Talpa and Don Antonio’s

I love Mexican food. I don’t have it as often as I like, but that makes it quite the treat when I do get my taco fix. A few weeks ago my roommate and I were both in the mood for Mexican in close proximity to the home. Usually, we just go to El Cholo, Border Grill,  or La Cabana. Not this time. We wanted to try a different place. We drove down Pico with our hungry eyes wide open looking on both sides of the street. We pulled over when we saw two signs side by side: The Talpa Restaurant and Don Antonio’s Cantina. Was it the same restaurant? Or was it two separate restaurants next to one another? We both checked our phones to see what was up with this situation until we realized we were how silly it was to  be parked right in front of both restaurants looking at our phones for information about the restaurant(s). So we did what any rational person would do: flipped a coin. It landed on the Talpa Restaurant. We walked in but immediately recognized it was not where we wanted to eat for dinner. It reminded me of a pizza place where you order at the register and then sit down at a booth and watch the tv that is hanging on the wall. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but we just wanted a more restaurant-y atmosphere. We awkwardly turned ourselves around explaining to the hostess that we “forgot to lock the car.”

We traipsed over to Don’s where we quickly realized we had made the right decision. It was a little busy, so we put our name down and sat at the bar. But, before we could even order a margarita, our table was ready for us. We sat down while within a few short blinks of the eye a server had brought over water and chips and salsa. I would rate the chips and salsa very high because the chips were warm and the salsa was spicy.

I ordered a margarita to drink (on the rocks with salt) and to eat I decided on the basics: cheese quesadilla, carne asada taco, and a chile relleno.

I wish I could say that this was the best Mexican food I have ever had. But, sadly it is not. I am a taco truck girl and spent my college years eating the best: Leo’s Taco Truck in Eagle Rock. The fact that I spent 8 dollars on a cheese quesadilla is beyond ridiculous. Although it came with guacamole and sour cream, this q-dilla was just too plain and boring for me to ever order again at that price. The taco is the same story. I am used to flavorful carne asada, but this was bland and a little too dry for my palate. The worst was the chile relleno. It was no bueno; soggy and bland.

I don’t like writing bad reviews, but I would return to Don’s. Why would I give them a second chance you ask? Am I crazy? Yes! But, the margarita was great! They cost around six dollars a pop; an amazing price for a non-Happy hour satisfying margarita. Worst comes to worst, they have no good food in which case I would still come back to drink the cheap yummy margaritas and eat the deliciously free chips.

Don Antonio’s
11755 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 312-2090

Lumpy Bumpy Bar

No, it’s not a soap for STDs. It’s my latest find at Trader Joe’s! Lumpy Bumpy Bar is creamy caramel and peanut nougat drenched in dark chocolate. Yum. This lumpy bumpy bar is 290 calories (130 of the fat kind), 14g of fat, 6 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber. Whatever that means, hah! It’s chewy, nice and nougat-y, and goes well with the dark chocolate. It had me at lumpy.

Three stages of L.B.B.

1. Uncut

Reaction: That’s not so lumpy OR bumpy.

2. First Cut

Reaction: Where’s the bumps and lumps at?

3. Second Cut

Reaction: Ohhhhh, I found the lumps and bumps!

This delicious Lumpy Bumpy Bar was bought at the Trader Joe’s in Santa Monica (the one where it is always ridiculously crowded, out of my favorite foods, and takes at least 10 minutes to check out; supposedly one of the busiest in the nation). I found this gem where the chocolate bars are normally located at TJ’s: near the cash register for last minute “oh I really absolutely need this” grabbing.

