JE33's Profile
Fig and Olive - WORST SERVICE EVER
went once a few months ago. will never return. same general issues as noted above--attitude at the hostess station, long wait despite reservation, flaky server ignored our table for half hour, then took order and disappeared for another half hour, food was fine, but came out all at once, etc.
too bad, as the space was actually really attractive. and i should know, as i spent over an hour doing little other than looking around there. very difficult to get drinks.
great idea by OP to pay cash in situations like this...i wish i had thought of that...i wanted to leave and tried to pay, but then server disappeared with my credit card and never reappeared. when i tracked her down, she had no recollection of anything and denied taking my card.
i finally got it about a half hour later--at the bar!
there you have it...our night at fig and olive.
Name This Restaurant aka the foolish diner
Has got to be Spago. You can't win 'em all.
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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Group dinner/drinks 20 -30 people Westside
Chaya Venice?
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Chaya Venice
110 Navy Street, Venice, CA 90291
Anniversary dinner tonight - Calabasas or Agoura
Saddlepeak Lodge; menu is on the web; call them and order before you get there.
Nice Restaurant For Birthday Dinner
How about savory in malibu? new, pretty good, and relatively close by...also nobu might be fun as he could have sushi and there are plenty of shellfish & meat options too...
Salad topped with fried egg ... where?
have had the frisee/poached egg on salad @ comme ca and it was fine, although not especially complicated...my wife ordered a similar salad at church & state and loved it...once in a while i've had asparagus w/fried egg (usually duck eggs) but only as a special and i would have to stretch to call it a salad...i don't know anyone who has that on their everyday menu
One Night In LA
As you are looking for both food and wine, I would recommend a sit down restaurant, or possibly a bar with a good menu.
Your desire for "service" eliminates most take-out places and the ubiquitous food trucks in LA, not to mention supermarkets and farmer's markets if the service you're seeking includes food preparation as well as table service.
I would also eliminate places that are only open during daylight hours, as your post suggests that you intend to eat at night.
I've found that many private residences serve food and wine at night for the enjoyment of residents and guests. If you are really flexible on ambiance and truly enjoy random weirdness, you may want to consider inviting yourselves to dinner at a home that strikes your fancy.
Then again, service at such places is notoriously spotty.
I would say a restaurant would be the right call here.
Hope this helps.
HELP! Where can I find a decent lunch in WESTFIELD MALL (Century City) tomorrow??!
octopus w/potatoes at Toscanova
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Toscanova
10250 Santa Monica Blvd., #192, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Santa Monica with kids?
I would suggest Typhoon. Unique location (on the runway of the Santa Monica Airport), interesting design, great views, good local vibe, great food, etc...seems to fit the bill generally.
are there any good restaurants in pacific palisades? if so, what are they?
Wasteland is a harsh word but sums it up. Taste is pretty good on Sunset and Palisades Drive, as is Casa Nostra, which is a new place couple of miles further up the hill. Also there is Cafe Delfini is on W. Channel near PCH, across the street from Giorgio Baldi.
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Cafe Delfini
145 W Channel Rd, Santa Monica, CA 90402
Help - Looking for a good chef's table experience in West LA/Santa Monica area to entertain clients...
Il Grano.
Outstanding charismatic chef who will visit the table at every course. Great at wine pairings. You don't see a lot of chefs come to the table with a live spiny lobster before dinner, serve spiny lobster crudo in the first course, and use the rest of the lobster meat in the third course. And besides spiny lobster season, it's truffle season as well.
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Il Grano Restaurant
11359 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Advice: quiet restaurant with round table in WLA area
I would add Il Grano to the list
Help for dinner 7th/Metro tomorrow Thursday
Zucca is another decent italian place about a block away on Figueroa
Santa monica lunch--with some special criteria
I would go to the new La Cachette, which is on Ocean right around the corner.
Good lunch places in Santa Monica?
Gilberts on Pico is your call. There is also a small French place on Colorado a couple of blocks east of 26th Street. I can never remember the name.
Anyone been to the new La Cachette Bistro? If so...good or no bueno?
