Review: Table 8 for Restaurant Week

When I called Table8 for a reservation, the guy on the phone first asked if I wanted the DineLA menu. Stupidly, I said "yes" and he then told me that the only reservations they had available were for 10:00pm.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Bento Box Ideas For Lunch?

You don't need to go to la.foodblogging first (even though that's my site), you can go directly to her site here:

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-ClNxmZY_eqldsDj2yXOL

That is an enjoyable blog she has.

Jonah in General Chowhounding Topics

I've Got $9 to Spend on Dinner in W. LA. Where Do I Go?

Asahi Ramen or Ramenya. Ramenya has a much bigger selection, you could cycle through those choices for a while.

Ramenya review:
http://la.foodblogging.com/2005/06/14/ramenya/

Asahi Review:
http://la.foodblogging.com/2005/06/01/asahi-ramen/

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Best Miso-Glazed Black Cod?

Mori was my favorite until I went to Hamakawa downtown, it's just as good and about half the price. I had it at Beacon and thought it was pretty average.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Frida Restaurant

Same as Dommy, not really anything on the menu worth the price. Cool atmosphere and good maragritas, but waaaay overpriced. I wouldn't recommend it, but I wouldn't argue with someone who told me they had a good meal there.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

CHEZ MIMI or LE PETIT CAFE for a nice French meal in Santa Monica?

Both are really good. Le Petit is a little more casual, with menus on the chalk board and nice, but not excellent service. I like to go and split a main with my wife (for $4 you get full sides on both plates, worth it), a bowl of french onion soup and we split a dessert. With a glass of wine, I think that comes out to about $100 total. Here's my review of Le Petit:
http://la.foodblogging.com/2005/08/08/le-petit-cafe/

Chez Mimi is a bit higher end, with formal menus and formal service. It's also a bit more expensive. The duck with cherry sauce was very good. Here's my review of Chez Mimi:
http://la.foodblogging.com/2005/07/18/chez-mimi/

As to which I prefer, I go to Le Petit more often, because for the price, I think that it is a better value. If money was no object, I would probably still split them 50/50. If I was trying to impress someone I would go to Chez Mimi. If I was looking for a more lighthearted, fun dinner with friends, I would go to Le Petit.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Beverly Hills vs Silver Lake for cheese?

I would recommend thinking of general types of cheeses you like (stinky, soft, creamy, hard, etc) then asking them to pick out some of each animal (goat, sheep, cow) for you to try. Buy the ones you like. It's fun to take home one of each (or more). Also, their baguettes are very good.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

where can i buy a case of grapefruits?

Marina Farms for sure. They have them by the crateload. I they are usually 3/$1 and are really good. If you're going to be hand selecting them, just make sure to go for the heaviest ones you can find.

Marina Farms is on Centinela between Jefferson and the 90.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Cheap Sushi on the Westside

Dommy-
If you get the chance I would love to hear a more detailed review of CSA. Some more info about what is served, pacing, price, seating, etc. would be appreciated. I keep meaning to go there, but haven't made it yet.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Talking Advertisements!?!

I'm waiting for the "well, we wish we could get rid of the advertising, but, well, you know, we have to keep the lights on here and pay our moderators to make sure that nothing untoward slips through the gates"

I agree that the audio ads are an assault on the user.

Jonah in Site Talk

Pavlova -- a sure-fire recipe

Comments should be fixed now (sorry 'bout that)

Jonah in Home Cooking

Santa Monica Breakfast

I like the food at Rose ok, but it seems way over priced and they have a small menu. The setting is nice, but I wish that there were better options with better prices.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Best Tea in Los Angeles

I like the tea list at Hugo's in Hollywood.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

what happened to cafe bizou in santa monica? Why did it close?

It has been at least a year.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Moving Ads Make Me Nervous

Ad block might work on some, but specifically for moving ads based on Flash, I suggest Flashblock:

https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/433/

You can select which sites you allow flash on and which you don't. Also, you can selectively activate flash on a site.

Jonah in Site Talk

restaurant recommendations around Venice Blvd/Lincoln?

Thanks for the tips, it's on my list.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Hal's Bar and Grill - Venice

I just went here the other night:

http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/10/04/hals-bar-and-grill-venice/

It is very noisy downstairs, but there is a quiet upstairs room. I really liked the options on their menu and I am looking forward to going back. They offer mostly American type dishes, steak, fish, some pasta, but have good sauces and seasoning.

The dishes at dinner were pretty big and could easily be shared. The appetizer menu was good too.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

restaurant recommendations around Venice Blvd/Lincoln?

I have been looking for someone to give feedback about Spin, how does it stack up against other rotisserie chicken joints?

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Need good falafel etc. for celebration at home.

I think that Zankou's falafel is often overlooked, but is much better than Falafel King, in my opinion. You can hit up the Zankou on Sepulveda near Santa Monica Blvd.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Child-friendly Indian Restaurant near Santa Monica

I second Akbar, plus the people who work there are really nice and accomodate special orders. I'm not sure if you are looking for just a kid-friendly atmosphere, or kid-friendly food, but I think that you could find both there.

Ask for the Indian donut, your kid (and you) will love it.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Santa Monica's Blue Plate is special

Blue Plate is at 1415 Montana.

I have been here a few times for breakfast pre-remodel. I really liked their breakfast wrap, but it is a bit on the expensive side for what you get.

I would like to try their soups some time, they always look good.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Are restaurants serving spinach yet?

Spinach is back at the Farmers Market (in Santa Monica at least):

http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/10/11/the-return-of-spinach-suzys-samo-farmar-report/

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Luna Park = Awesome!

There is nothing private about Luna Park, we (a party of four) split the big round table with another party of four when we dropped in for drinks and dessert. I kind of like that sort of atmosphere once in a while. If you get one of the booths you can get a little more privacy, or you can go on the early side, before the crowd arrives.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Whole Foods has $20 off coupons for Ciudad or Border Grill

They run this promotion frequently. Sometimes I have been able to use the coupon for Border Grill happy hour, sometimes not. I think I'm about 50/50 depending on which manager is there. The coupon requires that you spend $50 to save $20.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Luna Park = Awesome!

I think that Luna Park is one of the excellent values in the city. It does get loud and crowded, but that's part of the atmoshpere there. Even when I sat next to the cramped bar and kept getting bumped, I still had a great meal.

My favorite dish is the risotto with scallops and a tomatillo sauce, yum! The desserts are tasty too, especially the crisp.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Saturday lunch--Lilly's, Literati II, 26 Beach, somewhere else?

The Lilly's Lunch special is fantastic and I agree with yogachik that the outside patio is a great spot.

Here is their lunch menu (specials at the bottom):
http://www.lillysfrenchcafe.com/lunch.htm

Here is a review I wrote up with some pictures too:
http://la.foodblogging.com/2006/06/13/lillys-lunch-special/

I don't know for sure if they do the lunch special on weekends, you may want to call and verify. On weekdays they do not take reservations for lunch and it fills up, so go early or you may have to wait, especially for the patio.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Excellent Matsutake Soup and Baby Bluefin Tuna at Kiriko

We sat at a table at Mori and had incredible service. The waiter gave us a bunch of great recommendations and was just generally a great server. That was my experience, at least.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Best (Inexpensive) Sushi in LA?

But there is an ATM in house if you forget.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area

Looking for a Good First Date Spot in Santa Monica/Manhattan Beach

Mercedes Grill in Marina Del Rey, on Washington might be a fun choice. It's sort of Cuban-esque food and has a cool atmosphere without being too trendy. They have good mojito options too. It's also just about half way between SM and MB.

Jonah in Los Angeles Area