estnyboer's Profile
Jamaican or Caribbean in Western Mass
Yes, I 2nd the request. Driving into W. Hartford if you don't know the neighborhood is a bit intimidating.
Best Italian (money no object) in L.A. area for a VERY picky eater
I like to sit at the bar there - food not worth the trouble of getting a seat in what might be the world's loudest restaurant.
Jamaican or Caribbean in Western Mass
It's yellow. It's on a corner. Casual sit down. A lot of people were getting take out. Don't be in a hurry!
Jamaican or Caribbean in Western Mass
A friend and I were traveling through Springfield and stumbled upon D&G Jamaican Cuisine. In Los Angeles, Jamaican restaurants are almost non-existent so we pulled in immediately. It took a while for them to get the food together but it was Nice. Oxtails for me, a whole fried fish for Dave. Plenty of rice and beans and we tried the mac and cheese as a side and it was great. What a find. Very friendly service.
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D&G Jamaican Cuisine
5 Preston St, Springfield, MA 01109
Downtown dinner
This is a lively place. Great for a bloody mary and some snacks at the bar. But the food is pedestrian and it's true that it's extremely loud - possibly the loudest restaurant I've ever been in. If you aren't into loud this place will make you mad.
How Are These Mexican Restaurants in Santa Monica?
Monte Alban's "consomme ranchero" is the best chicken soup in L.A. Period. This and Juquila are my west side favorites.
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Juquila
11619 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025
How Are These Mexican Restaurants in Santa Monica?
The piano bar is a hoot but the food is terrible and overpriced. If you want rice and beans platters, stick with El Cholo.
Naan Nut - Sangak Bread to make you cry
While running some errands about a week ago, I noticed that a place called "Naan Hut" had opened on Santa Monica Blvd. near Colby (nearby landmarks include Emil's Swiss Pastry and the Royal Theater).
I had to run in to see what was up. What was up was a giant oven producing giant sheets of bread (about 2' x 4'). There was also a refrigerated display case next to the counter with scant offerings in the form of Persian/Mediterranean side dishes. There were a few customers lingering and I made a note to self: TRY THIS BREAD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Yesterday was the day. I was making a fish curry and this would be perfect for mopping up the sauce.
Due to the overwhelming sentiment on Yelp that service was painfully slow, I called ahead and ordered two sheets of sangak (they make a few types of Persian bread in addition to sangak).
A couple of hours later I pulled up and went in there, hoping to get my bread before my car was towed (no parking on S.M. between 4-6). I took a number and took stock of the place. Nothing really seemed to happen, so I mentioned that I had called ahead. He sort of remembered but I could tell it wasn't going to be quick so I moved my car. When I returned, a small crowd was gathering. There were several women giving the older gentleman behind the counter advice in Farsi and I was starting to get worried.
However, all of a sudden I was handed my bread for which I paid $3 per sheet. If I hadn't called ahead I might have had to abandon ship because there were some people in there who looked like they had been there for a LONG time.
Let me tell you - there's nothing like walking down the street with a couple of sheets of this warm bread in your arms. It smelled incredible. As soon as I got into the car I tore off a piece: DAMN is this stuff fanTAStic.
Chewy without being doughy, a slight sesame taste and if you set your oven at about 175 you can keep it warm for a while without drying it out too much.
We served it with cheese before dinner. It's incredible with goat cheese. It was incredible with the curry. We couldn't stop eating it. Overwhelmed by two sheets, I gave one to a neighbor. A couple of hours later they wanted to know "Where the hell did you get this, it's incredible!"
In short, Naan Hut needs to stay open, and we need to somehow get the message to this guy that he needs help in the service department. I say, "this guy" because it seems like the older gentleman behind the counter is the proprieter. He is distracted and not up to speed (to say the least) and I think that it goes beyond being newly opened.
Despite the indignant claims of many Yelpers, the slow service has NOTHING to do with being a non-Persian. I was the only non-Iranian in the joint (trust me - no one is going to mistake me for Persian) and I got the fastest service, almost certainly because I had called ahead. I witnessed many being treated with the same polite confusion that I experienced.
