New Trial's Profile
LA variety, 3 day weekend: Mozza, 7th Ray, Pann's, Chou Chou, Din Tai Fung, and _____?
Of that list, Providence would be the top pick, followed by Tasting Kitchen and, maybe, La Serenata. The others on your list are eminently skippable. Others to consider include Animal (can't miss/quirky), Bludso (bbq), Elite or Sea Harbour (dim sum), Jitlada (Thai), Meals By Genet (Ethiopian), Babita or Mole de los Dioses (modern Mexican), Park's (Korean bbq), Picca (modern Peruvian), Red Medicine (mentioned by Servorg, modern Vietnamesesque), Rivera or Playa (Southwestern, the latter more casual from the owner of Rivera), Shunji or Mori (Japanese), and Spice Table (modern Singaporean/Vietnamese). Of course, if price is truly irrelevant, Urasawa (Japanese kaiseki).
plan check on sawtelle is now open!
They will gladly omit the egg from the pastrami nosh upon request.
Who makes your favorite patty melt?
I had it with cheddar last night so that will not be an issue.
Sunday brunch near Disney Hall?
Pacific Dining Car has great breakfasts. Closer by, First & Hope might still offer brunch and, of course, there is Chinatown for eine kleine dim sum.
Best place to say bye to Fois Gras
You should add Melisse, particularly (if you have $185 to spend) for its "foie for all" tasting menu.
Need advice on West Hollywood/Bev Hills restaurants for a Birthday dinner
With a group that size, the best choices from your list would be AOC, the Bazaar, Pizzeria Mozza (definitely ask about the private room there), or Playa (back room). You might also want to look at Fig & Olive or Mezze.
Breakfast in LA near Museum of Tolerance
John O'Groats on Pico near Rancho Park is fairly close, has great breakfasts and opens at 7am. For a group that size, I would call up in advance, though, to make sure they could set aside some tables for you.
Food for plane on route from midtown to LAX
"but if they take credit cards, great." which I take to mean OP is willing to go above $10 if the place accepts credit cards. Sandwiches at M2G are $12-15 and salads are $8-16.
Umami Burger Costa Mesa - any visits?
I have been three times now and it is fairly consistent with the other Umami locations I have visited in terms of quality but, as others have noted, it is a small space and there are often lines to get in. I wish they would add the pork burger some of the other locations offer but the Manly and the Umami are both good in their own right. I was not a fan of the Truffle though and prefer the onion rings and smushed potatoes to the fries.
1st Wedding Anniversary - Dinner in OC
You can minimize the mall experience by parking on level 5 (I think) of the garage and taking the skybridge across, which ends right across from Marche Moderne.
Food for plane on route from midtown to LAX
It takes you a bit North but have you considered getting something from Mozza 2 Go [Melrose near Highland] or Joan's On Third [3rd between La Cienega and Crescent Heights]? Little Next Door [also on 3rd] might be an option as well. Both Joan's and M2G take phone orders so your food can be ready to goi when you get there.
Looking For Restaurant With Great Bone Marrow / Marrow-Based Dish
Waterloo & City sometimes offers a bone marrow pot pie that is very good--with a big marrow bone in the center.
Umami Burgers....Worth the price ??
Actually, most people would agree that the turkey burger is "fowl."
I have never, ever, had a bad meal at ____________and I have eaten there over a dozen times!
I would add Jar and Waterloo & City to the mix.
Name of upstairs restaurant in either Beverly Hillcrest or Beverly Prescott Hotel?
Going way back, it was called (of all things): "Top of the Hillcrest." The hotel also offered the Portofino Room but that may have been downstairs. When it became the Prescott, the hotel had a series of restaurants, including "Chez" from Michael Franks and Robert Bell"Rox" from Hans Rockenwagner and, after that, "Sylvie" from Sylvie Darr of Zuni Cafe in SF. None of them seemed to draw the crowds needed to succeed. Mr. C is unlikely to break the (dry)spell.
Santa Monica for the weekend
Animal, Picca and Red Medicine are all reasonable choices given those criteria. All three are very inventive, offering food you would not likely make at home. All three offer wine or interesting drinks. Animal is meat-intensive, Picca offers a modern twist on Peruvian, and Red Medicine is a reinterpretation of Vietnamese with molecular gastronomy tendencies. All three are casual, fun and noisy. You would likely be happy regardless of which you choose.
