides were not impressive besides the collard greens. The biscuit was tasteless and dry, and the potatoes were just plain boring.

Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles
5006 W. Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA

NomNoms: Jacques Torres Chocolate (New York City)

Almondine, Earl Grey, and hazelnut

Jacques Torres Chocolate - Brooklyn
66 Water Street
Brooklyn, New York 11201

NomNoms: Morimoto (New York City)

Interior


Brie amuse bouche


Tuna pizza


Chirashi bowl


Chocolate hazelnut mousse with lime and popcorn sorbet
Morimoto
88 10th Ave
New York, NY 10011

NomNoms: Ciudad (Los Angeles)

My first time dining at Ciudad was effectively ruined by the most unbelievably horrible service I have ever experienced. The manager comp-ed us though, so that made up for the frustration we endured. I definitely will not give them a second chance which is unfortunate because the food and drinks were wonderful.



White sangria


Plantain Chips and Spicy Aioli


Argentine Empanadas with Tomatillo and Chipotle Salsas

Ciudad
445 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071

NomNoms: Lemon Tree Cafe (Los Angeles)

I remember eating at Lemon Tree Cafe maybe 10 years ago. It apparently came under new management since then. There was a new sign and the decor seemed unfamiliar. When I arrived, the place was completely empty, but the waiter was very eager to please and the food was surprisingly good and affordable. It got a little more crowded after a while, but no more than three tables were in use. It makes me depressed a lot of the times to see cute mom and pop places struggling and across the street, there will be lines out the door at In N Out or Chipotle. (Not that there is anything wrong with those places per se.)



Little dishes - broccoli, radish, roasted potatoes, fish pancakes, and kimchi


Beef hot stone pot

Lemon Tree Cafe
24416 Crenshaw Blvd Suite 1
Torrance, CA 90505