NAspy's Profile
Pre-theatre Culver City dinner suggestions
We have really liked City Tavern on Culver in downtown Culver City. Better than Ford's, really good food (owned by the Rush Street people, but I think it's better, albeit less formal).
Good Thin-Crust Pizza on Westside?
There is a new branch of Abbot's Pizza by the way on Sepulveda Boulevard, south of Washington.
Good thin crust pizza can be found at the Coop, which is literally a hole in the wall joint. We just had it last night and it's our favorite NY style on the Westside.
Versailles
The original location is in Culver City, on Venice Blvd. The food is still the same, so if you liked it then, you will like it now. I think the plantains may not be as good as they were, but the Cuban style roast pork is still a favorite in our family.
I will say I don't think their chicken is of the best quality, but it's "fine,"
Jersey-style Italian Hero (AKA Sub)
I might get run off the board, but I thought Jersey Mike's was pretty good. I grew up on PA hoagies and subs. They have a branch in Westwood Village, next to the new Trader Joe's.
Sushi help
Zo is great, but pricey and the chef can be rude. I have come to prefer Kiriko, because of ambience, food selection and quality.
I also like Sasabune, which many decry.
The Best Sandwich in Los Angeles
+1 for Larchmont Wine and Cheese -- the sandwiches are fresh, somewhat unique and oh so good
Native New Yorker moving to LA - hancock park/larchmont village area and need some recs in the hood!
Village Pizza on Larchmont Blvd itself is really pretty good "NY style" pizza in LA and it's definitely casual.
Also, don't miss out on Larchmont Food and Wine sandwiches -- just follow the gaggle of Marlborough girls in skirts and polos around 4 PM. There's usually a line that moves pretty quickly and they make the sandwiches til they run out of bread.
Le Petit Greek is pretty good, but nothing outstanding, which is my rating for the rest of the places on Larchmont Blvd itself. And prices tend to be higher on this street for the food you get, simply because of the neighborhood's boutiquey vibe.
BLD, somewhat further west on Beverly and Vista is a restaurant we really like -- casual with excellent food, particularly breakfast (ricotta pancakes!) and dinner.
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BLD Restaurant
7450 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Le Petit Restaurant
13360 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Looking for good food and a bit of fun for BDay Dinner on Westside
Heading to Son of A Gun for dinner on Sunday -- sounds like a great time with excellent food!! I'll report back...
Looking for good food and a bit of fun for BDay Dinner on Westside
We have been to Spago a couple times... I suggested it, but no go...but Beverly Hills is close, are there other places that would be fun and good food (no Urasawa -- "too much food")
Do people like Eva or Fig? We haven't been there yet...
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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Urasawa Restaurant
218 N Rodeo Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Looking for good food and a bit of fun for BDay Dinner on Westside
Thanks for these suggestions so far! Gjelina and the Foundry are "out" primarily because we have been a few times before and fairly recently (though I could eat at the Foundry all the time) -- we are looking for something new. I will try to sell Animal and/or Son of a Gun again -- I think the "dudes with meat" concept is not her thing -- but the menus look wonderful
We would go to Wilshire, except we have been there quite a bit also -- but that's the sort of food/vibe we are looking for...
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Son of a Gun
8370 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Looking for good food and a bit of fun for BDay Dinner on Westside
Hi -- So a party of 5 (with one 80 year old) is looking for a restaurant with good to excellent food and a fun atmosphere for a birthday. We have done the Morroccan belly dancing route before, but really looking for good energy and good food together.
Places we like to eat: Foundry, Street, Ammo, Fraiche, Rustic Canyon, Sublime, Lukshon, Hatfield's. We haven't been to AOC in a long time, and weren't too impressed last time. Gjenlina will be too loud for the 80 year old.
Foundry was dinged as not "fun" enough -- ditto Hatfield's and Ammo. Animal was deemed too extreme (not sure what that means, but it's her birthday).
