Muhlyssa's Profile
Looking for the new Ben & Jerry's flavors --any sightings?
Red Velvet, and Clusterfluff at Gelsons In Studio City. I'm still searching for Late Night Snack. I am not a huge ice cream eater, especially if it's overly sweet, but I've got to say, Clusterfluff was one of the best ones I've tasted in awhile
in search of orange flower water
Yes, the bottle is so large, I'm thinking of bathing with it.
Misc Downtown Questions for Inquiring Minds
Do CHers ever get together for a downtown lunch? There seems to be a lot of us here.
Misc Downtown Questions for Inquiring Minds
Dublin's reopened last week, just in time for St. Patty's. I'm excited to try Spice Table. I need that Mo Chica close by, I'm too lazy to go find the other location. :-)
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The Spice Table
114 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
in search of orange flower water
Thanks everyone, I found it at my local Jons. Going to be making Gin Ramos Fizz for brunch and it calls for 2-3 drops. All that for 2-3 drops!
in search of orange flower water
Thanks for that link. I did a search on "orange flower water" before I posted and nothing came up. Also, thanks for the welcome back. Reading that thread made me thing of checking C&K Imports since someone mentioned needing it for greek cookies.
in search of orange flower water
Anyone seen orange flower water anywhere? I've checked BevMo, no luck.
Lukshon Culver City
Gorgeous on every level. Baby Squid with Chiang Mai Sausage was delish. Had a Singapore Sling which was tasty but my companion adored the hot and spicy cocktail. Pretty quiet on a Monday night.
Mantee in Studio City - Anyone Been?
Hey Carter. I'm no expert on this type of food. I didn't recognize a lot of things on the Mantee menu as being strictly Lebanese. At least I didn't recognize them as being on other Lebanese menus. I love Carnival, but they can be surly. I think Mantee may have more Armenian food and some Lebanese. You should check out their website and look at the menu. The Mantee is an app, and it's not cheap, it's about $9 and I did get lamb chops that was over $16. My husband got one that was $15. I'd go back for the mantee again and try more apps.
http://www.manteecafe.com/mantee_cafe_menu.pdf
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Mantee
10962 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604
Mantee in Studio City - Anyone Been?
I'm not sure it's worth the drive, it depends on what you are looking for, I guess. I've never had mantee before, never seen it on a menu. It was VERY very good. Everything we had was very good, and felt unique.
The place is charming, beautiful back patio, so if it's warm, try to sit back there. The owners are extremely sweet (parents of the chef). The father was a little too attentive and kind of wouldn't leave us alone which got annoying after awhile.
It was not inexpensive, we split a mantee and each got an entree and nothing to drink and the bill was over $60. While both were great, I think next time we go I'm going to opt for more appetizers and no entree.
Has anyone found Coconut M&Ms?
Thanks for posting this question. I've been looking everywhere but I think we missed the short window.
Henry's Hat - we'll be back!
We had dinner there a few weeks go, it was a great night. Totally chill place, nice people. Food was so-so but I'd go drink there for sure.
DineLA- running reviews of places so far
Two so far, three more planned for next week. Both were lunches downtown because that's where I work.
I really liked Rivera, some photos and a little commentary here http://www.photoblog.com/Muhlyssa/2009/10/06/dinela-rivera.html
Service was good, food was excellent and the space was beautiful
Chaya Downtown was good, I don't think they pulled out all of the stops and gave a good representation of what they can be. Some photos here
http://www.photoblog.com/Muhlyssa/2009/10/07/dinela-chaya-downtown.html
I feel like some restaurants who participate in DineLA don't really give a good samplings of what they are all about because of the lower price point, they tend to serve cheaper food (how many places are offering short ribs, I've counted several).
I see this as an opportunity to introduce diners to their menus and get them to come back. So far I'd go back to Rivera but not Chaya. Next week, Rosa Mexicana, Drago and one dinner.
Give up on Studio City/Ventura?? a few good spots
Same with us, albeit it was several years ago, have not been back.
Limoncello - help with transport
I make limoncello and my father-in-law who lives in Australia loves it. My husband is going for his semi-annual visit in a few weeks and he's going to transport it.
I'm looking for glass bottles that would be good for transporting the liquor. Not sure how to transport a large amount (1-2 quarts). Any ideas?
Taste aversion to alcohol?
Was doing some research on the topic and found this old thread. I have tried to aquire a taste for alcohol and it's just not happening. I've accepted it and moved on. I can tolerate it when its mixed with a lot of fruit juice or pina colada mix but I'd rather use my calories for food. The only drink I sort of like is Gin and Tonic but I don't crave it. My husband isn't into it either, so it works well for us to spend our $ on food.
