Father's Office. No words.

The best burger in California. Period.
(Best Pastrami sandwich and sweet potatoe fries also).
This place is Too Legit..too legit to quit. The settingis nothing like you can expect, but I adore hole on the wall places. Once you go inside, It's not as small as you can imagined - with plenty of outdoor and indoor seating.  FYI, Be prepare to look for parking and stand in line for a minimum and well worthy wait of 30 min. 

I always order the Office Burger which I have for the past year, thanks to a fully recommendation for a true friend - they ask you how you want it cooked and I requested well done (yes well done that's the way I like it) It was the most perfectly well-done burger I've eaten lately (my fave NY's City Hall and SD Rocky's). Most places undercook it so it's only slightly pink YUCK!. The burger is topped with fresh arugula and bleu cheese - which I Love.  The pungent taste of the cheese was balanced out by the sweetness of the sauce.  The bread it came on is not your typical hamburger bun.  It's more like a baguette with a firmer exterior and really soft interior. A note about the burger.  At $12.50, its quite the shocking sticker price, BUT you really get what you pay for!  
The ingredients they use are top notch. I could tell just by the beef patty because it was borderline rare, and I couldn't taste a hint of that nasty, metallic taste or artificial-ness you usually get from cheapy burger places. The arugula was perfectly green without any brown parts, and the cheese is gourmet. 

This place is heaven!!!


Father's Office
(Santa Monica Area)

3229 Helms Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90034

(310) 736-2224    |    www.fathersoffice.com
 Price Range:  $$

What the DUNK????

Ever since I heard of or met DJ AM I have been seriously obsessed with him and his back-then sneaker collection. One thing about New York and Los Angeles I have learn is that Men don't have to be in their $1500 Zegna suit, Ferragamo loafers and Thomas Pink shirts all the time (which I do adore a man in a suit every now and then) as well as the typical San Diego men wardrobe. Arghhh!!!! I can't stand cookie cutters!!!! Typical, Banana Republic shirts, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo (very very outdated) shoes and khakis I feel like I want to scream everytime I see a guy in San Diego with the same clothing status. 

In New York I learnedthe fashion statements men make depending the burroughs:

Wall Street - Zegna, Boss and Armani Suit with fabulous taste in shoes

SoHo - Fab guy in trench, sneakers, fab t-shirt and his Vespa

Can't stand UES people aka square MoFo's with their Thomas Pink shirts and their Thomas Pink sweater wrapped around their neck, but with some of them with fab sneaker's

LES - Simply adore the people there, they're fashion sense comes down to fabulousity SNEAKERS!!!!!

In Los Angeles....Mannnn o Mannnn:

Everybody I mean everybody, when it comes the men, has the most amazing sneakers ever!

That's why there's so many sneaker stores allover El Lay. 

UNDFTD is one of them. They have the most extensive collection of current designs. From the new Concept's New Balance, Puma's X-UBIQ, Star Wars X' Clot Adida's Superskate and my fave the Clae the Russel Sneaker which is Buzzin' Hot!!!! I simply think that a guys with a killer sneaker is a total doll!!!!

Gent's,two of the best snakerzzzzz stores in El Lay you can get your kicks at:

http://sportiela.com/store/help.php?section=about

http://undftd.com/ 

http://www.flightclubla.com/

The best sneakerzzzzz store (online as well) in NY:

http://www.rivingtonclub.com/

These are a few of my favorite things...boutique shopping...in SILVERLAKE!!!!

I've been a die-hard shop-a-holic for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a kid I was obsessed with the one and only Nordstrom and yes Contempo!!!!

I started my obsession with fashion more when my aunt left to NY in 1988 and started her career in fashion at Latina Magazine. That's when I started to learn abouyt couture, ready-to-wear and specially splurges and steals!!!!

Los Angeles is known for its to-die-for shopping scene, thanks in great part to Hollywood stars who always need the latest and greatest. Shopping districts are many, and trendy, upscale boutiques seem to be around ever corner. Savvy shoppers make the most of the city by planning before they indulge in retail therapy. If money is truly no concern, then stroll through the ultra-posh shops on Rodeo Drive, which is within the Golden Triangle (bordered by Santa Monica Boulevard, Wilshire Boulevard, and Canon Drive). 

For me Melrose Avenue  caters to the same crowd cheap clothes from downtown LA with a higher price rate;  In the market for antiques? Check out Third Street (between La Cienega Boulevard and La Brea Avenue), a funky, eclectic area known for unique gift and specialty stores. While the sheer multitude of attractive boutiques and stores in LA is staggering – and most of them are exclusive, upscale, and one-off to boot – just focus on a few must-have items in your price range for a relaxed day of hitting the shops!

Now if you are a mayor boutique shop-a-holic, you have to go to Silverlake and Los Feliz, for instance:

SUMIS, Bittersweet Butterfly, Grace Ellay, Juvie, Mesh & Lace and my fave Warwick.

The styles in those boutiques will appeal to our generation because they cater to us (the twenty- and thirty-somethings) but the real value lies in the racks of department stores. The prices are more reasonable because as a business professional you’ll be buying lots of shirts and ties and pants, so they want you coming back after you realize how good of a deal you’ve gotten.

