Free Corkage In or Near Studio City?

Any ideas appreciated.

Looking for a reasonably cool place where a date and I can get our buzz on without breaking the bank.

Thank you.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

joe's NY pizza in santa monica = hyped & awful

Agree. Sauce is bland. But I thought the crust was amazing. A good option for cheap bite when in the area, but I personally won't be driving out of my way for it.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Joe's of Bleecker Street - Unbelievable

Just tried it, a slice of cheese. Crust is absolutely the best I've had in LA, ever. Toppings only good, not great. Not particularly flavorful. Still, I'll be back, though I would go with toppings next time....maybe pepperoni.

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Who's Open Thanksgiving Day?

Krua Thai's open regular hours (until 3am.)

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Trivia - Which was the first Trader Joe's?

I had also heard it was the one on Mission, but apparently the Arroyo store was first. (scroll about halfway down the transcript below.)

http://snipurl.com/1u1n2

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Chains

Best Burger in LA

I've been ordering them medium rare at In N Out for years now and they nail it every time. I also know I've never seen any fast food restaurant take complaints as seriously as they do...with an immediate cheerful remake of the order and a coupon for another free meal in addition!

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Google Map of Chowhound Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants

Great job. But, good Lord, it hurts to see Sushi 101 on that list. How did that one slip in?

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

TAMA SUSHI

Why are you thinking you can reserve a seat in front of him? Did you really expect him to shunt a group of regulars to the side because you had "dibs?"

I've been many times and have never seen anything but warmth from Katsu. Nor did Katsu ever shunt me off to the side (though as a solo diner I would fully expect to be asked to fill a hole between other groups, whether regulars or otherwise.) But Katsu was smiling at me & making small talk from the first visit, and does to this day.

Asanebo does deliver, but sashimi, and at top dollar. (Sushi is also top dollar, but not top drawer.)

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Need advice on Cliff's Edge (Silverlake)!

My experience was good. Good food, excellent service, and love the interior. It's all pretty nice, but try to sit on the inner ring of the upper level.

And yes, street parking is a nightmare, so use the valet.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Where to take a London food-blogger?

Wow, that's the most beautiful food blog I've ever seen. She's such a gifted photographer. And my God, her own desserts look like something I'd pay top dollar for!

But maybe the photographer in her would be into more offbeat, even downscale offerings? I'm wondering if she wouldn't be interested in the Wat Thai food court? Pie n Burger in Pasadena? I think the Mexican recs are excellent, too.

With the higher end places you're considering, I'd email the various restaurants with a link to her blog -- they will treat you like royalty, if not comp you. She makes the restaurants she covers look like heaven on earth.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Best Happy Hour that lasts passed 7pm

I think the McCormick & Schmick's restaurants have a second happy hour from 9-11pm, but the vibe is probably more sedate than you're after.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Date Place on Sawtelle?

Second Furaibo...it's fun, cheap & casual, which keeps it from being too try-hard for a first date. I'd sit at the bar -- more privacy than at the close-together 2-tops.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Sushi tonight...Westside

U-Zen's great and not too expensive.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Sushi Zo - two bad experiences

From the delay on nigiri, he probably wants to drive a la carte customers away. Sounds like he's confident he can fill the seats with blank-check omakase buyers.

And the roll thing is pretty rude. I had a recent experience with Katsu (who I would take over Keizo any day) at Tama. I took a date there who wanted a spicy tuna roll. I winced, but he immediately set to work. And it was great, actually. Then my date asked him for a "halibut roll." Katsu lit up with delight, suppressing a giggle. "Halibut roll?!" He paused, looking for a polite way to demur. "Halibut's not good in a roll." It was clear that she had, for him, ordered the equivalent of pickle cheesecake, but there was no outrage, no pointing at the door -- just a gentle correction.

When you know you're good, you don't need people to kiss the ring.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Brentwood Sushi Reality Check

I think the owner has done the math after seing the cult following that accrues to sushi chefs who adopt a diva attitude. Many customers use rudeness as a proxy for brilliance.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Not About Food

Frugal First Date Tonight In Studio City/NOHO...where to go??

Dude, that's not just a cheap date, that's depressing beyond belief. She will want to kill herself...or, if she has any self -respect, you.

Better cheap date: Caioti pizza, just catty-corner from Henry's Tacos. Split the BBQ chicken pizza, made by the inventor, who (you will inform her), invented it at Spago, later building California Pizza Kitchen's menu around it, & take advantage of their free corkage to enjoy a bottle of TJ's best. Peruse the scrapbooks full of the thank-you notes of grateful moms who finally delivered after partaking of "The" Salad (famed for inducing labor in post-due moms-to-be), quite helpfully introducing thoughts of the wonderful things sex with the opposite gender brings into our lives. After dinner walk next door in either direction: South, have a really good gelato. North, a really good dessert at Aroma. Then take her home to check out the latest in your Netflix queue, both of you giddy on Italian ice, 2 buck Chuck & great carbs, and let the magic begin. Total outlay for two: well under $20.

But...Henry's tacos? On a bench under ugly fluorescents? And Starlight Room? Again, fluorescents and paneled like your grampa's basement?

Both of you will swear off sex for LIFE.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Restaurants with a private room

Much cheaper, but still fun & tasty: The tatami room at Furaibo on Sawtelle.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

sweet lady jane- incredibly rude!

FWIW, I went there a few years ago & liked the slice of berry cake I had, though it was very sweet.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Any AYCE order-off-the-menu places?

