Mr. Cecil’s BBQ

I don’t know BBQ well at all. I rarely eat it. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it, it just never happens. My boyfriend however loves it and even stated that it was his favorite “food.”

We were on the hunt for dinner and driving down Pico when we saw Mr. Cecil’s tin can shack and thought it was probably the best bet for the night. The place is very small and has pictures of pigs all over the walls which honestly make the whole experience a little conflicting; cute happy piggies on the wall and dead, delicious piggie on the plate. Sorry, I didn’t take pictures of the walls. I was too sad.

I avoided this porcus conflict by ordering the Samara’s Southwest Salad - grilled chicken, salsa, corn, on a bed of lettuce with bbq ranch dressing. The salad was good, but not worth 13 dollars.

In order to make my experience more bbq-ey I also ordered a single beef rib. I don’t know anything about beef ribs, but I did know that this giant rib had more fat on it than it did meat which was a little disappointing. Maybe that’s just how it is supposed to be though and that is the wonders of beef ribs. The bbq sauce is nice, but both my boyfriend and I agreed that it wasn’t the best ever. Would I go back again? Sure, it was fine. But, I would also like to explore other bbq places in Los Angeles first…

Mr. Cecil’s California Ribs
12244 West Pico Boulevard,
Los Angeles, California 90064
310-442-1550

My Latest Favorite Thing

I am hesitant to post about how much I love my Made By Hank handmade bag because I know these bags (and anything else Katie Henry makes) sell out immediately after she posts them (if not before!). But, it really is one of my favorite things in the world. So here is one of several pieces I have in my Made By Hank collection. I highly suggest checking out her bags on her website and then ultimately buying one (for me :P) on etsy if you can. Also, Katie Henry is from Philadelphia. And she owns an adorable pug!

Caffe Luxxe

Caffe Luxxe finally opened in Brentwood! Although it is sad that Dutton Bookstore is no longer, it is nice to have a coffee shop in the area that isn’t Starbucks. Although not as big as the original Luxxe on Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, it still maintains a relaxing, hip atmosphere with plenty of windows and also offers outdoor seating. The baristas were attractive, friendly, and cool. The majority of customers that came in while I was there all seemed to be regulars or at least well on their way to becoming a regular.

I ordered the Shakertino which is espresso, milk, and ice - shaken. Delicious. Although those muffins in the picture were not for me, I know first hand they they are tasty (I think they come from the Bread Bar). I really savored my experience there by sitting down, reading the newspaper, and feeling the friendly, hip vibe.

Maybe I too will become a regular…

Caffe Luxxe
11975 San Vicente Blvd.
Brentwood, CA 90049
310-394-2222

Daily Hours: 6:30am-6:00pm (Brentwood goes to bed early)

Chipotle

I know I know… a Chipotle review? Well, there are 2 valid reasons for me posting about this (McDonald’s owned) fast food chain:

1. My parents have never been to Chipotle (I don’t think they have even seen one or have heard about them before); although more common in the big cities, they have not hit the farmlands of Pennsylvania yet. So they have no idea how amazing their baby sized burritos, lime seasoned chips, and chunky guacamole taste like. I have never met a person who doesn’t like Chipotle. And I don’t know if I want to meet that person.

2. I ordered the quesadilla! There has always been talk about you being able to order it even though it is NOT on the menu (like the “secret” Grilled Cheese at In-N-Out Burger). Although I have discussed it with many people, I had never met anyone that had ordered it. I don’t blame anyone for not knowing either, because usually people order the burritos which are incredibly large and leave very little room for extras like their aforementioned yummy chips and guacamole or this unlisted and mysterious quesadilla.

Last time I was there I wasn’t in the mood to gorge myself with a giant burrito. Instead, I ordered the soft tacos: chicken, steak, and barbacoa. I don’t go crazy with the toppings: tomatoes, corn, and hot sauce. Sadly, my corn tortillas and meat were a little cold.

And the plain cheese quesadilla that cost approximately 3 dollars (I think 2.75-2.95). Although it is priced close to a taco truck quesadilla, it is not as tasty and a little lacking in cheese. However, since it is rare to find quesadillas this low in price that aren’t from a taco truck, it makes it much more appealing to order at a Chipotle instead of at Mexican restaurant for 8 dollars (which still doesn’t taste as good as a taco truck!). Also, I’m sure Chipotle’s quesadillas would taste better if I had added more toppings, maybe.

Mmm… Chipotle!

Bottle Rock

I truly want to like Bottle Rock. I have given it many many chances, but in the end I always leave feeling ripped off and in a bad mood. Don’t get me wrong, they have a good selection of wine. But, if you want to order more 2 glasses and some food, expect a bill well over 30 dollars. Thirty plus dollars just for wine and tapas. Not the best deal in my book. Although they have “fixed” the uncomfortable seating in the main room (sadly, by moving the old metal seats to the patio), they have not fixed their lighting problem. It is too bright. The room is not comfortable. Their service is borderline terrible. My roommate and I have been harassed by an older woman who was convinced we were underage. In general, the servers are not the friendliest. Right now, I am sick of bad and rude service (like Gingergrass in Silverlake). I used to say “I don’t want to write bad reviews on my blog,” but now I feel like I have to.

