Some friends and I are going to see Charles Phoenix at the Natural History Museum on Dec. 16th. The show is at 7pm, so all the museum cafes are closed.

Any ideas on places around there to have a pre-show meal?

Thanks!

Hi all,

We are having a memorial at Fukui mortuary this Sunday, and want to take people out to dinner after. It's at on Temple by Vignes, sort of close to Little Tokyo. I think we would like Japanese or Chinese food. Does any one know of a place that might be able to accommodate us? Price doesn't really matter at this point.

Thanks for any advice!

Thanks everyone! I will wrap tight the gift ones. I am also definitely going to make some vanilla sugar, and vanilla vodka. My husband wants to make vanilla whiskey. The vanilla grower we met said he puts a whole vanilla bean in a bottle of whiskey and lets it sit for a week. Then he transfers to another bottle. He said he has been doing a bottle a week, for 12 years, all with the same bean!!

I just got back from Tahiti, and bought several small packs of vanilla beans as gifts. There are about 5 pods in a pack, vacuum sealed (but not tightly.) I want to use them as Christmas gifts, but don't want them to go bad or maybe mold (they look moist) before December.

Does anyone know if they will go bad? Should my friends get an early Xmas gift? Or can I put them in the fridge or freezer? Or just leave them as-is?

Any suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated! This stuff smells awesome, and I don't want to ruin the beans!

Thanks!!

Has anyone tried it yet? The menu looks great, and the drinks look fantastic. Just wondering!

My friend and I want to meet for lunch on Friday, somewhere decent that is about the same distance for both of us. Any suggestions? Even if not for specific restaurants, how about areas?

Thanks!

Thank you so much for the information. We are actually going to scuba dive, so will be doing that 3 of the days. Then we are flying to mainland Japan to visit family. So unfortunately, unless we go with the dive company, we probably won't make it to other islands...this time!

That being said, if you do have any recommendations for specific places in Okinawa to eat, I'd love to hear about them!

I'm going to Okinawa in a few days, for a week. Staying at the Terrace Garden Mihama Resort, in Mihama, Chatan. We hear that it is by the American Village but we definitely want to try some typical Okinawan food!

Any suggestions, for food and things to do (besides scuba...that is already scheduled) would be appreciated!

Thanks!

I had a good foie gras appetizer at Hatfield's last year. And my husband had a delicious Kobe filet with Foie Gras at Katsu-ya in Glendale a few weeks ago.

Mmmm...now I want some!

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Hatfield's
6703 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Katsuya - Glendale
702 Americana Way, Glendale, CA 91210

Probably a dumb question, but what does "irrc" stand for?

I had reservations for tomorrow night at this restaurant, and was really looking forward to trying it out. Reviews were great, and I got a deal from BloomSpot. But I just got a call from the restaurant and they are CLOSING!! Whoever I spoke with, maybe the owner or manager, sounded so sad about it. I felt sort of heart-broken for him.

Sounds interesting, especially the mix and match starters. Where is it?

Where is the service panned? Any food reviews?

Thanks Shari! We ended up staying in. My friends didn't want to leave the pool since it was such a nice day! But I'll keep these in mind for next time.

I just found this restaurant on Open Table. Menu sounds good so I was wondering if anyone has tried it?

http://culture22.net/

Thanks!

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Culture 22
45 S Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

I'm looking for a nice restaurant with good food, to celebrate my husband's birthday. Just going to PS for the weekend, so not familiar with the dining scene. I found some reviews of Copley's and it sounds good so I was hoping I could get more info from the Chowhounds!

Or if you have other recommendations, please let me know. He loves steak & seafood, good martinis and wine, and we are staying in the Old Movie Colony (?) area.

Thanks!

I'm in PS this weekend. What did you find that you can recommend?

If you are going to be in SM on the weekend, a really fun thing to do is the Six Taste Food Tour. I just did it last weekend and it was amazing!! Don't do it the day of his birthday dinner because you will be full after the tour, but you get to try 6-8 places. If you are foodies, you will love it! Great info about the restaurants, cool food, info about the architecture, etc. SO fun.

We were just there a few weeks ago for our first time. We were also in Wailea, and because we were scuba diving early a few mornings we wanted to stay 'close to home' for dinners. We had a FABULOUS dinner at Ferraro's at the Four Seasons. It's on the patio overlooking the ocean and the view is amazing. Try to get a reservation about 15-30 minutes before sunset so you are settled with a drink. This is an Italian restaurant, and the food was delicious. There was also a classical duo (playing modern music) that really enhanced the dining experience.

We also went to Nick's Fish Market at the Fairmont. The oysters were amazing! The food was also very good and again, a nice patio. However, no view from this restaurant.

Another restaurant we tried was Hamahamanukunukuapaii (sp?) at the Grand Wailea. Another restaurant with a beautiful view. And we loved their appetizers, and their sashimi dinner. Both plentiful, delicious and reasonably priced.

Have a wonderful time. I did reviews of the restaurants on tripadvisor, with photos, if you are interested. http://www.tripadvisor.com/members/Na...

Thanks for the info. The GW does have their own, but I thought there might be a better/more authentic choice. However, good point about the driving!

Hi,

My husband and I just decided a few days ago to go to Maui for our anniversary. So we leave next Wednesday for 6 days! We are very excited but don't have our normal time to plan.

We'd love a suggestion for a luau, and an anniversary meal too. I've been reading these boards so have written down lots of suggestions but didn't find any luau info except the Feast at Lele (which sounds great, but are there others we should consider?)

We're staying at the Grand Wailea.

Thanks for any info!

Lebanese Kitchen in Pasadena. The restaurant is empty & stark. The service doesn't seem too friendly either, even when ordering big catering orders. But the price is right & the food is really good, so it's worth it for take away.

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Lebanese Kitchen
1384 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104

Believe it or not, there is a really good cioppino at The Derby! More lemony than usual but that really contributes to the fresh flavor.

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The Derby
233 Huntington Dr, Arcadia, CA 91006

My first thought was Melisse.

Dog Haus in Pasadena has them on the menu.

http://www.doghausdogs.com/

And Slaw Dogs (also in Pasadena) has curry ketchup on the menu.

http://www.theslawdogs.com/

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The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104

Dog Haus
105 N Hill Ave, Pasadena, CA 91106

Thank you so much! I really appreciate the information.

I have a reservation at both restaurants for this Valentine's Day. Never been to St. Martin before and want a good meal with good atmosphere. Which reservation should I keep, or is there a third option I should consider?

Thanks so much for any help!

Oh, and I've also done their "Little Tokyo" tour, which was also great. That one hit more of a variety of restaurants, not just Japanese ones! Again, a great tour guide, TONS of food, and lots of fun.

My husband and I did the "Six Taste" Dumpling tour last weekend in Arcadia. It was great to get the inside info from a local. Our guide Michael was so knowledgeable, and really funny. He told great stories, gave us great information on Taiwan & China, and really knows his stuff when it comes to the food! The food was delicious, and there was a lot of it.

We went to Din Tai Fung, which is famous for it's Juicy Dumplings. They were excellent, plus we got to try 3 or 4 other dishes. The next restaurant focused on street foods, and we tasted about 5 different things. We also went to a bakery and a store with all kinds of Chinese & Taiwanese snacks in bins. We got to try so many different & unusual things.

The other guests were fun and we had a fabulous time! The tour lasted about 4 hours, and we were stuffed by the end. Highly recommended.

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Din Tai Fung Restaurant
1108 S Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007

Thank you! I will check it out.