Naan Hut should be a local treasure but I fear that it will be a just-another-restaurant closure if the service doesn't change. The bread is so good as to make you cry, but the service is so bad as to produce a different sort of tears.
All they're doing is making bread - this is not a complicated operation. If he got that going, then maybe the side dish display case could become more functional (the few things that were in there looked nice).
You owe it to yourself to try this bread, but plan ahead and don't be in a hurry. And if you're feeling like giving Naan Hut a little push, print out this review and hand it to him when you finally get your bread.
Naan Hut
11551 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Open daily, 8-8
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Emil's Swiss Pastry
11551 Santa Monica Blvd 90025, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Yxta taking over Santa Monica branch of La Serenata de Garibaldi
I'm happy if not excited. Yxta is a little mysterious: I've had food and service ranging from great to lame at that place but I think that they'll try harder than La Serenata. That Serenata always seems like it's trying to be too careful for the white folks, which is totally unnecessary since they don't serve anything potentially scary.
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La Serenata
1416 4th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Hollywood Palladium eats??
There's a Roscoe's right around the corner if that's your bag. You'll find acres of posts about it on this site. The waffles are great and the fried chicken is ok. If it's someplace you've always wanted to try this is a good opportunity.
I second a favorable opinion of Umami Burger. Their eponymous burger is actually my least favorite due to its extreme umami-ness but the burgers are very high quality and not trying too hard. Good beer and wine selection as well.
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Roscoe's House of Chicken
1518 N Gower St, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Umami Burger
850 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Must Eats in Westside...Not too $$$$
Just can't get with this place. Tried it several times and get annoyed every time because it's just not very good and they charge so much. Head up to Pico and Broadway and go to Swingers. They serve a surprisingly good breakfast at good prices though the music might be a little much for some.
Moving To Santa Monica and searched a lot! Check my list?!
I can't believe that Ambala Dhaba is still open because there's never anyone in there but please go there because it is easily the best Indian food on the West side. You can usually find a meter on Westwood pretty easily. They do all of the U.S. favorites but you can also get some harder-to-find dishes and they serve a lot of goat dishes.
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Ambala Dhaba
1781 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024
Best Italian (money no object) in L.A. area for a VERY picky eater
Il Grano
(wow, that automatic hyperlink is impressive!)
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Il Grano Restaurant
11359 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Best Italian (money no object) in L.A. area for a VERY picky eater
Been twice in the past year and it was not worth the money. It used to be.
Walking distance of Santa Monica & Yale in Santa Monica
Darya does better koobideh, Javan probably does a better job with the kabobs and cornish hen skewers. Javan's rice is better. Darya might have an edge in the appetizers. Darya has blue and gold interior with an awesome painting of some kind of blissful holy waterfall experience on the south wall. Either place will serve you a pretty damn nice lunch.
Review of Upper West in Santa Monica
good lord i'm encouraged - the loss of the alligator lounge was truly a tragedy, especially since it has been followed by an extensive list of not just failures but places that deserved to fail (nice memory, carter, i don't know if i could have come up with all of those).
Why are baguettes in the US so bad?
This could be a whole topic. I've never understood this. Who needs even a 16 oz. steak? Of course, this site and its concerns aren't really about "need" but the gigantic U.S. steak standard is embarassing.
Cuisse de Canard Confit
this is awesome news. Angelique used to be one of the best lunch spots downtown and now it is pathetic. see you at St. Amour!
Why are baguettes in the US so bad?
Totally baffling. I've been to Tahiti - it's humid; it's poor - the baguettes are GREAT. There's simply no excuse - you can import flour and the best ovens in the world are available. There was a bakery on National and Motor that used to make real baguettes (and real croissants). They are closed and have at least been replaced by something cool - Simpang Asia's cafe. I believed that they suppled Angelique downtown back when it was a real restaurant.