The Tasting Kitchen doesn't have an opening for 2 months. We'd love to try someplace new. We will have been at a 1 PM Dodger game so will be coming back to the Westside, but the Lazy Ox could still be in the running.
Suggestions?
Thanks in advance!
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AOC
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Lukshon
3239 Helms Ave, Culver City, CA 90034
Tasting Kitchen
1633 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90291
Restaurant to impress an eighteen year old?
Father's Office is a bar, but Rustic Canyon is not.
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Father's Office
1018 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403
Needed: Quintessential LA
I think Pink's is on everyone's list b/c it was so hyped that Michelle O and the girls went there on their trip to LA
Palm Springs for 3 dinners?
We were just in PS and enjoyed Johannes and Zin. Out in the Indian Wells area, Castelli is a nice traditional Italian choice.
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Castelli's
73098 Highway 111, Palm Desert, CA 92260
Please help with a sushi place on 4th of july.!!
Great idea, I think it will take closer to a half hour to get there, as going through Culver City always takes longer than usual. About 20 minutes up La Cienega and then about 10 to get into CC. Fun place.
Chili Dog at Tub's Fine Chili
Just checked out Tub's this evening for the second time and we really enjoyed the turkey chili and their new "Miner's Special" -- the name is slipping me, but it was with bacon, beef and pinto beans and very good. Served over your choice of pasta, brown rice or in a bread roll. They have at least 8 different kinds of chili, including a vegetarian one, and a steak one, and a pork one, in addition to other items like amazing "buffalo chips" and massive home made ice cream sandwiches. Eat in or make it a great take out dinner. They also welcome your own chili recipe and if they like it enough, they will feature it!
One week's worth of meals traveling with Teenagers?
It's funny, but even my self-described "celebrity averse" out of state pals truly like to see a star in LA. It's almost a compulsory part of the landscape, though I agree daily exposure to the mosquitoes they attract can be a drag.
One week's worth of meals traveling with Teenagers?
Brentwood Country Mart is a great suggestion. They may see a star or two, which for teenagers, could more than compensate for the Reddi-Chick. Farmer's Market has a plethora of great food selections, quintessential LA, and adjacent to the Grove (don't eat at any restaurant at the Grove, though) with some pretty cool stores.
A restaurant that may help your son "break through" his pickiness is Tender Greens. I think it was one of the first places that made my daughter realize that good food is good even if it's not macaroni and pizza. They have locations in Culver City and West Hollywood. Casual, you stand in line and order from a decently sized menu that is ever so slightly upscale American -- hangar steak with mashed potatoes, roast chicken, seared ahi, a large variety of salads, and by the time you reach the cashier, your meal is ready. Everything is made to order in front of you. The one in Culver City affords lots of people watching (there is often a line out the door) and the value is great.
Down the street from there is City Tavern, recently opened (and they do serve underage) and the first restaurant that has little beer taps for self service at 3 of the booths (under 21s can't sit there). I've been twice -- the ct burger ($10) is wonderful, as is the tomato tartine, the spinach salad, grilled romaine, and my foodie 10 year old inhaled her arctic char. Also a great selection of beers on tap and wines by the glass.
The Counter may vary in quality at different locations. I have never liked the Santa Monica location, but very much like the one in Pasadena.
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Tender Greens
9523 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
City Tavern
9739 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Graduation dinner for 13 near Manhattan Beach
If your budget is $20 a person and you are thinking of C&O (and I agree with the positive comments above for C&O -- it's fun and near the beach and food is serviceable, but the jugs of red wine can add up), but you also want to BYOB, you may want to think about Pasta Factory up the street from C&O on Washington. Pasta Factory is the result of what happened when the original owners of Alejo's ended their partnership (and their marriage). Pasta Factory menu is almost identical to the original Alejo's menu. The menu is varied and the food is fine for the price.
When I go there with my boozy friends they bring their own in the biggest, cheapest bottle possible.
The "original" Alejo's still exists as well -- the larger one is near you in El Segundo. They used to have a very liberal BYOB policy as well, but I haven't eaten there in a while. The menus of the two places are very similar.
