Restaurant Review: Lucky's

A few months back, we were watching a show on the Food Network called The Best Thing I Ever Ate. Chef Cat Cora named Lucky's as her favorite dining spot for a strip steak and both Eric and I drooled over our TV. It was a little lot out of our price range, so I really wasn't expecting to go there any time soon.

Not to mention, it's in Montecito.

For those of you not familiar with the area, you probably have no idea what that is or that Oprah lives there or that it's definitely not a place for commoners like me.


Lucky's is located right on the main strip in Montecito. We lucked out with street parking directly across from the restaurant and it was free because it was after 6pm.

We started off with a cocktail. Eric ordered an Old Fashioned and I ordered the Blueberri Patch:

"Stoli Blueberri, Sweet & Sour and a Secret Splash. Served chilled and up with a sugar rim. An Ezra Atwill original."

I ordered the petit filet mignon. It was juicy and tender and came with grill marks that I don't even think were made with a marker. This place is way better than Sizzler!, I thought to myself. I asked for it medium and it was cooked to perfection- slightly blackened on the outside, pink through the middle. With just two saws of the knife, slices of meat were practically falling off. The steaks come with a sauce of your choice- I went with the peppercorn, based on our server's advise (who, by the way, was extremely helpful and friendly). It looked like a brown gravy and the flavor was rich and very buttery. There were whole peppercorns in it, but it definitely didn't have an overly peppery flavor.

Eric ordered the Bone-In New York, Delmonico. It was easily a larger cut than mine and, according to our server, had more marbling throughout. I tried a bite and it seemed pretty similar to the filet, but with a little more consistency.

For our sides, we went with a baked potato and the hashed browns with Gruyere cheese. The baked potato was topped with Cheddar and bacon and included a side of sour cream. The hash with Gruyere... A gooey, carboloaded treat.

Both potato versions were decadent and rich and you can't go wrong with either. But if you're going to splurge, do the Gruyere.

Worth noting: the steaks do not come with any sides. When you order a hunk of meat, you'll get a hunk of meat and that's it. I thought that was a little disappointing. Maybe that's just how fancy people eat. Fancy people hate side dishes.

If you're in the area and looking for a nice, quaint restaurant that oozes Santa Barbara style, head to Lucky's. Even if it's just for a drink, it's more than worth it.

(Thank you, Eric, for the best birthday dinner ever.)

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The Golden State.

Eric's birthday was a few weeks ago and we celebrated at one of his favorite eateries: The Golden State.

Located on Fairfax, between Melrose and Beverly, you could totally walk right past the place without ever knowing it exists. Much like my social life in high school.

The inside of the restaurant is small. There are maybe 10 tables in the whole place, and some of them are only two-seaters. 

We walked up to the counter and briefly looked over the menu. There aren't too many options, but I had looked online, so my chins were already quivering with excitement at the thought of a good burger. 

The guy working the counter was friendly and welcoming. He didn't rush us as I took my time deciding on a beer. I got the Victory Swing, btw. Great summer drink.

Eric and I both ordered The Burger. With a description like "Harris Ranch beef, Fiscalini Farms cheddar, glazed applewood smoked bacon, arugula, aioli, ketchup" it seemed like the perfect choice.

I'm just going to cut straight to the chase here:  This was the best burger I've ever had IN.MY.LIFE.

The meat was tender and juicy and flavorful. I didn't detect any spices in the ground beef, which meant it naturally tasted fucking delicious, which is totally crazy because I'm not a fan of "meat flavor" and guess what I totally loved it.

The bacon was thick and cooked perfectly. It wasn't soggy or charred.

The combination of the aioli and ketchup added just the right amount of savor and sauciness that it enhanced, not overpowered, the burger itself.

Also, I'm pretty sure the bun was a brioche. A freshly baked, almost-sweet, carby piece of brioche heaven.

The whole thing just tasted clean and naturally delicious. Not heavy or pumped full of flavorings.

Not much talking took place once our food was delivered.

If you're in the area, try to stop in. Let me know what you think. Seriously. Those burgers are the shiznit.

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Have You Heard About Marilyn Hagerty?

Marilyn Hagerty is an 85 year-old woman who works as a freelance writer. She wrote a review for her local newspaper about a new restaurant that had recently opened in her hometown of Grand Forks, North Dakota.

The restaurant was Olive Garden.

Hagerty doesn't care about going to hotspots where she can look cool or impress. She eats where she wants.

And she also manages to throw in a jab about "bloggers" in her interview with Today.

:::swoon:::

This woman is my hero.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Extraordinary Desserts.

If you're anywhere in the greater San Diego area, and you have a sweet tooth, it is worth your while to find Extraordinary Desserts.

