Lola's

It is the middle of the week, the day we all like to call hump day, and it's time to celebrate the fore coming Labor Day weekend!!

Lola's is best known for their martinis, and claims to be the original birthplace of the "Apple Martini"! To my surprise and enjoyment, I found the trifecta of deals at this place. Here it goes:

Happy Hour 5:30- 7:30pm offers $5 martinis, and $5.50 appetizers. My tops picks are:

• Vertigo Lemon Drop Martini

• Greg's Down Right Dirty Martini (classic!)
  

• Baked Artichoke w/ Emmental Cheese in Filo Pastry (Yeah, I know!)
  

• Skewers of Shrimp, Bacon-Wrapped Scallops & Swordfish with a small side of couscous.

$23 Prix Fixe Summer menu gets you a martini of your choice, an appetizer, and an entree! (Wednesdays and Thursdays only)

and last but not least...

Late Night Happy Hour 10:30pm to 12:30am (cocktails only).

So if you were planning a date with your couch and a frozen meal, I would encourage you to think again!

Lola's
945 North Fairfax Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90046
www.lolasla.com

London after Five

It is finally Friday, and you are probably in need of some yummy cocktails to start your weekend off right. Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at the cool and collected London Hotel in West Hollywood is cooking up a mean happy hour!

Even though this hotel is a little stiffer than I would like, you cannot deny a good deal. "London after Five" features $5 cocktails and appetizers, as well as $5 valet (which is a steal compared to most valet places after 8:00pm!)

Last time I visited this gem of a happy hour, they had $5 Veuve Clicquot champagne (which is absolutely unheard of!) We also ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll which unfortunately left me a little disappointed. First of all, I needed a magnifying glass to find it on the plate. Second of all, it was mostly seaweed and not so much tuna. Thankfully the champagne saved the day!

Their "London After Five" menu does change every month. Here is the current summer menu:

Cocktails:

Summer Fun
Sky pineapple and lemonade

Not So Long Island Ice Tea!
Absolute Apeach, St. Germaine, and passion fruit tea
Served in highball over ice with a strawberry

Bubble Mojito
Fresh mint, rum, champagne

Sake Sangria
Chilled sake, fresh fruit

Appetizers:

Spiced Olive Jar with Grilled Cheese
Crisp Flatbread

Dungeness Crab and Bulgur Wheat Croquette

Mini Lobster Burger
Ginger & Scallions

Grilled Beef Yakitori

Spicy Tuna roll (I would advise you not to think about ordering this one!)

Happy Hour Monday- Friday 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

London West Hollywood Hotel
1020 North San Vicente Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90069-3802
www.thelondonwesthollywood.com

Sushi Roku 40% off!

The last time I remember going to Sushi Roku was probably about 5 years ago for my sister-in-law's birthday! Ever since that I have seen Sushi Roku take a back seat and allow the newer & hipper sushi restaurants really shine. Like any other celebrity hot spot, their prices are, and have always been, very expensive. But even the most snooty, upscale restaurants have to eventually give in and offer up some hot deals. That is where I come in.

Sushi Roku Pasadena is now celebrating its 10th anniversary, and they are offering 40% off their menu (lunch and dinner). 10% off the proceeds will also be donated to a local charity.

This deal will only last until August 27th, so gather up your girlfriends and boyfriends and enjoy a romantic (and affordable) little date night!

Sushi Roku Pasadena
33 Miller Alley
Pasadena, CA 91103-3643
www.sushiroku.com

My Love Affair with Good Deals...

The internet really is the best place to find the best deals. Who hasn't heard of Restaurant.com or Groupon.com? One of my new favorite deal finders has to be BlackBoardEats.com. Once you create a free account, you will begin receiving daily/weekly deals.

Unlike the other discount sites, BlackBoardEats.com focuses mainly on giving you 30% off your bill at restaurants in Los Angeles. The great thing about it is that you do not have to pay for the pass codes to get the deals!! You will have 24 hours to obtain the pass code for the specific offer. Then you must provide it to the restaurant when making a reservation. The discount will automatically show up on your bill. These codes have different expiration dates, so make sure you keep that in mind!

Here is a list of past deals I found on BlackBoardEats.com:

30% off at Campanile

$35 prix fixe menu at Jar

30% off dinner at The Foundry on Melrose

Free bottle of wine & Dessert at EVA Restaurant

30% off High Tea at Jin Patisserie

Free chef’s Asian appetizer sampler at Crustacean

Try it out!

www.blackboardeats.com

Rick Bayless' Red O

If you are a TV show food fanatic like I am, you have probably come across Top Chef Masters on Bravo. This show made award winning chefs not known to the masses incredibly popular. Rick Bayless (Winner of Top Chef Masters Season 1) is a Chicago based chef who specializes in Mexican Cuisine.

