Javier Plascencia & Tim Hollingsworth with Petty Cash Taqueria Petty Cash Taqueria 712 S Santa Fe Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 8/12/15 I’ve never been to mid-city’s Petty Cash, a modernized taqueria from chef Walter Manzke and restaurateur Bill Chait. The restaurant has been pretty popular since opening two years ago spawning this second…
Melisse 1104 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 Dining date: 7/24/15 My last time dining at Melisse was a year and a half ago when it participated in the dineLA Restaurant Week promotion. While Melisse didn’t technically participate this time, they offered a special 5-course 16th anniversary ‘Dine Melisse’ menu that happened to coincide with dineLA….
Scarpetta Montage Beverly Hills 225 North Canon Dr. Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Dining date: 7/7/15 I’ve had some great meals at Scarpetta since it opened in 2010. It had been almost two years since I stopped in, so a return visit was long overdue. In my opinion, the restaurant’s best seats are the six at…
Herbsaint 701 St Charles Ave New Orleans, LA 70130 Dining date: 6/12/15 Herbsaint is chef Donald Link’s flagship restaurant. Since opening the restaurant in 2000, Link has garnered considerable acclaim on the nationwide stage and is now one of the most notable chefs in the state. He opened the ever-popular Cochon in 2006, was awarded…
CUT Beverly Wilshire Hotel 9500 Wilshire Blvd Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Dining date: 7/15/15 I haven’t been to CUT since 2011 but have generally regarded it as probably the best true steakhouse in the city. I recently put that to the test during a revisit for a birthday dinner. CUT is Wolfgang Puck’s modern interpretation of…
Willie Mae’s Scotch House 2401 St Ann St New Orleans, LA 70119 Dining date: 6/10/15 and 6/13/15 Willie Mae’s fried chicken was probably the most highly anticipated bite of this whole trip for me. In fact, this might have topped the list of dishes I wanted to try in America. I’m a huge fan of…
Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St New Orleans, LA 70130 Dining date: 6/13/15 Restaurant August was high on my list of places to try while in town. It’s John Besh’s flagship restaurant and consistently regarded as one of the top restaurants in the city. The food here combines Besh’s classical French training with the cuisine and…
K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70130 Dining date: 6/10/15 K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen opened in New Orleans’ French Quarter in 1979 and has been an institution ever since. Opened by chef Paul Prudhomme (and wife Kay) after helming the kitchen of Commander’s Palace, K-Paul’s has been serving creole/cajun favorites that haven’t changed…