Made in the US of A

It's not often that I add restaurants to my blog that I would not revisit. Westside Tavern must be mentioned though as everything about this place was so off that we would probably not give it a second chance. So I ordered a lobster club sandwich (Yeah, I know I'm going to hell in a handbasket!)for $24 after our server promised it was full of lobster chunks, bacon, and tomato. Said sandwich arrived and there was maybe a couple of teaspoons of lobster "mush" on the bread. When I asked where the lobster chunks were the server had to go get the manager. I guess it took a manager to find them. The manager came over and gave us some bs about the price of lobster and informed me that for $15 more I could get extra lobster. Yeah, sure, why not? I'm down with paying $39 for a sandwich in the Westside Pavillion mall. Let me stress again...mall. So I changed my order to a burger, and that's what it was, a boring burger, with nothing on it. The fries were okay, but I waited for that burger for about 25 minutes. Now on to my husband's French Dip. He ordered it with no horseradish. He doesn't like horseradish. That's why he ordered it with no horseradish. He ordered it with grilled onions. It came with horseradish, and of course, no grilled onions. After arguing with him, our server finally took it back. When she brought it again, it had no horseradish, and you guessed it, no grilled onions. He also waited 25 minutes. I'm really done with this place, no apologies from the server or management. These kinds of places don't get a second chance in my book. Oh, and by the way, you can buy a whole lobster for less than $24. Westside Tavern 10850 Pico Blvd. Los Angeles (310)470-1539.

After an exciting morning on the Santa Monica Pier with my friend Jenna Benna, her mom Alisa, and her sister Haley we had a delicious lunch at Del Frisco's Grill on Ocean Avenue. Located right across from the pier, Del Frisco's is an upscale chophouse featuring modern American cusine. We sat on the gorgeous patio and enjoyed the view. Service was delightful, and the company was even better! For lunch we had the Seared Asian Tuna Salad with shaved Napa cabbage, arugula, mango, chilled noodles, peanuts, almonds, tomato, and avocado tossed in a ginger-soy dressing. We also had the Grille Prime Burger with double meat patties, lettuce, red onion, pickles, tomato, "sloppy sauce", and crispy, hot fries. The Cali Chicken Sandwich on toasted challah served with crushed avocado, lettuce, tomato, and lemon tarragon mayo was also delish. The star of the show had pizza which she deemed, "yummy." All in all we had a great day and I can't wait to go back to Del Frisco's again! Del Frisco's Grille 1551 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica. (310) 395-7333. Hours: Open Daily 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Sunday: 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Recommended Dishes: hamburger, Pizza, Chicken Sandwich Asian Noodle Salad

On our daily walk to Abbot Kinney we stopped in for lunch at Abbot's Habit today. A fixture in Venice for many years, this local cafe/coffeeshop serves breakfast fare, sandwiches, salads, and wraps. Order up at the counter and your name will be called when your food is ready. Fresh lemonade ($2.50/$3.00) is refreshing and delicious. The Chicken Caesar Wrap (chicken, caesar salad, bacon, and tomato) is all stuffed into a tortilla and served with a pickle spear. Feel free to build your own sandwich too ($5-$9.50). Choose from turkey, black forest ham, pastrami, Italian salami, or chicken breast. Then pick a bread (sourdough, multigrain, olive, rosemary, wheat, rye, or french)a cheese (provolone, swiss,cheddar, brie, or mozzarella). Sandwiches are big and very filling. Try the fresh juices and blended drinks too. Abbot's Habit 1401 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice (310) 399-1171. Open Daily 6:00 a.m.- 7:00 p.m.

All of my neighborhood walks have really been paying off lately. Yesterday I found a great new place, right in the heart of Venice. The Dudley Market is still in it's soft-opening stage but if the food is any indication of what's to come, this is a must try! Chef Jesse Barber (Barnyard, The Tasting Kitchen) uses local fresh ingredients to bring his food to life. Start with a cup of fresh Heart coffee ($3). This coffee is absolutely delicious, rich and bold with traces of honey flavor. I love the antique cream pitchers too. I enjoyed the fritatta ($10) with onions and a side of Apricot Lanes bacon ($4). The fritatta was rich and buttery and one of the most delicious I've had. Bacon is thick, house cured, and was fantastic! A small salad with avocado and lemon dressing was served on the side. We are going back for dinner with a reservation as it's only a 20-seater!.  Dudley Market 9 Dudley Avenue, Venice. (424) 744-8060. Hours: Mon-Fri: 7:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. Sat-Sun: 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.

Recommended Dishes: Fritatta, Bacon, Heart Coffee.

If you ever have to make a trip with your husband to Golfsmith in El Segundo, be sure to visit The Point, a new outdoor shopping mall. I had to today as my husband, the left-handed golfer, broke one of his brand new golf clubs yesterday. Any way, the breaking of the club was well worth the trip to The Point. The Point itself is a unique blend of retailers, eateries, a fitness studio, and an outdoor plaza. Today we tried North Italia, one of the larger eateries featuring made-from-scratch Italian food. After just opening 6 days ago, this place is sure to be a hit! We enjoyed brunch today. The fried egg sandwich ($10) was excellent. Bread is homemade and encases applewood smoked bacon, fried eggs, comapri tomatoes, and fontina cheese. The crispy potatoes dusted with parmesan are like mini latkes! We also had the grilled chicken sandwich ($13) with smoked mozzarella, apricot mostarda, arugula, and aioli. For dessert we loved the tiramisu ($7). This was one of the most creative dishes I have seen in a long time. Layers of dark chocolate and lady fingers were intertwined with crunchy chocolate rice candies. Needless to say, we ate every bite! We are excited to go back to try the handmade pastas and pizzas. North Italia 840 S. Sepulveda Blvd. #110, El Segundo. (310) 469-7695. Hours: Lunch: Mon-Fri: 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Dinner: Sun-Thurs: 4:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Fri & Sat: 4:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Brunch: Sat & Sun: 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Recommended Dishes: Fried Egg Sandwich, Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Crispy Potatoes, Tiramisu.