Like a true "speakeasy" style bar, you will definitely not find this place unless you are a local, really good with directions and/or have a friend who has already been here. The building basically used to be a house and is situated in a neighborhood area. In order to enter the building, you walk through a small street towards the back of the house and be greeted by probably, one of the toughest bouncers you'll meet. These guys are ultra strict with who'm they let in the building regardless whether you're a woman or a man. Everyone seem to have a waiting status. Most hollywood bars/or nightclubs normally prioritize women first but, I feel this bar is setting an "exclusivity" style to make themselves stand out against competitors.Once you're inside, you get to enjoy 3 different live performances of a band playing, a man walking on a rope and a small burlesque show. The drinks were decently priced and strong. There's also a dj and 2-4 different bar stations. In addition, you have a choice of hanging out indoors or outdoors with tables all around for a price. Overall, my experience here was good and I would definitely come back again. 

The Tavern in Brentwood for brunch is a must. It is one of my favorite restaurants in the area that I think has one of the best delicious food in town. You can never go wrong with anything they offer, as every single item they sell seem to fulfill just about any cravings. The prices are quite hefty so, be prepared to pay a lot for your meal.

http://www.tavernla.com/index.html

"

The people who are meant to be in your life will always
gravitate back towards you, no matter how far they wonder.

"

Last night, we celebrated my friend's birthday at Bandera Restaurant. A lot of wine and delicious desserts. It was tough to pry away from the table and leave. The few times I've been here recently, we've ended up staying here longer than we anticipated. This place has that comforting feel that makes you want to extend your stay, even if, you know you should leave. https://www.facebook.com/BanderaBrentwood/reviews?ref=page_internal

Outside L.A., approximately about 35 minutes away from home, sits a small and quiet sushi restaurant called Soyokaze. Soyokaze is the kind of place where, you will only find through yelp reviews or by word of mouth. In our case, we yelped and were sold by the 4 star rating for top sushi to eat in the area.

As usual, when I dine somewhere for the first time, I come with no expectations except to eat good food. Surprisingly, I was satisfied with my Garden Sushi order which, consisted of fried shrimp with cream cheese, avocado and cucumber. It was very delicious! Also, I suggest coming here with a big appetite because they have the option of an all you can eat sushi meal for $18 on Sundays. A really good deal if you want to sample the different types of sushi they offer. I would definitely come here again.

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=sushi&find_loc=garden+grove%2C+ca&ns=1&ls=77ef1891b0b7eb0b

I can always rely on Larchmont Bungalow to fulfill my sweet tooth. Since my last post http://jtdezign.blogspot.com/2014/11/larchmont-village-in-la.html, I made it a pact to come back to this area. Oddly, I never thought it would be this weekend. This time, I came to catch up with my friend Zippy. She is formerly a New Yorker but, originally from L.A. who, recently returned to LA LA Land. Zippy and I met through one of our art courses in Santa Monica College and we came to Larchmont Bungalow to catch up. I love Zippy because we have a ton of things in common and she shares the same love that I have in blogging, taking photos of our food, sharing experiences about our industry and basically, anything.

Arriving at Larchmont Bungalow, we instantly knew we would have to wait a bit. Lines were already formed by the entrance but, after we spoke to the hostess it took only about 15 minutes to finally get our seat. I've been to this restaurant before and they're known for their breakfast food. As far as I can remember, they've always been busy. The set up with ordering their food is a bit different from other restaurants. Once the hostess calls your name, you actually have to order your food first at the cash register and then, you will be seated. The seating at the front of the building is a hot commodity but, you can also sit indoors or on the porch in the back of the restaurant. Either way, it's cozy and they are typically pretty fast in serving your food.

Balls, balls, balls! Say what now? The first time I heard about Ball and Chain, it made me raise an eyebrow. I wasn't sure exactly what they offered except that they were a new restaurant in Hollywood. Since, I work in the area it was convenient for me to see and I am always up to try something new. With no expectations, I was surprised how delicious their selection of meatballs. I like the concept of the restaurant offering different types of meatballs and each time I come to visit it's always different. The reviews on yelp should give you a better idea of the portions and everything else that you may want to know. http://www.yelp.com/biz/ball-and-chain-los-angeles



What I had today was the Ball Flight, a bowl with 5 different styles of meatballs. (1 vegetarian, 1 special, 1 chicken, 1 beef & 1 pork) My favorite was the special chicken ball that had a marinara sauce and was slightly spicy. It was really good!