Key Limes? Where?
Is there a season for key limes? Any places carry them other than Whole Foods?
Churros Mix - looking to buy
Sugar Jones rules!
Thanks so much for the tip on Smart & Final. I just got back and found exactly what I was looking for and at great price, two boxes for $4.99. Online one was of the same mix is going for $3.50 plus would have had to pay for the shipping.
Churros Mix - looking to buy
Anyone seen a boxed Churros mix in any stores in Los Angeles? I bought a churro press as a gift and wanted to include a box of the mix. I know it's simple but I wanted the box for a gift (I don't just want to give the press with a bag of flour and baking powder).
Casa Don Rolando, Cuban in North Hills
One thing I forgot to mention, which was rather irksome, was that the menu they had on their website contained several items they did not have on the menu we were handed. I guess I could have asked but forgot.
Casa Don Rolando, Cuban in North Hills
Wanted to try the Oxtail stew but they had run out. Very disappointing, but just gives us a reason to go back. I ate my leftovers today and they were terrific the next day too!
Casa Don Rolando, Cuban in North Hills
Disclaimer: I am not a Cuban food expert, the only other Cuban food experiences have been Versailles.
I gave my husband the task of choosing our Valentines dinner, following the tradition of not going out on Valentines eve but the night after. Mostly we do this to avoid the fixed menu rip-offs and the crowds. So we went out Sunday the 15th and had the opposite experience, we were the only people in the restaurant. This made me extremely sad.
Chef Rolando Gonzalez opened this place in March of 2008, I was surprised to not find any reviews on CH. Before opening Casa Don Rolando, Chef Rolando partnered with Jennifer Lopez on her restaurant, Madre's after she had his food at a party and fell in love.
Casa Don Rolando is a comfortable, open place, on a dark, side street in a not-so-savory part of town. It's got it's cards stacked against it which is a shame because it's really lovely and we do want to go back if it's still around in six months.
We started with Papa Rellenas (fried balls of meat and mashed potatoes). My husband had prawn dish and I had a chicken dish. All of the entrees come with rice, beans (or rice and beans) and choice of french fries, yucca or plantains. The portions were very large and the flavors very good. For dessert we split a tres leches cake which was delicious.
The service was attentive as it should have been considering that we were the only ones there. We spoke with the waiter and he told us they were completely jammed on Valentines Day eve, which made me happy.
With one cola, the bill came to just over $50. They didn't offer a wine list, and while I see they had a full bar, it's unclear if they have a liquor license. On another website that had some reviews, I noticed people mentioning that they don't.
Considering how unadventurous my husband is, I was thrilled he chose something so different and the fact that we liked it was even better.
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Casa Don Rolando
8755 Parthenia Place, North Hills, CA 91343
Cassoulet Night at Lucques
I went last night. It was a night of firsts, my first ever cassoulet and my first time at Lucques.
It was enjoyable, but kind of a scene. We had an 8pm reservation, weren't seated for about 20 minutes, bar was packed. Restaurant was very crowded, we were jammed into a pretty uncomfortable table outdoors where it was a little on the cold side. There were heaters but not enough. The menu included a light salad and crepes for dessert.
Since this was my first time having cassoulet, I can't compare it. I liked it a lot, but don't feel like I need to go get it again.
I have heard very good things about the cassoulet at Vermont but not always on the menu. It's also on the menu at Mimosa regularly.
DineLA at Water Grill [report w pics!]
I did the lunch last week. Looking at the photos, they look very much the same. Here's my photos from lunch http://www.photoblog.com/Muhlyssa/2009/02/05/dinela-restaurant-week-water-grill.html
I felt the portions were very fair. Not tiny.
Tim Tams, Limited Time, at Target
Has anyone seen them in their local Target? I don't want to run around all of LA to investigate. Though the Campbell Soup Co. owns both Pepperidge Farm and Tim Tam's Australian parent, Arnott's, this is the first time the cookies are being sold in the U.S. (CostPlus has them but they aren't called Tim Tams), exclusively at Target until March. I know they also have them at Landmark Theater in West LA.
Dinela extended??
Wilshire Restaurant was our first DineLA, and if the portion sizes were the same, the full prices for the same 3-course meal would have been about $50 vs. the $34 during DineLA
Dine LA: PROVECHO RESTAURANT
Photos here: http://www.photoblog.com/Muhlyssa/2009/02/06/dinela-restaurant-week-provecho-los-angeles.html