Santa Monica for the weekend
For the splurge, either Red Medicine, Picca, Fig or Animal of the ones you mentioned. They are very different restaurants and cuisines so it is really a matter of what you like best.
The closest Korean bbq is probably Wharo in MDR and the Japanese-Korean hybrid chain Gyu-Kaku in West L.A. (Pico across from the Westside Pavilion). Wharo is more authentic than Gyu-Kaku. That having been said, I would recommend you make the trek into Korea-town for a significantly better version--Park's is a Board favorite.
Moderately priced sushi brings to mind Sugarfish (multiple locations) though be aware it is interactionless sushi--no chef in sight, everything is brought out of the kitchen. It is decent and reasonable. Better, and pricier (though not in the upper reaches), would be K-Zo in Culver City or Bar Hayama on Sawtelle. Personally, I would spend more and go to one of the better sushi places such as Kiriko (also on Sawtelle) or Shunji (Pico near Centinela).
Dim sum, the Palace or Bao are your only real choices unless you head Downtown or the San Gabriel Valley, or down to Sea Empress in Gardena.
NEED ADVICE - Lucques, Hatfield's, Osteria Mozza or ?
Of those three, Hatfield's probably fits your request best, though all three are quite good. You might also consider Fig at the Fairmont in Santa Monica and Spago in Beverly Hills (the tasting menu is the way to go at Spago) in addition to the recommendations of Animal, Gjelina, MB Post and Tasting Kitchen below...though, depending on whether atmosphere matters for your Birthday, the last four are far more about food than ambience.
Good, Fresh Fish Restaurant
On the higher end of the fish scale, there are Catch, Hungry Cat, the Lobster and Ocean Avenue Seafood, all in Santa Monica. Moving further down the line, there are BP Oysterette in Santa Monica, Neptune's Net and Reel Inn (both in Malibu), and Santa Monica Seafood in Santa Monica.
Inka Deli - Peruvian in Mar Vista
Currently, he is closing about 8:30 - 9:00. The website shows later hours but is not accurate.
Inka Deli - Peruvian in Mar Vista
To quote "Family Guy," "Bird is the Word." Really good rotisserie chicken with delicious garlic rice and a terrific aji. I agree with you, Bulavinaka, the owner is also great--very concerned about his food and your enjoyment of it.
Lawrence of India has fantastic Indian/Goan food!
They try very hard to please and do a very nice job. There are also daily "freebies" if you spend at least $20 (one night it is a mango lassi, another night chicken wings, another sheesh kebab, etc.). The shrimp curry was very good, though I thought the shrimp themselves were a tad overcooked--I had a similar experience with the shrimp at Mayura recently--but not to the point of detracting from the excellent curry they came in. The Chicken Xacati, pork stew and Goan sausages sound terrific so something to keep in mind for my next visit.
Visiting from NYC - what's the "best" of the things that aren't great here?
Ah but trolling is one of the ways you can catch fish--including, of course, Sergio's prized snook. However, comparing Gloria's to Coni's is the wrong way to get snookered. Gloria's is good for what it is (I tend to prefer the Salvadoran offerings to the Mexican) but does not have the lure Coni's does.
Marina del Rey- First Timer
A Frame and Waterloo & City in Culver City are right near the Marina and are both very good. Santa Monica is about 5-10 minutes by car and offers many other great choices such as Capo, Chinois, Fig, Hostaria del Piccolo, Hungry Cat, Jiraffe, Melisse, Musha, Rustic Canyon and Whist.
Best Sandwhich in Orange County?
If you order a full size, they will let you do half sausage, half meatball.
Best Sandwhich in Orange County?
Ole on Main & MacArthur in Santa Ana (same shopping center as the Little Onion) offers a small selection of delicious bocatas. The Catalana (three types of sausage) and the La Espanola were both very good. There are also two tortillas, a few tapas and a bit of Spanish grocery.
www.olespaindelishop.com
Help deciding on one of these restaurants
Were it just you, I would pretty much go with the order in which you listed the restaurants (though I would personally flip positions on Tasting Kitchen and Son of A Gun); however, in light of your out-of-towner's preferences, the order I would suggest would be O. Mozza, Cut, Tasting Kitchen, Providence (out-of-the-box creativity) and Son of A Gun (mostly small plates--some literally a bite or two). If you can get your friend over the creativity hurdle, Providence is fantastic and well worth trying.
