Mark Sarvas's Profile
Whole wheat croissant?
You guys are all awesome - many thanks for this, am getting started!
Whole wheat croissant?
Such a beast exists in Brooklyn. Any sightings in LA? Thanks in advance ...
Manhattan Booze Delivery plus ... ?
Hi,
I'm trying to find a decent place to order booze for an upcoming party. They need to delivery wine AND spirits but - and seems to be the hard part - I'd also like them to be able to deliver tonic, club sodas, cokes, etc. I can find plenty of booze delivery but so far nothing with the whole package.
Would appreciate any help with this. Thanks!
Tetley's Bitter
Does anyone know if any Britpubs around town serve Tetley's Bitter? Thanks in advance!
NY&C/NY-Chgo Pizzeria OPEN?
Brought home a large NY Style pie tonight and was VERY pleased with it. The right proportions of cheese/sauce/crust and a nice slightly salty taste to the cheese. Crust held up very well even a few hours later. The folks working the place were VERY friendly and there's an excellent selection of beers, both bottles and tap. I used to live around the corner, and now I'm farther away, which is probably for the best, but I will definitely go back. My new westside pizza joint.
Pot au feu in L.A.?
Yeah, I know my timing is all off - but these are good to know about. Thanks, D.U.
Pot au feu in L.A.?
Does anyone make a decent pot-au-feu in this town? Am about to crack open the Robuchon cookbook and try to do it myself but I'm open to any recommendations ...
Suggestion for writing group meeting place?
LOL - we've actually done Jerry's out of desperation. But the lighting is so harsh in there, we bailed. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE La Provence but we don't meet until 8.
We're actually leaning toward Kings Road, which is open until 10, but I will let you know.
Suggestion for writing group meeting place?
Thanks Emme - I think Newsroom might be the best of these. Urth is too much of a zoo for me. Don't know 3rd Stop, will check it out. Many thanks!
Suggestion for writing group meeting place?
Hey all,
I could use a suggestion for a nice cafe type place for my small writing group to meet. Somewhere quiet enough to talk but not so quiet that our conversation will stand out, and somewhere where folks are welcome to hang for a few hours. We used to do this at Le Pain Quotidien and loved it but we're meeting later now so it won't work for us.
Ideally, we're looking in the Beverly Center Vicinity, going perhaps as far east as Larchmont and as far west as Beverly Hills. All thoughts welcome - and appreciated.
Thanks!
Best croissant in LA?
Actually had a great croissant the other day at Anisette. A tad slippery but the right amount of flake. Also, it's a bit tangent but the pain au chocolat at La Provence on Olympic & Lapeer is my favorite in town.
Anisette Lunch
I'm with those who are pleased with Annisette - have dined there numerous times now, for lunch, dinner AND breakfast (which is a treat - empty and quiet on weekdays) and with the exception of one indifferent server have nothing but good feelings for the place. I'm a Francophile and this is, I think, as good as LA has got.
sona, melisse or ortolan?
Ortolan, though good, is not in the league of the other two. Sona is superb but I think I would give it, still, to Melisse - especially if you like The Ritz and La Folie. And Chef Josiah is a force of nature.
Place for writers workshop?
Greetings Hounds ...
Can anyone suggest a place where a small group (3) of writers can meet in the Beverly Center/Beverly Hills vicinity on a Monday night at 7:30? I suppose a coffee house is fine, or maybe something with light fare. If Pan Quotidien were only open past 7 (!!) it would ideal, but something along those lines?
Appreciate any help!
L.A.'s best smoked salmon?
I've always headed straight for Barney Greengrass. Am I missing something?
Terra in Malibu?
I live nearby. Can you give me a sense of the price for a dinner for two? Thanks.
Terra in Malibu?
Has anyone tried it out yet? Interested to hear any reports. Thanks!
Breakfast near Westside Pavillion?
Oh, I gave up on OGroats years ago. I'm a Clementine devotee now, just have to get there EARLY.
Breakfast near Westside Pavillion?
Hey nosh,
It was fine, nothing especially memorable. Service was VERY challenged - only one waiter in the place. No one met us when we came in, no one showed up at our table for ages, that kind of thing.
But the food itself was good - I had the egg scramble with shredded beef, and my friend had a 2/2/2 which included oatmeal, eggs and pancakes. (Carbo load!) It ran about $24 for the two of us but met the most important criteria - no wait, sat right down. Probably would try some other spots, though, if I were to go back to the area.
The movie, on the other hand, rocked. (In Bruges.)
Breakfast near Westside Pavillion?
Hounds to the rescue!! Thanks much, all - I think we will try Serenata - sounds an inspired choice, would never have thought of it.
Breakfast near Westside Pavillion?
Howdy hounds,
Looking for a breakfast idea tomorrow morning near the Westside Pavillion, before a matinee, and the heart sinks at the thought of Juniors. Anything that's good and not totally mobbed at around 10?
Appreciate it, as ever.
Open Christmas in Paris?
Thank you! These are all helpful. Off to check my Guide Rouge!
Open Christmas in Paris?
Hello all. I'm looking for some good restaurants, ideally close-ish to the 6eme but not essential, that will be open the 24 and 25 of December. Any ideas/recommendations? Thanks in advance.
Joe's of Bleecker Street - Unbelievable
FINALLY made it to Joe's, have been dying to try since Day One. You know, it was good, but that's really all. I found it a bit dry, frankly, all crunch and no chew. I also finally hit up Vito's the very next day and thought it was much, much better - probably my favorite of the LA NY pizzas, including Mulberry, Village and D'amore.
Michelin [Moved from Los Angeles Board]
I would not disagree with your addition, rameniac.
Beaujolais nouveau in LA?
I'd call Renee at Du Vin and ask him. If there's anything worth doing, he'll know. It's really kind of a crap wine, though, isn't it? The fuss is fun but, with rare exception, the BN is usually utterly forgettable.
joe's pizza (from nyc) in santa monica
Is it a zoo? I've been afraid to go down for fear of crazy crowds.
Michelin [Moved from Los Angeles Board]
At the risk of making myself extremely unpopular here, I don't have the problems with Michelin choices that others do. I think perhaps Europeans have had more time to get used to the idea that getting even a SINGLE Michelin star is very difficult, indeed. I like almost all the restaurants noted herein as "overlooked" a great deal but I also feel very comfortable saying none of them reach the level of one-star restaurants I've visited in Europe, which takes service almost as seriously as food. I suspect that something of the informality of LA's service sector, with its actors moonlighting as waiters, is a strong factor. I'd also suggest that something Michelin rewards is consistency, so if there's really such a wild swing between a Sunday and Monday at Lucques, then that would almost de-facto disqualify them.
I'm not saying there aren't problems with the shortage of inspectors, or the inherent subjectivity of this kind of thing. But unlike the democratic Zagats, Michelin has never pretended to democracy. It's also never been about good food, or even very very good food - it's about food that's extraordinary enough that it's worth making a detour or special stop for. And I think if we accept that as a measure, then once we set aside our personal preferences, perhaps we can accept that these are different standards of excellence. I'm second to no one in my love for AOC, for example but the noise, sloppy service and unevenness of the kitchen is precisely the kind of thing that would sink it with Michelin and, frankly, makes it a place I don't necessarily go out of my way for any more.
Just a dissenter's view.
