Dining in L.A. - Day 2

On Day 2, post-mani/pedis on Montana, we drove up to Brentwood to meet Shae's mama for lunch. Having flown down from NorCal for the day, she treated us to B.J.'s before heading back to the airport. Have I ever mentioned that I love Chicago-style pizza. Mmm, thick crust, deep dish pizza - the deeper, the chewier, the cheesier - I love.

I picked a half salad and individual Buffalo chicken pizza. As usual, B.J.'s did not disappoint. I only wish I had saved room for the pizookie (a deep dish cookie).



Is your mouth watering yet? Are you already starting to see how I've gained 6 pounds this month? I think 1 pound came from this pizza alone.

Therefore, we decided to go healthy for dinner. Sort of.

A nice boy on the plane gave me one recommendation. Katsuya in Brentwood for sushi.

I was happy we'd come immediately upon walking through the door. The restaurant was designed by Philippe Starck!



I loved the ambience! The waiter informed us that there were four bars: a drink bar, a hot bar, a grill bar, and . . a sushi bar? I can't remember, but a cool concept.

I made one of my common mistakes by placing a daring drink order. The Burning Mandarin. I am quite particular when it comes to alcoholic beverages, so why a drink with crushed Serrano chili seemed like a good idea is beyond me. Especially when I could take or leave alcohol any day of the week (pretty much). The mandarin vodka, freshly squeezed lemon and orange juices, and a splash of cranberry couldn't mask the "burn". I only drank half, $7 worth - yikes! But we put a big dent in that plate of edamame.



Appetizer? Of course. The crab and mozzarella cheese tempura were amazing dipped in soy sauce.



And I opted for the crispy rice with spicy tuna for my main dish. I can see why it's so popular. I want some right now! Sushi really is best in the West!



{Kinda cool that my first sushi experience was with Shae back in Nebraska. I've slowly come around since then, and now I love it . . whereas she won't eat it raw anymore.}

"Sure, let's see your dessert menu. Ok, yes, I'll have that."



I'm such a sucker for banana and chocolate combinations. This crepe was filled with banana ice cream and topped with chocolate syrup and caramelized bananas. And two cute raspberries. Raspberries are my fruit of the year. I'm so sad they're out of season right now and tasted like dirt the last time I bought some.

All that to say, I went home with a very happy tummy on Friday night. This meal now qualifies for Top 5 Most Expensive Meals I've Ever Spent My Own Money On. Worth it.