I give myself the weekend to cheat, and when I do. I love to explore the city and dine out.

According to my taste buds and my appetite, these are by far my favorite places to dine in LA. Either for the food, atmosphere or both. I am still trying to update the list this year and there are so many more places I have NOT tried, so please do leave any recommendations to expand my happy list. 

​MEXICAN FOOD:

` El Chollo (Authentic and so good)
` Whole Foods (For Real their Chilaquiles are fire)
` La Esquina (Authentic and so good!)
` Loqui- everything. 
`Yolanda's- Ventura  (Potato Taco's & Albondigas Soup)  
` Corrales- Ventura (If you ever surf up in Ventura you have to try this burrito stand, my favorite is a BRC with avocado... so good!) It used to be my weekly spot. 


HAWAIIAN:

` Ono Hawaiian BBQ- First time trying spam, so good in a seaweed wrap! BBQ chicken is my favorite and their mac! Omg their mac....drool! 

THAI: 

` Westwood Thai- this is my favorite spot! Seriously they are so fast, the food tastes fresh and it's so good!! 
` It's Thai- My second fav Thai spot if you're on the eastside. So so good! 

RAMEN: 
` Mitsuwa Marketplace- I loved this place, it reminded me of when I had foreign exchange students as a kid. They used to teach us how to cook. 

 KOREAN BBQ:  

` Wharo (I'm horrible at grilling, but this place was so good. Don't worry I still don't know how to grill,)
~Still need to try Korea Town 

SUSHI/ JAPANESE GRILL:

` Sugar Fish- The Sea Bass is my favorite, I literally could just order the entire fish with the ponzu sauce. It literally melts in my mouth and the hand rolls and yellow tail cut rolls. Everything is good here. Do not use too much sauce! 
 ` Katana- sit outside! I love the sea bass, zucchini and rock shrimp. 
` Sushi Dan (Studio City) 
` Nobu (Malibu)- everything on the menu is good! Albacore with Meyer Sauce must get, Tuna Crispy rice cakes, yellow tail sashimi, tuna tacos, rock shrimp, spicy tuna roll, yellowtail jalapeño roll. 
~Tao- the food is tasty and has such a fun atmosphere. Feels like you're in a movie or a club, with out the craziness. 
` Sunny Blue- Their curry wraps are my favorite! I wold have NEVER though to pair curry and seaweed. YUM! 

SEAFOOD:

​` Malibu Seafood Fresh (This place has my heart, my dad has been taking me to this place since I was a kid. You MUST try their Ahi Tuna burger, halibut and clam chowder!! Also has the best atmosphere, the beach and you can bring your own wine bottles.) 
` Makani (Off Rose in Venice, farm to table, fish melts in your mouth and atmosphere is serene. 
` Venice Whaler- I love LOVE their Chowder Fries and the view isn't bad.
` Lure's- (Ventura County) Everything here is delicious, drive out to Ventura and enjoy this place near the beach. My favorite dish is the Spicy Tequila Shrimp. Pretty much anything you order here will NOT disappoint you. Their entire menu taste fresh and the flavor is all the way there. 

PIZZA:

` Brennan's- Their pepperoni Pizza is my favorite. The end. 
` 800 Degrees- my favorite build your own. 
` Two Doughs- ( Located in Malibu Wines only on the weekends. OH my gosh, their sourdough crust gives the pizza such mouth watering tastes. And the atmosphere is so serene and fun!) 
` Abbots- If you like bagels and pizza on top, so good! And they do vegan cheese!
` Mulberry- Bev Hills, as close to NY pizza as you can get, from what Ive heard. I love how authentic the place is, and has the best thin crust! 

ITALIAN: 

` Madeo- not going to lie, the chef can charge me $100 dollars for pasta any day. It's my favorite Italian restaurant and now I'm drooling. 
` Ca Del Sole (Studio City) 
` Scopa- Venice (the food is so good and its a fun place to dine!) 
` Bottega Louie- I miss coming here for their pastries, used to live around the corner and it was my favorite place to dine in and enjoy some macarons. 

AMERICAN: 

` Destroyer- OH my gosh, I was so excited to try, but I was worried the taste wouldn't be there because from the photos on Yelp the food looked like salad. Boo! But my oh my was my mouth so satisfied, the flavors were out of this world and mouth watering. You must try this place! 
` SoHo House- Malibu is my favorite for the chill atmosphere and their holiday events! Hollywood roof top is lively and so fun. Love the food at both. Im still looking forward to trying to DTLA location. 
` Craig's (Bev Hills)- Food is so good, and if you want a celeb sighting this is the place to be. 
` JG Rooftop (Waldorf Hotel)- The atmosphere is lovely, fun and the food is so good! BUT, avoid their valet, not so nice and overpriced 
` Rush Street- I love the food here, the butter cake is so good and this is a fun local bar, great for dancing on the weekend or brunching on Sunday.  
` Butcher Daughter- I love their breakfast, and they have healthy mimosa's. Don't ask me how they just do, plus Im an impossible burger fan, I prefer the flavor. I like to order it with my brunch. 
` Aroma Cafe (Studio City)- everything here is so good, you really can't go wrong. BUT they have the best chilaquiles that I ever did taste! Do not pass up this meal here. 
` The Mar Vista- Don't judge me, but the exotic food here was so tasty. I have never or would never eat boar, but the way they prepared it here was so tasty and so was the octopus. It tasted like chicharrones. 