Earlier this month, I was in San Diego and my friend Michael (who knows I like to eat) took me to this place. He has a friend who works there, so he has an "in" when it comes to fancy feasts.



Since we were just stopping in for a mid-morning snack, we decided to share a pot of tea and a dessert. Michael advised we get the Birthday Cake tea ("Reminiscent of a warm out-of-the-oven cookie with strong caramel and vanilla notes. Delicious with milk."). We ordered it as a milk-tea served over ice and added simple syrup for sweetening. Now, before we ordered I was skeptical of Michael's advise because 1) he usually makes bad decisions, and 2) I don't like vanilla, cake-like flavors. But! I loved it! It was light, but creamy, sweet and a little floral and it was perfect for my mid-morning snack.



There were PLENTY of gorgeous looking desserts to choose from, all sitting behind the protective glass so I couldn't maul them. Seriously, if you like beautiful, decadent desserts, this is your place.



We ended up going with the Lemon-Blueberry Streudel. Unfortunately, it's not listed on their online menu, so I can't tell you exactly what's in it. But I can tell you it's MOTHERFUCKINGDELICIOUS and I may or may not have eaten a greater portion than just my half.
Worth noting: This crazy-good dessert was only $8.50 and enough for two people to share.



The streudel is served up with a drizzled design of fruit syrup on one side and a fluffy dollop of freshly whipped cream on the other. They also decorate each dessert before it's brought out to the table, adding flowers, designs, and even edible gold leaf.

Extraordinary Desserts also has a breakfast and appetizer menu, but I didn't try either since I was busy inhaling my dessert. But if it's anything like the quality of the strudel I had, this place is a MUST for anyone in the San Diego area.





Extraordinary Desserts has two San Diego locations: (Little Italy) 1430 Union Street, and (Balboa Park) 2929 Fifth Avenue.

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The Red Door Restaurant and Wine Bar.

On my last visit to San Diego, Morgan arranged a dinner for a group of BlogHer attendees. Somehow, I lucked out and made it into the group.


We took a couple of cabs from the downtown Marriot and about ten minutes later we arrived at The Red Door Restaurant and Wine Bar. When the first half of our 11-person reservation arrived, the waitstaff was a little confused. When the second half of our reservation arrived, the waitstaff was a little frantic. From what I could tell, it seemed like maybe someone forgot to make a note in the RSVP book about our group.

Fortunately, the manager came straight out and got to work. She apologized to every one of us and offered us complimentary drinks. Thankfully, the wait wasn't very long and we ended up getting the whole bar-room area to ourselves.

The exterior, and even interior, of Red Door looks like a house. It's broken up into three separate rooms- the first is the bar/ dining and the other two are just dining. The overall decor is very cozy, lots of natural lighting, and has a feel like you're sitting in someone's living room. It's on the small side- I would say maybe 10 or 12 tables max. This would be a great place for a quaint, intimate meal and also possibly if you're looking for a small venue to rent out for a cocktail party (or something like that).

Because our reservation was a prearranged event to showcase Red Door's new happy hour menu, our food consisted of appetizers and cocktails. -Which totally worked for me.

Appetizer #1: Red Door Sliders

"char grilled meyer natural ground beef on ciabatta buns, american cheese
lettuce, tomato, carmelized onions, house burger sauce with shoestring fries - $8"

This burger was good, but I think it may have been too toasty for me. Most of the buns were blackened and I'm not really a fan of char-grilled flavor, in general. Keep in mind, this all comes down to personal taste. I'm sure this burger would be perfect for many people, but I don't think I'm really a "fancy burger" kind of person.


Appetizer #2: Steak Skewers

teriyaki glazed charolais ny steak - $5

Again, these weren't really my thing. They seemed a little... overcooked, in my opinion. The teriyaki glaze was flavorful and sweet, but I just wasn't a big fan of how the steak was cooked. Too tough and chewy.


Appetizer #3: BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadilla

"mozzarella, parmesean and romano cheeses housemade bbq sauce
and onion straws - $5"

Now this.... THIS is where the money's at. These quesadillas were by far my favorite item that night, and to this day I cannot stop thinking about them. The craziest part is, I don't really eat pork very often (unless you count my bacon addiction) and I can't believe I almost passed on this appetizer all together.

The cheese combination creates this great, salty-yet-mellow flavor. The pulled pork is moist and not overpowering. They use corn tortillas, which is less commonly seen than its cousin, the flour tortilla. -But definitely much better, in this case. And it's fried perfectly so the edges are crisp, while the center still has a bready texture. Finally, the bbq sauce is sweet and tangy- a great topper for this delicious plate. I would strongly recommend ordering the BBQ Pulled Pork Quesadilla if you try this place out.