Graduation dinner for 13 near Manhattan Beach
Cafe Pierre in Redondo Beach -- they may be able to put together a table of that size. Haven't been in a while, but always found the food to be upscale and current without being too obviously trendy (i.e. they were doing beets long before everyone but In and Out was doing them).
Maybe Wilshire on 26th and Wilshire -- it is a bit pricey but when we want out of towners to get a real LA feel from a good restaurant, that's one of the places we go. They end up liking Los Angeles a good deal more than they thought they would.
High end Sushi
Was recently at Sasabune and really very impressed by the omakase. Dining companions ordered off the sushi menu and were also really happy. I know there are complaints about the pre-sliced nature of the offerings, but is that true at dinner? We were at a table and everything was fresh and incredibly good, the pieces were *much* bigger than at Sushi Zo (my go-to place). Only downside -- rice fell apart on a couple of the nigiri. I paid $65 for the omakase -- it included albacore, oyster, baked mussel, tuna, yellowtail, halibut, scallop, a couple different mackerals, golden eye snapper, wonderful crab roll and a few other things I can't remember.
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Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Sasabune
12400 Wilshire Blvd Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Inexpensive French fare?
We've gone a couple times -- it's good, not great, a bit overpriced (you can get the same quality at La Dijonaise for quite a bit less). What's intriguing and may be worth the experience is the bistro slash flower shop interior and ambiance.
We still like La Dijonaise (in the Helms bakery building complex) for totally decent, reasonably priced French food -- coq au vin, entrocote, crepes, beef burgendy (I won't try to spell it in french but they do) and the waiters are usually French as well.
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La Dijonaise Cafe
8703 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Need replacement for Asakuma (good, moderately priced, Santa Monica-ish sushi?)
the fact that hrhboo apologizes to J.L. when she did nothing wrong but state the obvious is also a testament to the differences between men and women and the cultural expectations we have of each -- she apologizes to him for pointing out that he's wrong instead of him apologizing for being wrong. interesting.
I expect this post to be eliminated within a few minutes, but I stand by it
How Is Brunello Trattoria in Culver City?
We live around the corner from El Brunello and we love it, and I don't want to discourage business. Their bread and pastas are particularly good. But it is more of a neighborhood place, because unless there are gallery openings, there is very little else around. As visitors from out of town, you might prefer one of the equally good neighborhood places in Beverly Hills which are closer, and you can have a great time walking around afterward. Il Pastaio, Amici, to name two. And of course Il Fornaio.
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Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
New Yorker in LA looking for the best Indian, Chinese, and Pizza! Where do ex-NYers eat??
I was going to mention Fu's as well. Great place to go on Christmas Day after the movie!! And other times too.
Looking for nice downtown LA restaurant.... close-ish to the Ahmanson
First and Hope looks great, sounds great, servers are lovely and efficient, it's in a perfect location. Food was downright bad. And expensive. The specials they pushed (deviled lobster tail that was utterly dry and overwhelmed with spice, Fried Green Tomato Napoleon, mushy and tasteless, the much heralded man n cheese --meh) were the worst things on the menu. The only decent dish was the rib eye. The donuts and shake dessert were OK too.
Valentines day suggestions? GF visiting from out of town
We've been to Joe's a couple times for VDay -- very LA, small, intimate, nice menu.
Any suggestions where to get high end appliances in Los Angeles?!
We've always experienced excellent prices and service at Pacific Sales in Torrance. On a busy weekend day, you may have to wait a while to talk to someone, but they know what they are talking about. For a big remodel several years ago we got refrigerator, dishwasher, kitchen sink and hardware, jacuzzi tub, all toilet, sink and shower pieces, including fixtures. I can't say that the Plumbtrim line, while attractive, worked very well, but we still have it. For a second bathroom remodel we got everything there as well as a 52 inch Samsung LCD which I thought was the best price in town at the time. They delivered, they took returns and gave refunds, they know their products.
