Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley

I met a friend for breakfast here the other day. Just marvelous. Order at the counter and get your drinks. Find a seat out in the airy patio area or if you can manage it, find seating indoors in the old-fashioned parlour.

Relax and have a leisurely breakfast/lunch with your friends while your order is readied and brought out to you.

The pancakes were a little dry, in my opinion, but I'm not much a pancake person to begin with. Though I have to say their syrup was to die for. I'm not sure what it was - like a honey-vanilla infused syrup, but it was good.

The omelets were tasty and the bacon was thick cut. Typical omelettes and make-your-own were on the menu but also exotic fare like shrimp and lobster omelettes.

Desserts were sinful and decadent. Come here for just coffee and dessert if you so desire.

It can be harried around the weekend during brunch hours, but if you're there before 10:30, it seems to be pretty easy to find seating.

In the past month, I've tried outrigger canoeing, archery, and more! It's amazing how much there is to do in Los Angeles. There are dozens of events going on each weekend. Some one-time events, others ongoing. You'll never be bored, that's for sure!

Quick Tips:

If you're afraid to go it alone, check out www.lapeopleconnection.com. They have tons of outings all over the Los Angeles area. You don't have to be single to join - just a great way to try new things and meet people!

Best Way To Get Around:

Always be prepared to pay for parking, no matter where you are, especially in popular places. The new Metrolink is a great way to get to a lot of popular tourist areas, but it needs to expand some more for it to be of real use.

If you're tired of Subway and just want a great sandwich, try Tony's. A simple cold cut sandwich is just delish at Tony's - it's music in your mouth. Try their macaroni salad or vegetarian sandwich. All their salads are homemade and the Veggie Sandwich is not your ordinary veggie sandwich. It includes marinated mushrooms and is out of this world!

The Standard is just that - a standard in West Hollywood. It's a swanky retro hotel with the weird space chairs and Ikea-like furniture. Right on the Sunset Strip, this 24-hour diner is known for its fusion of Asian American fare. It's pretty dead during the day, but the place is hopping at night. The menu is simple, but everything is tasty. If you like sashimi or sushi, try the Tuna Tartare ($9), a tasty little appetizer of tuna and their unique potato crisps. If you're from the South and craving a little taste of home, get the side dish of Fried Green Tomatoes ($5). The serving is a little chintzy, but the remoulade dressing served with it is out of this world! They have standard breakfast fare ($7+), which is probably the best deal at The Standard, but why go their when you can go to Denny's for a Grand Slam? I opted for the B.a.L.T. ("a" for avocado). It came with a small side salad and was quite delicious, but not too filling, IMO. My friend was disappointed in the size of the pizza he paid $14 for, but he did say it was good. My other friend just had side dishes - sauteed spinach, mashed potatoes, and the fried green tomatoes - and I daresay she made the best choice. The sides looked delicious and plentiful. She definitely got her money's worth. Staff was nice and courteous, attentive and helpful. I would definitely stop by again for a late night meal with friends.

Porto's Bakery is best known for their wonderful dessert creations at reasonable prices, but that's not all they serve.

Portos is one of the best places to get a quick, inexpensive lunch. There's always a line, but it moves fast. If you're on a diet, don't bother coming here. One of the best taste treats are the Potato Balls. It's basically a fried mashed potato ball with a ground beef filling. Call it "Shepherd's Pie On the Go" if you will. It's awesome!

They have a variety of Cubano-type sandwiches, a variety of freshly baked breads, and desserts. There's a separate line for desserts/breads and lunch line. Make sure you're in the right one!

Order their cakes at least a day in advance. You can get practically any size, any type of cake, any filling, any frosting! One of my favorites is a simple white cake with custard and cream cheese icing... my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Open Monday - Saturday 7am - 6pm, Sunday 7am - 2pm.

The original "Frontier Wok" is on Hollywood Way in Burbank, but I frequent their second store, "Frontier Wok Too" as it is closer to my work. I love their play on words as their third restaurant is called "The Next Frontier Wok." The best thing about this place is that you can order half orders of most everything on the menu, even at dinner time. DO NOT get their Egg Foo Young. The gravy's pretty disgusting and the egg patties were gross. Eat-in lunch offers you a cup of their house soup and a mini side of their house salad with a simple homemade vinagrette dressing out of this world. Opt for the vegetable soup vs. the hot and sour soup, because in my opinion the hot and sour is more sweet and sour than anything else. Try their cream cheese wontons for an appetizer. They usually offer three or four specials not on the menu. I prefer their Singapore Curried Noodles and their Shrimp Fried Rice - not at the same sitting, of course! My friend loves their Homemade Chinese Burritos, which is basically mu shu pork, chicken, or vegetables, already rolled when it comes to your table. They are open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (dinner only on Sundays) and offer free delivery within a three mile radius and a minimum $10 purchase.

Personally, Daphne's is one of my favorite Greek restaurants in the area. I guess they are considered fast food, but it tastes like anything but. I'm usually there for lunch and get their #3 Lunch special, which is a Gyro sandwich with a side of Greek salad and rice pilaf. It also includes a drink. Their Calamari Salad can't be beat either and if you're vegetarian, try their Vegetarian Plate - it comes with hummus, falafel, dolmas, Greek Salad, rice pilaf, and pita bread. Everything's reasonably priced and free refills on the drinks. So when you're out fighting the mall crowds (especially at Christmas), take a break at Daphne's. www.daphnesgreekcafe.com

If you go their for lunch, Great Wok offers a ton of lunch specials for around $5 including tip. Lunch specials come with egg roll, fried wontons, and hot and sour soup. There's plenty to choose from, so there's something for everyone. It's a little hole in the wall, but if you're craving Chinese food this is the place to go. Chinese people (including me) frequent this place so hey, we should know where to go for good Chinese food, right?! They have the best hot and sour soup. Great if you have a cold or on a chilly winter night. I prefer Frontier Wok's fried rice over Great Wok's, but it's not bad. Go for their Shrimp with Lobster Sauce or Kung Pao Chicken, you won't regret it.