Appetizer #4: Shrimp Creole

"mexican white shrimp sautéed with onion, celery, green bell pepper, garlic.
cajun spices, white wine & cream served over crispy polenta - $8"

I don't have too much to say about these guys because I'm pretty weak when it comes to spicy food. I only had one bite, just to get a feel for what I was missing out on. Based on my one taste, I can tell you the shrimp was perfectly cooked, not gummy at all. The shrimp itself tasted great... but those creole spices were a bit too spicy for my fragile palate. But for people who like spicy food, I would recommend these.


The Red Door Restaurant and Wine Bar is located at 741 West Washington St., San Diego.

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Santa Barbara.

The weather was beautiful this weekend, so Boyfriend and I decided to go up to Santa Barbara for the day on Saturday.

This post is going to be picture heavy because it's basically a visual recap of our day in SB.


Starting the day off on a walk at the beach.


One of three weddings we saw getting set-up. I tweeted this pic saying I was at the Kardashian wedding. FYI: Nobody believed me.


Sunny, perfect weather. Lots of palm trees.


A path down to the water.


Lots of families riding rental bikes. Probably tourists.


I'm pretty sure I caught Biscuit mid-shake with this pic. Usually her face isn't this crazy looking.


My favorite shot of the day.


After the beach, we headed down to State St. For those of you who have never been to Santa Barbara, a walk down State St. is kind of like LA. -Minus the plastic surgery and nannies. -And with more granola-crunchers, rich white people, and spoiled college kids. I know what you're thinking. And yes, I fit right in.


I like the details around this hotel doorway.


Theatre marquee.


This was right after we saw David Spade and he pointed at Biscuit saying "Hey, look at that dog". Thankfully, Biscuit wasn't doing anything embarrassing at the time, like mauling small kittens, so I took it as a compliment.


We decided to stop for drinks and appetizers at Holdren's. By the way, if you're ever in Santa Barbara and you're looking for great food (on a fancier budget), GO TO HOLDREN'S. Hands down, the best steak I've ever had.


All orders come with complimentary bread. I'm not sure what the white bread was, but my guess would be a light sourdough. And the dark bread, I think, was a honey wheat. But the real magic comes in the dipping sauces. You get the standard butter, but then you also get this cracked out version of olive oil that makes you want to chug it by the gallon. Word on the street is, it's a special combination of cayenne pepper, garlic, and red wine that they add to it. It was so good, I was *this* close to throwing it back like a shot of Vodka.


Boyfriend ordered a Cucumber Martini, which uses Hendricks Gin (his favorite). I ordered a Blood-Orange Margarita, which comes with a salt/ sugar combo on the rim (a very nice touch). I can't vouch for the martini, but the margarita was very fruity and refreshing. A perfect drink for day out in the sun.


We ordered the Spicy Spinach and Artichoke Dip, which was served with homemade pita chips. This dip is very chunky and hearty. If you like big bites of artichoke, this is the one for you. Also, it doesn't seem very spicy in the first few bites, but trust me, the spice is there. I went at it like I was trying to win 1st place in an eating competition, only to come to a screeching halt when my mouth felt like burning hot lava.


We also ordered the Crab Cakes. I've only tried crab cakes once before, so I'm not exactly a crab cake connoisseur. But I can tell you that these cakes were fried and crisp on the outside, it broke apart easily with my fork, and the inside was moist, with the flavors of the ingredients all blended together perfectly. So I'd say they were pretty great. Also, the cakes were served on a bed of rice pilaf and came with a light and tangy sauce on the side.

Worth Nothing: Both times I've been to Holdren's, I had the same server. His name is Trevor and he is fantastic. If you end up going here, make sure to request his section. He is very happy and helpful, two great qualities that you want in a server.


One more important piece of info... I just learned this weekend that Santa Barbara has passed some kind of city code making all restaurants with outdoor seating "Dog-friendly". Crazy, right? I know, I'm really excited about this. Biscuit especially loved this when it came time to sniffing the edge of our plates and trying to sneak a stray bite.


Me and Boyfriend!


Until next time, Santa Barbara...

Boner'ppetite!

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Restaurant Review: Ktchn 105

A couple weekends ago, I met up with my friends Jimmy and Michael. These are the clowns I met while living abroad in London. They're both from the Southern California area and we usually meet up a few times a year to pig the fuck out.

Take note readers: These two are single and ready to mingle.

Anyway. Jimmy suggested a place that supposedly has the best brunch in LA, Ktchn 105.

This place is like one of those eye-magic-voodoo-stare-at-me-long-enough-and-you-see-an-image kind of places. It's on a small street that's almost more like an alley, in the middle of the Produce District, and has a gate where you need to be buzzed-in in order to enter the premises. There are no signs or blinking lights or golden arches. In fact, if you weren't specifically going to this restaurant, you wouldn't even know it existed.

