Hudson House – Redondo Beach

I love pretzels and I love burgers so when you put the two together, there’s no way the Hudson Burger could go wrong…Right? Wrong. Don’t get me wrong, Hudson House makes a good burger. The patty is juicy, the cheese is melty, the onion is grilled sweet, and the bacon is a chunky chew. The bun is slick and firm on the outside with a chewy inside that you need to tear with your teeth. Unfortunately, while you do get all the awesome elements of a soft pretzel minus the salt, that slick bun has a slightly bitter-bread aftertaste that overpowers the more subtle savor of the burger. I loved the bun, and I loved the filling, but I didn’t love them together. Two wrongs don’t make a right and it turns out two rights don’t always make a right either.

I loved all the components of the burger but I didn’t love them together. But I did love all the components of Hudson House and I definitely loved them together. The mixed drinks are fun, the ambiance is chatty but calm and content, and I would definitely find myself coming here to unwind after work more often…if I didn’t always have to work.

Mel’s Drive-In – Hollywood

I’m getting old. A night of dancing at the Jay-Z/Justin Timberlake concert and I need to rest my knees. Stay up past midnight once and I’ll take a whole day to recover. So believe me when I say that clubbing and dancing until 2 AM at Hollywood’s Level 3 required a little bit of winding down.

And what better place to wind down than Mel’s? For starters, it’s probably the only decent diner still open at 3 AM. Plus with its vinyl booths and jukeboxes, wide windows and a 24/7 breakfast menu, there’s no place more satisfying if it’s the diner experience you’re craving. Seriously, if you looked up diner in the dictionary, the first photo would be of Mel’s.

The food is a bit pricey for a diner, but I’m okay paying $8 or 9 for my Waffle Plate when the valet parking is free. I usually can’t finish waffles with egg and bacon on top, but these waffles were crispy-on-the-outside slabs of fluffy goodness so I licked my plate clean.

Despite late-night noshing at Mel’s Drive-In right on Sunset Blvd and a Sweet Rose Creamery run at Brentwood Country Mart, there hasn’t been a single star in sight. Either the stars I see don’t shine brightly enough or I need to get out more…I think I need to get out more…It’s just so hard when I’m getting old… Then again, stars or no stars, it’s the nights that end in 24-hour diners that make me thank my lucky stars to be living in LA. 

A Soft Spot for Santa Monica Seafood – Santa Monica

If Santa Monica’s beach culture could be captured by a food, it would be the soft-shelled crab. High-end and classy, yet casually battered by an accessible deep-fry, even Santa Monica’s ritziest streets give way to the laid back life of a beach bum, a life almost as sweet as a crab.

The day I went to Santa Monica Seafood, my mouth was watering with anticipation. My happiness was only a Soft-Shelled Crab Sandwich away, and said sandwich was only half an hour from where I sat. Unfortunately, my road to happiness was the rush-hour 405, and my sandwich turned out to be better in theory.

For starters, soft-shelled crab should be fried and it was. At Santa Monica Seafood they battered this baby to perfection, but it quickly became overshadowed between two pieces of overly textured toast. The thing is, when this sweet and succulent crustacean is already covered in breading, more breading doesn’t translate into a sweet and succulent sandwich.

You may argue that it’s as simple as fishing the crab out of the sandwich, which is exactly what I did, but after I shelled out $18 for a soft-shell sandwich, I felt pretty bad throwing out the shell, even if it’s just bread. Even the spicy mayo couldn't save it, and what was originally a 5-star spectacular lost one star for each slice of bread.

Cashing Out at C&O Trattoria – Marina del Rey

The only thing worse than being a fly with no wings is being a foodie with no cash for food. Loads of loans plus paychecks backdated two weeks aren’t exactly buying me anything other than more debt, and believe me, I’m pretty backdated when it comes to value. Current net worth: -$254,843.

So when I go out to eat, I’m basically choosing which restaurants at which I want to lower my net worth. No pressure, C&O, no pressure.

Despite all that pressure, this cute, casual little bayside bistro started off strong when I realized that you can get full here for free. Because here they don’t just start you with a basket of cold bread. Instead you get gaggles of garlic knots, so fresh out of the oven you’ll burn your fingers if you don’t wait. And before you can devour your whole plate, someone brings you more while the ones in front of you are warm. And they’re awesome. Full of flavor, chewy and moist, I ate so many of these greasy little gizmos that I probably won’t need to consume any calories for the next month. Current net worth: still -$254,843.64.

The garlic knots were promising so I figured I couldn’t go wrong with something else bready and fried. Unfortunately the Calamari Fritti wasn’t my best bet. These weirdly battered rings were more soggy than chewy and didn’t taste too fresh. Current net worth: regrettably -$254,854.64.

Every time I see pappardelle on the menu, I simply can’t say no. There’s always something special about those wide, chewy ribbons in al dente, and the Pappardelle Pasta with Boneless Beef Shortribs was certain to be no exception. $16 was a splurge, but I assumed the sauce with asparagus, basil, and shallots would be totally worth it. Too bad the promised Chianti wine sauce was auspiciously absent unless you count the oily pink water at the bottom. Believe me when I say no one but Jesus could have turned this water to wine. Current net worth: a disappointing -$254,862.64 because the dish was split.

