Bacari GDL

So, we're finally back outside!

A few weeks ago marked the first weekend that restaurants and other places of business could open indoors, or open with certain restrictions.

I took advantage of this (monumental) moment and took a little trip northeast of West LA to visit The Americana and Glendale Galleria in Glendale.

Whew, there were people everywhere! And I'm not gonna lie - it did give me just a lil anxiety. We've all literally been in the house for upwards of a year now, and it's a little odd to be out and about, practically bumping shoulders with people.

Nonetheless, it was a beautiful, bright and sunny Saturday afternoon and Peyton thoroughly enjoyed throwing pennies in the water fountain.

Naturally, all that walking got us hungry.

Cheesecake Factory had a 3 hour wait - so, that was out.

Frida's had a 30 minute wait, but a three star review - so, that was also out.

We finally decided on trying Bacari GDL, a restaurant known for its tapas and small plates.

The sangria sounded good, and it was! But I can say that I've had better elsewhere.

We started with bacon wrapped, parmesan cheese stuffed dates. The saltiness of the bacon, the nuttiness of the cheese and the natural sweetness of the date made for the perfectly balanced bite.

We followed that up with cheese stuffed, pesto topped mushrooms. And I loooove mushrooms so this was a winner for sure.

Next came a truffle mac and cheese, topped with shrimp and lobster, breadcrumbs and scallions. Anything with seafood, truffle and cheese you can count me in.

The mac n cheese was pretty hard to follow up, but we shared a smoked mushroom pizza after that. I wouldn't get this again, only because there was charred lettuce on the pizza. If you're gonna put greens on a pizza, the only acceptable one to me is arugula. I didn't like the burnt taste of the lettuce and actually took it off of my slices when we ate it.

Lastly on our savory tour of the menu, we finished with a pan seared seabass served with roasted corn, blistered tomatoes, shishito peppers and a tarragon aioli and pomegranate molasses on the side. I would've bought a WHOLE jar of the tarragon aioli if I could, because I'm all about a good sauce. And I may even try to replicate this one for my fish dishes at home.

Now if you know me, you know I've got a mean sweet tooth. So, I had to try the Best Cake You've Ever Had. The cake was made with dates, brown sugar caramel and bacon bits, topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I can't say it was the best cake I've ever tasted, but it was damned good.

Our server also brought us over a bread pudding, because the kitchen made an extra one! The crust on the top was my favorite part, and I could've done without the rest.

All in all, Bacari GDL was suuuuper delicious, and I will for sure be going back.