Great! May be a little too close for us (I know, sounds weird :)), but definitely in the right direction.

Keep 'em coming!

Hey guys! Am looking for the following for tonight, thought you might be able to help:

We want to get out of LA proper tonight and find some place that will floor us- some type of rustic getaway, I'm thinking along the lines of Big Sur, PCH, a hideaway in the desert- that sort of aesthetic; some place really unique and an off-the-beaten-path destination.

Ideally the cuisine would be classic French or New American.

Any ideas? Any amazing hidden gems within 90 mins? Thanks!

Ok, just hit up 800 Degrees and Sotto back to back (we don't mess around :))

First Sotto- on looks alone, they get high marks- looked really authentic. Taste? Paltry. If we closed our eyes, it tasted like an Ameci's pizza :\. Pretty disappointing.

800 Degrees- I see what you mean by quality/price ratio! Got a margherita for something like $7. Really damn good! Not Keste quality, but really, truly good.

Still though, now that I've tried LA's latest, I implore all of you- if you find yourself in Manhattan, you *must* go here:

www.kestepizzeria.com

Religious experience-level!

Thanks all!

800 looks great! I laughed at the cost/benefit - I was thinking Sotto was going to be $25/pie. Hah- 800 is comically cheap! In NY you could pay upwards of $20 for a pie! (Worth it as it might be :))

Thanks for the rec- will definitely try these out!

Just checking- any recommendations? Warszawa is good, but we're looking for a change of pace, and Polka didn't impress.

Thoughts?

Hey guys, I'm an LA to NY to back-in-LA-on-occasion transplant, and my time in the big apple has found me developing a big hankering for Neopolitan pizza. (From Keste, specifically, if any of you have been there!)

I've tried the following places on my visits here, none blew me away:

- Pizza e Vino near Irvine
- Antica Pizzeria in Marina del Rey
- Pizzeria Mozza (found it downright disgusting)

So, has the landscape changed at all? Any new players on the scene?

Mangia in my future? :)

Thanks all! Any more?

Hey all, we're looking to make a goose soon, but are looking for a bird on the smaller size (maybe between a normal sized goose and an adult duck).

Before I go calling every Gelsons or butcher in town, thought I would check here- any suggestions?

Thanks!!

Hey all. We're looking for what I suppose would be called Hong Kong style fried rice by our place in Northridge/Porter Ranch. It's the fairly simple, but oh so good, white variety- very fresh, usually with few extra ingredients. In the big East Coast cities (and I'm sure here in Downtown) it's pretty easy to get, but, as you know, standard brown-type fried rice seems to proliferate everywhere else.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!!

(Continued from an earlier thread about pigeon).

Anyone have any recommendations for the best squab here? Ideally in a French/New American/Continental preparation?

Thanks!

Squab and foie gras??? Great googly moogly- we might have a winner! Keep 'em coming though!

So, my Dad's coming to town and he absolutely LOVES pigeon. Get out all the Central Park, sky-rat jokes, and help me out! :)

Which place would you say makes the best one? We both started loving it after having a transcendent pigeon dish at Picasso in Las Vegas, and have been craving it ever since.

Preparation would ideally be French/Continental, as opposed to anything too out there (like a pigeon curry at a Cambodian joint or something to the effect!)

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Ok, bumping to see if any others. I'm finally organizing the trip to try these, so want as many good recs as possible! Thanks!

Ugh, that kills me. Reminds me of a place near Boston called Grand Chinatown that serves the best Cantonese seafood I've ever had. Reviews on yelp would complain that the General Gau's chicken wasn't up to snuff.

How do you cure ignorance? :)

Sorry, Tampa. (Corrected). Yeah, I know they're famous for the Bao, but a good half or more of the non-orange chicken menu was sichuan (including the specials of the day). And it was good!

Well, gotta say, I had a pretty resounding success last night finding a Sichuan place thanks to my thread here:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/824435

So, owing to the fact that I love Cantonese as well, I thought I'd give this a shot again.

