Yogurtland vs Pinkberry

Have a sweet tooth craving? Frozen yogurt is the answer. At yogurtland, You get so much more selection of flavors and toppings by creating your own. The yogurtland prices are much cheaper (they charge according to weight) than pinkberry but I do prefer pinkberry's yogurt which seems a little less chalkier tasting. You get more bang for your buck at Yogurtland. It seems pinkberry has closed shop at a bunch of locations. Too bad because I try to support pinkberry whenever I see them. They are the best. Side note- frozen yogurt seems to have a lot of sugar which is not great for your waistline regardless of any healthy marketing they claim. Just don't overdo it.

Vito's pizza on la cienaga (near Santa Monica)

Have been going here for years. I think they were the same pizza place across from lacc but not ompletely sure. I always get the white pizza (not white pesto) for $23.50. Huge pie. So good and great crust just heats perfectly the next day in my toaster oven. Try it.

Cirque du soleil's Iris at the Dolby theatre

Iris was amazing- saw it on 6/24/2012 and 11/23/2012. Playing at the dolby theatre in hollywood, formerly kodak theatre. Great production and amazing acrobatics. Chinese acrobats were the best! This cirque du soleil's was probably my favorite along with Mystere at treasure island in las Vegas. Other cirque du soleil shows seen are love/Beatles last year, o and ka which in my opinion were not as good. Side note-Bob barker also was there at the show in June. Too bad they are closing early next year. I think seats farther away from the stage are better so you can get a full view of the whole show. Lots of things are going on at the same time during some parts of the show so I think you get a better perspective. Go see it before it is gone! Totally worth it.

Cgv cinemas and Ma dang on western ( between 6th and wilshire)

Formerly the old k-town woolae oak, this shop and dine 'mall' is conveniently located. The restaurant madang is aesthetically pleasing and has good food at a reasonable price (although BBQ at the table is quite expensive at around $30 which seems to be average nowadays.) However, if you want a korean stew such as tofu soup, hot stone bibimbap or or cold noodles such as nang Myun, it will oat $10-15. They also have delicious banchans (side dishes)- the sweet potato salad is my favorite although they do not have it all the time. I even went to the cgv cinemas upstairs and saw a Korean movie titled ' all about my wife'. All Korean movies playing have english subtitles and all English movies have Korean subtitles. TicketS were $11.50. The movie theatre has stadium seating, a large screen and state of the art sound. The seats were comfortable as well. It seems most movie theatres in l.a. Are switching to assigned seating including this one. They only have 3 screens. I would definitely go there again. Get coffee at a Tom-n-toms near by or your hair done at the salon. Free parking with no time limit.

Sprinkles cupcake at the grove

Went to the grove on black Friday, the same day sprinkles cupcakes opened. I had never been to sprinkles but had tried it when someone brought a few home from the Beverly hills location last year. I remember it was more delicious compared to some other cupcake stores and not as sweet. Never knew the price until I bought one at the grove for $3.50. Super expensive. Their ordering system is strange and takes a while. They seemed to have the cupcakes in the window already but one person takes the order, then you have to wait 5 minutes for them to call your name to get the cupcake and then you pay. Not efficient at all. Why don't they just get the cupcake you order when you order it like a donut shop? Oh well, I'm sure they have a reason. Their cupcakes are probably pricey due to overhead rather than the price of the ingredients, but I'm sure they are making lots of $$$$. I got the coconut cupcake. It was good but pretty sweet.

Wonderful zankou chicken ( sunset and fairfax)

Shawerma beef sandwich is the best! $7. Tender shawerma beef wrapped in pita with tahini And/or garlic sauce so perfect tasting. Not sure which sauce or both. So glad we don't have to drive to east Hollywood anymore. I used to get the chicken but the beef is way better!

Mendocino farms at 3rd and fairfax- so delicious!

I was so happy when this location opened since it is right it my neighborhood. I used to go to the downtown location often downstairs at the California plaza when I worked there but took a long hiatus from them once I stopped working in there in 2008. My favorites now at this location are the beef or tofu Vietnamese grilled panini sandwich for $9. Not sure if this location has the same menu as the others. I tried a few other sandwiches here such as the Korean short rib ($11.50 and just so so) and kimchee sandwich but I keep on going back to my favorites. Potato salad here is good as well and made with their own bread and butter pickles and slightly spicy. So glad they are doing well and expanding. Parking is free for 1 hr with validation and I have never had a problem finding a space.

I love Tatsu Ramen on Sawtelle

When I first tried this place when it first opened, I had one of the hot soup broth ramens which I did not like at all. The broth was too salty and the noodles too doughy while my friend had the no broth naked ramen and raved about it. The next time I went back, I got the naked ramen that my friend raved about which were not the same doughy noodles. From the seasoned egg which they now charge $1 for and seasoned tofu, to the free sweet corn and seeweed and breadcrumbs added, it has kept me coming back and wanting more. Sesame sauce was equally balancing to all the different flavors. The raw garlic is a must add-on. They give you a few garlic cloves and a garlic press. I try to go back there when I can. Since it has a bar setting, I've even eaten there alone when passing thru the area. $9 for ramen with nothing added. Definitely add the seasoned egg. Maybe get 2 or three bc they are so good. Yum.