Dinner and Bars?

Now I'm scared!

I'm not very hipster but I love a good beer selection. I don't know a few of the other people so I'll have to do a mustache/jeans check before finalizing plans.

I'm thinking blind lady looked good for the beer and food selections but the wait times I've been reading about haven't been to appetizing. Any truth in the long waits for a table?

BobMack in San Diego

Dinner and Bars?

Thanks for the new list everyone. We are in our mid 30's so nothing too clubby. If it were just me I'd probably hit Hamiltons or Toronado but we may be with some Hipster types.

BobMack in San Diego

Dinner and Bars?

Do any of these food serving bars/pubs have live music or DJ's? I'm more of a jukebox person but you never know.

BobMack in San Diego

Dinner and Bars?

Thanks for the help. Now I've got a good starting point for some more research.

Are these restaraunts in the $10-15 food range or the $15?

Are there any bars in the 30th st area (since that seems to be the best area) that have really good food?

BobMack in San Diego

Dinner and Bars?

A group of 7 of us are heading out to San Diego for a quick overnite.

We are hitting some of the breweries on the way up from LA then staying the night somewhere in SD.

We are looking for a good place to have dinner which is located in the vicinity of 2-3 good bars where we can hang out afterwards? It would be nice to walk but we have a designated driver so a short drive wouldn't be terrible. The bars and restaraunts have to have a good beer list and a good vibe.

We're all really casual so nothing too fancy.

BM

BobMack in San Diego

Equipment for Making Preserves?

I'm looking into some early holiday shopping and my wife has expressed interested in making preserves/jams etc.

I have no knowledge on this subject but I looked into a couple books and saw that they recommend a copper preserving pan.

Questions:
What else would I need to get so she could hit the ground running?

Also, is there a good equivalent to the copper pan? The copper is like $200+ for anything more than 10 quarts. Anywhere good to look?

Thanks

BobMack in Cookware

Booze flavored Ice Cream

I love Ice Cream mixed with some alcohol in it but I'm looking for some new flavors to try at home. Anyone have some good originals?

-I've tried a bunch of versions of Stout Ice Cream (Chocolate/Milk Chocolate/Malt)

-Avocado/Beer (taken from a local ice cream store)

-some whiskey Ice Creams

- Rum/Coconut, Rum/Banana

Some Tequila and Beer ideas would really be great.

BobMack in Home Cooking

Julian Serrano or Other?

We are looking for a place to take our 21 year old niece for a nice birthday lunch or dinner.

Problem is we have a 2 year old (very mellow) and have to take her since we are out of towners. Is Julian Serrano mellow enough to bring a kid to lunch?

We were also thinking Mesa Grill or the new Puck place in the Crystal mall.

Any other recs?

We are staying at Aria.

-----
Mesa Grill
3570 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

BobMack in Las Vegas

Rivera - Bar

Does anyone know if Rivera serves food at the bar?

How is the crowd factor around 6:30-7:00 on a Saturday night.

Going to be hitting LA Live and looking to eat at a bar area. Any other suggestions?

BM

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Stock my Fridge

Thanks for the tips. We have a couple Whole Foods around my place and they have really different beer sections when compared to each other.

BobMack in Beer

Stock my Fridge

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll definitely check out some German Beers too since I live pretty close to a German market. They have a lot of interesting German wine but I never checked the beer section.

BobMack in Beer

ice cream recipe favorites?

I made a Longan Black Tea ice cream that turned out pretty tasty. It was a first effort so it's still a work in progress.

BobMack in Home Cooking

4th of July Ice Cream Flavors

Need some help with Ice Cream flavors/theme for a 4th of July Bash.

Every year I whip up some kind of Ice Cream bar for my 4th of July party. Last year I kept it simple with a banana split theme (3 flavors and banana split toppings). I'm sort of stuck on what to do with this year.

It's an almost all adult crowd (the ice cream doesn't make it out until the kids are all asleep, pretty evil!).

BobMack in Home Cooking

Mangosteen - where are they grown?

When I did my last work with the exotic growers in South Florida they hadn't planted any "commercial" crops yet. They said they were difficult to grow and to get good fruit from. This was a few years back though and they were experimenting. At the time they had just gotten fruit from their longan trees that were made to fruit in the off-season.

BobMack in General Chowhounding Topics

Legit Mexican Food Near Hollywood?

I'm taking some out of towners to Hollywood to see the sights. They also said they'd like to try some real Mexican food. Any ideas that are nearby? Nearby means anywhere between Hollywood and Torrance since we'll eat either on the way there or the way back.

I'm all for a good Taco Truck but my family is looking for more of a sit down joint.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Mangosteen - where are they grown?

I left the fruit biz about 1.5 years ago. At that time there weren't any plans for anything from Hawaii. Puerto Rico has some Mangosteen but they weren't able to get a steady supply for a big number of markets. I'm guessing these are all from Thailand especially since this is in the thick of their season.

