BenNLC's Profile
Dinner near 56th & 7th
Right at 56th and Broadway is Basso 56, one of my favorite Italian spots in the city.
Need an after dinner bar sat night by columbus circle
Park Blue on 58th and 7th is a great low key wine bar with a very nice tapas selection. And they're open till like 4 AM on the weekends.
Sushi Park, no mentions here
I've never been here either, but some have my friends have and they all rave. Definitely seems like one of those strict omakase-only kind of places, but everyone says it's great. I'm surprised it hasn't gotten more attention... I'll be going soon to check it out.
3rd time NOT a charm at Vito's Pizza.
Love their pizza, but I have to agree about their delivery service. I live less than a mile away and both times it's taken close to 90 minutes, even though I was quoted 45 min to an hour. Additionally, both times I ordered with credit card and BOTH TIMES the deliveryman didn't have my credit card info and expected cash. Luckily, they were able to remedy this with a quick call to the store to process the card over the phone, but c'mon.
New to neighborhood, Pico and La Cienega
I second Nick's... it's a family-owned greasy spoon from a bygone era, but the menu is impressively broad.
Favourite Cheeseburger in LA
I'm partial to Irv's Burgers on Santa Monica and Sweetzer. My favorite "fast food" style burger in LA. And Sonia, the owner, is my West Coast mother.
menu prices at chaya Brass.
Apps are in the mid 20's to low 30's range. You aint gettin out of there on $30/person.
Tokyo Table or Celdaon
I went to Tokyo Table Friday night around 10pm and it was virtually empty. Kinda depressing actually... the place is on unhip restaurant row in an unhip medical office building. Our waiter made up for it with slightly overly congenial service. The food was a mixed bag. I really liked the tofu salad. The omlette/noodle hybrid thing was interesting but the sauce tasted too much like generic BBQ sauce and mayo. Everything is very reasonably priced, but I feel like the quality of the ingredients suffered. The jalapeno slices on top of the albacore with crispy rice tasted like they were from a can of Old El Paso sliced jalepenos... they had they briney flavor.
Haven't been to Celadon but imagine the atmosphere will be better and the food more expensive... can't say if it's better.
How about Izaka-Ya by Katsu-Ya at 3rd and Orlando? Great fusion dishes and a pretty good sake selection (not quite as vast as the other places). It's a little more expensive than Tokyo Table but certainly cheaper than the Katsu-Ya in brentwood.
Sushi Park on Sunset
So my boss swears by this new-ish sushi bar on Sunset near La Cienega on the strip. I think it's chef's choice only from the bar, Nozawa-style. I usually trust his taste but I figured I'd take a gander to see what my Chowhounders had to say. I found a couple posts, but they all had been removed when you try to open them, my guess because the "Reviews" were actually poorly veiled PR. Anyways... I couldn't find any REAL posts. Have any chowhounders actually been here?
http://www.sushiparkonsunset.com
Planning to go to Sushi gen on Wednesday evening...
On a Wednesday night it shouldn't be that bad... If you're a small group, I say you have a 50/50 chance of waiting either not at all, or 15 min max.
ISO CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, BISCUITS & GRAVEY, REAL MASHED POTATOS.....
Nick's Diner at Pico and La Cienega does a pretty good version... Not sure about mashed potatoes though. I usually go with the grits.
any boston style icecream places in la?
I'm originally from Mass, and back in high school I used to be a scooper at Herrell's ice cream in Northampton (it was the flagship shop, as it was the one Steve worked out of, although he still maintains STRICT control over the quality at the Boston-area locations.)
I'm probably a little biased being that it's my home-town ice cream store, but many New England ice cream connoisseurs will agree it's in a class by itself. The man practically invented gourmet ice cream in the 70's with flavors like Heath Bar Crunch, and there are other newer flavors like Burnt Sugar and Butter which I can't find anywhere else. (Although Steve Herrell pretty much invented the smoosh-in, and unlike Coldstone, he still makes plenty of flavors that have stuff pre-smushed, like the aforementioned Heath Bar Crunch).
The Ice Cream at Boule on La Cienega is one of the few places in LA that rivals Herrell's creativity in the flavor dept (albeit with more gourmet ingredients like Earl Grey and Rose Petal). But overall, the base consistency of Boule's ice cream still can't hold a candle to the Herrell's. Herrell's ice cream is just the richest... high butterfat, low air content (no air pockets!).
Bennett's is OK but it's like going to EPCOT center for Italian food after you've been to Naples. LA has several good gelato places and I even appreciate Pinkberry for what it is, but still I have yet to find an ice cream place that can compete with back East. I'm looking forward to going to Northampton over thanksgiving and getting a malted vanilla cone (my favorite flavor).
Bread Bar in Beverly Hills
Yeah, technically it's in Los Angeles, but it's just east of that Robertson Corridor Bermuda Triangle where the cities of Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and West Hollywood are all within a block of each other (it sure makes it a pain to give directions).
Anyways, I live right in the area and have been very pleased. Although it looks like a sceney place from the outside, I've found the staff very friendly and helpful and they seem to take pride in their bread. Try the emanthal (sp?) cheese bread-- that's my favorite. It comes with a bunch of different sandwiches and salads.
Finally going to GUELAGUETZA...which location??
Food-wise, I believe the 8th Street location marginally beats the Olympic. Personally, I think the Palms location pales in comparison to either of the K-Town locations. You can taste the difference with dishes like the Clayuda-- the one at the Palms location tastes a little stale to me.
The Olympic location does have a liquor license and the music is nice, but I find the 8th st location quainter and more charming.
I really don't get Langer's Deli ...
Not sure what to say... I was there on Saturday at 1pm, got the #19 and it was pastrami nirvana for me as always. Everything seemed consistent with how good it always is. As someone who's lived in NYC for 5 years, I feel confident in saying that Langer's beats anything in New York hands down.
BEER!
I would try The 3rd Stop on 3rd St between Robertson and San Vicente, right accross from Cedars Sinai. Beer selection rivals Fathers Office and pretty much every pint is 5 bucks. Food is very good too, try the Hazlenut Pizza for desert.
Release my inner vampire: Craving for garlic (not Zankou)
At Sunnin on Westwood Blvd, the Chicken Kebob platter comes with a HUGE serving of that white garlic sauce that's very similar to Zankou's, but it's a much more generous helping!
Best Coffee in LA
As much as I hate to admit it, Urth Cafe probably has the best coffee. It's rare to see a scenester place also serve good food.