Trader Joe’s
3212 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 581-0253

Abbot Pizza Company I

Recently my boyfriend and I went to the Abbot Pizza Company at it’s flagship location on Abbot Kinney. (The other location is on Pico in Santa Monica). Abbot Pizza Co. is quintessential Californian gourmet pizza. Known best for their bagel crust (a mixture of poppy seeds, onion, garlic and sesame) and supposedly as the best pizza on the West side of Los Angeles. However, the bagel crust is not the only option; if you were to order a pie they offer six crust options: Onion, Garlic, Sesame, Poppy, Hot-Crust and The Blend (Bagel). Also, they have a pretty wide selection of toppings (4 types of mushrooms!: shiitake, oyster, portobello, and buttons). The place is very small and filled up quickly with a wide variety of clientel. If we had not have come so early, we would have probably had to sit outside or get our food to go. Or be a looming (drooling) seat hunter.

I took the gourmet route and ordered a slice of the  Cheese Bomb - parmesan, romano, fontina, gouda, ricotta & mozzarella cheese on an alfredo sauce.

And a slice of Popeye’s Chicken - spinach, mushroom, onion, tequila lime marinated chicken with mozzarella cheese on a garlic pesto sauce.

They were both great. I thought the cheese bomb was going to be my favorite because I love cheese, but other than the ricotta and mozzarella the cheeses were hard for my palate to pick up. I think I would have enjoyed the cheese bomb more if it had been a red sauce instead of the alfredo. I really enjoyed the garlic pesto on the popeye slice. I have yet to have a bad pesto experience.

In regards to both slice’s crust, I found it to taste more like a big soft pretzel than a bagel. I suppose when you add salt to a bagel, it increases it’s chances to taste like a pretzel exponentially. I would go again; it was good pizza. I want to continue trying their gourmet slices like the Meatless/Sauceless with pizza crust and seasonal vegetables. It’s a great place to go if you’re in Venice and hungry for pizza.

Abbot Pizza Company I
1407 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 396-7334
Hours: 11am - 11 pm

Abbot Pizza Company II
1811 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 314-2777

Caffe Luxxe

Sunday morning I was faced with a delicious coffee dilemma: Iced or Hot coffee? Fortunately, I did not have to think too hard about it now that there is a website that answers the simple question: Is it Iced Coffee Weather? You type in your zip code and in big bold letters it tells you either Yes or No. On Sunday in this area it was a Yes. My boyfriend and I headed over to Caffe Luxxe (not a great website) on Montana. It’s a small, classy coffee shop.

I ordered the iced espresso drink with milk. I forget the name because it is Italian and their website doesn’t list their drink menu (!) and nobody picked up the phone when I just tried calling. My boyfriend ordered a simple Mocha. My drink looks creamy and milky, but it maintained a dominate espresso taste  - which I loved!

We also got some cookies because that is a staple in my boyfriend’s diet. We chose the Dulce de leche cookie, vanilla and walnut cookie, and a little bag of muffins. All the pastries Caffe Luxxe  come from the Breadbar, of which I have never had before. My boyfriend really enjoyed the muffins, but I preferred the dulce de leche cookie. It was a soft cookie and the caramel melted in my mouth. Yum. It paired perfectly with my drink.

While we were sitting, the place got a little crowded and a rather long line formed. I couldn’t help but think how lucky I am going to be when the new Caffe Luxxe takes over the old Dutton Bookstore Cafe. (It’s supposed to open in a few weeks). Although I am still sad to see such a great bookstore gone, I am happy that a great place is coming into the neighborhood. With a Starbucks, a Coffee Bean, and a Peet’s Coffee all zigzagging across from one another on San Vincente, it’s nice to know that we will have a non-corporate option. And it’s even better for me because I can walk there. I will no longer have to travel to Silver Lake area for good coffee beans! (Especially when an Intelligentsia opens up in Venice).

