manku's Profile
Santa Barbara: Jane or Hungry Cat or ...???
Thanks for replies...ended up at Jane...nice space, really SLOW service, food was solid and reasonably priced.
Also tried Olio Pizzeria...seems to be best Italian food in SB, certainly much better than the cadario/panevino/via vai mediocrity...terrific pizzas, salads and delicious fried cauliflower. I'm still not quite comfortable with paying 15 for a single margerita pizza, but that's life today!
Santa Barbara: Jane or Hungry Cat or ...???
Going to SB this weekend, and trying to find some new places to try. Going to have an 8 year old with us...well behaved, but picky eater.
We've tried pane e vino, via vai, ca dario...all very similar, none great but serviceable.
Haven't been to Wine Cask since new owner ship.
Stonehouse/Four Seasons too fancy.
Julienne may be child unfriendly.
Any other suggestions would be welcome.
Thanks in advance.
Baco Mercat
Went for first time last week...liked the ambiance/room - felt like being on vacation in Williamsburg or Portland, complete with hipster staff and clientele.
Seats were uncomfortable, noise level loud, music seventies/eighties "dad rock".
Had original Baco - decent sandwich, but meat was like fried cubes of fat. Finished, but wouldn't order again.
Had Banana Cream Pie for desert - that was delicious. It's different in that it lacks chunks of banana - more like pudding. I actually prefer it this way, since I'm not a fan of raw banana in my desert.
Baco Pop was unremarkable.
I might return, but certainly not worth a journey.
Stella Rossa-Fab by Any Name But Turn Down the Volume
Not sound related, but am I the only one who thinks $35 is too much for pizza and a couple of beers (15 pizza + 12 beer +tax + tip)!
Recent reports on Osteria Angelini?
Went last month...it hasn't changed much since opening...virtually the same menu, though prices are a tad higher 10 years later.
While good, I certainly would never take a NYer there...NYC is full of great italian restaurants.
Also, for my money, Mozza is a much better dining experience these days, esp considering it's about the same price.
PERFECT SUSHI West Los Angeles SUSHIZO
For those prices, I want some ambiance....parking in a dreary Von's lot, walking past a taco joint and staring out at National Blvd/Gas Station KILLS it for me.
Odds of getting a seat at the bar at Osteria Mozza on Valentine's Day?
At 5:30, it shouldn't be a problem...however, they may not have the special on valentines day...you should call and ask before hand.
not many people want to dine at 5:30, especially on v day!
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Clementine in Century City has, IMHO, the best cc cookies in LA..I think they're 1.50 or so, but large, at least twice the size of patine
I have to go to BOA...what to order?
Going out this week with some people who insist on going to BOA on Sunset (they are friends with owners, so at least we'll get treated well/good table)...
I had gone to the old one about 10 years ago, and recall the caesar being decent, and the steaks average.
The new location, which seems to be a massive scene, has pretty crappy reviews all around.
Any suggestions? I don't need to order steak, if there are better alternatives.
Thanks.
Dine LA Jan/Feb 2012 Reviews
Superb lunch today @ Sotto...first time...what a huge improvement over previous tenant (Wood Fire??)...really some of the finest italian food I've had in LA, at very reasonable prices as well.
Staff was very friendly...also, they presented DineLA menu with regular menu which I always appreciate...it seems like they are using it actually generate new business.
Sushi Nozawa Closing!
Trust me...you are missing nothing. I used to go for lunch on a fairly regular basis around 92-93...it wasn't too crowded, and the food was good (but not mindblowing)...also, not too expensive...i don't think i ever spent over $30 at lunch. It was a good, local, quick place for lunch.
I recall having dinner with some out of town friends there about 10 years ago...packed, waited in line for at least 30 minutes, and then rushed through our omakase at the bar in less than 45 minutes, more likely 30...at nearly 150/head. The presentation was sloppy, and while the quality of the fish was high, there is more to good sushi than just good fish.
Virtually the same culinary experience (actually a little better, IMHO) can be had at Sasabune...again, I don't go often because of the the speed/assembly line environment. Sushi Zo has better sushi, but the awful location and surly attitude turned me off right away (and that's when it opened...now it's triple the price!).
It's DineLA Time Again: 1/22-27/12; 1/29-2/3/12
Looks like Fogo eliminated the desert this time around :(
FWIW, I'm done with dinela...restaurants are pricing them so that it's basically a free desert at best, and too often the portions/dishes are decreased in quality and quantity.
Ink Sack...
Had to drop my daughter off at Beverly Center the other day, so I decided to check out Ink Sack...