I am sure some day I will return, but not anytime soon. Although, they do have a happy hour - I am not willing to fight traffic to get there. There are better, inexpensive and tastier options to choose than Bottle Rock. Sorry.

Bottle Rock
3847 Main St
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 836-9463

Pitfire Pizza

The night before Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I were hungry, but didn’t know where to go. We didn’t want to drive far and we didn’t want to pay too much. We found ourselves at Pitfire Pizza Company in Westwood. Neither of us had been there before and had no idea what to expect. We walked in to a spacious restaurant and quickly realized it would be in our best interest to claim a table to sit at without the help of a server. Within first glance you can tell this place is listed somewhere on the internet as kid-friendly. Every other table was filled with a rugrat sitting in a high chair. Surprisingly, all the children in the restaurant were well behaved. We did get to hear one misbehaving child get his 3rd and final warning from the table across from us. Awkward, but amusing since we were only spectators.

Although they had interesting sounding pizzas and pastas (and later I found out they had a special pizza with pumpkin on it!), in order to share I had to eat one of the only two kinds of pizza my boyfriend prefers: cheese or pepperoni. I chose the latter. He went up to the register, placed our order, took a number, and came back to the table.

As you can see, or rather can’t see, there is not a plethora of pepperoni and those that are there are hiding under the cheese. It was a crusty pizza, but not crunchy more just..chewy. It was good and filling. I also ordered some Fiery Chicken Soup - chicken poached in a spicy red chile broth with red onions, hominy, topped with avocado, roasted corn and red cabbage. Sadly, it came out looking like it does in the picture - spilled over the sides and with a plastic fork. A plastic fork? (WTF.) With a mission statement starting with “Just because it’s a fast world doesn’t mean you have to eat fast food,” and promotion of organic foods in their menu, it made me a little concerned to find a plastic spoon in my soup. If you know me, you probably are aware of my anti-plastic stance. Or just recognize that I try to avoid using it as much as possible. Aside from the presentation of the soup, I found the taste to actually be very slightly spicy and delicious. It has been a long time since I have eaten anything with hominy in it and I found it to hit the spot.

In the end, my boyfriend and I enjoyed the food. We both are willing to come back again. A fun, relaxed atmosphere. Perfect for lunch or dinner. Also, I didn’t find out until the end, but they sell Auntie Em’s amazing cupcakes. I was surprised and excited to find that the cupcakes so close to my heart have made their way to the west side of Los Angeles. Of course they were sold out of Red Velvet, but it was okay because I was way too full from pizza and soup. Besides, Bigg Chill is just down the street.

Pitfire Pizza Company
2018 Westwood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
(310) 481-9860

Ikea Swedish Meatballs

A few weeks ago (I am that behind in posts), my boyfriend and I were shopping at Ikea. I was on a decorating high and was able to ignore the hundreds of rugrats (and their preoccupied parents), stupid cart pushers, and just overall mayhem that is what makes Ikea one of the least fun weekend trips. (Seriously, the weekend crowd at Ikea makes Target’s on Sunday look deserted in comparison). My boyfriend was very reluctant to be there. In fact, he felt tricked into it because I had not mentioned the idea of Ikea until we were already in Burbank. It wasn’t just the environment that frustrated him, but it was more of me. I had no clue what exactly I was looking for - I could come up with no name nor were my descriptions elaborate. At one point, my boyfriend told me “I don’t think they make what you want….anywhere.” I did not give up though and found something resembling my drawer concept. More on that later….

One of the reasons I got my boyfriend to turn into the Ikea parking lot was with one sentence: “If we go to Ikea I will buy you lunch… at Ikea.” It worked. My boyfriend’s food tastes are not similar to mine in anyway. Only he would be persuaded by the idea of ordering food cafeteria style. This is no surprise to me though considering Koo Koo Roo is always a dinner option he pushes (and always an option I veto). So we fought our way through the high traffic showrooms to the cafe. First thought: Kind of gross. Second thought: At least it’s cheap. We got our plastic trays and stood in line. Although the pre-made food was in neat Ikea compartments, the shrink wrapped food was not enticing enough for me to touch or really look at for very long. We moved on towards the “lunch ladies” to order our meatballs. My boyfriend opted against ordering the gravy, and I applaud him on that decision because the gravy looked nasty. In the end, this is what we were given. I think the flag is a cute touch, albeit very wasteful.

Perfectly bite sized. A wonderful combination of savory bread and meat. Although I was only allowed to have 2 meatballs from his plate, I found them delicious. The potatoes were not so bad either. So, if you’re hungry at Ikea or have a grumpy boyfriend at Ikea, check out the meatballs. I don’t know about the frozen ones though. I kind of think you should keep the Ikea meatballs at Ikea.

(Sadly, I didn’t get the $1 frozen yogurt cone on the way out because the line was ridiculous.)

Ikea
600 N. San Fernando Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 842-4532