LesThePress's Profile
Sesame Inn Vs. Mandarin Bistro in Newbury Park
Thanks, liu. I'll be sure to check out the wallpaper next time. I don't remember any booths though.
If you're talking about Nancy, she is no longer the owner, it is now owed by the nice young man who seated us, his name is Andy. I think he might be Nancy's son. We had a nice chat with our waitress about this.
Also, about Sesame Inn, no they don't basically take reservations; I guess they made an exception for you. I don't think they'd do it for 2 people. Since it's so small, we have to get there by around 5:30pm or have a wait. We actually went to SI first, but there were 4 party's ahead of us so we tried MB, and glad we did.
I agree with you about not too many ingredients in a dish, but both my wife and I love water chestnuts, so maybe next time we'll ask them to add them in.
Sesame Inn Vs. Mandarin Bistro in Newbury Park
To Liu, that's two times (that we know of) we've been at the same restaurant at the same time!! Since we ordered the Honey Walnut Shrimp we had the Chicken Kung Pao, next time I'll try the Shrimp Kung Pao, after I look for you!!! Since it's usually just the 2 of us, we find it difficult to order appetizers, because then we can only order two dishes, but these wraps sound good so maybe we'll order them next time as an entree.
To Sgee, yes you are correct, however I guess I'm used to the westernized version with one or more of green bell peppers, celery, Chinese cabbage, water chestnuts, or carrots. When I make it I add water chestnuts and when I get it without I feel like I'm missing something. I guess it's a matter of what you like.
About Lakeview Garden, Liu, we've been several times as I work about 2 miles and we live about 2 miles away. It was our our go to place for Chinese until we discovered Sesame Inn (and now Mandarin Bistro). The dishes at LG are good, and it's fine if you want a place close by, but we're in for the drive for much better grub!!
Sesame Inn Vs. Mandarin Bistro in Newbury Park
We went to Mandarin Bistro in Newbury Park for dinner last night. We don't normally go out to eat on Mother's Day but we made an exception this time and hoped we didn't make a mistake. We got there about 6:00pm and they were pretty busy, the place was full and there was a large party ahead of us. However, being just two of us and that we were next, they said it would be about 5 minutes, we decided to wait. It ended up being more like 15-20 minutes, but that was acceptable to us. Being Mother's day they were extra busy, with many large parties. I was pleased to see many tables with Asian people eating there, that's a great sign!!
This place is much larger than Sesame Inn. It is also much louder. It's basically and "L" shape, and when you walk in there are tables on the left and on the right. The kitchen is sort of in the middle and open, so you get not only the noise from the patrons but all the kitchen noise. It was quite loud in there. However, after you walk past the tables on the right, there's a small section in the "_" portion of the "L". There are only about 4 to 6 tables in there and it is far from the din of the other room, and that's where we were (luckily) seated.
The menu is beautiful with many more selections than the Sesame Inn. It's full of pictures of all the appetizers and entrées and they looked really good. We started with Hot & Sour soup and it was very good. It wasn’t the cloying type where they use too much corn starch, it was actually in a broth, the way we prefer. I like vinegar, but it wasn't overloaded with vinegar as many are. Good start.
For dinner we had Honey Walnut Shrimp, Kung Pao Chicken, Sautéed string beans and brown rice. The shrimp were delicious, the best walnut shrimp I've ever had. Sometimes when I order this dish it comes with a gooey white sauce all over the shrimp. No sauce here, just nice big delicious shrimp on a bed of rice. The Kung Pao was a little disappointing. The chicken and peanuts were good, but it was lacking the flavors I expect in this dish. There were no water chestnuts, carrots, or anything besides the chicken and peanuts. A little oyster sauce or hoisin sauce would have improved this dish dramatically. The Sautéed string beans were very good, in a nice Szechuan sauce. I think I prefer this dish at the Sesame Inn, but there was nothing wrong with this one.
Overall we were quite pleased with our meal and will definitely be returning to try other dishes. The prices were about the same as SI, and while the portions were of an adequate size, SI takes the prize for much larger portions. We expected poorer service due to being so crowded, but it wasn't bad at all and the waitress was very nice and accommodating.
It's great that we have 2 good choices for Chinese food (sort of) in the area, not close but definitely worth the drive.
Umami Burgers....Worth the price ??
I went on Friday (the day after they opened) and picked up a Cali Burger to go. I ordered it medium rare, which she confirmed. When I got home it was medium, just a thin row of red in the middle.
