The best thing at Plabito’s is the coffee
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As you are a cook, and green garlic will soon be in season, Traditional Toum (Lebanese Garlic Sauce) Recipe. I find it better than Zankou’s.
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Bavel over the weekend.
Also got the lamb neck schwarma, which was really good. Best dish I thought was the farmer cheese. Service was a little slow; place was packed both inside and out.
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Colpasta is still great. I know next to nothing about how to describe wines, so I can only say that I enjoyed this:
Special dessert was a licorice budino.
Server specifically said that customers who aren’t normally fond of licorice have really enjoyed it, and that applied to me, too. 
I don’t know what a “normal” budino texture is. I thought this was quite (enjoyable) loose and light. I actually didn’t get much licorice flavor at all; it seemed to have more a very gentle, savory caramel-y flavor to me. Just yummy.
FYI, they are doing a tiny amount of indoor dining, too.
Lobster and Beer in Santa Monica last night for the first time:
This was really good. The seafood combo was ~$25. The folks at the neighboring table thought the portions were on the smaller side for the price but that the food was very good. I actually think the portion size (esp given the area) is fine for the price. The items in the seafood combo were very unadulterated, which is exactly how I like my seafood.
Lobster was nice and “crisp,” and the shellfish was quite good (aside from a little silt in one clam). The broth initially tasted SUPER salty, but that didn’t affect the seafood at all. Didn’t taste much in the way of wine, so not sure what the prep is.
Partner thought it was reminiscent of going to a New England seafood shack (they plop the food on your table in a to-go container). I don’t really know where else you’re getting reasonably priced seafood in a super casual environment that isn’t also a tourist trap, so I’m pretty happy.
Nachos (w/ an add of short rib) were a messy but surprisingly elevated delight. There actually seemed to be a bechamel at the bottom of the container, so this isn’t the stuff you normally expect at a bar. Served w/ a side of sour cream and 2 salsas (not pictured). The avocado salsa had a nice heat to it.
Partner thought rosé was fine for $9 (which was actually one of their more expensive choices!).
Only demerit is that the food took SO LONG. We were there for nearly 90 mins altogether. There are 2 cooks and 1 person doing what seems to be manager/cashier/serving. Manager did come out to check on us b/c the food was taking so long. We live close by and weren’t in a rush, so we were fine w/ the wait.
I hope this place can keep up the quality b/c I think it could be great.
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that’s always my favorite there.
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This wasn’t all this month, but whatever.
Matu
My friends wanted steaks and we ended up at Matu having heard some interesting things. I’m not a big steakhouse guy, but really enjoyed this. So much so that I’d probably return here specifically if we’re in that mood again.
The best way to do it is start with the set course menu (when we went the only option was 5 courses, but looking at their website it seems like they’ve also now put on a 3 course option and increased the price of the 5 course) and then add anything additional from there. There were 6 of us and we all did the 5 courses–some courses came as individual plates and others (the steaks and the pasta) were family style.
Beef Broth
Baby Iceberg Lettuce with “Japanese” Caesar Dressing
Hand-cut Tartare Piemonte Style - parmigiano and lemon
Fazzoletti - braised beef ragu and parmigiano (addition)
Braised Beef Cheek - celeriac puree
Center Cut Filet with “47” Salad
“Baby Cauliflower” - garlic, red pepper flakes, and fonduta
Ribeye
NY Strip
Picanha
Jon & Vinny’s
Another large group dinner so we were able to get a bunch of dishes–as is the move at Jon & Vinny’s.
Gem Lettuce - calabrian chili dressing, parmigiano, bread crumbs
Burrata - grilled gjusta ciabatta, sea salt, olive oil
Chicken Parmesan - pomodoro, mozzarella
Wood Grilled Broccolini - golden raisin, almond, chili vinaigrette
Bronx Bomber - fennel sausage, tomato, mozzarella, onion, garlic, oregano
“White Lightning” - mozzarella, ricotta, garlic, onion, oregano, pickled jalapeño
Spaghetti - six hour bolognese, parmigiano
Spicy Fusilli, - vodka, basil, parmigiano
Warm Strawberry Bread Pudding - soft whip
Soft Serve (twist, duh)
Bar Moruno
Blah
Minerva Skinless Sardines in Spicy Tomato
Decent tinned fish brought down by terrible bread.
Anchovy Matrimonio - anchovies lemon, shaved butter, garlic confit, pickled red onion
Too much acid, terrible bread again.
Chorizo Scotch Egg
Incredibly salty. Thankfully no bread.
Roasted Sweet Potato - cashews, sesame seeds, brown butter, honey, sumac
The best dish we had!
They forgot to bring the pan con tomate we ordered, but we decided it was best to tap out after that.
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Wtf? That’s not pan con tomate. Looks pretty good tho 
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Not that it’s what I"d expect, but that is literally pan con tomate.
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Technically correct is the best kind of correct
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Exactly.
I once ordered a semifreddo for dessert at an Italian restaurant and they brought me a wedge of American layer cake straight out of the refrigerator.
This is the best joke lol
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Bar Moruno has a menu best described as unorthodox Spanish-Provençal-esque…
You are 
right. I wouldn’t mind the chefy versions so much if you could get a proper one easier
Except that that macaroni and cheese looks terrible and the roasted cherry tomatoes on toast look delicious.
I’ve always liked Peruvian food and, specifically, Chef Zarate’s food. We went for my friend’s birthday and were not disappointed. Everything was good to great, though maybe not as revelatory as when I was initially introduced to him in the glorified/glorious food court that is Mercado de Paloma. The price tag was reasonable, given that everything is a bit higher these days. Steak (not pictured), at $60, was the best QPR. Service was good and the back patio is wonderfully chill for a group of (older) friends to catch up without shouting.
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That’s actually baked chicken. Give it a few tabs of acid for fried chicken.
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