My LA trip was fantastic! I’ve never had such a great binge on cuisine in such a very long time. I had done the whole routine of, “Watch what you eat,” and gone hard on the juice press! I shed a few pounds and was ready for Los Angeles.

My good friend Maria was super sweet and invited me to stay with her. We partied hard (food parties) together. I let her know in advance I needed to have In-N-Out burger and fries! Oh, and never forget the delicious chocolate milkshake!

IN-N-Out Burger and fries

IN-N-Out burger, fries and chocolate milkshake

I have a habit of taking photos of my food before eating it. I mean it’s the digital age, how could you complete your day without letting the world know what you were having? I knew that my East Coast friends would be more than jealous! I love how polite and attentive west coast waiters were. When I eat in NYC, I have to pour my own Purell to sanitize my table. But, not here, they came running and wiped down the table for you and asked if you ever needed anything else.

I enjoyed my burger as if it was given for free. With the prices that cheap, less than 5 dollars and you could get a fine burger and the freshest taste of vegetables. You could never find anything like this in NYC, unless you are willing to pay more. Yes, looking at you, BRGR and Shake Shack!

I planned to have dinner with my good friend Melissa! She picked me up and while in the car, I felt like a little kid pressing my face against the window looking at stores, restaurants and all the sudden, that place I’ve heard so much about “Umami Burger,” its logo shapes a burger into the form of lips, which I think it was pretty interesting. I was dying to eat there but I knew I could count on Maria the next day that she would take me.

Insalate Caprese, Fresh tomatoes, Basil, Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, finished with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Cracked Pepper

Melissa took me to this nice Italian restaurant close to the boardwalk called “MAGIAMO RISTORANTE & BAR” We shared Insalate Caprese, Fresh tomatoes, Basil, Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, finished with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Cracked Pepper! Only one bite in and already knew I was at the right place for Italian food!

Salmon And Asparagus Linguine

For the main course, I ordered Salmon And Asparagus Linguine while Melissa had Sand Dabs.

Sand Dabs

Our friendly waitress

I sneaked a taste of her dinner and it was so great I could cry! I loved my dinner, too. At first, I was going to substitute my linguine with whole-wheat pasta but our waitress suggested that I had the one on the menu because it tastes better! Oh well, I had to trust someone who knew the place more than me, right?

MANGIAMO Dessert Menu

My meal did not disappoint me at all! I was so glad we decided to eat here. Our waitress asked if we’d like a dessert menu and I mean we could always have room for dessert!

Bluberry Crème brûlée

Tiramisu has always been my favorite but I had to order Crème brûlée to honor my husband because he didn’t come to LA with me. Crème brûlée is his favorite dessert and I wanted to try it for him. So, we decided to share Crème brûlée and it was beyond amazing!

I definitely plan to visit LA again and will not leave town unless I make a stop at MANGIAMO!

I told Maria about how great the dinner was and suggested that we tried Umami Burger the next day. Maria is my angel. She suggested we had it for lunch then came home to get ready for PaleyFest.

Umami Burger in Hermosa Beach, CA

Like a kid waiting on Christmas on Christmas Eve, I let my imagination about Umami ran wild.

We went to the one by Hermosa Beach, the restaurant was open quite early, and we had picked the best time! I ordered the Manly Burger: beer-cheddar cheese, smoked salt-onion string, and bacon Lardon while Maria had Umami Burger — Shitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, Parmesan crisp, and Umami ketchup. We shared fries that came with the house ketchup, which was way too good for me! We had to fight until the last drop.

Umami Manly Burger

Umami Manly Burger

Umami Burger

Thin Fries

PACIUGO

After the awesome lunch at Umami, we headed towards a gelato place near by called “PACIUGO” ( Pah-choo-Go)

PACIUGO has the best service!

The Wedding Cake gelato is everyone’s favorite!

We tried a few samples and I knew exactly what I wanted, Wedding cake became my immediate favorite!

PACIUGO Cup Sizes

Cute Decoration

Maria and I need a selfie at our new favorite place!

Paciugo: ” Pah-Choo-Go”

Seating Area: Very cozy and clean

I ordered a small cup, which you could order up to 3 scoops. Chocolate was my 2nd choice and my 3rd was mango sorbet. I enjoyed the first two more. This is how I prepared for the red carpet (as a member of the press) So, if you were in the area, check these places out, and let them know I sent you!