Oceana Grill

Apparently if you say famous people's names loudly enough, you can skip the line and be seated right away! Well, at least that was true at this spot.

My new friends and I decided to get to know each other over some local food and thought we'd try Oceana Grill. It's a New Orleans style seafood restaurant located right off Burbon Street. A little touristy and noisy but still fun. They had a long line of people outside waiting to be seated but for some unknown reason to us we were seated right away! Some of the food was pretty mehh but some was pretty great. My favorite? The crawfish étouffée. YES! My fiancé's family made this for me a couple years back and I hadn't had it since. Boy have I been missing out! Étouffée is delicious!

To start we shared some fried eggplant sticks (exactly what they sound like, and delicious), and gator tail bites. Yes, alligator tail blackened with a remoulade sauce. It really was fantastic. I'm excited to try it again at other restaurants.
For my entree I had their Taste Of New Orleans. It comes with Creole jambalaya, crawfish étouffée, red beans and rice with smoked sausage. It was everything I needed to try in this city on one plate.
I could have lived without the jambalaya but everything else was really good. My friend Jillian had their blackened chicken po-boy and she really liked it.
Also their Kentucky bourbon pecan pie was out of this world. I'm gonna need to learn how to make that. Anyone with a good recipe?

Oceana Grill
739 Conti Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 525-6002
oceanagrill.com

Yo Mama's

My friend Molly sent me a list of all the places I needed to check out in New Orleans and listed as the best burger in the city was at a place called Yo Mama's in the French Quarter.
Now, apparently some will say the best burger is at a spot called Port of Call, so obviously I will be going there too but this burger was no let down.
I had their most popular burger: the Peanut Butter Bacon Burger.
WHAT!?
I know.
This insane combination actually works. The first bite was strange I must admit, but I quickly realized mixing peanut butter and meat isn't all that foreign. I mean, that's exactly what chicken satay is, right? The Thai's know what's up.
And I don't usually prefer my burgers with bacon on them, but chopped up like this so you get some in every bite? It's perfection.
If you're in New Orleans, don't miss this one!

Yo Mama's Bar and Grill
727 St Peter Street
New Orleans, LA 70116
French Quarter

LÜKE in NOLA

Breakfast Menu

I love a good menu design.

I'm really excited to be traveling to New Orleans over the next couple months, and I figured since LA also stands for Louisiana I can still blog about my food adventures here without breaking any rules!!!

PERFECT!

I spent the morning wandering the streets alone looking for place to grab a late breakfast and came across a spot called Lüke. The beautiful and cheerful restaurant was rocking out to some fun oldies music, just my style. I decided to give it a try.
I asked for some tea and spent some time perusing the menu. Then, I went with the waiters recommendation: A biscuit sandwich with fried chicken and spicy mayhaw glaze.
Ya, I didn't know what mayhaw was either, but I decided to go for it. GOOD CHOICE.
This sandwich was fried to perfection; crunchy with not too much dressing, and came with the perfect amount of fruit on the side. I can't wait to take Andy here when he comes to visit NOLA.
They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and every item on their menu looks delicious. A woman next to me ordered their pulled pork pressed sandwich topped with an egg sunny side up that looked incredible. Definitely want to try it! They also had a gorgeous display of fresh seafood: crabs legs, oysters, clams...very New Orleans. A lot of Yelpers also say their shrimp and grits are great.

Check it!

And for those of you interested, a mayhaw is a tiny fruit commonly found in the wetlands of the southern United States. It looks like a red blueberry and is often used to make jellies or preserves.

Lüke
333 St Charles Ave
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 378-2840

lukeneworleans.com

SWIRL GIRL

I am privileged to be a Swirl Girl: A mixed, multicultural, multi-ethnic girl.
My friends over at Swirl Girl Army approached me and asked if I'd like to be a Swirl Girl Icon and I jumped at the opportunity.
Check out the interview I did with them and find out more about me, my blog and what I've been up to!

http://swirlgirlarmy.com/post/60852705671/swirl-girl-icon-amber-stevens

Doughnuts

Hello Friends!!!
It's been months since I've written on here but it's been a crazy year and I've just neglected to make blogging a priority...but I'M BACK! (We'll see how long this lasts)
I've been to plenty of new spots in LA since I last posted and now I'll attempt to play catch up. 
The most recent spot I want to share is a donut shop in Hollywood called Kettle Glazed.

If you don't already know, cronuts are all the rage and this is the first spot I've heard of in LA selling them. If you haven't heard, read this HILARIOUS article about the lengths people are going to in Manhattan to get their hands on one.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/05/whos-buying-cronuts_n_3389694.html

I did no such thing to get my first taste. Kettle Glazed seems to be fairly under the radar right now so I had no wait at all.

And...it was puppy love at first bite. The kind of love where you feel butterflies and gitty but you know won't last forever. By the end of the cronut I was over it. I don't know that I'm a huge fan. It's absolutely delightful but not something I'd ever wait in line for. I'd much prefer a regular ol' buttery croissant or fresh glazed donut. GLAD I TRIED IT THOUGH!

I still recommend you go have a try yourself. 

