HastaLaPasta's Profile
Hollywood Chow-ography!
I haven't frequented that area in a while, but I always thought Hoy's Wok on the northwest corner of Sunset & La Brea (next to El Pollo Loco) to be a pretty decent Chinese place - won't blow you away but its good and close by you for that sort of thing. And of course, there's the In-N-Out at Sunset & Orange for a quick burger fix.
LA's Oldest Still-Thriving Restaurants
I believe I just heard that a new Hamburger Hamlet is opening in Silver Lake?
Best Prime Rib French Dip in L.A.?
The two best I've had in LA are at Houston's and at Paul Martin's American Bistro in Manhattan Beach.
restaurants around Shutters in Santa Monica
Catch across the street in the Casa Del Mar hotel is excellent. I've also had some excellent meals in your hotel's own restaurant, One Pico. Also would suggest Whist in the Viceroy hotel which is nearby.
Gourmet cupcakes in Vegas?
Can anyone recommend any gourmet cupcake specialty shops in Vegas, especially any that might be willing to deliver to a hotel on the strip? Something similar in quality to Sprinkles or the Vanilla Bake Shop in LA.
5 hour layover at LAX - accessible by taxi
In that area I'd suggest Paul Martin's American Bistro, The Counter, or Lido. All are pretty good. From the above list, Houstons is good (but you have them in New York) and the others I'd probably not bother with.
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Paul Martin's American Bistro
2361 Rosecrans Avenue, Suite 180, El Segundo, CA 90245
Best risotto / gnocci in LA?
I'e had some great risotto at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills.
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Il Pastaio Restaurant
400 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
BLT Steak or Wolfgang's Steak House
Haven't been to Wolfgang's but have been to BLT twice. Its excellent. You won't go wrong if you decide to go there but if its better or worse than Wolfgang, can't offer an opinion.
Best places to eat near Korea town?
We'd probably be remiss if we didn't point out that your hotel is near the purple line subway. So if you won't have a car here's a good thread discussing what's near the purple and red line subway stations:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/436632
And another for the gold line light rail, which you can link up with by taking the purple line to Union Station:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/436841
Defunct Restaurants ......are these all long gone ?
Farrell's I believe has a location in Santa Clarita and Mission Viejo now, and they've always existed in Hawaii. Velvet Turtle I believe is long gone, as is Straw Hat.
No A&W's around any more as far as I know - the last one I knew of was on Pico near Factor's Deli if I recall correctly.
Great steak in LA - but not quite Cut, etc
It might still be too expensive, but I've had some great meals at BLT Steak in West Hollywood - though I think it will be a bit less $ than Cut.
Does anyone remember The Red Onion or Casa Maria?
Hi all - does anyone remember The Red Onion or Casa Maria Mexican restaurants? Back when I was a kid I think they both had locations all over Southern California - though one might have been more limited to the LA area but I sort of confuse them a little bit in my memories.
Are there any still around? I can't find anything for Casa Maria on Google. For Red Onion, I can find one "The Original Red Onion" in Rolling Hills Estates. Is this the last remaining location of the chain I remember, or is this something different?
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Red Onion
736 Silver Spur Rd, Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 1st quarter 2011 [old]
I'm sure its really only seasonal at holiday time and probably gone by now, but nay to the giant do-it-yourself gingerbread man kit. The cookie itself isn't very gingery but is rather citrus-y, which is quite disappointing.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Yes, this came up earlier in the thread - some folks complaining they get soggy. I tried a sample in the store and it was really good, but very much not compatible with my diet.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Those Pita Bite Crackers are indeed yummy. I discovered them when the sample in the store was dipping these crackers with their Edamame Humus dip. Its a *really* good combination.
Lido Di Manhattan - Unexpectedly Good Meal in Manhattan Beach
I've eaten here before, but not recently, and always found it to be quite good. The Penne al Vodka especially was good.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
They were making these as the sample item the other day when I was in the store - it looked like the clerk had nearly burned them to a crisp but the tiny little bit they gave me as a sample tasted good and didn't seem soggy - though if my piece came from the edge instead of the middle it might have been deceiving. In any case, reminded me of something similar I used to have as a kid from Sarah Lee - if I weren't dieting right now I'd give TJ's a shot.
Al & Bea's Report: My quest for a NorCal style burrito...