I would call Robins to confirm this. About a year ago I noticed AYCE had vanished from their menu and asked the manager (owner?) He said the nightly AYCE specials had been discontinued.

If they've been restarted I would love to know.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

This past week-El Parian, Los Tacos, Loteria, and Super Tacos

I also went to El Parian for the first time this week. I went solo on Sunday night, about 7:30pm. About four tables were occupied when I arrived, perhaps six when I left, and they had a steady stream of to-go customers. I was the only Caucasian during this time.

Service was polite, fast & warm. I detected no favoritism in play. Two separate waitresses waited on me, both always with a smile...possibly with the slightest hint of amusement at seeing a white guy in there after dark, but whatever, I felt the love.

Chips and drinks came fast. Chips were from a bag, but were fresh and delicious. Salsa was tasty, but I'm not the kind of guy who would know what good salsa was so I'll let others weigh in on it.

I have a cheatsheet in my car with notes of various raves, and the notation for El Parian seemed to point to the all-meat version of the asada burrito, so that's what this lapsed low-carber went with. (However, I was sorely tempted by the possibility of just ordering a pound of asada or carnitas a la carte and just shoveling it down. Do civilized people do such a thing? In the end I chickened out.)

Huge burrito was delivered fairly quickly with vast quantities of tasty asada. I didn't detect any 'charred bits', but it was delicious and (at least the batch I got) had none of that old, steamed quality that I dislike as much as you do. My batch wasn't chewy or greasy in the slightest.

(I'm going to pause a moment and say that nothing in this post should be construed as meaning that I'm doubting any part of your experience. I'm as sick of thread wars as anyone and I'm just offering my experience as an independent data point.)

I did add some salt to my asada -- to my taste, this made the very good asada amazing. I crammed that mountain of beef down my gob and was very happy. I'll be back, and next time, this very white boy will try some goat.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Yen Sushi & Sake Bar - Wilshire Near Barrington - WorseThan Crazy Fish

The deep-fried roll is indeed the secret to enjoyable meals at a sub-par sushi restaurants.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Gerlach's Grill-- a little bummed

I've never understood the raves either. Mediocre food in a dumpy location. Utterly undistinguished.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Sushi for 10 in Santa Monica...........

U-Zen in WLA (Santa Monica Blvd. near Bundy) would be my rec for this. They have a large table in the center of the resto that would be perfect.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

Which places in LA fry their eggs in bacon grease/drippings?

I imagine most places would use the cheapest, longest lasting oil, which would be a transfat.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

1 st date recommendations for Saturday afternoon

How about checking out the Museum Of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, and then walking the 200 feet to Bottle Rock for a glass of wine or Belgian ale?

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

The Apple Pan hickory burger revisited (with clear eyes)

I had a nsg experience with Hector today. This thread had reminded me of the AP, so I detoured off the 405 for lunch, snagging a spot on Hector's side. He was curt as usual (no one would call his behavior gentlemanly), but his behavior, at first, was no worse than usual, and not yet at Gordon's level.

What put me off was what happened when two male Japanese tourists sat next to me. Hector demanded their order. Confused by "steakburger", one politely replied with, "excuse me, which one is..." Hector pivoted and walked away -- not to do anything, but because he just simply refused to answer a customer's reasonable question. I explained the burgers to the tourists, and when Hector finally returned, they ordered 2 hickory burgers, to which Hector barked, "Coke?!" They nodded and began to turn away, forcing them to yell "Diet" as he turned.

Hector came back, opened 2 cokes, slammed them down. To my surprise, one of the Japanese guys had the balls to say, "We wanted Diet." No apology from Hector. He pointedly dropped the full cokes in the trash in front of them (insinuating it'd been their fault) and SLAMMED down two diets.

I was really disgusted. No doubt Hector confirmed everything the tourists had heard about the US. I've loved the Apple Pan for twenty years and was just revolted.

This guy really SHOULD be pounding the bricks. He does not deserve that job. He must clean up with tips from that gig, and he completely shat on these two polite guys.

By the way, the burger was really good, and the well-done fries excellent. At $11 and change, the price wasn't any more than I would expect for a diner burger. To my taste, the food's better than Fatburger and In N Out and protestations to the contrary are silly.

But the service at Apple Pan can sink to the level of sadism.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

The Apple Pan hickory burger revisited (with clear eyes)

Normally, I'd think 129 posts in a few days on a burger joint was excessive, but it's only a few people reposting the same opinion again and again.

Mine: I love this place, though I understand those who are conflating Gordon with the burger and thus hating on the burger....multiple times...years later...after a single visit.

I'd advise those folks to try again, sitting on the West side this time. (I've never sat on Gordon's side without feeling dissed. But I don't think he's really dissing anyone. I think he's just being Gordon.)

And I'll take a moment to synopsize the next 10 posts: It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks It sucks.

Saved you guys some time. :-)

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

The Apple Pan hickory burger revisited (with clear eyes)

Thanks, sklathill.... I have not found one willing to do this for a long time. (I also lived on them during grad school.)

I think doneness doesn't matter to a lot of people.

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area

The Apple Pan hickory burger revisited (with clear eyes)

I'm not going to wade into the Apple Pan question as the thread's getting repetitious but are you & Briggs really both okay with Fatburger's doneness restrictions (medium-well or well only)? It has been over three years since the chain went to a no-medium policy.

Have either of you had a Fatburger store make you a medium or less burger within the past month, and if so, which store and what time of day?

Alimentary My Dear Watson in Los Angeles Area