My wife and I went on Saturday to eat there. I ordered the same burger 'rare', which the waiter said fine. I told him about the burger being overdone the previous day, he said, don't worry. The burger came and I cut it in half in front of him, same thing, medium, not even medium rare! He apologized and insisted on having it redone. When the 2nd burger arrived, it was a little rarer, but still not even medium rare. I just ate it and said no more.
The burger was good, size a little small for the price tag ($10). It had good flavor and I really liked the bun. My wife had the truffeld Beet Salad which she thought was very good. The portion was a little on the small side. The meal was okay, and we'll go back if we want a quick bite near home.
All in all, although this place is about 1 mile from us, I'd rather drive to The Counter, I like their burgers much better.
Szechuan Palace in Agoura Hills
Absolutely agree. When we went the last (and I do mean the last) time, they served my wife's vegetables (which looked very pathetic) and that was it. After a while I stoped someone (couldn't find my waiter) and told him to take the dish back and make a fresh one to come out with my dinner. Later he brought the exact same plate of vegetables, now competely cold, and my order was incorrect. Since we had been there for quite a while already I just accepted my dish, but my wife's dinner was inedible. I should have taken a plicture of it - you'd be shocked at how pitiful it was. The service was absolutely horrible, we stopped Sally (the owner) and compained about the food and service and she just walked away. We didn't leave a tip and as we were leaving the ladies at the table next to us were complaining as well. They said they weren't leaving a tip either.
I guess you've been lucky!! Go with what works for you, for us, it's the Sesame Inn.
Szechuan Palace in Agoura Hills
Thanks but we live about 2 miles from Hunan and we liked as it was okay when it when they 1st opened about 7 years ago. The last two times were horrible, the last time was unbelievably horrible and we will NEVER return. Also, while thier service and quality have declined, their prices have risen.
NEVER AGAIN.
Szechuan Palace in Agoura Hills
We went to Szechuan Palace in Agoura Hills last night.
First, this place is REALLY small. It has 3 booths and a banquet with 3 tables. The service was friendly and good. We ordered Tofu Vegetable Soup, Kung Pao Shrimp and Dan Dan Noodles. The food, however, was only acceptable, edible but not great or outstanding. Portions were good sized.
The soup, while a little on thin side, was good but nothing special. The Shrimp and Noodles were unlike any I’ve had at any other Chinese restaurants.
The noodles were in a chicken broth, kinda oily and very few pieces of chicken. I’m used to the noodles being served dry with a chopped chicken sauce. There was no sauce, only the broth. Taste was okay, but again, nothing special. The Kung Pao Shrimp was also served differently, definitely not Szechuan style. I’ve been making and ordering this dish for many many years and this was far from the traditional style. First, on the plus side, there was a good amount of shrimp. However, for the other ingredients: I only found about 4 or 5 peanuts, there were no water chestnuts, celery, bell or red pepper, scallions or carrots, items found in traditional Kung Pao. It included bamboo shoots, which I’ve never seen in this dish (and don’t particularly like). Also, I did not taste any Sichuan peppercorns, hoisin or oyster sauce which give Kung Pao its distinctive flavor. The dish was edible, it just wasnt' the way I expected it.
The last observation is not about the food. Since the place is so small, you could hear every conversation in the room. We arrived about 6:00pm and only one booth was occupied by 3 young Chinese ladies. While we were there, two families, each with 2 children in tow, and another couple came in. Needless to say, the volume of the background noise increased exponentially. We understand and accept a certain amount of background noise in a restaurant, especially in a family place. But, as I said, being so small it was like dining with everyone.
We will not be back. While the location is much better for us, we’ll continue to make the trek out to Newberry Park and go to the Sesame Inn. In a totally different class and well worth the drive.
Best dinner spot for group from work within short walking distance of Graumans Chinese Theater?
If you want nice casual, I recommend The Grill on Hollywood, it's in the Highland/Hollywood Entertainment Complex. Great drinks and good food. Definitely not a hole-in-the-wall!!!
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
According to Yelp and an internet search, the Szechuan Inn in Agours Hills is closed. A call to the number listed was a private residence, not the restaurant.
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
Please report back and let us know what your thoughts were on them!!
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
Okay, will do.
We've been to SI several times and never had a bad experience.
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
Liu,
We tried Karma, not too long after it opened and we were not impressed. I keep thinking we should go back and give it another try, but haven't done so yet. (Bollywood is about 2 miles from us so that is a factor in our going there).
