Starting the new summer by reminiscing on the last one

Before I begin chronicling the summer of 2011, it should be noted that I went to dozens of restaurants last summer before I started this blog. Many stand out including Cafe 101 (where they shot Swingers with Vince Vaughn), the Apple Pan, Houston's, BOA Steakhouse and Mel's Drive In on Sunset, Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, Cole's French Dip downtown, Il Fornaio and Nate N Al in Beverly Hills, Zankou Chicken, California Chicken Cafe, Diddy Reese in Westwood. These are some of my favorites but when looking through my albums from last summer I found four places that must have been especially good because I took pictures of the food.

UMAMI BURGER
My first restaurant experience in the heart of Hollywood. Simply put, unbelievably good - no wonder it just won GQ's burger of the year. "Umami" is described as the fifth sense you experience while eating, after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. It is just a perfect meal. The burger itself consists of house ground beef, oven-roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, parmesan frico, sauteed shitake-mushrooms and house made ketchup - you need to try it for yourself to experience the "umami" flavoring. Any place that serves Coke in a glass bottle is a winner in my book. And finally, they have a variety of sauces you can use with your fries. Definitely one of the more up-and-coming spots in LA.

"THE GODMOTHER" FROM BAY CITIES ITALIAN DELI
Another perfect creation. Bay Cities is an awesome place in Santa Monica where you can buy all kinds of authentic Italian food. The crowd there is very diverse - families, hipsters, surfers, old and young. They're most famous for this sandwich - The Godmother - genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto, provolone, mayo, mustard, onions, pickles, tomatoes, lettuce, Italian dressing & mild pepper salad. This might sound like something you can get at Jimmy John's but the way they perfectly distribute the ingredients and make sure it is always fresh and hot makes this the ideal sandwich that can't be found anywhere else.


PASTRAMI ON RYE FROM LANGER'S DELI
Best pastrami I've ever had and as a Jew I've had plenty of experience. Langer's is somewhat of an anomaly - located west of downtown in a heavily Latino neighborhood, this Jewish establishment has stood the test of time for over 50 years. Trust me, it will stand out when you drive by. It's a little pricey, but the perfectly cooked pastrami and the twice-baked rye bread justifies every penny.




FISH TACOS ON VENICE BEACH
So I don't remember the name of the place that made these but it really doesn't matter. You can't go wrong on Venice Beach no matter what you order - it is one of my favorite places in the city. There is nothing like sitting on a bench while eating your food and people-watching on a 70 degree day, the boardwalk and the beach on either side of you.







Last summer I had some of the best food I've eaten in my life but there is plenty more to come. Although this is a food truck blog, when I have something that really stands out, I'm going to post it no matter where it's from. Can't wait to see what I come across over the next couple of months.