Menchie's - Culver City

You say Menchie's, I say Munchies. In the battle for the Frozen Yogurt market in Los Angeles, "Menchie's" has come out a winner for a lot of reasons.

First of all, this place is any Stoner's paradise. When other stores will offer you a free sample of your choice, Menchie's lets you pick up as many miniature sampling cups as you desire and you could technically "taste" every flavor there and fill up with frozen yogurt for free if you're not inclined to add toppings. But if you're still hungry after giving every flavor a proper try, gaze at the incredible variety of toppings they offer from fruits to peanut butter cups and grated coconut, and start making you own "Best frozen yogurt" ever (Try not to eat too many topping because I'm not sure you're really allowed to "sample" them. Even if you don't want to eat any yogurt because of your intolerance to lactose, you can still hit the toppings bar and fill your cup with some delicious treats and a variety of chocolate.

Now the sugar rush is not the only thing that's appealing to the average stoner: The pretty vivid colors in the store and the smooth colorful plastic spoons that we get to keep as a weird souvenir of our foggy trip to the ice-cream parlor all enhance this childish but rejuvenating experience.

You say Menchie's, I say: "Let's roll one so I can try to fill my cup with as many toppings as I possibly can and still manage to finish it all".

In other words: Menchie's is where we all hope we end up after we die. After meeting at the crossroads, maybe we should hit up the "Menchie's" by the heaven's gate....Duuuude!

http://www.Menchies.com

"Cinco De Mayo" in September - Culver City

Whether it's for Monday football, Taco Tuesday or Hump day...whether it's to celebrate end of the week for the 9-5ers or fearlessly treat ourselves with some of the most decadent comfort food, every day ending with a "Y" is a good day to eat Mexican food.

So after a few beers at a local bar I decided to stop by one of my favorite Mexican restaurant in Culver City: "Cinco de Mayo" to get my usual fish tacos and Carne Asada tacos but that night I decided to be even more daring and I tried their Seafood cocktail on a tostada. It was a refreshing mix of shrimps, octopus, calamaris, and fish with the essentials (chopped Cilantro, tomato and onions). It was fresh and delicious and I actually ended up going back to get more the following night on our way to the Hollywood bowl to see B.B king with my friend from France. We ordered a side of Ceviche to make sure we weren't go hungry while sitting on our asses listening to music, and the tostadas were so crunchy that the people sitting in front of us during the performance weren't too happy about our choice of picnic, but after opening a few beers and focusing on the amazing music coming from the amphitheater, I quickly forgot that I was annoying them, and resumed enjoying the show....with a few breaks to the bathroom.

The Ceviche was covered with fresh avocado and it was ridiculously cheap but incredibly savory. If you were on your way to the way overrated "Tito's Tacos" but don't feel like waiting in line or ordering crap that looks like crap... then go next door to "Cinco de Mayo".

"Back on the beach" Café - Santa Monica

Sometimes it doesn't really matter what you eat as long as you're enjoying some good company with you feet in the sand. "Back on the beach" Café is one of the few restaurants in Los Angeles where you can actually take off your sandals and feel the warm grains of sand massaging the bottom of your feet. It had always been a crowd pleaser even though the food is nothing to rave about, but their newly acquired liquor license which allows customers to enjoy a beer or some wine with their meal, just turned this loungy eatery into a not-to-be-missed destination for tourists and Angelinos alike.

We tried their fish Tacos and their "Deluxe Veggie" Burgers which were both satisfying but far from memorable, but the view on the ocean and the instant tan (or sunburn) made it all worthwhile.