Republique.

I love everything about France, especially the cuisine. So when I heard about Republique and its French inspired bakery and architecture I knew I had to see it for myself. I came here for lunch with my brother and was immediately mesmerized by the rows and rows of pastries next to the cashier.

After ordering our lunch (and a bunch of pastries), we sat at our table, which was lit by the sun beams coming in from the skylight windows from above. It was a bit of a cold day, but the natural lighting made it feel like we were sitting outside.

The design and decor of the restaurant also was reminiscent of Paris and some of its Gothic architecture.

I'm a sucker for glass door refrigerators. I love seeing the products available at restaurants!

When our food was brought to us, I couldn't wait to start eating. I know it was lunch time, but Croque Madame's are one of my favorite French treats and I couldn't resist. Meanwhile, my brother ordered a burger that had dry aged beef. The drinks vary each day based on seasonal items available. We ordered a delicious grapefruit lemonade. The Croque Madame, by the way, was spot on!!

I was loving this wine tower where the bottles were used serve us water.

I have this thing with floors and their beauty. I was loving this green, white, and black tile!

We took our yummy pastries home to enjoy. My favorites were the glazed and chocolate donut like bombolinis. Pictured are also a chocolate bundt cake, banana Nutella croissant, and a coffee cake.

Meat District Co.

The other night, my girl friend and I decided to extend our list of eating at the best burger spots in LA so we paid a visit to Meat District Co. in Pasadena to try out their burgers. Let me just say, the quality of the beef here is spectacular. It's really juicy and tender. In addition to the 10 types of different burgers, the menu is riddled with so many different meals like hot dogs and BBQ ribs. I didn't get a chance to try any of those, but the burgers and side dishes were amazing. I was impressed by everything from the menu to the food to the dessert.

How cute is this meat cleaver shaped menu?

A wall of wines...my heaven.

Our flights of white wine.

Transparent refrigerator filled with fresh meat. 

Southwestern Burger: 1/2 lb of beef with potato rosti, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and arugula.

Honorable mention burger: Truffle Burger 1/2 lb of beef with truffle Parmesan, arugula, roasted peppers, tomato, and truffle aoili. 

French fries.

Truffle mashed potatoes.

We had a milkshake for dessert including creme caramel pudding with a butterscotch shake mixed with Ferrero Rocher. To die for...make it a point for your next burger craving!

Apple Pan.

I revisited one of my top burger spots recently and thought that since I hadn't shared it with you all, I would write a post about it...Apple Pan in Los Angeles. As mentioned in a previous post, my friend Natalie and I have been on the hunt for the best burger in LA and this place was on our list. The Huffington Post named it the best burger spot in LA. I wouldn't say its the best, but it's pretty damn good! It's a cute 50's inspired diner, serving classic meals, but best known for their steak burgers. It's totally worth checking out. Don't make the mistake of asking for no relish, because that's their secret.

Steak Burger with the works.

Seriously, so delicious.

I loved the way they served their drinks!

Pumpkin pie to finish.

For other hotspots from my adventures in burgers, check out my previous post!

Rounds.

A few days ago, my friend and I went to this new burger joint, Rounds, in Pasadena before seeing Gatsby. The two of us have been on a quest to find the best burgers in LA for a year now, so we thought we would add this to our list. It was delicious! It's like The Counter, where you can build your own burgers and they also have their own menu. My favorite part of Rounds was the many different dipping sauces they have. I tried a lot of them (and probably looked like the hungriest person there), but my favorites were the chipotle aioli, Tabasco ketchup, and pesto mayo.

I built my own burger with cheddar cheese, garlic aioli, onion strings, and tomatoes. 

Other burger spots I've tried on our quest and recommend:

• Prohibition Burgers, Encino
• Stout, Studio City
• 25 Degrees, Hollywood
• The Apple Pan, Los Angeles 
• In n' Out, I really couldn't leave this one out!