Is there anything more encouraging than words of love and frustration from your very own grandma? If you don't have a grandma handy, feel free to borrow Cutie. In this installment of Your Internet Grandma, she is with you at the table with firm words advising you to get your act together. Do it for Cutie!

Come paint pitchers with Cutie and discover the secret world of invisible coffee. It is caffeine-free and so delicious!

Urth Cafe is a very nice place to drop in on. It is the kind of place where you will say the guy next door is your best friend (that means it is very friendly). I usually visit when I am in the middle of errands. It is a nice place for a pick-me-up meal.

My favorite item on the menu is their vegetarian chili. I never would have guessed it, but chili has become very important in my life, probably because it combines two of my favorite toppings: cheese and onions. And if you are feeling wild, you can add pepper. Cut in some bell peppers too, and cucumbers. It's meaty, but it's salad-y, and I love it!

Urth Cafe is wonderful because they specialize in every part of the meal. If you want a smoothie, they will make you a smoothie. If your grandchild wants gourmet coffee, they can do that too. I took a sip of her latte and it was much too strong for me. She tried to warn me, but I still hated it. If that's what she wants, thats what she gets. As for me, I stick to the everyday fresh-squeezed OJ. You can't go wrong.

Urth is also wonderful for their desserts. We shared a flourless chocolate cake and it was very good. It was so rich we couldn't have more than a few bites. We were happy to take it home and our family said "thank you."

But the best part of Urth Cafe is the men in uniform. This is a big cop hangout, and actually all kind of paramilitary hangout. And that is good for me because that means a lot of eye candy. There is something about a well-dressed man with a good haircut that makes your chili taste a little better. And of course, they fawn all over an old lady. I don't think you'll feel sorry if you go.

Try not to go at a peak hour. The word has gotten out and it is very crowded, but if you go and there is some room for you to breathe, you will enjoy yourself and feel energized to get back to your day of thrift shopping, sightseeing and general good cheer. Tell those handsome officers that Cutie sent you!
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See this review and Cutie's other dining adventures at Yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/urth-caffe-los-angeles#hrid:7JltfF3bWwJqMaEBbEUI...

Guelaguetza is a wonderful authentic Oaxacan restaurant in Korea Town that everyone should visit once in their life. It is a family restaurant where everyone from good babies and not-so-good babies to the best grandparents there are, and all the hungry friends in between, come to enjoy live music, specialty cuisine, and lively atmosphere.

Oaxacan food is different from the traditional Mexican food that I'm used to eating in Los Angeles. You will like it. I would say the biggest difference is the regional influences on standard items. While you might have a regular cheese quesadilla at your corner restaurant, you have to come to Guelaguetza to find a Flor de Cabesa quesadilla, which is especially yummy because it contains squash blossoms. Flowers can be food, and quite tasty food when they are combined with stringy cheese. I can't wait until I have another one.

An appetizer of chips and salsa is enhanced by their homestyle Molé which, if you've never had it, is a sauce usually based in chili pepper mixed with almost twenty other ingredients, which can range from chocolate to garlic. I'm a big fan of putting sweet sauces on my savory dinner. In the Jewish culture, I put applesauce on my potato pancakes. This is just as good.

A nice thing about Oaxacan food is that you can share a few items family-style or order your own entree. This time, my granddaughters and I decided to share a little bit of everything. I was especially impressed by the guacamole, the sweet tamale, the cold, cactus salad, and their version of a thin-crust pizza which is topped with grilled mushrooms and black beans. Come to think of it, I was impressed with everything. And just because I give a lot of positive reviews does not mean that I don't have high standards.

The beverages are really something to write home about. They are famous for their horchata, which is a rice-based cinnamon drink that they topped with nuts and strawberry. I usually don't like cinnamon, and I was surprised to learn that they snuck it into my drink. But if they got away with it, its worth it. My grandchild ordered a fancy squash drink which reminds me of the Chinese Bobas that you drink with a big straw. Only this is better because it is made with fresh squash instead of processed jelly balls.

Be sure to save room for desert! If you have enough people at the table you can justify ordering their sampler desert platter which includes choco-flan, which I thought they invented at Tropicana Bakery in Downey, but happens to be very good here. It also comes with corn-based jello (which is really more appetizing than it sounds, in fact I loved it), and strawberries with salted cream. I'm a fan of anything with cream, so they had my attention from the beginning.

Next time, I will remember to order more food so I can take some home. The best part about this place is the overall experience of this friendly, lively place. It is not just a meal, it is a night out and that is exactly what we all look for. So get out and bring your best girl, and I know that you will enjoy it.
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See this review and Cutie's other dining adventures at Yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/guelaguetza-restaurant-los-angeles-2#hrid:4g4-Kc...