FRENCH:

` A Food Affair- Oh my gosh, this place is so cute inside, the owners were so personable and the food was delicious and most authentic. 
` Cafe Ficelle- (Ventura County)- If you want to feel and taste like you are in Paris, then you must make the drive out and check out this place. The food, pastries and coffee are my favorite. 

VEGAN:

` Sage- Must try their nachos and buffalo wings, they are my favorite and the flavor is so tasty!
` Butcher's Daughter- brunch 
` Loqui- Mushroom plate so so tasty
` Tocaya Organica- I love that they have vegan dairy! Their Fajita bowl is my favorite.  
` Gracias Madre- I do love the atmosphere and the only thing I would order here is the flan, pineapple cake and potato enchiladas substitute with side of rice. Im not a fan that their beens, they overpower the dishes here and I hate to sound like a jerk, but I'm Mexican and this food is not Mexican food. Please forgive me!! Gracias, please call me, let's talk. 

PRESENTATION/ ATMOSPHERE:

` Barton G- not only is this like going to Disneyland or the Magic Castle, but their food is so good!!
` SoHo House- any location, they all have their own special magic.
` Magic Castle- I love magic and I love the character of this place. It reminds me of Disneyland. 
` Nobu Malibu- I would pay $100 for sushi here any day, the food is good, you cannot beat the views and every time I dine here, the people are so nice. Im not a fan of the hollywood location, the atmosphere wasn't my favorite.   
` Catch- I love their rooftop, it looks like a secret garden and its a fun and lively atmosphere. I love their crispy rice cakes here, the best!
` Toca Madera- Their atmosphere is so fun here, I love skulls and this place looks like a year long Dia del Los Metros. The tacos are the only I really enjoyed here, I hate to say it but I would not order anything else. Do Not even think about dessert, sorry!      


DESSERT:

` Salt N Straw- Abbot Kinney- After you get pizza from Abbotts then this is my spot. I used to love their lavender ice cream even though it tasted like Popurri, BUT, after giving up dairy, Im now obsessed with their strawberry and chocolate dandelion. I'm having major with drawls from this place currently. 

` Sprinkles- my favorite cupcake place, they are all SO good. If you like butter, and butter frosting, then you will have the same view as me. 

~Crave (Sherman Oaks)- This place reminds me of my old roomy, her and I would have a night out on Ventura street then always stop by this place on our way home JUST for their red velvet cookies. MMM oh and their crepes are good. 

` Tender Greens- VEGAN BROWNIE! Im still trying to figure out how to recreate this one. It's so good! and it has peanut butter. Remind me if a brownie and peanut butter cookie had a kid. MMM 

` Sloan's Ice Cream- Dole Whip Disneyland fans!!! They sell the Dole whip here and it's vegan!!  

It all started with my ear, believe it or not. WARNING: it may or may not get a bit TMI. Hehe

Anyways, I started getting ear infections and blocked passageways from excessive liquid, essentially ear wax. Which was causing temporary hear loss and congestion in my nasal ways. Leaving me feeling lathargic. Mainly just my left ear was the one getting blocked, may be because that's the side I sleep on often. Not quite sure. 

I would have to get my ears irrigated at least once every year or two. Having blocked passageways caused me to have really bad vertigo episodes. At night I would hear liquid in my ears when I switched sides to sleep on. Also, suffered from bad allergies every change of season. I knew there had to be a reason why this was happening and I started seeing an ear, nose and throat specialist. Which they just let me know that some people get waxier than others and really there was never a definite reason for why this was happening to myself. Never had a definite answer, leaving me clueless still as to what was the exact cause.

I tried to take it further, by seeing a natural-pathic and he did let me know that sometimes people stop producing certain enzymes to break down certain foods as dairy. So he gave me enzymes to help break down this process. Which they helped, but because I am a huge fan of cheese and ice cream, I don't think it was enough to solve my problems.

This past year and half, my ear problems had gotten really bad and for a week straight I lost hearing in my left ear and feared causing permanent damage, so I decided to test my own hypothesis. Which was: "that consuming dairy was causing my ear problems." After four months of giving up dairy, I stopped producing excess ear wax! Not only that, BUT, I hadn't had one vertigo episode and didn't have allergies that season. And this is a HUGE plus, I lost my belly fat!! NEVER in all my 30 years have I had a flat stomach, until now. That's right. I started dropping inflammation and water weight without even trying or doing one sit up.

And, to add extra proof for all you pessimists out there, I tested this theory. Every now and then I will have one ounce of dairy, and within that minute, my ear and throat start itching AND I wake up with fluid in my ears. I have to take allergy pills and when I do the liquid goes away. Coincidence...I think not.

Again, in no way am I offering medical advice, what I am telling you is that for myself, I have conducted my own test, that I am in fact allergic to dairy. Not everyone is allergic to it! I am, so for that reason I cut it out. Maybe there is something you are allergic too. It really came down to just listening to my body and noticing what was causing me inflammation.  

It's been a year without dairy, and YES sometimes I just want to eat a normal pizza with regular cheese because lets face it, vegan dairy is not the same. However, I am so so thankful for vegan dairy and it does the job. AND, For the sake of my health and my flat stomach, I will NEVER go back to the real stuff. :(