We actually (finally after 7 years) found a Chinese restaurant (somewhat close) that we really like:
Sesame Inn
3327 Kimber Dr
Ste E
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 499-2800
It's very small (Like 6 booths and a few tables), familiy run (read: very friendly) and not only is everything we've had there been very good, the portions are huge and I usually have left overs for 2 or 3 lunches!!
You have to go early as they get very busy (and as I said it is very small). We've recommended it to friends and they all rave about it too. We usually go there on Sunday evenings so I don't know about other times, but if you get there at 6:00 or later expect a wait. We got there once like 5:45 and had a short wait!
I probably shouldn't report this as now they'll be even busier!! Try it and report back, I'm curious to see how you like (or don't) like it.
I will make an effort (hard as it is) to try Mandarin Bistro, which is very close to Sesame Inn!!
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
Hi,
I agree with you but at it's worst, it's still the best Indian food in the area!! When I need my chicken tikka marsala fix, whether it's just good or better, I'm going for it!
Loteria Grill Now Open in the Westlake Village Promenade
Yes, Liu, I'm with you. This with Umami Burger opening soon let's hope this an incentive for more unique dining options to move into our area.
Have you been to Bollywood 3 lately? They expanded and have a nice dining area towards the rear left of the old area (even have booths!).
Lamb sandwich or dip - westside
Not on the west side, but less than a half an hour away, the best lamb sandwich I ever had was at Taverna Tony. Not cheap, but really delicious!!!
HEALTHY LUNCH IN AGOURA HILLS?
You’re kind of limited an Agoura Hills, depending on just how ‘healthy’ you are talking about. I’ll give you a few suggestions, maybe others can recommend other places.
Wood Ranch on Roadside and Cornell has a vegan burger and several salad options. Next door to WR is Hugos on Cornell. They also have a large selection of salads, and a turkey or veggie burger. I find they are a little on the pricey side but they do seem to cater to prepare healthier dishes. Char Fasl on Kanan is Persian and they have chicken kabobs and boneless skinless chicken lunches and some vegetable items. I like Agoura Deli up the street from CF, but outside of tuna or salads it probably doesn’t have the healthiest items.
There is Exotic Thai but I've found the service often to be very slow which might not work for you.
Good luck!
Serious Burger Find in Agoura (of all places?)
I tried the RCC based on reviews here on CH. I wasn't impressed. The bun was too soft and fell apart and was too small for the meat, which wasn't cooked to order. I work walking distance from it and haven't been back.
We used to go to Agoura Deli, which is acceptable, but we haven't been back since Brents opened and is is so near by and much better.
Loteria to open on 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica
Does anyone know when the Westlake Village location will open? They've been working on it for ages!!!
Has anyone been to Kraving's in Encino?
Going to dinner Sat. night and was thinking of Larsen's Grill but then I saw this place. No comments on CH and I wondered if anyone's been (maybe to both places?) and can report. TIA
Umami Burger comes to...Thousand Oaks!?!?
It wasn't the location that killed Nat N Al's, it was their food and service. Small portions, high prices, poor service and not high quality food. It's also tough to compete with Brent's, just a few miles away, even Roxy's subcombed. No surprises here, in fact, I'm surprised it lasted two years!
Can't wait to try Umami Burger!!!
Rec's for Group in THOUSAND OAKS Sun Jan 15
Blue Stove is over thier price point, and is actually in Nordstrom's. Food is good but they won't get out of there cheaply.
Rec's for Group in THOUSAND OAKS Sun Jan 15
Sorry, I should have mentioned that The Grill isn’t exactly cheap. Napa Tavern is just as expensive and not anywhere near the quality. We went to Napa Tavern a few weeks ago. On the plus sign we were seated immediately. However, I requested a quite booth, we were seated in a small booth across from the bar. Not really a quiet spot.
We waited for 10 to 15 minutes with no one coming to the table. We heard the waiter explain the specials to the table next to us but walked past us. Finally I gave the Maître ‘D a dirty look when he went by and came up to us asking if he could open our wine, which of course I said yes to. We then waited and after 10 more minutes and no server, I signaled the Maître ‘D and asked why we haven’t received any service. He apologized claiming it was his fault for his opening our bottle of wine, which is of course nonsense, but he was trying to mollify us. He sent over a waitress who told us the specials and we ordered. The Caesar salad was okay, good size and flavor. The pumpkin soup was disappointing, not much flavor and much too much cream. For entree’s I had the Osso Bucco and my wife the chicken breast. The portions were good sized but both of us agreed they lacked any spice or flavor. I took home the left over Osso Bucco and never ended up eating it. It was too heavy and tasteless. The other problem was that once we ordered, the food came out in rapid fire. From ordering to finish it was 35 minutes. When we spend $120 for a Sat. night dinner, it should be casual and slow. Needless to say we will not be going back to NT.