Nibbler's in the new place in town. It has taken over for the Denny's behind Union Station. I'm rushing to give this review, because I learned that they are switching back to Denny's because the sales aren't as competitive. I learned this news when I stopped in for blintzes this morning and, boy will I be sad to see them go, because Nibbler's offers a wider variety of options than Denny's.

Their blintzes happen to be very good. And they share the menu with other popular Jewish items such as lox, bagels and cream cheese and matzo ball soup. I have not tried the lox or the matzo ball soup. I actually don't even like lox because I don't eat fish, but I'm happy to know it is on the menu. Even if I don't eat these items, I can try to make my family eat them.

There are a few things you need to know about Nibbler's. It run by the same management and it looks exactly like Denny's, but without the signage. In fact, they spruced things up a bit by decorating the stone walls with different colors and that is the kind of touch I appreciate. They also offer free items if you come at the right time. I won't tell you that I'd take the free Philly cheese steak sandwich, mostly because I don't like that kind of sandwich and because I'd feel embarrassed to take a free meal and leave. But the fact that they offer this service makes me think they are considering the customer.

And after my years of running a shoe store, I've learned a thing or two about customer service. That is really what matters when it comes down to it. Food is food. Sometimes it is a little better. Sometimes it is a little more authentic. But the customer service is the asset that really earns a restaurant a place in my heart.

My family happens to like Nibbler's and we've made it our new spot. We will try to go a few times before they switch back to Denny's and stop serving the flannel cakes and the fresh-squeezed orange juice. The staff is very attentive but they seem sad about switching back to Denny's. I think there is more freedom when you are your own boss and that is nice but you really can't argue with name recognition. When the Denny's sign is back, I'll fondly remember the brief but wonderful spell when we had Nibbler's in our lives.
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See this review and Cutie's other dining adventures at Yelp:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nibblers-los-angeles#hrid:KTk3L4_2m55J3aV8-9ZU3A

We dug into the memory box and found Cutie's copious collection of vintage gloves. She has a pair for every occasion -- actually, she has six pairs for every occasion! Here she is sporting a pair for sporty activities. Let's see what she has to say about the glove-wearing lifestyle.

In keeping with her mid-year resolution to explore the uncharted waters of being a bad girl, Cutie gets started with that favorite activity of juvenile delinquents: prank phone calling. It's not as easy as it looks but it's funnier! Let's stop in and see how it's going.

For the last 94 years, Cutie has behaved like a lady. She has done what is expected of her with a smile and all the graciousness a lady can muster. But always, she has wondered how things would have been different if she had been A BAD GIRL. The time for wondering has ceased. Starting today Good Girl Cutie is taking a vacation and Bad Girl Cutie is coming out to play. Only one problem: Cutie has no idea how to be a bad girl. That's where you come in. Give us your suggestions for non-dangerous ways Cutie can let her bad girl flag fly, and maybe you'll see her trying them out in a future video!

It's the 1950s, four p.m.. The house is clean, dinner is in the oven. The kids are at the library. Your husband hasn't left the office. It's time... to run the warmest, smelliest, sudsiest bubble bath that's ever been run. Cutie knew then that the happiest place in any home was inside the bathtub with all of those bubbles. Let's tune in and hear all about it.

I recently went back to Cafe Metropol and tried some new things. You don't mind if I update my review, do you?

This is in the industrial part of town, near the Santa Fe Train Station (which is now an architecture school). This looks very much like a bar, but it isn't. It is very nice inside. I'm surprised that there weren't more people on a Monday night because the food is very good. (I ought to know because I usually don't like food.) My granddaughter explained to me that most of the people come during the daytime on break from their jobs downtown. So if you're looking for a discrete place to meet someone special, try Cafe Metropol on a weeknight.

And when you come, you should have the special soup. It is a Beef Vegetable Soup, and it is the best homemade soup you have ever had. I was extra nice, so they brought me some extra broth. But if you come here, don't eat anything else because they have very good desserts.

Tonight I had Flourless Chocolate Cake. This is like a sundae. It has ice cream with a lot of goop on it. It is very rich and very good. I was surprised to hear that there is cake in it. It is too good to be real. How does it taste? It tastes like it shouldn't taste like that. And it tastes like a candy bar. I think that it is better than a sundae because I ate in on a Tuesday. You need a whole family to eat it--or you can finish it all on your own, if nobody's looking.

When we asked our server to send our complements to the chef, we discovered that our server made the desert. I think he is so good he should open his own place. I thought we must have gotten his skills from his mother, but when I suggested that, he told me that she is a horrible cook. In fact, we discovered that we both got Boston Market to cater Thanksgiving one year!