Aug 22, 2005

Dine & Dish On $40 A Day

You might recall that I'm participating in the food blogging event, Dine & Dish, with the theme of $40 A Day. So here was my day in food:

Breakfast
Pancake Stacker Bowl from Millie's Restaurant, $5.99 - Millie's is the best quality diner I've ever been to. The food is always good, the staff is always courteous, and the most amazing part is that the other patrons are so polite, I've always had the door held for me. The Pancake Stacker Bowl comes with six buttermilk pancakes, a cream cheese filling that melts into a sweet sauce, fresh strawberries and whipped cream. It was really yummy, albeit decadent, and easily enough for two people. (I had to use the picture from their website because it was hard getting a good shot inside the restaurant.)


Lunch
Smoked turkey sandwich on rye from Label's Table deli, $8.99 - Label's Table has (in the expert opinion of my father-in-law) the best smoked turkey in the city. The sandwich is no frills - just bread, mustard and turkey. No lettuce or tomato. I was so hungry, I forgot to take a picture, but it was about two inches thick in the middle, so there was a lot of meat.
Label's Table doesn't have a website, so here's their information:
23311 Mulholland Dr.
Woodland Hills, California 91364-2734
(818) 222-1044

Afternoon Snack
Spicy tuna bowl from Whole Foods Market, $7.50 - A layer of sushi rice and a layer of julienned cucumber are topped with a mixture of chopped tuna and a spicy chili sauce. The bowl comes with a packet of soy sauce, a little bit of wasabi, and pickled ginger. It's a delicious and easy snack.



Dinner
Caesar Salad ($7.75) and Gnocchi with Marinara Sauce ($12.95) from Mulholland Grill - Mulholland Grill is in the back of a small shopping center near the intersection of Beverly Glen and Mulholland Drive in Bel Air. We got takeout instead of eating there since we were with Alex. The food is upscale Italian, and they have my favorite Caesar salad, which I split with Marc. They also make (in Marc's opinion) the best bolognese in town, so that's what he got. (I've come pretty close to recreating their bolognese with Cooking Light's Ragù Alla Bolognese with Fettuccine.) I love their gnocchi, which comes with a choice of pesto, alfredo, marinara, arrabiata or vegetable sauce. I ordered marinara sauce because it's healthier than pesto, which is what I really wanted.
Mulholland Grill also doesn't have a website, so here's their info:
2932 Beverly Glen Circle
Bel Air, California 90077
(310) 470-6223



The total for the day came to $43.18, a bit over budget but I did share the Caesar salad with Marc, so I think it's okay (wink). Per the rules of the game, I didn't take into account tax and tip, although Rachael Ray does so on her show.

This was really fun - and proves Rachael Ray is right in that it's possible to eat well on just $40 a day!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You went over budget?
Shock horror!
You are meant to be taching me a lesson, young lady!

Oh go on then - divide the price of the salad in two - I'll turn the other way whilst you are doing it!


XX Rachael XX

Sam said...

Hey Cathy
thanks for your entry.
You are the only one to sneak over the $40 limit so far.
Maybe we should make you play a forfeit???!

(only teasing) it was great to have you join us and I am glad you had fun with it !

Sam

Anonymous said...

hey cathy! another la blogger, yay! thanks so much for joinging in on all the fun that is dine and dish! hopefully we'll see you at the next one, too...

and don't worry, i think i have actually seen ONE episode in which rachael ray goes over the $40. it's not fun when you know she's going to be in at 39.99 every single time!