Alice Waters, of course - makes a lot of sense. Thanks!

herby,

Thank you - I've seen him on Bourdain's show as well.

Thanks very much, RelishPDX. Will go to Amazon to check them out!

In lieu of a small fortune in culinary school, that is. I'm definitely one who loves good food, and only cook in emergency situations (as in my wife being out of town). I'd like to know of a great way to learn the basics properly...

Thanks!

Peripatetic,

I'm mostly a lurker, but I would be remiss to not at least say "Thank You" for collating all this info. This gives my wife & me a great quick snapshot of places we should try. Much appreciated!

Cannot recommend LQ highly enough. Haven't been to ink, Providence 5x over a few years - loved it every single time, but if it comes down to, as was put - all substance and no hype, LQ is tops in my book. Ever since losing my practice, it just made LQ an even more compelling case. 4x in the last 12 months, and every time we loved it. (Case in point, recently took my wife to Melisse for the Foie for All (25th wedding anniversary splurge) - even with that, LQ holds up with the best of them. Enjoy!!! And support an amazing chef.

Same here, would love to hear about who has enjoyed this. So far, only saw one review on yelp.

Porthos,

THANKS for posting this! Been way too busy, and am I glad I happened to check in this pm. Called them up and all set to enjoy it with my wife tomorrow evening. We made it to the very first one, and this looks like a notch better than that one...

Pothos,

That's right! We recently celebrated a two years' worth of anniversaries & birthdays at Providence. It was no biggie, but on the way out, our server apologetically came out and said he totally forgot our special occasion, and surprised us with a box of their chocolates! (Still have the box, as a matter of fact!) And they were VERY good!

Thanks for jogging my brain.

mrsjoujou,

Bummer about nothing like Payard, that makes me sad... The first (& last) time we had L'Artisan was a few years back. Thanks for mentioning La Maison! That just might do it.

Just wanted to chime in as well, we were able to enjoy the first version LQ@SK - the one with the teriyaki foie. I don't know where else to have a dinner like that for $45! Looking forward to his return as well. I agree with the comment about missing his cuisine...

Specifically, their pastries and desserts. In general, most of the dessert places locally are more cake than mousse. We also love Extraordinary Desserts, but that's a 4-hour roundtrip blast (that we have done a few times over the years!)

As to chocolates, how do you all like Compartes and/or L'Artisan du Chocolat? Or to rephrase it like the first question, what's the closest thing to Kee's locally (sadly they don't ship)? (Our past favorites have included MarieBelle, Recchiuti, Richart.)

Thanks!

WOW! I'm so blown away by all of your responses! I love how some of you even detailed what might be considered TMI, but every bit is very helpful. As I plow through the info, I'm sure more questions will come up, so stay tuned! Once again, THANKS so much to all of you for taking the time to respond so thoughtfully & thoroughly.

Hi all - my wife is going in for a hysterectomy end of June, and that's 4-6 weeks of her needing rest. Anyone have a suggestion for a site or cookbook that offers meals that are cooked both for health and taste?

She's really not excited about the possibility of gaining weight, as she has consciously worked out for many years 5x a week!

And it has to be SIMPLE! I'll be taking over cooking duties. I'm nowhere near my wife's kitchen wizardry.

THANK YOU!

As a point of comparison, the filet at Ruth's Chris is a long time favorite...kicker is: LUNCH! Thanks!

Reporting back. Again, thanks so much to the very detailed (& passionate) responses from all of you. My wife's palate was the one to please. After doing our bit of homework & reading reviews, while taste was going to be paramount, ease & convenience was just a hair behind, and then price was going to be, well, under $1000...

To our surprise, doing a quick Amazon search of espresso machines, and sorting them by review scores, showed all the Gaggias and other brands mentioned, with the exception of the Nespresso Essenza. Long story short, we stopped by the local boutique, tried it on the spot, and my wife gave the thumbs up. For the convenience and ease, it was worth the slight compromise of 'almost' as good as the European cups she had. Our unit came today, and with the Aeroccino Plus combo we just enjoyed our first cup whipped up in our own kitchen.

Thanks again!

Hey everyone, WOW - THANK YOU so much for the responses. Our heads are still in somewhat of a blur....

Well, my wife & daughter just got back from Europe, and apparently even the most humble train station from Portugal through Spain to France have amazing coffee.

Short of spending a small fortune, what models have you all used?

As a point of comparison, she's gone around tasting a few cups of espresso from the chains and not surprisingly they all flunk. I think the best cup she (& I) had before she left was our fist visit to Intelligentsia in Pasadena. If we can replicate that, I think we have a winner.

Of course, a machine in the $200 range would be ideal, but it seems from a cursory glance from Amazon that it'll take some $600-$800 ones. Your feedback is GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Thanks!