Silly question, but what would constitute a NorCal style burrito? For whatever reason when I've headed up north, I don't think I've ever had a burrito, and really didn't expect they'd be that much different up there.
Which Chains Do You Respect?
For me:
In-N-Out and Baja Fresh among fast food places, because they are (IMHO) a serious cut above their competitors offering similar cuisine at least among their chain competitors.
For sit down restaurants, Houstons and Fogo de Ciao come to mind because, chain or not, they are good.
Langers was good but............
IMHO, most delis are rip-offs when you stop to think about why you paid $15 for something like roast beef on rye. That said, I think Langers is a fair value compared to other deli's, at worst.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Interesting - I did indeed try these the other day and I found them to be exactly as I had thought - very similar to Pirouettes just smaller and probably a little more wafer vs. filling since the ends of these are pinched off instead of left open. Any differences in texture, oilyness, etc. were pretty subtle.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Cool, thanks for the details description. They sound worth a try.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Are these like Peperidge Farm's Pirouette's, only shorter / smaller? It sort of sounded like them on the box when I saw them the other day but I wasn't sure.
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
Yeah, I was astounded as to how quickly I polished off the box of them, until I realized that there are "only" 16 cookies in the box (sure seemed like there'd be more)- just as well for the sake of my waistline!
Serbian Food or Restaurants in LA?
Would Croatian be close enough to Serbian? If so, Pavlich's Brick Oven Pizza - two locations one in Palos Verdes the other in San Pedro.
ISO Junior Mints varieties
By the way, I saw an ad on TV recently for several different popular candies in "m&m" form, including York Peppermint Patties. That would have to be pretty similar to m&m style junior mints, no? I'm pretty sure I have seen these in the candy isle at local supermarkets.
Do you have a favorite type of pizza?
Well, first I meant to add the word "often" to that sentence - meaning many people (I believe) who are fans of thin crust pizza, but certainly not everyone, view the crust in this sense. In any case I certainly didn't mean to cause a kerfuffle over this! :) While I prefer thicker crust, I have nothing against those that prefer it thin.
Second, what I mean is that I think some thin crust fans want the crust only in that it provides the pizza with a structure so that they can lift the piece up and get everything into their mouth. But they don't really want the taste of bread interfering with the cheese, sauce and toppings, and tolerate it only because it provides a way to get the slice into their mouth. Otherwise, a bowl of melted cheese, sauce, and toppings would be better for them, but such food would not be easily consumable without silverware the way pizza usually is.
I guess its just maybe about the proportion of the ingredients. I personally just like for there to be more bread, and I prefer that taste. When I read thin crust fans critiquing pizza, often I read them saying the crust is too thick / not thin enough and that it starts to interfere with the taste of the other ingredients, hence my thoughts above. But if the crust is good - the dough is good, correct consistency and its cooked properly, it should be contributing to the overall taste experience and so too much should not be a bad thing. In fact, I'd say a good pizza dough could be cooked up thick and eaten plain and taste great.
I feel the appreciation of thin crust pizza must be similar to an appreciation of extra dry martinis - for some reason the Vermouth is wanted, but so little of it that they almost could be drinking their gin (or vodka) straight up and never know the difference.
la/ucla and westwood area
2nd rec. for Palomino's happy hour which I believe is from 5:00 until whenever they close. Damon & Pathias for Greek food. LaMonica's for NY style pizza. Noodle Planet for pan Asian. Basically there are tons of good, cheap places in the Westwood village, walk around and explore - they are catering to college kids.
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Noodle Planet
700 W Valley Blvd, Alhambra, CA 91803
Trader Joe's Yea/Nay thread - 4th Quarter 2010 [OLD]
The new peanut butter cookies - they're a little cookie, topped with peanut butter, dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with chopped peanuts. Not sure the official name for them but they're new and oh soooooo yummy.
Do you have a favorite type of pizza?
I really prefer Chicago Style Deep Dish. Why? I like a good, thick crust. I know fans of NY style pizza and other thin styles view the crust as an otherwise unwanted aspect of the pizza whose purpose is to provide a structure onto which the cheese, sauce, and toppings can be placed so that you can lift the whole thing up to your mouth without making a mess, and whose taste should interefeere with those as little as possible. Me, I like the crust to compliment the other ingredients which is why I think I prefer Chicago style more.
