Horse Thief BBQ

Guy Fieri travels throughout the U.S. with his show, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" to feature many small restaurants and eateries. Horse Thief BBQ located at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles was one of many.

Horse Thief BBQ has their own dining area (outdoors), however for those rainy days, there is seating inside the Grand Central Market.

Featured on the show were the pork belly (served on apple fennel slaw and spicy mayo) and the fried chicken sandwich. The pork belly needs to be featured on another food show called "Best Thing I Ever Ate" because it deserves to be there. The fried chicken sandwich was crunchy, crispy and juicy.

What was not featured on the show, but was a popular favorite with customers was the beef brisket. Or was it the brisket sandwich? The beef brisket was most likely used for the sandwich as well. It was juicy, tender and flavorful.

   

Also at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles includes a few other restaurants and eateries that were featured on "Incredible Edible America", "Andrew Zimmern: Delicious Destinations" and "The Next Food Network Stars". Maybe "Best Thing I Ever Ate" as well, but I can't remember.

Luigi Al Teatro

Luigi Al Teatro is a new Italian restaurant in Santa Monica, CA who recently had a grand opening. It sits in a historical landmark, a 100-year-old building, that went from an Edison company to a place of worship to a dance theater production. The restaurant is located within a few minutes from the Santa Monica Pier and Third Street Promenade as well as the Venice Beach Boardwalk. You can spend a few hours at the beach or Third Street Promenade followed by a romantic meal at Luigi Al Teatro. It is a true hidden gem, off the beaten path. 

The restaurant has a semi-open kitchen so the guests can be entertained by the kitchen staff while their meals are being prepared. Guests can also sit in the patio area. The roof is retractable where it can be open, so guests can enjoy the summer air. Also in the patio area is a fresh herb garden to which the restaurant uses for many of its dishes. The wait staff is inviting and personable. They are knowledgeable about the menu and wine lists. The wine cellar is impressive and can be seen above the bar area. The menu changes according to what is in season, but it always features fresh seafood and the fresh pasta is made in-house daily.

Chef Luigi Fineo started his love for cooking at a young age from accompanying his mother to local markets while growing up in Puglia, a southern region of Italy. His passion grew and his dreams were realized when he traveled to the U.S. to continue his culinary journey where he worked with many great master chefs. He is very humble and gives extreme attention to detail in many of his creations.

Chocolate Martini

Tuna Cannolo

Baked Split Pea Soup topped with Scallops

Linguini topped with Sea Urchin

Lasagna with Seafood Medley

Lemon Tart

Pastiera Napoletana

For more information about Luigi Al Teatro or for reservations, visit its website here.

Thaitwist

Looking for an authentic Thai restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley? Visit Thaitwist in the Rowland Heights/City of Industry area. This restaurant is fairly new to the area and people are still getting to know about it. Thaitwist is  a quaint little restaurant with friendly and attentive staff. The manager was very sweet helping me pick out the dishes. Many dishes on the menu are very tasty.

Don't let the emptiness of the restaurant from the photos discourage you from visiting. I got here very early, few minutes after they opened at 11am for the day. Parking can be a struggle depending on time of day and day of the week as there are many other businesses sharing the same parking area.

Thai Iced Coffee

Rotti With Yellow Curry Sauce. 

Rotti is an Indian pancake and this is very popular dish with customers.

Crab Meat Fried Rice with real crab meat. Another very popular dish with customers

Thai Twist Salad, a signature dish.

Steak, mango, noodles, cilantro, peanuts tossed with mixed greens and spicy lime dressing

Khoa Soi, another signature dish

Northern style curried noodle soup with chicken, shrimp and egg noodle

Zama Tea and Kombucha

Zama Tea and Kombucha is a very quaint and very cute tea boutique with a tea bar plus retail store located in Old Town Tustin, CA. Tea products include specialty loose tea leafs (over 100 flavors to choose from), herbs, raw Kombucha and tea accessories which also includes tea pots and tea cups. Kombucha is fermented tea and tea on tap is lightly effervescent (giving off bubbles; carbonated/fizzy). Loose tea leavs have ools from antioxidants that will absorb into the water and they are better for health benefits. While Zama Tea does carry tea bags in store, there is a limited flavors in stock. You can enjoy tea on tap or a hot brewed tea from the tea bar with a sandwich, salad and hummus, a lively probiotic vegan yogurt or a vegan soup.

Before Zama Kombucha and Tea came, this was the site of the first doctor's office. Then it became a "go to spot" for teens clothing where many lovingly knew it as "Jabberwocky".

The Brass Lamp Bar

I recently went to Romeo Chocolates kickstarter (kickstarter link) event party. At the event, I won a raffle drawing for a gift basket that included a gift certificate to The Brass Lamp located in the heart of Downtown Long Beach, CA.

The Brass Lamp Bar is a book bar and lounge. It also started off as a kickstarter project one year ago. This is a great location for study groups, book clubs, meetings, or to hang out with friends. There are also plenty of different events happening here which includes live music, open mic, and Wine & Cheese Tastings. Just make sure you check their calendar for event schedule.

Hazelnut Latte with Hazelnut and Caramel

The Brassmelt

Romeo Chocolates

Are you a chocolate lover? Are you someone who loves to support small businesses? Romeo Chocolates has a fundraiser kickstarter project to open up a brand new chocolate boutique store in Long Beach, CA to which will have a Grand Opening near the end of January 2016 or beginning of February 2017 located at 460 Pine Avenue. In the meantime, Romeo has several pop-up events for those who wish to sample various chocolate creations made by Romeo! You can also order online through the website or from local retail partners.

Romeo is his real name. He discovered his passion as a Chocolatier when he enrolled in some workshops making chocolate. He then travelled to Belgium to learn from Master Chocolatiers and the about the profession. Through his learning experience and journey, he wanted to become a Chocolatier.

With the help of his friends and family, he will be opening a chocolate boutique store, but he needs your support! Please contribute on his kickstarter project. No amount is too big or too small, but you get "rewarded" by donating a certain dollar amount. Please visit the kickstarter project to see more info.

I also won a raffle drawing which included a basket with wine, assortment of Romeo Chocolates and a gift certificate to The Brass Lamp.