Wow - I was floored when I saw this post. Having gone through some severe financial setbacks the last 2 years, pricier meals are now a treat, and LQ was one of our favorites on a very short list. We're nobody important, but we've had the pleasure of following Chef Laurent from his Bistro K days. Just sent him a little email to encourage him, and was surprised to get a response back - he said he'll be cooking more at Vertical & will have a few pop-up projects in the next few weeks. We've been to many culinary masterpieces, and I am hard-pressed to find the caliber of cuisine relative to his prices. I know I wish him the best! (Glad we actually visited Bistro LQ 4 times...)

-----
Bistro K
30100 Town Center Dr, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

Bistro LQ
8009 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Well, wife & I decided to cancel Elements after a closer look...thanks for the heads up and watch-outs.

Went today - worth the 50 mile drive! Here's a letter I'm sending tomorrow. HIGHLY recommended. Actually tried all the items. I'll get myself to post some pics very soon.

"Dear Mr. DiSalvo:

Reviewing this year’s choices for DineLA, the chicken, hangar steak and short rib offerings were quickly skipped. Even though I was not familiar with Whist, the choices were among the most interesting.

While my wife & I have a few more places to try, I selected Whist for a Sunday family treat. When I asked for the DineLA menus, Lauren very kindly brought up that it was NOT being offered for Sunday lunch. As we were perusing the regular menu, Nick walked over, informing us he would ask the chef to see if it was possible. To our surprise and delight, we were accommodated. Between the four of us we ordered just about every item, and everything was amazing! It was a pleasure to meet your sous chef, Mike, who made that decision on the run.

A fine meal is one thing, but that exemplary team you have supporting a wonderful restaurant is a treasure. It was a pleasure dining at Whist, and we would not hesitate recommending it, or dropping by if we find ourselves 50 miles west of home again!"

Friday night at Drago. Wife had the duck risotto & veal loin. I had venison sausage & braised rabbit. Both of us had the budino for dessert. Her duck risotto was amazing. The sausage was good, but the star was the lentils! Our entrees were both substantial, mine was a wee bit salty. We enjoyed it, and for $44 was actually a great deal. Glad we tried it. Would I make the drive back for it? Probably not. Right now our favorite places in LA are Animal & Bistro LQ.

-----
Drago Restaurant
2628 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90403

Bistro LQ
8009 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90048

sushigirlie - I hope they keep it up thru DineLA... Thanks!

Thanks, New Trial. It's tomorrow night - wife & I are cautiously excited.

Hi mc michael,

Thanks! It *looks* good, so thanks to DineLA we'll give it a try...

Just browsing through the menu items it was very interesting, at least for me, a bit different from everyone else's chicken breast, salmon and hangar steaks. I was able to get a rez for Friday night this late, 7pm. Should that be auspicious, or perhaps a warning to stay away? :) Love to hear from those who have visited them for this year's DineLA.

PS: I did read some comments already from the other threads, but only one had gone to it, along with uhockey's review. I'm no longer in a position to kiss a bad meal to experience, so choices have to be wisely made, but at the same time wanted to try some new places.

Other places:
The Raymond (D)
Bar Celona (L)
Whist at the Viceroy (L)
Hungry Cat (D)
Elements Kitchen (L)
Water Grill (L)

THANKS!

-----
The Hungry Cat
1535 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90028

Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Drago Centro
525 S. Flower St., Suite 120, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Bar Celona
46 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105

Elements Kitchen
37 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101

glbtrtr,

hey, THANKS! i was worried about being moved to another board that felt like driving through the tumbleweed-laden stretches of the 15 freeway...

too bad about the baklava - love it when it's done right. so mad greek it will be then. if nothing else, i'm the only one who has tried it, and i think my family would be entertained by the experience if nothing else.

hi all...

we need one great place for lunch/brunch on the way to vegas from socal. my initial suggestion was the mad greek, but it seems that recent reviews have mentioned a change of ownership and a decline in quality. hence my questions above.

it can't be a socal/inland empire place because it would be too early, and we didn't want to grab lunch late because dinner should be great..

recommendations would be greatly appreciated. no particular preference, as long as it is good! doesn't have to be fancy, but has to be reasonably clean, as in a 'b' rating at most of our favorite rowland heights chinese places!

thanks!

ps: thought i'd post the question here rather than the vegas board as it is a trip going TO, and not looking for vegas places.

was speaking to someone cuban today, who mentioned how she was disappointed with the cuban places they visited in florida, in general, and said that this place was good.

we do love cuban, and as a point of reference, portos and versailles are family favorites.

just curious who has tried this place.

thanks.

servorg, chinowayne,

sadly, we have tried the boiler steam kettle. novel? yes. food - just alright, despite all the hype i read about the chef, who was a nice guy. it is pricey for what you get. we have since not returned, and have no intentions of doing so... i was really hoping that it was going to be fantastic, as i absolutely love gumbo, bouillabaisse and the like.