Have been eating real cantonese recently on the east coast (various forms of steamed fish, whole shrimp, ginger scallion crab and lobster, etc.) and wanted to know what is, in your guys' opinion, the best and most authentic representative here in the SF Valley.

Thoughts?

Thanks all!

Well, tried Tampa Garden last night off of will's thread suggestion. Gotta say, damn impressed. Can't say every dish was spot on (dan dan and hot oil dumplings for example were in more of a peanut-based sauce than I'm used to), but overall I'd give it an 8.5. Better and more authentic than most Sichuan places I've been to in New York. Fish filet and tofu was spot freaking on, beef and spicy peppers was great, chicken legs and hot peppers was great. And it's so funny because the place is the picture of unassuming cheap chinese. They have a very general-gao oriented menu, and then a separate "real" section. The decor is nonexistant as you'd expect from a take out joint, but man was it good. Also, as we specifically requested a "non-gwailo" level of heat, the entire place filled up with vaporized pepper particles and all the patrons around us were coughing up a storm. Was hilarious :)

Thanks all

Hey all, after traveling far and wide (ok, living on the East Coast :)), I've developed quite a taste for real sichuan food. But all I ever knew in the Valley growing up was Americanized Chinese. Good stuff, but not dan dan, mala, red glistening-deliciousness good.

Any suggestions? I have no idea what the authentic Chinese (Cantonese, Sichuan, etc.) scene is like out here.

Please keep suggestions to the Valley- am sure there are plenty in LA, Downtown, and the inland provinces :)

Thanks!

This looks great!! Thanks!

Not quite. There's no way they could get them here quickly enough for anything resembling a reasonable price :). That said, we *did* manage to track them down!! They can be purchased at Holy Land Market in the LES.

Thanks all!

Thanks! Anyone else, any others?

Hey all. We just moved here, and one of the big requirements we're looking to fill is a great Italian deli. But not just any great Italian deli, one which can scratch our itch for a prosciutto, buffalo mozzarella, and tomato sandwich, preferably on some amazing bread.

We used to have a great place back where we were from, but now we need to find something new!

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Hey all. A good friend of mine who grew up in Puerto Rico introduced me to a local place there called King's Cream (in Ponce) that makes amazing tropical fruit ice creams- passion fruit, coconut, and, most notably, sour sop (guanabana) and tamarind.

He and I are trying to find something similar in NY. I figured with all the immigrant enclaves from tropical climes, maybe there's something similar around here.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Hey all. A good friend of mine who grew up in Puerto Rico introduced me to a local place there called King's Cream (in Ponce) that makes amazing tropical fruit ice creams- passion fruit, coconut, and, most notably, sour sop (guanabana) and tamarind.

He and I are trying to find something similar in NY. I figured with all the immigrant enclaves from tropical climes, maybe there's something similar around here.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

I believe this is the place you're talking about:

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?q=t...

It's mostly downstairs- have a look at the photos, it's been around forever, and it's just where you describe!

Hey all. There's a brand of drink called Cappy Ice Fruit, very popular all over Eastern Europe. I'm trying to find a place that carries it (specifically, the Apple Pear flavor). Maybe an importer or international food store (Czech, Polish, Hungarian?)

Anyone seen it?

Thanks!

Hey all. There's a brand of drink called Cappy Ice Fruit, very popular in Eastern Europe. I'm trying to find a place that will deliver it (specifically, the Apple Pear flavor) to a US address, preferably from
someplace domestic so I don't have to pay exorbitant delivery fees! Maybe an importer or international food website based in the States?

Any suggestions?

Thanks so much!

Hey all, have a family dinner coming up and want something good, preferably between Sherman Oaks and Encino on Ventura. Something setting-wise along the lines of Marmalade Cafe, La Frite, etc. (convivial, fun, social!) If that can be found with great food, we'd have our match.

Anyone have tips?

Thanks!

-----
La Frite
15013 Ventura Blvd, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

Hah, it's funny, the Boat House was quickly becoming my top pick when I came back to read this! It's probably got *the* most parts right. Will keep looking, but this is top for now. Thanks so much RGR!