Side note, we booked the reservation on Open Table, who sent me a form to do a review, which I did. I said the same as I just did here, with a note to please send to the restaurant. We’ve never heard back.
There just isn’t too much out there that meets your specs. My suggestions for you are the following: Cisco’s on Westlake Blvd. near Townsgate. The food is only average, but it’s in your price point and a lively place. You’d have to check with them on the HH. It’s a big place and they could easily accommodate a group that size. You could call Lazy Dog Café, in the Oaks shopping Mall (or on the edge of it anyway) and see if they’ll take reservations for that size group. I don’t know about HH but they are not overpriced on either food or drinks. It’s very casual. You could also try Crown & Anchor, very close to the Civic (Skyline and TO Blvd.) but it’s a small place and you’d definitely need advance reservations. It’s a lively pub with great drinks that are not too expensive. Food isn’t too bad either (bar food, of course). Actually, thinking about it that would be MY first choice: 2891 E Thousand Oaks Blvd Thousand Oaks, CA 91362-3202 (805) 497-0070, http://crownnanchor.com/.
Good luck, let us know where you end up and how you liked it.
Rec's for Group in THOUSAND OAKS Sun Jan 15
Napa Tavern was terrible. Poor service, ordinary tasting food, not cheap and a terrible experience. We will never go back there. Grill on The Alley is great, much much better.
Drive between Vegas and LA
We usually don't stop for food since it's not that long of a drive, but if you must stop, the only place I can recommend is The Mad Greek at 72112 Baker Blvd.
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Mad Greek Restaurant
12120 Beach Blvd, Stanton, CA 90680
SF chowhound headed South to Westlake Village - critique requested
For a really nice dinner with great atmosphere right in WLV, our favorite is the Grill on the Alley, in the Promenade on the crnrs Westlake Blvd/Thousand Oaks Blvd. Great drinks and a great menu, I love the scallops (appetizer) and their short ribs are to die for. I'm a big eater and as much as I like them I can never finish them!!
Helicopter Tour (proposal)
It’s been several years since I’ve been there and I used to go regularly. The food is good, kind of Pan-Asian with Thai and Vietnamese and Chinese style dishes. Check out the menu, especially the ‘insect’ section, never had the nerve to try the crickets! They used to Have a spicy shrimp dish in red sauce that was my favorite. I don't see it on the menu now.
I will say you won’t be disappointed with anything you order as the food was and hopefully still is good to some dishes being very good. I did feel that the prices were a little too high but I guess that’s the price you pay for a chic spot in an airport.
http://www.typhoon.biz/menus/dinnermenu.html
Brunch for 30 Malibu - Thousand Oaks area
The Grill on the Alley, right off the 101 at Westlake Blvd. has a private room that will seat 30. We're thinking about having my birthday party there next year. The View isn't as good as Duke's but the food is a heck of a lot better!!
Mexican restaurant by Paramount Studios
You're probably thinking of Lucy's El Adboe, on Melrose right across from the Paramount lot.
Zengo Weekend Brunch
Interesting this thread came up now as we were just there for dinner Sat. night.
The atmosphere is really nice and the best thing for the evening was the service. Our waiter was knowledgeable and attentive. Best service I’ve had in a long time.
The menu is very different and it was tough to choose. The main problem we had is the people I was with did not eat meat or shrimp, so that excluded most of the items to share. The food was good, but nothing exceptional. The best (I thought) was the Give ‘N Take Chicken Salad, everything else was not as tasty as I expected, not bad, but not through the roof either.
My only objection was the price. We had 3 martinis, one diet coke and the Thai Chicken Empanadas, the salad, a side of Edamame and asparagus. I had the Braised Beef Short ribs and Peking Duck Tacos. The bill came to $ 122, so with tip we were out $145.00. We could go to many nice places and have full dinners for that price. Not that we left hungry, but I just felt the tastes and prices didn’t measure up.
I thought that was pretty high for just 4 small plates, 2 sides, 3 drinks (+1 coke). If I ever go back it’ll be with people who eat shrimp as there were several items I wanted to try. I was mostly disappointed in the Peking Duck Tacos. I guess I was expecting something else as the duck was just okay, and the sauce had hardly any flavor.
Sounds like the brunch is the best bet if I go again.
Stout Burgers coming to Studio City
11254 Ventura Blvd., between Tujunga Avenue and Vineland Avenue