What we ate:

Pork Belly Sopes with Black Beans, Salsa Negra & Sesame Seeds $13.

Beef Short Rib Tamales with Smoky Chipotle Chiles, Corn Husk $12.

Grilled Chicken Cazuela with Roasted Poblano Peppers, Caramelized Onions & Yuca in a thick Crema $14.

What We Drank:

Topolo Margaritas $12.

In California, we have very high standards when it comes to authentic Mexican food. I know a few people who have been to this restaurant and left disappointed because they expected more traditional Mexican cuisine.

I honestly loved the food. The Sopes were crunchy, the pork belly tender as it could be and the 3 pepper sauce could easily start a fire (in a good way). The Cazuela was creamy, spicy, and full of flavor.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that when it comes to traditional Mexican items such as Guacamole and Tamales, no matter how much you try to modernize them or add contemporary twists to them, they will still just be Guacamole and Tamales. This is where the problem lies.
Our Tamales were delicious, but I could have had those anywhere.

The other dishes we had really gave me a sense of what Rick Bayless' flavors are like, and truly showcased his creativity.

If you are looking to go on a weekend, don't even bother with a reservation, arrive early enough (around 7:00pm) and you can snatch a table at their Garden Patio or Tequila Lounge. These are available on a first come first serve basis.

Red O Mexican Cuisine
8155 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046-7016
www.redorestaurant.com

80% off Las Vegas? Oh Yeah!

If you are a foodie like me, a simple burger and fries just wont cut it. Case in point: Michael Mina's Duck Fat Fries at StripSteak restaurant in Las Vegas.

My boyfriend and I went to vegas for a few nights, and stayed at the Mandalay Bay Casino. This casino has some of the best restaurants on the strip including China Grill, Aureole, Fleur De Lys, and StripSteak.

For those who do not know, Restaurant.com offers gift certificates to restaurants all over the U.S at discount prices. The types of discount I got after are much more enticing that your regular 30%off. You have probably seen a little box at checkout which says "enter

a promo code". This is when you can get creative. Restaurant.com will give out 80% codes every once in a while. There is no way of knowing when, but you can search it on google. This code will get you a $25 gift certificate for only $2 or a $50 gift certificate for $4.

This is how we ended up at Michael Mina's famous steakhouse StripSteak. The $50 certificate came with a few restrictions which were:

1. Must be used with a minimum purchase of 2 entrees

2. Not valid for tax or tip

Restaurant recap:

Loved it!

Once we arrived they brought over a trio of complimentary Duck Fat Fries. Cajun fries with BBQ dipping sauce, Truffle fries with truffle aioli, and Herb fries with good old fashioned ketchup. These were perfectly crispy and flavorful!

We ordered a half organic fried chicken with truffle mac and cheese, and caramelized onion jus $29, and the Kansas City Steak $44. With our $50 certificate this 5 star meal was

very affordable!

If you're looking for some variety, their prix fixe menu offers 3 courses for only $55. Happy Hour has $3 beers, $7 cocktails, and half-off their entire lounge menu.

This goes to show that gourmet dining is affordable and not always pretentious.

StripSteak

3950 Las Vegas Blvd.

Las Vegas, NV 89119

http://www.mandalaybay.com/dining/stripsteak.aspx

Akasha....not so much.

I rarely write a bad review on a restaurant, but in this case I truly have no other option. When I started The Food Goddess, I promised to not only find the best deals for you, but to help you avoid those places that will rip you off and leave a bad taste in your mouth. So here goes:

We went to Akasha to bid farewell to our Swedish friend who was returning to the homeland.
At first glance, you might think "Oh it's so cute, the food must be amazing!", but sadly it is not.

What we ate:

Turkey Burger (more like ground up- day old meatloaf burger)

Heirloom Tomato Salad (with minuscule pieces of burrata, and nearly spoiled heirloom tomatoes)

Sweet Potato Fries ( I've had better)

Australian Sea Bass (The sauce was bland and the fish was not flaky)

Beer Battered Onion Rings (which they seemed to be famous for, but were nothing spectacular. At that point we were so hungry anything fried was bound to taste good).

For the size of the portions, I think the food the was a little over priced.
If you have a drink at the bar, they will not let you, under any circumstances, transfer that to your dinner bill. I must admit the bartender herself was a little scary.

In conclusion, I would recommend that if you want to meet someone for a drink, at an esthetically pleasing restaurant, you could in fact go to Akasha. BUT, If you are looking for delicious food, amazing service, and good deals, this is not the place for you (or me for that matter).

If you still decide you want to give this place a try, at least do it on Wednesdays and get 50% off their entire wine menu.

Cheer-i-o!