1. Parking is a pain. I found a spot a block away after circling a couple times. I guess if you're in the hood shopping at Marc Jacobs and are hungry, it's not an issue.
2. Staff was pleasant. Customers were 75% insufferable hipsters. Fortunately, it was takeout and I could wait outside.
3. Ordered two sandwiches...Jose Andres and Rueben. Ate them standing up, right outside. Sandwiches are tiny. Two barely satiated my hunger. Neither looked particularly attractive. The bread was weird...crusty and soft - like an reheated day old roll. Neither was really satisfying. A rueben needs to be grilled bread and rye. The Jose Andres was edible, but unremarkable.
I had a delicious, regular sized Godmother the day before at Bay Cities...for half the price, it was twice the sandwich.
Suggestions for an LA nube for a place near Six Flags Magic Mountain/Valencia and sushi in Little Tokyo
Agree...it's a solid spot, like hide on sawtelle.
Mako is much better, as is Sushi Gen, but they considerably more expensive...like virtually twice the price.
Short Order, Long Price
It would appear that Silverton, between selling overpriced burgers and jacking prices at Mozza (as well as opening clones around the globe), is trying to recoup her Madoff fiasco quickly! And it seems to be working, judging by the crowds at her restaurants.
If people want to bail her out of her foolish investment decisions, then be my guest :)
PS. I really like Mozza's food, but the prices, which weren't low when it opened, seemed to have increased at an alarming rate...
Brief Maui Thanksgiving Holiday Report
Went to Sheraton Maui this past week...been many times before. A couple of foodie notes:
1. Went to Paia twice...Flatbread Co & Paia Fish Co both were terrific. Highly recommend this town.
2. Spago for Thanksgiving. Best meal yet on Hawaiian Islands (no one ate turkey)...we ordered a bunch of apps (they're all around $25, including soup!)...no a loser among them. Also, FWIW, the keiki meal may be the best deal in Maui - for $15 ($9 for entree alone) you get a three course meal! And real food...not chicken fingers and pb&j.
3. Star Noodle, or is it Noodle Star, was an unexpected delight. Yummy garlic noodles, pork bao and miso salmon in an industrial, modern setting...definitely didn't feel like Lahaina.
4. Leoda's, a new sandwich store south of Lahaina where Chez Paul's (I think) used to be...superb turkey sandwich and one of the best berry pies i'd ever eaten...my entire family wanted to return to get another!
5. Ono Gelato - excellent, certainly as good as any in LA.
6. Genki Sushi - My kids love it...especially the terrific Chicken Karage for $2.90. Your standard conveyor belt sushi, but makes for good take out and inexpensive.
That's about all I can remember...weather was sunny, but really windy!
Aloha :)
Is the Apple Pan Worth a Visit
Agree...however, I feel the same way about virtually every "gourmet" burger as well...$25-35 pp (burger, fries, drink...including tax&tip) is just too much for something that frankly doesn't leave me any more satisfied than in-n-out!
Ditto regarding the "gourmet" pizza trend as well...just too much for a pizza.
Our dinner at Son of a Gun
isn't it in the former cynthia's space,,,that was the loudest, most unpleasant room i've ever dined in...and i'm not talking about cynthia!
Dine LA Restaurants
I'm going to revise my previous post...whatever you do, DO NOT GO to Chinois on Main for Dine LA.
Made the unfortunate decision to go last night...while the menu, at least on the website, looked promising, the execution was a different matter.
Apps were half the normal size.
The mains looked like a lunch special at a chinese restaurant , but tasted worse...a little protein with a standard sauce, a little steamed rice on one side, some steamed/sauted veggies on the other side...the chicken, which was supposed to be stuffed, was merely a broiled chicken breast with a dipping sauce on the side!
The deserts were good, fwiw.
I've been going to Chinois since my first visit to LA back in 1989...don't think I'll be returning.
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Chinois
2709 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
Animal Review
This is hype:
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/04/26/100426fa_fact_goodyear
How many other restaurants in LA have gotten New Yorker profiles?
Animal Review
I went this weekend for the first time...didn't get the hype.
First off...wanted to change to a 6:30 reservation (had 6:00pm)...was told no, then said we would be quick...they needed table by 8:30...they begrudgingly let us in. Off course, we get there the place is only 30% full...they make us wait 5 minutes outside anyway...the restaurant was never more than 75% full.
Ambiance is very spartan and NYC...noise wasn't an issue...staff was a little too cool for school, but at least waitresses were cute. Service was fine.
As for food, we ordered:
Chicken liver - This was good, but the jelly on top really masked the chicken liver flavor. It was more sweet than say the Pizzeria Mozza, which is a saltier, more livery (is that a word?) version. Also, I prefer thinner toast.
