La Fiesta Brava Restaurant Venice

There’s a small family owned restaurant in Venice that is serving up some authentic mexican food. You may not think to come in when you walk by La Fiesta Brava on Rose Avenue, you may actually notice the bars on the windows and not look back. I probably wouldn’t have but I heard the food was excellent so I hopped in for a bite last week.

There’s no tablecloths, everything is at a bare minimum here, but La Fiesta Brava is a nice little hole-in-the-wall. No frills needed.

And with very good prices might I add. La Fiesta Brava is very humble. What looks to be an average restaurant is actually a little gem. The restaurant doesn’t serve liquor but is conveniently located next to one so you can BYOB right on over.

To start we ordered some of their fresh guacamole.

Jon tried their burrito. The burrito came stuffed with beef, beans and rice. 

I had the chicken enchiladas. The marinated chicken gave the enchiladas lots of flavor and the beans were excellent. If you’re looking for a quick bite at a very good price, La Fiesta Brava is a great little place to stop by. It is located at 423 Rose Ave
Venice, CA 90291.

Enjoy!

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Reel Inn Malibu

There’s a little shack in Malibu that’s serving up some great “fast food” seafood. Known for its way of ordering and their fresh seafood, Reel Inn is a great place to stop in when craving some fishies from the sea. Timing is everything here as the line can get pretty hectic so come early. Not a good place to be waiting in line on an empty stomach. Reel Inn has the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a brew on a sunny California afternoon and the daily catch. 

Ordering is easy as 1, 2, 3…literally. Just choose your fish, how you would like it prepared and two of their homemade sides. 

Don’t worry about dressing to impress here, most people walk off the beach to grab some grub. Dining is indoors and outdoors so you can enjoy the sunny day. 

I’m a big calamari lover. When I was growing up I would always go to City Fish in Connecticut to grab some calamari for lunch before heading off to the park. So of course I ordered their calamari. The calamari comes lightly breaded and fresh. Reel Inn’s calamari was good but I was hoping for a bit more flavor. 

For my main meal I decided to try Reel Inn’s special of the day, Mahi Mahi cajun style with rice and home fries. The Mahi Mahi was cooked to perfection and cajun style gave the seafood a nice flavoring.  

Jon tried the ahi tuna with fries and slaw. He asked for sushi grade and it came out perfectly. If you’re looking for some quick seafood in Malibu, Reel Inn is a great place to go. Their portions are generous and the seafood fresh. Consider this low key gem your ace in the hole. Find Reel Inn at 18661 Pacific Coast Hwy in Malibu.

Enjoy!

 

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Grilled Cheese Goodness at Heywood

In NYC I had a favorite spot I would frequent at least every other week called Earl’s Beer and Cheese. My friends would say I should do their marketing because it was always one of my recommendations. It was a little hole-in-the-wall decorated with pictures of deer and birds on the walls and made some heavenly grilled cheeses accompanied with a spicy tomato soup. Now being absent of NYC and Earl’s for a while I had to find another to replace it.  Well LA, I think I found a good one.

Heywoods Grilled Cheese Shoppe gives a childhood favorite an artisanal twist. As you walk in you may hear some familiar music that may have you shake rattlin and rollin your way over to the counter. It was hard not to pop out of my seat and do a little boogie while I waited.

Ooey gooey goodness is the first thing that comes to mind when you bite into a Heywood grilled cheese.Their cheese is melted to perfection and bread has a perfect “crisp” sound as you bite into your first delightful bite.

I plumped for their Game Changer, a unique English double-gloucester grilled into a sourdough bread. The Game Changer is topped with a light spread of organic, homemade habanero jam and gives this purple and gold sandwich a gentle kick. You can choose to have your sandwich with a nicely dressed salad and tiny cup of tomato soup for dipping or a full cup of soup.

Jon decided on going a totally opposite route and ordered their Italian Blue Cheese. His sandwich comes with freshly sliced mozzarella topped with a creamy blue cheese, fresh walnut pesto and sundried tomatoes. We swip-swapped halves and each had the best of both worlds. Mine was spicy and flavorful, Jon’s was rich and creamy.

The staff at Heywoods is friendly and helpful. Don’t be afraid to ask for a recommendation or a change to your sandwich. They’re happy to oblige. And for the vegans and gluten-free people out there, they’ve got you covered. Heywoods is open til 3am so you’ll never miss out on a tasty grilled cheese and is located at 3337 W Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles.

Enjoy!

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Ice Cream Lab

Ice cream is one of my guilty pleasures. I always try to stay away but I have some great excuses. Such as it’s summer in LA and hot. I mean, I thought it was a good excuse…

I heard of liquid nitrogen ice cream first through a webcast and was instantly interested in finding a place to try it.

I thought I’d have to wait until my travel to San Francisco where the home of the nitrogen ice cream, Smitten, lies but luckily I found something a bit closer to home.

Ice-Cream Lab in Beverly Hills is the first scoop to order shop in Los Angeles. Almost like a factory; milk, cream and sugar are transformed in seconds to a smooth and creamy concoction.

As you watch your ice cream develop behind the fog, your mouth may start to water in wait for your creation to be finished. I watched like a little kid in a candy shop as they made mine, it was such a fun process. 

I’m a big raspberry fan (I always steal handfuls of them from my grandparent’s garden) so I ordered their raspberry swirl loaded with fresh raspberries, vanilla bean ice cream and white chocolate drizzled topping. 

Andrew tried their Salt Lick Crunch with organic vanilla ice cream mixed with pretzels, caramel, and sea salt. It was a perfect combination of flavors. 

Jon tried their Banilla with fresh diced banana, nilla wafers and caramel. 

At Ice Cream Lab, everything is created right in front of you. As a plus, there’s no additives, preservatives, or chemicals. If you have an itch you can’t scratch for a frozen treat, Ice Cream Labs is the perfect place to get your fix. Ice Cream Labs is located at 9461 S Santa Monica Blvd. and if you’re going for a double whammy of sweets you can always walk down to the Sprinkles atm. (Which we of course did…shh)

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