BobMack in General Chowhounding Topics

Stock my Fridge

Thanks for the list. I've only had a few of these so this will totally help me stock the fridge.

I actually picked up the AleSmith IPA at Wholefoods last week. Good stuff.

BobMack in Beer

Stock my Fridge

Finally completed a room renovation and it's time to stock the fridge. I love all kinds of beer but I'm not a hardcore enthusiast so when I'm at the store I'm always taking a chance when I buy something. It's not the spent cash that's disappointing it's the sitting down at dinner and having a bad beer that's the downer.

I'm just looking for a well rounded group that's fairly accessible (especially in the Los Angeles area). Once I work my way through the good stock I'll know more about what's my style.

BobMack in Beer

Vegas With an 18 year old and a baby?

I'm heading to Vegas with my wife, an 18 year old niece, and a our 9 month old daughter, which makes this sort of a tough group. We are planning a lunch, 2 dinners, and one in between lunch and dinner light meal. We're coming from LA so LA restaurants aren't our priority.

We're looking to take our niece to some upscale place for at least one dinner (she's never been anywhere fancy) but we our bringing our baby along so it needs to be family friendly.

We are trying to keep the restaurants on the strip if possible and LOS is out since my wife and niece eat Issan food at home (otherwise I'd be there)

BobMack in Las Vegas

Baker's Ammonia in CT?

I'm visiting relatives in Bristol, CT and they are looking for a place to get Baker's ammonia. Anyone have an idea where to get this?

Thanks

BobMack in General New England Archive

South Bay - Spoon House vs Il Chianti?

I haven't been to Il Chianti for a while but here's my comparison. Spoon house is much more casual down home place. It's a small joint and can get crowded. It's fairly cheap for what I order which is some pasta. It's a family style joint.

Il Chianti is not as casual, the last time I went (a few years back) they weren't sure if they could seat me without reservations (probably not as crowded now). The food was significantly more expensive but more refined. They had more options as well. We ordered appetizers, entrees and desserts here. BTW they charged for our second bread which irks me.

I enjoy both but they are totally different vibes.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

First Mother's Day Brunch

Thanks for all of the great replies. We are sticking with Campanile but now we have a lot of ideas for some other places to try as well. We're lucky to have a baby that is great in restaurants (she saves the crying for the car rides) so hopefully all will go well.

We've been wanting to go to Craft for awhile but it looks like we'll have to save it for a "date" night!

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

First Mother's Day Brunch

I'm probably too late but this is the first Mother's Day for my wife. I'm looking for something special for her and our 7 month old kid. There's lots of great places but we aren't sure which ones are "kid friendly". Anywhere in the LA area is fine and anything under $50/person is ok (it's only the first mother's day once, right?)

We have reservations at Campanile but we'd love some more suggestions!

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Mangosteens?

Today they had some on Anaheim St in Long Beach at a couple places, Seng Heng was one of them.

Also had some in Little Saigon at numerous places, my place of choice is Thai Son like DU mentioned. There is a place right next door to that which had them as well.

I didn't get a price but my friend saw them today as well and said something like $35-$50 a box, which comes out to a bit more than $3/lb. Seems a little low to me but anything is better than the $35/lb when they weren't legal yet.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Indonesian, Malaysian, South American, African restaurants

Do you have any more info on this place?

Selamat Detang in Torrance

I looked it up on the internet but only found an address that I can't find (when driving by) and a phone number and menu that corresponds to Belacan Grill. I hope this place exists since it's right around the corner from me.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Best Chocolates?

Every year I buy my wife a nice box of local artisan chocolates but this year I'm going to be in Bethesda (home is Los Angeles) until the day before our anniversary.

Where is the best place to buy some nice chocolates/truffles from D.C. or Bethesda. Actually it can be anywhere that is accessible without driving.

Thanks
BM

BobMack in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Cemita Poblanas nearest to South Bay?

Stopped by here today after I saw the Cemitas picture on their sign outside.

The cemitas are 4.99, they are not bad. They have the bitter herb, avocado, and chipotle. The bun was slightly charred and slightly smashed as well. The taste was pretty good, it really got better as I got more into the center of the sandwich (these always do though). I didn't ask if they sell the buns to go, but I'll check next time.

It's a strange place, they ran out of water and horchata and they checked to see if they were out of cemitas. It was weird because my group was the only group in there. The hostess didn't speak a word of english (not a prob for me, just letting you know) but the cook did.

He was nice and seemed proud of his creations, he came out to check on everything and asked us where we are from and gave us business cards. Plenty of free parking on the street.

I'd stop here for lunch, then go get my deli meats from Giuliano's down the street.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Soul Food/Down Home Cookin'

On a side note, I went on Saturday and now they accept credit cards (visa/mastercard). This is nice since dinner for 2 usually runs around $25.

BobMack in Los Angeles Area

Looking for a Buy and Hold wine

Thanks for all of the great recs. You really have made my life easier. I know my wife is a big fan of Rieslings but the 01 Rioja Reserves seem really interesting.

I better get to work.

BobMack in Wine