I also one of the regular cake donuts. I think it was old fashioned blueberry maple. Very reminiscent of a blueberry pancake breakfast. Now THAT I liked :)

Check it out!
Kettle Glazed
6211 Franklin Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Neighborhood: Hollywood

PS - I stole some of these pics from Yelp because mine didn't turn out so great. 

A "Healthier" Banana Bread Recipe

Hi Friends!

I know I don't usually share recipes on here, but I've adapted my own version of this "healthier" banana bread today and need to write it down...so I thought I'd share it here!

The reason it's "healthier" is because it includes NO BUTTER OR OIL! I've substituted Greek yogurt and added pecans and dried cranberries for some antioxidants and a bit of fiber. 

I know, it's kind of a stretch to call this a healthy dish but it could be worse!!

Here it is!

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 large over-ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

Crumble

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon flour

Directions

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl
2. Mix brown sugar, bananas, eggs, vanilla extract and yogurt in a separate bowl
3. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
4. Stir in pecans and cranberries
5. Pour the mixture into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan
6. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until golden brown, about 50 minutes
7. Mix ingredients for crumble and spread on top of bread and continue to bake for 10 minutes. You'll know it's done when you stick a toothpick in the center and it comes out clean

Let me know how you like it!

xoxo

Coffee + Food

I cannot believe I haven't posted on here since JULY! Life has really gotten in the way, but I'M BACK! A couple months ago I discovered the best breakfast sandwich in the whole world. It's walking distance from my apartment so Andy and I have made a tradition of going every Friday and splitting a sandwich and some fruit. They also have delicious coffee. Sadly I will be moving next week and so our tradition will end but we'll definitely be back as often as possible cause this sandy is to die for!
Here's what's inside: arugula, egg, prosciutto and gruyere cheese  or the veggie version with tomato and egg
The bread is toasty and light...my mouth is watering...

Coffee + Food
5630 Melrose Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90038

www.coffeeplusfood.com

Red Hill

I think this is the best breakfast dish I have ever eaten. It's so creative, hearty and delicious I couldn't wait to share it with all of you. It's a spin on the classic eggs benedict. It's a homemade yam biscuit with eggs, thick cut bacon, avocado, tomato, pickled cabbage and chile mole! Paired with a side of potatoes  this dish is perfection. Go eat it and tell me how you like it!
PS- Apparently their omelette of fresh market veggies is fantastic too...but I wanna go back and have their gluten free LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES! YESSSSS PLEASE!

Red Hill Restaurant
1325 Echo Park Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90026
www.redhillrestaurant.com

ENJOY!

I know Los Olivos is a 2 hour drive from LA but these cupcakes are TOALLY worth the drive. My friend Kate recently moved to NYC but before she left she wanted to check this place off her bucket list. We took a little girls day trip out to eat Enjoy cupcakes and boy were they outstanding! They change the menu weekly but with flavors like Chocolate Blackberry Syrah and Mango Raspberry Chardonnay you can't go wrong! You can also have them cater an event for you and they'll bring their adorable pink vintage airstream! It's all just too cute. Oh, and on our way home we stopped at a lavender farm. What a glorious day.

Enjoy Cupcakes

2971 Grand Avenue 

Los Olivos, Ca 93441   (in the Saarloos & Sons tasting "house") 

www.enjoycupcakes.com

www.enjoycupcakes.com

Roscoe's

In 1975 the genius of chicken and waffles was introduced to Los Angeles and since then this place has been a landmark. People all across the country know about Roscoe's House of Chicken and Waffles and for good reason. It's delicious and almost more importantly FUN! You can't help but smile eating down-home cooking like this. Some of my fave people from the production of RENT I did last year and I got together for a little fun catch-up lunch and we had a blast. Can't wait for us 4 to do this again! I love my friends. (and waffles)

Roscoe's 

1518 N Gower St
Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 466-7453

www.roscoeschickenandwaffles.com

Square One

A neighborhood fave for brunch is Square One. With an organic and locally grown menu you can't go wrong here. All the food is filling, fresh and delish! I would recommend trying their brioche french toast with a large Intelligentsia coffee and maybe a side of these cheddar bacon grits. It gets pretty busy here on the weekends so be ready to wait for a table. Worth the wait though!
PS- We're dressed up cause we just came from a wedding. We're not always so fancy. 


Square One
4854 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
323.661.1390
www.squareonedining.com

KTCHN105

delicious bread with strawberry syrup

brie grits

with berry compote topped with apple and bourbon cherry granola

house cured corn beef hash and 2 fried eggs

trout n eggs

bacon sandwich with roasted corn mayo

runny egg ...mmmm

BRUNH CLUB! Andy, Ryan and I try to get brunch together at least once a week and this week Ryan chose the spot, KTCHN105. This is not just a restaurant, it's also a cooking school, can be rented out for private dinner parities, private tastings and even catering. They only serve food to the public for weekend brunch so it's essential to have a reservation. It's in a random downtown location but the food was delicious and worth the drive. You could tell these people really care about their food. The brie grits were TO DIE FOR. I've never had anything like this and I'd eat it regularly if I knew how to make them! And the corn beef hash was incredible. I can't wait to go back here!

KTCHN105

1250 Long Beach Ave

Los Angeles CA 90021

213-908-2646

www.ktchn105.com