After two rounds of utterly unimpressive, the Rigatoni al Forno was exactly the comfort I was craving. When those tender tubes are tossed and oven-baked, the heat melts the creamy ricotta, interspersing it with some sharper spinach and a tiny bit of meat sauce tang.  The mozzarella acts as a sweet, gooey glue to hold this cohesive casserole of slightly-bland comfort. Current net worth: a shared -$254,870.14.

We were full of carbs, but when you’ve had that many, what’s one more? And what Italian meal is complete without a chocolate-coated Cannoli? The crunchy shell was perfect, and the cream is the perfect sugared sweet. Net worth now: an increasingly satisfied -$254,877.09.

The last two courses gave me hope for C&O, but I still left thinking that the gads of garlic knots were the best part of my meal. And considering the depth of my debt, it’s pretty sad when the best things are free, and the garlic knots and the Italian love song sing-along every hour were pretty priceless.

Sweet Rose Creamery – Los Angeles

They say this is where the stars come out to play. I think they meant Brentwood Country Mart when they said that because everyone knows that stars don’t eat ice cream. The tabloids are full of Kate Moss’s 1200-calorie diets and Paris Hilton’s skinny-fat status, and honestly, do you really think that people who lose all their baby weight within a week did it by crunching on a cone?

Fortunately for me, I’m more infamous than famous, more small-time than big, and more camera-shy than chic. So I can have my ice cream and eat it too. And believe me, I did. First I tried the Fig Bay Leaf and something with ginger and a crunch just to say I explored the exotics, but there was no way I was passing up a Salted Caramel Waffle Cone. The ice cream was salted just right, and the caramel component was sweet but not too sugary. As if it wasn’t already perfect, topping it with a sprinkle of sea salt drove me over the edge.

Sadly I didn’t see any celebs that night, but a cone this good put the stars in my eyes anyway.

In-N-Out Burger

Four years of med school, one month of intern year, and ins and outs just don't mean burgers anymore. So it's only fitting that on my last day of my first block of intern year, I made this memorable milestone. I finally had an In-N-Out that wasn't on a vitals sheet.

So while I'm at it, why not double double the fun. I ate the entire burger, and you better believe I enjoyed it style...Animal Style. And it was awesome...actually, it wasn't...I really don't see what the fuss is about. Thumbs up only because I don't want to get lynched in California.

Utterly Umami Burger – Santa Monica

When I think of a burger, a manly meat-pie comes to mind. This grease n’ juice dripping smashed-together sandwich of coarsely-ground beef that some big burly chef used his bare hands to pack is very much America's culinary baseball and football, a primitive yet undoubtedly awesome tradition.

If my Truffle Royale became a tradition, it would shake the very foundations on which our great nation was built. Sure the burly, beefy patty drips both fat and juice, but not when topped with a luxurious, over-the-top toppings that blend into a seamlessly smooth savor. The cheese was also too creamy to showcase the truffle, and the soft caramelized onion and aioli only added to the cohesive goo. Even the shredded texture of short rib barely shone through. With all so many stand-out ingredients, this package possesses a frightening amount of finesse.

If you thought the burger wasn't manly enough, steer clear of the sides. The Fried Pickles were so finely battered they were thinner than tempura, and this was one appetizer you can get at any table…in any restaurant. Even the Manly Fries failed to conjure an iota of masculinity. First of all, there is just nothing manly about thin fries. And these fries were so thin, they were actually called thin fries. The toppings were tasty, but the beer cheese just didn't have that brewed bite to it. The bacon and fried onions were whatever, and the main problem with topping thin fries is that all the toppings just slide right off.

I’m torn about my feelings for Umami Burger. Despite the dynamic ingredients, all these flavors blend together into a smooth, seamless luxury, with a refinement that is both unexpected and unparalleled. Sure you still get the grease-dripping, multiple-napkin-needing faceful you were looking for, but there’s something about a fire-grilled, partly charred, coarsely-ground eat-it-with-a-beer burger from years of campfires and grills that makes you crave that kind of crude. And if that’s what you’re craving, you sure as heck won’t get it from Umami Burger.

My Cooking

My favorite Chinese peasant dish. Tomato, egg, salt, and a dash of sugar. Made just like grandma!

The Best and the Wurst of Wurstkuche Venice – Venice

It was the best of times and it was the wurst of times when I first went to Wurstkuche. As an east coast girl lost in LA, I had seen better day, but that day I was finally meeting a couple of co-interns, us three white coat wearers thrown together by fate. We hailed from Baltimore, Raleigh, and Seattle and couldn’t be more different people, but it turns out fate knows what it’s doing because after meeting these guys, I knew that despite the tint of homesickness that colored my commute, I could have done much worse.

When I first walked into this slight sausagefest, I found it fitting that my sausagefest would commence with the wurst combination of Duck & Bacon with Jalapeno Peppers. It was a solid sausage, but the spiced ground duck lost its poultry flavor in the mix.

