All posts filed under: Travels

MANUEL’S ORIGINAL EL TEPEYAC CAFE, LOS ANGELES

Published by Nicole Isaacs

HOLY GUACAMOLE. GET READY FOR THIS!      You may have heard about Manuel’s Original El Tepeyac Cafe from Travel Channel’s MAN VS. FOOD. It is home of the famous FIVE POUND BURRITO- “Manuel’s Special”. Authentic Mexican food at it’s best. Burritos the size of your face……take it back—burritos the size of a BIG, FAT newborn baby. Mayor Villaragoza who was raised in the Boyle Heights area, made El Tepeyac Cafe his last stop on his campaign tour for his reelection which was televised locally. This tiny Mexican hole-in-wall has gotten recognized in many press outlets, and is now a famously known Mexican spot in LA. At El Tepeyac Cafe in Boyle Heights/Downtown LA, you get the real Mexican food experience. I don’t want to say it’s in the “ghetto”, but let’s just say it’s not in one of the nicest of areas in LA. Always busy with a line, you can either eat in the tiny restaurant, or for faster service you can order on the side of the restaurant from the window and sit at the …

ARTSY DAY IN DOWNTOWN LA! SPITZ RESTAURANT, GEFFEN MOCA MUSEUM, & ANGEL CITY BREWERY & ART EXHIBIT

Published by Nicole Isaacs

          I had a great day in Downtown LA recently. Went to the Geffen MOCA Museum, which is an “urban street art” exhibit, then went to lunch at Spitz, and went to Angel City Brewery for some freshly brewed beer.      The Geffen MOCA Museum was cool. All urban street art. It’s something cool to see if you are ever in the Downtown LA area and you are into art. It gives you a lot of history about how “tagging” became a popular form of art in big cities, and hundreds of pieces of art from famous street artists. Me in front of the Geffen MOCA in a window lol      After the MOCA, stopped by Spitz for some Doner Kebab sandwiches. I’ve heard about Spitz so when I walked by it, I wanted to give it a try. It has been written up in several LA Magazine’s and voted “LA’s Best Sandwich” by Los Angeles Magazine. Spitz is a Doner Kebab spot in the heart of Little Tokyo. I used to live in Berlin, Germany and …

LOMBARDI’S PIZZA, NEW YORK CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I’ve done a couple posts about pizza in NYC already. I was on the search for the BEST pizza in the city, so had to try all the famous spots. Lombardi’s is special because it was the FIRST PIZZERIA ever to open in America in 1905. To this day, Lombardi’s is still known for being “one of the best Pizzerias in America”, and also according to many magazines & newspaper articles, the best pizza in New York City. I went to Lombardi’s and was so excited to try authentic New York Style Pizza. This place is legendary in New York City. I had the BEST pizza I ever had in my life in Brooklyn (at Di Fara’s, check out my blog post about it), so I was curious to see how Lombardi’s was going to match up. I went around lunchtime, and the place was packed. There was a line out the door, but thankfully service was fast and efficient so I didn’t have to wait long. Lombardi’s is located on Spring Street in SoHo, next to all …

LAUREL TAVERN, STUDIO CITY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Laurel Tavern in Studio City is a great place to go for happy hour and drinks. This charming, rustic, and always packed tavern is on Ventura Blvd. in the heart of Studio City, next to a bunch of bars and restaurants. I’ve been hearing about their menu for a while, and wanted to go for some food and drinks with some friends. I went around 8:30pm, and the place was packed. We actually had to wait outside before even being let in because the place was over capacity and there was no room. When we were let inside, my friends and I ordered a couple of glasses of Dr. L 2009 Riesling white wine, (which is my favorite wine by the way- fruity, light, and smooth), and we waited for a table. The place was so loud and crammed, but once we got a table it was great. Ok, about the food. The CHORIZO SLIDERS are amazing! I swear I was in heaven. It had SO much flavor, and tasted even better than the regular Laurel …