I recently discovered this hip new sushi restaurant in the heart of the "Media Center" district in Burbank. My friend and I saw the "1/2-off sushi" sign and had to go in and check it out.

I was pleasantly surprised. It was a pretty hip atmosphere with a projection TV projected directly onto one wall of the restaurant with the current sports game or whatever timely TV happens to be on.

The half-off sushi menu is limited to about 15 or so items, but it's mostly what people would order anyway.

Sashimi salad and the salmon skin salad are inexpensive compared to other sushi restaurants and quite large and filling.

Sushi pieces are tasty and fresh. Slices of fish are thick and succulent. Try the white tuna sushi and the amaebi (sweet RAW shrimp). Ikura (salmon eggs) was fresh and popped in your mouth. Try it w/ quail egg. Pass on the spider roll. Nothing special there.

Try the tempura ice cream. It's similar to the Mexican fried ice cream, but with tempura batter. Forego the plum ice cream and go with either the red bean or green tea. Servers are friendly and attentive. Sushi chefs are a riot, especially after a few Asahis. Parking can be problematic on a busy Friday/Saturday night. Otherwise, it should be no problem. Look for coupons in local "Clipper" magazines.

I heard that Dinah's is world-famous for its fried chicken. After having dinner there with a friend the other night, I don't doubt it.

We both had the fried chicken dinner, which is more than plenty of food for even the hungriest of patrons. You get your choice of dark or white meat, two sides, soup or salad, and a drink. I had the navy bean soup, which was thick and delicious. My friend had the side salad, which was a pretty good-sized portion for a side salad. Meals come with a dinner roll and some extremely delicious banana-nut bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Fried chicken was juicy, with the right amount of spice. I got the creamed spinach for the side, and that was just yummy, yummy, yummy.

Monday and Thursday, the chicken is all-you-can-eat.

Dinah's also has regular coffee shop fare, including breakfast entrees, sandwiches, and the like. Decor is out of a movie set with blood-red booths and sci-fi lighting.

I walk the park cattycorner to this restaurant every weekend. My friend and I finally broke our walking ritual to have breakfast over at Sitton's. They have great food.

I had the corned-beef hash and eggs, which came with home-style hash browns and toast (though I got biscuits and gravy, instead). The corned-beef hash was nice and well done, crispy on the outside, just like a I like it. My eggs over easy were just perfect. The country gravy was so-so (no one can make it quite like the Southerners do).

My friend had eggs Benedict, and while I'm not a fan of hollandaise sauce or poached eggs, I did try hers, and it was very flavorful and surprisingly good. The Canadian bacon on the eggs benedict was a nice thick slab. There was no skimping on portions here.

The wait staff is friendly and accommodating. It gets busy on the weekends, of course, so you may have to wait a few minutes if you get there after 11am.

Craving a cupcake but not sure where to get one? Try YUMMY CUPCAKES in Burbank (also in Santa Monica) for gourmet cupcakes at their finest. Check out their website for pictures of their baker's dozens of varieties. A small blink-and-you'll-miss-it storefront, Yummy Cupcakes doesn't offer any seating, so everything is packed up to go. Grab their monthly menu to see what each day's specials will bring (they rotate four of the flavors daily along with about a dozen flavors they offer throughout the month). Specialty flavors include Elvis (chocolate, peanut butter, bananas), Old School, Fluffernutter, Kona Pie, Lemon Tart and French Toast.

While my friend got the red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting, I opted for the brown sugar cinnamon cupcake with buttercream frosting.

Decadent?

Yes.

Worth breaking my New Year's resolution?

Most definitely.

How much for that yummy feeling in my tummy?

Priceless.

If you're looking for something fun and different to do, try taking a free archery lesson with the Woodley Park Archers. They offer free use of their equipment and range on Wednesday nights 6 - 8pm and Saturday mornings from 10am until noon. During these types, professional/expert archers volunteer to teach anyone, at any age and experience level, the proper way to use a bow and arrow and basic etiquette rules for the range. They simply ask that you follow these rules so that no one gets injured. The amateur range is small, but adequate enough if you're just learning. If you join the Woodley Archers, you receive a newsletter and discounts on archery equipment at participating stores, as well as a discount on registration fees if you decide to compete in one of their tournaments. If you have your own equipment, feel free to use their range any time from sunup to sundown seven days a week. The range is free of fees to all, but there is a red donation box if you wish to drop in a dollar or two. For more info, go to: Woodley Park Archers

Most infamous for being the location of the death of actor River Phoenix, The Viper Room is a small intimate club that has showcased big name groups such as Weezer down to smaller local groups like Abbey Booth.

I was there recently to see Abbey Booth and SR-71 perform. I had never been to the Viper Room, but always wanted to check it out. Our cover was $10, and I don't know if that varies for women and men, and/or according to what time you enter the club.

Park on the street, if you can, but make sure you read all posted signs so that you won't come back to see a boot on your car. If you park in the small lot behind the club, parking is $8 (this may vary depending on the night of the week). We were there on a Wednesday night.

Drinks are averaged priced for any hip bar/club in the area and it's pretty much standing room only as the maybe half dozen booths in the joint were reserved for guests.

The bands were great! It really is amazing how much talent there is out there in Los Angeles that isn't signed to a big name record label.

The Viper Room is located at 8852 West Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood.

(310) 652-7869