The duck and bacon may have been underwhelming, but the Pheasant with Herbs de Provence was the wurst-case scenario. This particular sausage was so overloaded with rosemary that the smoother, more delicate meat was stifled. Then again, I could do much worse than well-ground meat flavored with a fragrant herb.

A much better combination consisted of the Rattlesnake & Rabbit with Jalapeno Peppers. A heartier, gamier version of chewy chicken, this one was heavy enough to satisfy a sausagefest yet light enough to let you eat every bite.

You better believe I loved every bite of gamey German sausage, but I was craving something light when I started scarfing seconds. Think of the Mango Chicken at PF Chang’s, one of the lightest dishes they serve. Now imagine the Mango Chicken has real flavor added (unlike at PF Chang’s), ground up in a blender with real seasoning and a dash of fire and you have the Mango Jalapeno sausage. Believe me, it burns, but nothing washes down the burn like a Belgian sour beer. My Frili was a girly strawberry brew, but the best part about being the only girl at a sausagefest is that no one can judge you for ordering something pink.

If you’re trying to make the best of the wurst, add a side of crispy, chunky Belgian Fries. Even the small is great for sharing, and if the chipotle alioli is any indication, you can’t go wrong with the dips.

There are no cravings worse than the craving for a solid German sausage except the craving for friends. When I first waltzed into Wurstkuche, I was having both. And at the end of the meal, I realized that I’ve had better sausage, but I haven’t had better friends than these two guys. So no matter what I was craving, I imagine Wurstkuche would be far from the wurst way to satisfy it. And if one day I find my sausage craving at its wurst, I bet few places could satisfy my craving more.

Diddy Riese Cookies - LA

Diddy Riese is as cute as it sounds. Almost as cute its clientele of sweet little SoCal girls who have never heard the words “bomb diggity” and give you weird looks when you bust out your best Macarena at weddings.

The good news is, ice cream and cookies are a combination that transcends age and time, a classic combination of words and deeds that everyone can relate to. Serving as a slumber party staple, birthday party snack, and getting over a breakup bender, cookies and ice cream are whatever you want them to be, whenever and wherever you want them.

I will never not want strawberry cheesecake ice cream sandwiched between a candy chocolate chip cookie and a chewy chocolate white chip. The ice cream is generically good, and the cookies are no better or worse than anything in my oven, but together this combo becomes the"bomb diddity" for customers of any age, and it helps that the price is right. One little dollar buys you three cookies, and that meal-in-a-cup Ice Cream Sandwich only cost a whopping $1.75. And who can turn down cookies ‘n’ cream when it’s cheaper than a load of laundry?

Marukai Market – Torrance

What could possibly be cooler than grocery store sushi? Pretty much anything. What could possibly be cooler than edible grocery store sushi? Pretty much anything except inedible grocery store sushi.

But no worries, my adorable assortment of Nigiri was actually pretty good. Sure the ebi and tomago are cooked, which is kind of cheating, but even the totally raw salmon, tuna, and red snapper pieces were clearly cut better than the crap at Sushi Boy, and the very time-sensitive squid didn’t have much of the left-out-too-long aftertaste that tastes like New York City’s Chinatown smells. Even the crab mixed with the much-despised mayo wasn’t half as bad as my hatred for mayo.

Prefer to filet your own fish? The grocery store section sells fresh sushi-grade fish instead of steak, and you don’t have to look far for a slab of frozen eel and a small tray of shrimp, cut and cleaned for the sole purpose of sitting atop a ball of sushi rice, which you can get in aisle two. Typical for all Asian markets, there’s an entire aisle dedicated to sauce, and half of it is soy. There’s light, there’s regular, and there’s even dark and darker. Maybe you’ll can find some decent wasabi paste in the mix too. And don’t forget to scoop up a couple packs of frozen edamame. Picky about brands? No worries, I’m sure you’ll find one amongst the ten they sell.

I wouldn’t go to Marukai just for the sushi, but I wouldn’t hesitate to pick some up on my way out either. If you’re a go gourmet or go home kind of girl, I recommend you stay away from Asian supermarkets altogether, but if you’re a go-for-it and get-it-to-go kind of girl, this is a great way to run stock your fridge and fill your belly all in one place. 

Lemonade – Santa Monica

The abundance of outdoor dining is one of my favorite things about California, but I have no desire to surf a Venice heat wave for lunch. The good news is, the arctic blast from Lemonade’s abundant AC will knock you over faster than a pipe wave, and if that isn’t enough, there’s nothing cooler than a hot-off-the-press Caprese Sandwich. The mixed green side salad would have been more refreshing with less dressing, but sandwich is a health-conscious beach bum’s dream. The fresh mozzarella would give even Italians a run for their money, and toasted foccacia with interleaving basil makes this the coolest combo on the beach.

Sure, Lemonade is a chain, but I’m not saying it’s the best option on the beach. What I am saying is that when life gives you lemons, make lemonade or let Lemonade make one for you. My mix of half blood orange, half old fashioned lemonade was a little too sweet for me, but give Abbot Kinney’s Lemonade a chance because nothing is half as sweet as life on Venice Beach.