My wife and i went there saturday night and i thought it was very good. I had a provencal tart appetizer and swordfish; my wife had a beet salad, followed by a snapper special. The dinner was really enjoyable and the space is very nice (we sat on patio outside). I thought the wine list was pretty good although honestly I only looked at the whites and roses. My wife had some type of pineapple dessert which she enjoyed, but i did not try it. And they had a pretty good cocktail menu. Our waitress was fine and the hostess was especially accommodating.
appetizers, dinner, one dessert, a round of drinks and a bottle of chablis, including tip, was around $150, which seemed fair.
I will say that service was lightning fast--to the point of being a negative...the food was served at a business lunch pace, or faster.
On the whole, i thought it was head and shoulders above Ocean Ave Seafood and reminded me a little of the restaurant at the Casa del Mar two or three chefs ago, before the renovation and the sushi bar/crudo concept...
Breakfast in Palisades?
i think they do brunch now at Taste at the corner of sunset&palisades dr.
Business Dinner Suggestions - Beverly Hills or Century City
Hard to go wrong with Mastros or Spago. They are practically next door to each other in the heart of Beverly Hills. Great food, great wine lists.
do you love Chinois on Main?
Someone correct me if I'm mistaken, but I just don't think that this is a good place to go with a party of two. And I love the restaurant. But the two-tops are small and the portions are large. You aren't going to be able to finish several appetizers. Lots of them are bigger than the entrees. Even best case, the restaurant will not show in its best light. So plan ahead next time, grab a couple of friends, and get one of the round tables near the window up front. You will have a much better time. If it's Puck you want to try for his birthday, Spago and Cut are much better choices. There are plenty of great places nearby. If it's last minute, you may want to think about someplace like Gjelina or Sushi Zo where two will have a much better chance of squeezing in at the communal table or sushi bar...
Restaurant to celebrate 30th w/ boyfriend & my parents
Happy Birthday!
I don't mean to rain on the Hatfield's love-fest. It is a perfectly great choice. But there are more fish in the sea. You might also want to consider Lucques, Jar, and Grace. Also, the Water Grill downtown is always nice. If you don't mind Italian, think about Osteria Mozza or the new Drago downtown. How about Patina? The restaurant at the old Huntington Hotel in Pasadena was great when it was a Ritz Carlton, but I haven't been there in a long time (I think it is now a Langham hotel?). Last time I was at Mastro's, it seemed like 75% of the place was graduations and birthday parties. They all seemed like they were having a good time...
So have fun...unless things go unexpectedly well, or unexpectedly poorly, the people you're with will impact the evening more than the place you go.
Need to buy uncooked ravioli for a party
in the back freezers at bay cities deli in santa monica
Business lunch in Santa Monica
I would recommend the patio at Michael's restaurant on 3rd st north of Wilshire, as well as Drago on Wilshire & 26th.
Late Night in Santa Monica
Your best call is probably Riva, which is a two minute walk down wilshire on the other side of the street from the hotel...the kitchen is open til 12 and the bar/lounge is open til 1.
Good modern style thin crust pizzas
You might want to check it out anyways if you're going to be in town for a while.
Right to the Point - Good. Cheap. Sitdown.
Gilberts El Indio on Pico in Santa Monica
Anniversary Dinner
Happy Anniversary! Any of the options above are great.
For something different: go to the venice boardwalk and at around 730pm/sunset have some european beers and sit outside at on the waterfront. then walk over and have dinner at piccolo.
LAX to Santa Barbara recommendations
Stop and have lunch at the paradise cove beach cafe in malibu. the food is pretty ordinary, if that, but the setting is ideal. it is one of the nicest spots for a restaurant in all of LA.
given your price range, this is the spot.
Palos Verdes B-day meal Question
have had several good meals at Depot in Torrance. Great vibe, fun menu and gregarious and friendly owner/chef...also has a full bar. Location seems to fit the bill. Might be a fun place to go for someone's birthday.
Birthday Champagne Dessert Bar in Santa Monica ?
Casa del Mar hotel. That's the call. Have fun!