Hamachi Tostada - Tasted like something I'd get in a nice thai joint...couldn't really taste the fish - in fact, if they had ommited the fish, it wouldn't have detracted from the dish one bit. Good, but not noteworthy.
Quail - I'm not sure if it was a full quail or a half, but this was one tiny dish...it was a very nice dish.
Fois Gras w/biscuit - Very disappointed...found flavors too cloying and sweet, and texture was very mushy with entire dish swimming in syrup. Rarely do I dislike fois gras - this was one of them. Guess I'm in the minority.
Berries w/custard - like a deconstructed berry tart, was delicious but routine...any decent bakery or cook should be able to make this. Still, probably my favorite dish since I love berry tarts.
Wine was pricey with small pours - definitely would recommend BYO.
Overall, it was a good meal, but the attitude and hype turns me off...
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Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Dine LA Restaurants
Don't know if they still have it, but Scarpetta had a business lunch weekdays for between 22-28 when they opened...you could get any two dishes of menu...which mean two mains if you wanted.
Unfortunately, our experience (awful service, some really mediocre dishes) didn't want to make me return...though, to be fair, my friends have and they've all enjoyed it.
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Scarpetta
225 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Dine LA Restaurants
Plus they include desert, which is usually around $8.00!
Not every restaurant is a great deal, but Fogo is a nice discount off regular price.
Also, Spago and Chinois are good deals...Wolfgang Puck embraces Dine LA.
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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Chinois
2709 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405
What are my Dehillerin copper pots worth?
Thanks for the reply...dumb me listed them on craigslist (for 1500) and I went to meet someone with the pots before checking the board again...ended up selling the lot for $500...doh! It was easy, and the buyer was very nice...I didn't really feel like haggling...fwiw, the other offers i received were also for 500.
They do need to be relined, which would have cost about $300-500.
I used to use the pots growing up, and actually never really liked them...I actually don't use saucepans that much...mostly do grilling, lots of boiling water, and dishes where I cook in a 10-12 inch saute pan.
What are my Dehillerin copper pots worth?
My mom gave me these copper pots she bought in Paris back in the late 70's...I believe they're lined with tin, so they probably need to be relined.
I don't cook that much, so I'm thinking about selling them...are the older ones worth more than new ones? How much should I ask for them.
Thanks
Why is chicken so expensive?
Every supermarket has 8 pieces for between 5-8...depending on whether it's fresh or not, I find ralphs, albertsons and gelsons pretty good...vons/pavillions is not.
Gjelina - not bad, but not worth the wait
Finally had a chance to dine at Gjelina yesterday...it was packed, even @ 1:45 and we had a 30 minute wait.
Staff was fine, if a little smug and uber hip...skinny jeans, tattoos and vintage flannel shirts seem to be the uniform for staff as well as patrons.
We sat outside, which was very pleasant in an East Village kind of way...how anyone can dine inside is beyond me...it might be the loudest space I've ever encounted, and not in a good way - really harsh and jarring.
The food was unremarkable...tasted like someone went to the Farmer's market and Dean&Deluca and assembled some plates with very little technique involved...nothing looked or tasted like anything I couldn't whip up at home fairly easily.
Prices were reasonable, though like AOC, it adds up.
We all had a very nice time, and the wait didn't even bother us...had a chance to cruise Abbot Kinney for the first time in maybe 10 years - a bunch of really expensive boutiques - for those prices, I may as well shop on Robertson or Montana!
Had delicious machiato afterwards at Intelligentsia and some poor Gelato @ N'Ice Cream.
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AOC
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Gjelina
1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291
Most delicious gelato--Grom Malibu -- gelato made the old fashioned way
it wasn't the sweetness, but rather the texture that i wasn't crazy about...a little gummy perhaps...
Most delicious gelato--Grom Malibu -- gelato made the old fashioned way
Checked it out yesterday at lunchtime...was the only customer for over thirty minutes...my guess is it won't survive...too expensive (6.25 for medium is not cheap...though less than a plane ride to italy!)
as for gelato, thought it was ok, but something was missing...can't put my finger on it...realized afterwards that I had also tried the Grom on bleecker st in nyc...liked the other gelato place in nyc much better (just north of bleecker on 7th avenue)
i'd probably return if i'm in malibu next time only because I love gelato....personally, i much prefer gelato paradiso in the oc.
Review
I think it's probably a good idea to steer clear of any pizzeria that offers more than one crust (sicilian being exception, esp in NYC)...personally, i've never had a decent DISH at a restaurant that offers gluten-free items. Same goes for Honey Wheat crust,...
