Mister O's Should Be on Your Studio City Rotation

Since moving to Woodland Hills, I get excited when I get to check out restaurants in the San Fernando Valley. A few months ago I went to try out Mister O's, a sort-of-new place in Studio City (it opened in August 2018).

Chef Mario Alberto is doing some good things in the kitchen here. I started with some beautifully plated Yellowtail crudo with fried yucca, pretty lady melon, Anaheim chile oil, apricot, hemp seed ($18)


The cocktails from Rafael Barba are also worth trying. The San Fernando Valley still doesn't have that many good cocktail bars but Mister O's is a strong contender. I'm not normally a big vodka cocktail drinker, but I thoroughly enjoyed Silly Rabbit (Reyka vodka, yellow chartreuse, carrot, ginger, orgeat, lemon, bitters, $15)

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Happy Hour at Blackship (West Hollywood)

Blackship in West Hollywood is named after the fleet of black ships that the United States sent to Japan in the 1850s, opening trade between US and Japan. The name is appropriate for the Japanese-Italian cuisine at the restaurant, headed by chef Keiichi Kurobe, who previously worked at Hinoki & The Bird.

A while back I went for their happy hour, which is one of the best happy hour in town for food, especially considering they have happy hour on Saturdays also. Happy hour is from 6-7pm on Tuesday-Saturday.  The deal is you can get 3 items for $21, from the special food and drink list.

The best thing to get in my opinion is the amberjack crudo with basil, radish, and green goddess dressing. Where else can you get amberjack crudo for $7?

The portion was pretty generous and the radish and green goddess complemented the fattiness of the amberjack.

There are seven options from the food menu, including this Momotaro Tomatoes, house-made ricotta, balsamic soy, toasted country loaf

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Don't Skip the Food at Employees Only LA

We all expect the drinks at Employees Only to be good. After all, that was the reason the original NYC location was so popular. But at the West Hollywood location, you shouldn't miss the food! You may have had the food here before, but if you came before this summer, you might want to take another look. Chef Brian Bornemann redid the menu at Employees Only earlier this year and it is above and beyond what you'd expect from a cocktail bar (Bornemann has taken the helm at Michael's Santa Monica but he's still helping out with the menu at EO).

To start:
Uni, nori, masago, smoked oil, sliced serrano. Drizzle the smoked oil over the uni and eat it like a taco.

If you're an uni lover like me, you can't go wrong with this dish. It had a slight kick but didn't overwhelm the sweet uni.

The next dish of halibut tartar is unusually beautiful. Halibut, preserved citrus, Arbequina olive oil, sunflower petals


We had to get some cocktails with our dinner, of course. My favorite ended up being this one that my friend ordered: The Colonial (Aperol, Plymouth gin, fresh lemon juice, home-made rhubarb syrup & Himalayan pink salt, finished with rosé prosecco)

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