Recent trip: Rome, Florence, La Morra (Piemonte)
I'm not one for posting all of the gruesome and lovely details of every bite but my wife and I had such a great time in Italy that I thought I should at least share something from my experience. Thanks to 'hounds for giving us some good tips and making it easier to begin to navigate Roma, which can be baffling, and Firenze, which can be a trap.
Overall, we had almost no bad experiences. No, not every meal was amazing, but nothing was really bad. One thing I really enjoyed was the lack of pretension that has become the standard at U.S. restaurants. I live in Los Angeles, where this is especially pronounced due to the preponderance of actor-waiters (I don't blame them - it's just how they respond to their training), but this cooking-show-trying-too-hard-thing has taken over and I've experienced it in all kinds of places, not just L.A.
I don't need to know the chef's first name; I don't need to negotiate the order in which things should come out of the kitchen; I don't need my conversation interrupted by a fawning 5-minute description of every ingredient in my dish; I don't need someone asking me, "How is everything tasting?" 5 minutes into my meal.
We visited Rome, Florence, and a small wine-producing town in Piemonte. Service styles varied from place to place, but they all had one thing in common: they served us our food without ceremony (that's not to say without manners) and let us enjoy it. We generally ordered everything at once and it started to appear at the right time and at the right temperature (always at the right temperature - this was very impressive and clearly important to Italians) and without a lot of bullshit. Damn it was nice!
OK - a few comments to a few places. You can find way more detail on most of them on this wonderful site, because that's how I found out about them. If you're concerned about the language barrier, here was my experience: I checked out a CD language course from the library 2 weeks before the trip. This enabled me to ask some basic questions. In most cases, servers took over with English rather than suffer my bad Italian. We were treated very well almost all of the time. Let's face it - Italy is FULL of tourists and a lot of people speak English. Just because a place offers you a menu in English doesn't mean it's a trap.
ROME
Trattoria Giggi - nice meal here. Basic Roman menu which means simple fresh salads and vegetables, pastas and I had a really tasty piece of veal. They are ready for both locals and tourists. Efficient, curt service from male waiters that was very typical in both Rome and Florence. They were treating the locals the same way.
Ristorante Vladimiro - I wouldn't go back here; they're pitching a bit too hard for the tourists, which means you pay more than you should for a basic meal. Not bad - as we experienced everywhere in Rome the salads and grilled vegetables were always really fresh and tasty. Very friendly waiter.
Taverna dei Fori Imperiali - What a great place and it's close to the Colosseum/Palatine. We hit Palatine Hill in the morning, came here for lunch, then went to the Colosseum. This is the perfect place for a LONG lunch. If you don't have a reservation, get there when they open or you won't get in. I'd characterize this place as homestyle. Extremely welcoming, comfortable and wonderful food.
F.Lli Fabbi Salsamenteria
Via della Croce, 28
00187 Roma, Italia
066 790612
I'm posting the address on this one because I don't see it on Chound. This place has clearly been around for a while, which is why I was drawn to it. Sausages hanging from the ceiling, ham everywhere, cheeses and the most fanTAStic pizza. It's within spitting distance of the Spanish Steps in the middle of all of the high-end shopping. Rather than struggle with where to eat in this neighborhood, fill up a bag with deli items, take it to the steps, and enjoy.
FLORENCE
Mangiafuoco Bracerie
Via Guelfa 24/R
50129 Firenze, Italia
055 219201
Thorough review here:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/721148?tag=search_results;results_list
Basically, this place was right near our hotel and looked like a good place for morning coffee and pastries. We ended up eating a lunch and dinner here as well. A younger, cafe kind of vibe - it's popular with students. Fantastic food and wonderful people running the place. Totally caught us by surprise.
L'Osteria Di Giovanni
Extensively reviewed on this site, I believe - that's how I found out about it. I can see people complaining about all of the tourists in this joint. It has a very upscale feel and they give you an English menu and there several groups of well-heeled Americans dining here, the type of people who imagine themselves to be insiders and take pictures with Giovanni (who is damn cute, btw!). But you know what? The food is AMAZING. They know how to cater to tourists - if you're a tourist, enjoy it because they are not dumbing down the food. I had some tortellini stuffed with pear and cheese that might have been the best thing I had the entire trip. It's not cheap but you'll spend about half of what you would for a meal like this in the states. I'd go elsewhere for dessert, though.