Caffe Luxxe
925 Montana Ave
Santa Monica CA 90403
(310) 394-2222

Red Mango

Stopped by Red Mango last week to see if it was in anyway like Blue Mango. Turns out the answer is No, it’s not like Blue Mango at all. Instead, it is exactly like Pinkberry. Red Mango has two flavors: Plain Tart and Green Tea. They have the standard toppings of fruits and cereals. I chose the Twist of Tart and Green Tea with mochi. It tasted so similar to Pinkberry that I would probably have to try them side by side to distinguish the real differences. I think that Red Mango might be less tart as Pinkberry, though. Red Mango claims that their yogurt is fat-free, gluten-free, and certified Kosher. If there were one closer to me (there are only 10 total located in Southern California), I would place it in the yogurt rotation more often to add “variety.” If you need your yogurt fix and enjoy the taste of Pinkberry, then there is a high chance that you will also like Red Mango.

Red Mango
3101 Main St.
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Phone: 310 664 9600
Hours: noon-11pm
Other Locations

Angelato Café

One would think that by the ocean in a state where there is constant sunshine and warm weather, there would be infinite ice cream / gelato/ frozen yogurt locations. Sadly, this is not the case in Santa Monica. My roommate and I stopped at the one gelato place near the Promenade called Angelato Café. Gelato is the Italian version of ice cream but with significantly less butterfat than ice cream making it less solid and frozen (melts more quickly in your mouth), gelato is of a higher density because it is produced without the addition of air, and it is served slightly warmer (10-15 degrees less) than ice cream. All three differences gives gelato a richer, more full flavored taste than ice cream.

Angeleto offers an array of standard and unique flavors of gelato, sorbetto, tofulati, yogurt, and sugar free products. There is supposedly over 100 flavors but I was not counting. I ordered a strangely amazing combination of Green Tea Gelato and Chocolate Grand Marnier. Although this is not as good as what you would find in Italy, it is still creamy and rich. I especially enjoyed the Green Tea Gelato; it was a treat to taste this flavor in any form other than Soy Dream or Pinkberry. Cash Only.

Angelato Café
301 Arizona Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 656-9999

Border Grill: A Great Happy Hour

Border Grill is one of my favorite Happy Hour Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles. Not only do I enjoy the food, but I have many positive memories eating there with my family. Over six years ago, my parents took me out there the night before I started college and when it was located in Pasadena. My how time has flown by! Now Border Grill is located in Santa Monica by the Promenade. It is owned by the chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger from Food Network’s TV Show Too Hot Tamales. They also own the downtown Spanish restaurant Ciudad. And if you have ever bought any food at Whole Foods that had the label “Border Girls” on it, these are those ladies behind that brand.

The best part about Border Grill is their amazing Happy Hour at the bar: $4 Margaritas/Mojitos /Wines. Free chips and salsas (tomato, chipotle, and tomatillo). Various appetizers all between the price of 4-7 dollars. Their margaritas and mojitos are delicious, you can never go wrong ordering them! During this visit I tried their red wine for the first time, an Esser cabernet sauvignon.

What we ordered:

Black Bean Dip - warm refried organic black beans with salsa fresca, crema, and plantain chips

The dip was not as heavy as I expected nor was it bland (which is the usual vibe I get from bean dips). I especially enjoyed the plantain chips which were soft and salty sweet. I preferred those chips over the regular table chips.

Queso Fundido - panela and manchego cheeses melted over raja (potato), and spanish chorizo

This appetizer was more than I expected on both the amount and satisfying levels. It was a plethora of cheese that dominated the raja potatoes and the chorizo. It was an excellent appetizer, but was probably too much for two people to share.

Carnitas Sope - slow cooked carnitas topped with jalapeno citrus slaw and border guacamole

A sope is a relative to a tortilla. It is made from the same ingredients as a tortilla, but the size and thickness are much different. The sope is smaller in diameter but much thicker. Other than that, they are used for the same purposes. This was my favorite appetizer of the night because it had a nice and refreshing citrus sour flavor mingling with the salty and savory carnitas.

Seriously, it is the best happy hour on the west side of town. Fact.

Border Grill
1445 4th St
Santa Monica, CA 90401

Get Directions(310) 451-1655

Happy Hours:
Monday - Friday: 4:00-7:00pm