Modern Comfort: Jar

Jar serves beautiful, delicious comfort food.

Amuse bouches -- crab deviled egg and char siu pork croissant.



Soup of the day.


Jar's signature pot roast, roasted carrots, caramelized onions, mashed potatoes.

Filet prime rib-eye, French fries, arugula, chimichurri sauce.



Roasted wild Alaskan salmon, shallot lemon vinaigrette, mashed potatoes.

Coq au vin, red wine, applewood smoked bacon, pearl onions, crimini mushrooms, French fries.

Butterscotch pudding with salted caramel and whipped cream.

Banana cream pie.

Jar's signature chocolate pudding with crème fraiche.

Few things will surprise you here, but that's the point. Bravo to the familiar done well.

Power Lunch: Drago Centro

The service at Drago Centro always disappoints me, but I keep going back for the food because the food has never let me down.

It's even better when your old co-workers expense your lunch as "business development." Booyeah!

Sunny side egg, cippolini, chanterelle, salsa verde.


Beef carpaccio, candied pine nuts, olives, tomato.


Roasted beets, pine nuts, chile vinaigrette, goat cheese.


Wild mushroom risotto, Gorgonzola cream.


Salmon, balsamic radicchio, pomme puree, heirloom tomatoes.


Rigatoni pasta, spicy lamb ragout, Swiss chard.


Corn panna cotta, blueberries.


Almond semifreddo, flambeed banana.


Chocolate, olive oil terrine, candied hazelnuts.

Special thanks to my pals Pescado and BPLJ for this midday feast!

This Little Piggy Went: L.A. Market

L.A. Market is within walking distance of our old condo.

It looks pretty cool for a hotel restaurant.

Sadly, the food is only ok and not nearly as exciting as the modern decor.

Tuna dynamite -- lump crab, tuna, sushi rice, red chili aioli ($14).

Winter wild mushroom cappuccino soup.


Dungeness crab, petite gem lettuce, whole grain mustard, Jerez vinaigrette.

Pan-roasted Scottish salmon, Japanese pumpkin ravioli, roasted broccolini, truffle broth, crispy shallots.


Herb-roasted chicken, blistered baby tomatoes, garlic French beans, piquillo pepper polenta.


Short rib, pomme puree, blue foot mushroom, cipollini, merlot reduction.


Cotton candy.

Apple pie, caramel rum sauce.


Pumpkin cheesecake, egg nut crème.

Vanilla crème brûlée, vanilla cookie.

I think brunch is better than dinner.

A hefty bread basket and amuse bouche didn't hurt.

Tuna dynamite -- lump crab, tuna, sushi rice, red chili aioli. Yes, again. I like this.


Grilled figs and Serrano ham, aged goat cheese, port reduction.

Kaffir lime boneless lamb loin, truffle garbanzo bean puree, roasted eggplant.


L.A. Market Burger -- fresh Angus chuck, Bravo Farms white cheddar, applewood bacon, balsamic grilled onions, lettuce, tomato on grilled brioche bun with fries.

Brick chicken, chorizo, black olives, green pea coulis.

Chocolate truffle cake, vanilla bean ice cream.

Lemon tart, wild berry compote, meringue.

L.A. Market is lucky that it is in the Marriott. I'm not sure it would survive on its own.

Fancy Sans Attitude: JiRaffe

When I lived in Santa Monica briefly 10 years ago, I used to drive past JiRaffe and think it was too fancy for the likes of me.

But...look at me now! Oh, I'm gettin' paper!

JiRaffe is indeed a classy joint, but I'm all grown up now and know my way around silverware in multiples. We came here with our pals, the Oros. They know their way around sundry utensils, too.

Mojito.

Amuse bouche -- mushroom cappuccino.

Maine jumbo sea scallop, Fregola Sarda, sunchokes, chanterelles, Parmesan, lobster sauce.


Roulade of Hudson Valley foie gras and crispy potato-wrapped big ahi eye tuna, confit of baby leeks, port wine reduction.


Filet of beef, roasted salsify and white asparagus puree, red flame grapes, salad of julienned celery root with crème fraiche-whole grain mustard, Madeira-beef jus.


John Dory, truffle-braised French fingerling potatoes, artichokes, truffle Vouvray sauce.


Lisa's cookie plate.

Chocolate Halsey, caramel mousse.


Caramelized banana cream pie.

We had good food. We had fun. I wish I'd tried JiRaffe sooner.