Just park anywhere near West Sunset Blvd. enjoy your day of boutique, vintage and fashion shopping and in between grab a cup o' java or tea at http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/locations/view/Silver+Lake+Coffeebar just park around the corner and take a walk on the wild side of Los Angeles!!!!

BBQ Throwdown in San Diego. Phill's VS Jack's!

What can I say about BBQ Ribs. I LOVE THEM. And who doesn't. I have a thing with who has the best Burgers in town and BBQ ribs as well.

There are a few good ones allover Los Angeles, like Hole on the Wall in Torrance and some really bad ones like Lucille's. Great ones in New York like Houston's and bad one's like Dallas.

Growing up in San Diego, my parents used to take us to Eric's Ribs. Mannnn the stack of onion rings and they're signature Baby Back Ribs were to die for. But they've been gone for a while and I started going to Phill's when they were located in Hillcrest and they weren't dissapointing at all. Juicy, tender, in the outside and doused in a fiery sauce. Ever since they went big and changed location it was a huuuuge dissapointment. 

First and foremost, I am not a certified food critic. But, I have found throughout my whole life, loving and having a passion for food. Why I'm not a chef, it wasn't meant to be, and right now that career which I find passionate and delightful, It has over expanded itself.

Anyways, at Phill's the line was ridiculously long. for their prices, I do not want to stand in line waiting, going to a counter and ordering as it was a fast food joint and waiting with a pager for my cold, ketchup tasting, hard to eat ribs. This place just went downhill for me.

Yesterday I tried Baby Back Jack's in Hillcrest.This place acts mainly as a takeout and catering operation, although you can sit on one of their 5 tables. I guess if  more than 7 hours of gentle smoking yield sweet and tender piles of pulled pork; rosemary-rubbed chicken breasts are roasted in barbeque sauce, racks of seared baby back ribs are heavy with juicy meat, and chicken wings are breaded and deep-fried to a satisfying, down-home crisp. With this kind of spread, tasty sides like their onion rings could stand to be a bit more generous than their small serving bowls permit. But it’s likely you’ll be too full of splendidly charred meat to notice.

OK Carnivores come and get it. I guess for me it's one of the good BBQ joints in San Diego. Not the best, since my friend Johnny is the King of BBQ. He should open-up a BBQ Hell HOUSE!

Baby Back Jack's
1290 E University Ave. San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 574-1644  |    www.jacksbabybackribs.com
Price Range: $ 

Sexy Starlite in San Diego

I simply adore hidden treasure's, specially in San Diego. For some reason it has been kinda difficult for a few people to find what to do and when is a great night to go a good restaurant, venues, ambiance or just a simple place to go get drinks with your friends or a date. You go here for the drinks and conversation with the company you bring. My friends and I thought this would be a good place to bring a date.

The dark ambiance, which I have a thing for it, very spacious, quite enough to have a normal grown-up conversation without yelling at each other like the mayority places in Downtown. This place I founded to be sexy and relaxed. 

For the food, I ordered their specialty, Meatloaf with porcini mushrooms topped with bacon, even though I don't like bacon It was very tasty and organic potatoes red wine sauce. The food was marginally ok. Not a big fan of their menu changing every now and then, but the vibe, customer service and and their signature Coppel Mugs Drinks OMG, they're delic!!!

PS: Get $5 Mules on Sunday & Monday nights! Happy Hour is included. You can also get $15 off any bottle of wine with the purchase of an entree.

Starlight

3175 india St. San Diego, CA 92103

(619) 358-7666   |    www.starlitesandiego.com   |    http://twitter.com/starlitesd

Price Range: $$

Gourmet Food Trucks in LA: This Ain't No Roach Coach or Loncheras

When I was living in New York I became more fascinated with the food industry, more than ever. Since it is the Capital of the World, you can find any kind of food, from Indian, Italian, Greek, French, Korean, you name it. Except Mexican, they all suck. They are either too upscale, modern and what I call "amercianized" Mexican and once it has "cuisine" next to Mexican, that says it all. Anyways, my friend Johnny, which he studied at the French Culinary Institute, and I always said, Imagine all the great restaurant converted into a Food Gourmet Truck like the once in San Diego, which we call 'Roach Coach' or in Spanish 'Loncheras'.
Well, Los Angeles got the idea from the few masters that started it all in New York. Which I think is the best idea ever, don't know if this trend will last forever, but for now it is so reliable.
My faves are:  Kogi BBQ, Green Truck, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Border Grill and Dosa Truck.


The Gourmet Truck craze has taken allover Los Angeles, maintaining a following by using Twitter to let their fans know where they can catch their latest fix.

http://www.findlafoodtrucks.com

Mucho Caliente at Downtown El Lay's La Cita Bar

What can I say from the outside it feels like downtown Tijuana yukky and rundown, inside it's packed with fun fun fun music, great drinks and mixed crowd.
Music is it deppends on the nights. Thursday are the days to go if you like to see different kind of people, older (30's) crowd, listen music from Justice, Daft Punk, La Roux to Biggie, Warren G and Beastie Boys and sometimes a little bit of Mexican roughen Banda music.
This place is a Trip.

Expect to pay $5-$10 cover (sometimes). Great place to kill the floors! 

La Cita

336 S. Hill St. Los Angeles, CA 90013

www.lacitabar.com

Best Nights: Thur, Fri & Sat.
Price Range: $