Dinette in Echo Park

At the corner of Sunset and Echo Park next to a 98 cent store sits the coolest window in town. I'm of course talking about Dinette, the newest trendy spot from Cafe Stella owner Gareth Kantner. This has became my favorite little spot on my commute every morning to dtla. I'm a big fan of the waffles, breakfast pizza and tartines. The coffee is from Intelligentsia and they just started carrying batch brew coffee in case you wanted more than a macchiato. Stick to the week days since the line is always crazy on tje weekends.

Located at 1606 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026

Random Food Pics

I went through my Instagram and here are a bunch of random food photos.

This was Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl at some bar inside SFO

 This was the prime rib breakfast at the Windbreak in Wasilla Alaska.

 Cafe Dolce, a cute place in Little Tokyo serving Stumptown

 Wine and an Italian sandwich at some random airport

One of those smokey flavored drinks popular at bars now days, think this was La Cavita in Highland Park, not sure if Highland Park was cool yet when this photo was taken.

 Mystery burger at Chego paired with mystery boba in Chinatown

 My favorite, the Intelligentsia flagship store at the Junction.

 This chorizo and queso is pretty amazing, it's from Guelaguetza

 Mulitas and sope from Gus's Lunchbox

 Nutella cookie from Burbank's finest Quenelle

 Something with fried pickles at Tin Horn Flats

 Best breakfast in Valdez Alaska at Old Town Burger

Masa monster pizza & bakery

Masa of Echo Park Bakey & Cafe and I have a strange relationship. The first part of our strained relationship comes from my first and only visit in spring of 09. I came in search of the legendary Chicago deep dish pizza. I loved the place right away for the funky grandmother's house vibe. A small bar stands like a wall to the entrance to a bustling kitchen. Surrounding the bar are small and large tables and even couches where meals are served on coffee tables. I love this down home vibe, this is why some staff have been working close to a decade at Masa. I sat down and after a few minutes ordered my pepperoni and sausage pizza. The wait is 45 minutes that I thought I was prepared for. It was a tough wait but I've waited at restaurants much longer for much less. When the hot pie arrived I couldn't believe the monster that was sitting in front of me. The sausage wasn't slices, it was giant triangles of meat, one for each slice. Forget all other pizzas, they can't compare to this, this is a steak dinner. I left two slices for the next day and left very happy. The next morning I was not so happy. Maybe 45 minutes wasn't long enough to cook it. I'll spare my few readers the gory details, let's just say things became explosive(okay I still shared allot). The worst part of the story was having to throw those last 2 slices away :((. I knew that some day I would return to Masa though. Every time I walk to the Echo or Two Boots I always think about the pizza that I really want. Well last week I decided to try Masa again. I ordered a large pepperoni and pineapple pizza with a Carmel bread pudding so that I would have something to eat while I was waiting. The bread pudding came out very fast and I was impressed with all the amazing flavors it had. Then it came for the pizza. The pizza was twice as large as I had remembered it. THIS THING IS A MONSTER!!!! It was the best thing I ate that day. Unfortunately the bread pudding had made it difficult for me to eat more than two slices. This was not a bad thing since the rest of the pie fed my friends for the next two days. So I didn't get sick this time and I now have one more place in this town where I can get amazing food!




I don't own these photos, I don't want to be the A hole ruining every ones meal by taking photos.

Allston Yacht Club

An ex girlfriend of mine always spoke very highly of the food at Allston so when I saw they were on Living Social I pounced on the deal.  Owned by two bean town ex-pats, Allston is named after a Boston neighborhood near Harvard.  The east coast vibe ends at the name.  The motif inside is defiantly LA casual with one wall decorated with large crashing waves.  The small plates and great wine selection are defiantly the draw here.  Sundays and Wednesdays Allston has a smaller 5 & 10 dollar menu, these are defiantly great days to go and check out what their serving.  I treated a few friends to dinner and we were not disappointed.  We started the meal with a handful of appetizers, chicken wings, fried calamari, grilled cheese and jalapeno corn fritters.  The chicken wings are Korean style(whatever that means) covered in a hot & sweet sauce with a few sesame seeds sprinkled on top for good measure.  The double frying gives the wings a good crunch, while the sauce burned my taste buds leaving a sweet after taste.  My African American friend Mark loved the wings and pointed out that due to his heritage he knows good wings when he has them.  I've never thought calamari tasted like much of anything so for me it's all about the dipping sauce that comes along with it.  In this case it's an amazing Nuoc Cham(fish sauce, chili, lime) that elevated the little fried rings. The petite brioche grilled cheese is stuffed with Cabot Vermont Cheddar and then dusted with powdered sugar.  The interesting flavor combo made this fluffy sandwich disappear very quickly.  The final appetizer to arrive was by far the best, 3 corn & jalapeno fritters plated on top of a tomatillo salsa.  The crunchy exterior gave way to a spongy corn meal with just a hint of burn.  The tomatillo reminded me more of a green chutney then a salsa.  For the first time since I was a kid I felt the urge to lick the plate, I didn't though(I might have to order some to go so I can be a pig at home). For the main course we ordered the lobster roll and Elysian burger.  The lobster roll was my only complaint of the evening.  The fresh baked roll reminded me more of a generic hot dog bun and the only flavor that came thru were the bits of celery.  The burger on the other hand was a great way to end the meal.  Niman Ranch Chuck & Wild Boar make this small and basic (topped with cheddar and special sauce only)burger a competitor for best in the city.  My friend Hero who had recently tried  the dry aged burger Nancy Silverton is turning out at Short Order, said Allston's was by far the best he has had in recent memory.  The service at Allston is good considering they only have one waitress.  I will defiantly be heading back to Echo Park soon for another helping.


http://allstonyachtclub.com/site/




I do not own any of these pictures, thanks to who ever took them