Tag Archives: casual

Fork: a gourmet but comfortable restaurant

Fork is the kind of place to go when you want gourmet food, but you also want to be in a relaxed, casual environment. While those dining in Fork will be seated in chairs, there’s also the bar — and couches — for the drinking crowd, adding to the overall cozy and welcoming atmosphere of the place. Like many higher end restaurants, the menu is clearly carefully attended to, only focusing on a few dishes — like a heavenly chicken burger — but all are sure to please your palate. Not sure what to get? The servers here are notoriously friendly and helpful, and will lead you in the right direction.

Fork is located at 4600 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 60625. Phone is 773-751-1500. Visit forkchicago.net/ for more information.

Real Food Daily: RFD for Real Friggin’ Delicious?

Whatever you think RFD really stands for, this restaurant devoted to Vegan cuisine is one of L.A’s only restaurants that keep vegan and non-vegans coming back for more.

Thanks to Ann Gentry and her devotion to organic produce and homegrown essentials, Real Food Daily has become a popular lunch and dinner hangout for those looking for healthy meals and dishes to satisfy any appetite. With vegan signatures such as Fettuccini Alfredo and “the TV Dinner”, comprised of vegetable meatloaf with mashed potatoes and veggies, dinner goers and lunch loungers all agree that they look forward to any dish that RFD is serving.

If you think going vegan means skipping dessert, you won’t believe your eyes when you take a look at the dessert menu. Filled with heavenly treats such as Dream Chocolate Pudding and Coconut White Cake, you really can have your cake and eat it too.

Though the food at RFD is consistent and exceptional, they are always trying new ways to spruce up the menu and keep newcomers and regulars on their toes. Summer months at RFD mean changing dessert menus that alternate weekly and picnic baskets packed with fresh produce and summer dishes made ready to order.

With locations in Santa Monica and West Hollywood open seven days a week, every Angelino can indulge in some real food, daily.
Real Food Daily Pic

Endless Summers at Jasper White’s Summer Shack

If you are looking for some of the best seafood in town, you have certainly come to the right place at Jasper White’s Summer Shack. Award-winning chef and cookbook author Jasper White opened his first restaurant in Cambridge in 2000 and has been growing his enterprise ever since.

Whether you come for White’s famous clambake complete with corn on the cob or to indulge in his signature pan roasted lobster, the varied menu from sandwiches to lobster specialties appeals to every budget. You won’t find white tablecloths at this casual clam shack, but you will find a chalkboard filled with daily specials. The restaurant stays true to its namesake offering a casual and fun atmosphere for the entire family.

The seafood here is so amazingly fresh you would think it was plucked from the ocean just minutes before it hit your plate. The Tower of Power is a must-have indulgence, filled to the brim with oysters, littlenecks, crab claws, shrimp and lobster halves. Summer Shack also has locations in Cambridge and Dedham as well as Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Visit summershackrestaurant.com for more information.

Insider Tip: If you are too full for dessert, order the walk away sundae, which is available in a to-go container to take with you.

Theater Geek Chic at Pantages

Whether mixing business with pleasure or date night with personal enjoyment, either way you look at it, visiting the Pantages Theater for an exciting show is well worth it. Built in the 1930’s, the Pantages features some of the best live performances Los Angeles has to offer. With over 2,500 seats in the huge auditorium, this theater is the best place to go to when you’re in the mood for a piece of old Los Angeles history mixed with new and exciting features.

Currently featuring dance performances such as Stomp and Riverdance, the Pantages is always featuring the newest and most popular shows as well as live numbers L.A. has yet to see.

If you are in the mood for penguin suits and ritzy gowns, you might want to turn the other way. The dress code is far more casual than usual theater attire and the casual vibe is easily matched.

Pizzeria Mozza: The People Will Tell You It’s Amazing

The pizza is fabulous, the caprese salad is mouthwatering, and the olive oil ice cream is to die for. Owned by Italian culinary heavyweights Mario Batali and Joseph Bastianich (son of Lidia Bastianich), don’t be surprised to see that every patron walking out of Pizzeria Mozza raves about every single dish on the menu.

The portions, ideally shared family style, bring the best Italian food to Los Angeles from some of the most talented chefs in the world. The collaboration that is Pizzeria Mozza is far more casual than it’s sister Osteria, but the food is in no way sacrificed.

If you plan on making reservations the day before, think again. Though you might find yourself eating at the bar, the food is that good that you might not even care. This Hollywood hotspot brings fancy food to a casual setting, and that my friends is “Amore!”