View from the main gate.

We sat outside in the patio area. It was a nice day.

Apparently, Ktchn 105 has a rotating brunch menu that changes weekly. There are about eight entrees to choose from and they're all a bit on the fancy pants/ "organic" side. I went with the Harissa Scramble. Not knowing what harissa was, all the other ingredients sounded pretty inhaleable.

Harissa Scramble: Eggs, harissa, pumpkin seeds, and goat cheese. Topped with crispy shoestring onions and some green shit. Includes side of fried potatoes and a brioche bun with lemon butter and raspberry jam.

I was pleasantly surprised with my meal. The scramble was nice and soft, not overcooked. The goat cheese and pumpkin seeds turned out to be a DELICIOUS combination and are even making my mouth water as I type this. Potatoes always get a thumbs up in my book. Not to mention, when I first sat down I was feeling all weak and nauseous and fainty, so I wasn't really looking forward to trying something new and adventurous. As i started eating, I felt better in no time. Added bonus: Harissa Scramble has magic healing powers.

The check was presented with freshly made complimentary chocolate chip cookies. I actually don't like chocolate. But I managed to push through my distaste and ate my cookie in .2 seconds flat.

Meal + water + tip = $15

Word on the street is, the owner of Ktchn 105 actually lives at the restaurant. Apparently, this place was originally his loft-style apartment.

According to my sources, that wall of tubes serves as a separator between the main restaurant area and the space where the owner sleeps.

This whole story may be totally made up, and if so, you didn't hear it from me.

I give this restaurant 5 out of 5 chins.

In other nonsense...

Check out my latest post at Sprocket Ink where I recap the season finale of Game of Thrones.

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El Compadre Restaurant.

Friday night, Boyfriend and I met up with my friend Danielle at one of her favorite Mexican hotspots: El Compadre. It didn't take much convincing on her part- I was sold at "mexican food" and then we sealed the deal at "flaming margarita".

Location: From the 101, exit Highland, go west on Sunset. El Compadre is located directly across from the giant Guitar Center store (which is why we accidentally drove right past it as we were busy staring at the giant Guitar Center store). Street parking. We lucked out and found a broken meter just around the corner on Sierra Bonita.



Decor: Lights are loooow and it will feel like you're walking into a cave. Give your eyeballs a good five minutes to adjust. The front door spits you right into the middle of the restaurant, so be prepared for all eyes to be on you when you make your grand entrance. According to Google images, celebs like Kendra Wilkinson, Amy Adams, and Blink-182 have all been photographed here. Unfortunately, the only people of interest I saw were the mariachis, and of course our waiter when he delivered my meal. The decor is lots of dark wood, big wrought iron chandeliers, and tiled faux roofs over the booth seating areas. It feels a little like you're on a Mexican pirate ship.

I pulled this picture from the internets. It's really not this bright in there.

Cocktails: We all started out the night with their signature drink, The Flaming Margarita ($9). The drinks are served up with a floating piece of orange peel that has some kind of flammable liquid in it, which they light on fire. There were several fruity flavors to choose from- I went with the mango. It was the shit and I would recommend it to anyone who likes mango. A word to the wise: Don't mess with the orange peel until that shit burns out. Danielle said she one made the mistake of tipping over her orange peel one time, which resulted in her drink tasting like lighter fluid.


I know. These pictures are shit. But it was verrrry dark in there and this is what you get when you combine candlelight and an iPhone.

Food: Since it was Good Friday, my menu options were limited (for all the non Catholics out there- no meat on the Fridays leading up to Easter). Since I was starving and nearly ate my own arm off on the drive to the restaurant, I went with a standard safe pick: Cheese Enchiladas. I don't remember what the price was because I was already a flaming margarita and a Negra Modelo deep, but I'm sure it was pretty inexpensive.

This picture does not do it justice. Trust me, it was really tasty.

The enchilada plate came with two CHEESY enchiladas, a generous serving of rice and beans, and a side of shredded lettuce (the way a true Mexican would eat it). I ended up ordering a small side of guacamole and sour cream (I think $.50/.75 each) because I like to maximize my fat intake at all times. I was very happy with my meal because it was delicious, not very spicy, and despite the tons of cheese, it never got rubbery or overwhelming. In fact, it was so good, I ended up eating every last scrap on my plate. Not an exagerration. Based on food, this place gets 4 out of 5 chins.

I was so happy with my food (and the complimentary chips and salsa) that I would definitely go back. And I would also recommend this place to anyone looking for a fun and relaxed atmosphere that doesn't charge an arm and a leg. Boyfriend and made it out on $37 and that included two meals and five drinks. Not bad for a Friday night in Hollywood.

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