Bestia - Los Angeles

2121 East 7th Plaza

Los Angeles, CA 90021

Hours:  5:00pm to 11:00pm daily

Bestia is known as one of L.A.'s top Italian restaurants, so of course I had to go and see what the hype was all about. You will need to make reservations about 2 months in advance, or just show up right when it opens and luck out at the bar. It's located in a slightly sketchy area, and the parking is basically a small valet parking lot, so you will have to pay for parking or risk parking somewhere shady. 

Chicken Gizzards (2/5): I enjoy chicken gizzards yakitori style, so I ordered these to see how they compare, and the ones here are definitely liver-like in taste and texture which I didn't particularly enjoy.

Mussels & Clams (4/5): Spicy and delicious, but the seafood was small. $18

Cavatelli Alla Norcina (3.5/5): Not sure what everyone was raving about, but it just tasted like mushroom cream pasta. The pork in it was good and the pasta was perfectly al dente. Pricey at $29.

Pork Tomahawk (3.5/5): This was pretty good, maybe not $75 good though. It is pretty big so I would advise ordering it for 4+ people.

Ricotta Fritters w/ Huckleberry Ice Cream (2/5): Disappointing dessert, especially at $12.

Rainbow Sherbet (1/5): Very average taste, tiny scoop in a tiny cone for $5.

Overall I would give this place a 3.5/5. The food was good, but overpriced. Stay away from ordering any desserts here since they were unimpressive. I would recommend sitting outside or far away from the kitchen because it is extremely smokey inside, indicative of poor ventilation. It was a little hard to breathe in there at times. They also charge a 3% kitchen fee here, which I found to be a little ridiculous considering that I was watching the chefs prepare the food and they were all heavily sampling our plates. Customer service was good for the most part.

Las Brisas - Laguna Beach

361 Cliff Drive

Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Hours 8:00am to 10:00pm daily

I've always walked past Las Brisas whenever I went to Laguna Beach, but never tried it out due to hearing about how overpriced it was. One day, I got the opportunity to attend a birthday dinner here. After pouring through Yelp, I was hesitant about what to order since there were so many mixed reviews. 

Frutas Del Mar (3.5/5): I decided to go with the waiter's recommendation, but subbed the rice for pasta. Surprisingly, the dish was yummy and I enjoyed all of the seafood inside. However, it is definitely not worth $40.

Guacamole (4/5): It's hard to mess up guacamole, but wish the chips and salsa were complimentary since everything is so pricey.

Ceviche (3/5): Good, solid ceviche.

Mussels (3/5): Tasty, nothing special though.

New York Steak & Shrimp (3/5): Just your average steak and shrimp, mashed potatoes were bland.

Overall I would give Las Brisas a 3/5. The food was better than I expected, but definitely overpriced. I guess you have to keep in mind that you are also paying for the view when you come here. This is a great spot for a romantic sunset dinner or celebrating a birthday, but I wouldn't come back unless the prices were lowered.

Urban Seoul - Irvine

2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 131

Irvine, CA 92606

Hours 11:30am to 3:00 pm 

           5:00pm to 11:00pm daily

Urban Seoul is one of my favorite places to celebrate Taco Tuesday. Asian Fusion is not an easy flavor to get right, but this place does it well. My first time I ordered the pork belly tacos and loaded fries, since those seemed to be the most popular dishes. Since then, I have also tried the other taco flavors and most of the other appetizers and entrees as well. 

Pork Belly Tacos (3/5): If you like fatty meat, then this will be perfect for you. Comes with crispy and fatty pork belly pieces topped with their signature slaw. Compared to the other tacos, this was probably my least favorite.

Gogi Tacos (4.5/5): These are my absolute favorite here, the meat is nice and tender and the sweetness perfectly balances the spicy flavors. 

Spicy Pork Tacos (4/5): My second favorite taco, highly recommend for those who love spicy food.

Gogi Quesadilla (4/5): A simply, but really good dish. I love the kimchi sour cream that comes with it.

Loaded Fries (2/5): This was just okay for me, had too much going on and it wasn't anything memorable about it.

Bibimbap (1/5): For those who like to eat healthy, I guess this would be for you. Tasted very plain and the sauce didn't do much for the dish no matter how much I put on it. Basically like eating rice with bland vegetables on top.

Overall, Urban Seoul gets a 3.5/5 for me. The food and customer service used to be fantastic, but recently it has gone downhill. They raised their prices while lowering the quality of their customer service, which is sad but happens to a lot of places that become popular. I still occasionally come for their Taco Tuesday when I have random cravings for it, and it is cheaper at $1.75 per taco.