chowbella's Profile
Comme Ca or Osteria Mozza
I think the big issue with Comme Ca (or, well, my issue, to be honest) is that the early buzz was that it was SOOO good as to be transcendent, so you book a reservation--at 5:30 or 9:30, natch--and show up on time, only to be greeted by a surly hostess who tells you to go to the bar, where you order your expensive cocktail from a bartender who's all too proud of the "cocktail program" even though what he serves you doesn't quite work, and then you stand crammed in like a sardine for up to an hour after your reservation time, at which point you're seated at a cramped table that's clearly designed for fewer people than your party, and it's 10:30 now but you're really just there for the transcendent food, right? So you order the food, all of which is quite expensive, and you take a bite and you say, this is good, some of it is very good, but certainly not worth the obnoxious service, the long wait, and the plasma donation I'll have to make to cover the cost of this meal.
The backlash is not so much against popularity, but against the way that Comme Ca has handled its popularity, which has degraded the entire dining experience, not to mention the food.
Los Angeles Cooking Class Recommendations
I second others who recommend the New School of Cooking. I've taken plenty of classes with couples there. Maybe not super-romantic, per se, but loads of fun and you walk out with inspiration to cook something together more often.
Amarone (Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood)
I very much enjoyed my impromptu visit last Friday. Everyone on the staff was so friendly and helpful. They guided us to an excellent wine, tasty entrees, and gave us a sampler of appetizers, all reasonably priced. My only regret is that I wasn't hungrier when I arrived!
They're still working out the kinks in terms of service, but in a good way--we had a whole lot of attention from both server and owner as they bumped into each other and tried to make sure everyone at our table was taken care of. That's destined to smooth out and then Amarone will be the neighborhood Italian this stretch of WeHo so badly needs.
Bin 8945
I second the praise of the wine list, but I thought the food was merely adequate and a bit overpriced (with the exception of the cheese course, which was great). The reason to go is wine wine wine, and the sommelier really takes care of everyone. We asked for a flight of red wines, told our server the types of wines we liked, and voila, tastes of six fascinating (and new to us) wines show up in front of us. I'd recomend going for the wine and getting some appetizers or small plates to share.