LA MORRA
Vineria San Giorgio
http://www.lamorra.org/it/dove-mangiare/vineria-san-giorgio.html
Via Umberto 1, La Morra, Piemonte
This cozy enoteca has a great wine selection and wonderful food and is run by an extremely nice couple, Dario and Anna. There are a lot of world-renowned restaurants in this region but if you aren't going to one of them and don't want to drive, stay in La Morra and eat here and at...
More e Macine Osteria and Wine Bar
via XX settembre, 18
http://www.lamorra.org/it/dove-mangiare/osteria-more-e-macine.html
Fantastic hip kind of place with rock solid food. By "hip" I mean that it's run by younger people who really seem to know how to live (and cook!). Early on the families come in. As the evening progresses, a younger crowd shows up. They love rock music (no, it's not blasting but it's a presence) and when I heard Zappa during my meal I almost hugged the waiter. The food is not trendy - it's typical local cuisine. Lovely pastas and braised meats and fresh vegetables.
Alright then - I hope that this was helpful for someone out there. Prego!
Eating out in Rome
From what I'm seeing on the "fancier" Roman menus, $200 is a bargain for a top-flight meal.
Breakfast - get sum!
I don't really think it necessary to go into the details but eating in Vega$ was not an option. However, I will DEFinitely make note of those Vegas options - thanks.
Breakfast - get sum!
I've been here for breakfast; I don't have experience with the rest of the menu. If you are in the mood for a large, kick-ass American-type breakfast, go to Molly Brown's.
You can pass this place on the way to Vegas by taking a small detour on a really old portion of Rte 66 which makes for a much more interesting drive to/from Las Vegas. It does not add many miles to the drive.
I was on the way home from Vegas and I REALLY wanted breakfast. Last time I was in these parts I went to Emma Jean's Holland Burger which is just south of Molly's - Emma Jean's burger was good but the breakfast my dad ordered wasn't so great.
So I pulled into Molly Brown's and sat at the counter. This is about as good as breakfast gets. Homemade corn beef hash with eggs and biscuits and gravy. I really wanted to order the home made cherry pie but couldn't save room.
Not much more to say. You know what breakfast means - now get sum!
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Molly Brown's Country Cafe
24949 National Trails Hwy, Helendale, CA 92342
Urasawa - Update
Not only that, but when you dine there you realize that he does everything himself (aside from pouring sake and the other mysterious tasks performed invisibly by the waitstaff) - he basically told us that he's a workaholic and spends most of his waking hours at the restaurant. I've pretty much had it with the high-end restaurant scene and am just going to save what I could waste at other places and go back to Urusawa at the end of the year.
Birthday at Bar Hayama...suggestions please???
I like this place but admit that you can go wrong. Definitely don't try to make it a sushi experience. If they offer something fresh/special it's usually excellent. For example, I had some uni from the Channel Islands area that was top notch. And they'll sometimes have something special for sashimi. Incorporate that into the meal. I 2nd the beef tartare rec and they usually do nice vegetables. Seaweed salad is good. Try to mix it up and trust the staff. They have a nice sake selection and do flights which will be fun for a group. Overall I'll bet you'll have a good meal and a good time.
Who serves the best fish tacos in LA?
it's not rugged but it's potentially a lot of long, hot driving through a lot of flat L.A. that is not generally what visitors/tourists come here to see. on the other hand, that's what a huge chunk of L.A. and O.C. really looks like so for a visitor who wants to see the "real" L.A. you can't beat it!
I've never been to TBE but I've been to Mexico and these are pretty damn good.
What's the big deal with the KOGI TRUCK? Long lines, but is it worth it?
people are always ready for a new fast food.
Mozzarella: Where does Mozza get theirs?
Surfas gets fresh mozarella in every Friday afternoon late. Go there Saturday morning to make sure you get it before they run out.
