Holes in my Oahu Itinerary- seeking low key local fare with drinks for dinner. Thanks!!

Thanks all!

sarahbeths in Hawaii

Holes in my Oahu Itinerary- seeking low key local fare with drinks for dinner. Thanks!!

Thank you both!! Tikis may fit the bill for Sunday dinner. I swapped Hau Tree for Azure on sat night. Too bad I didn't book it earlier for sunset time, now only 830 is available. Looking at all other suggestions, much appreciated.

Is Gaku worth the $$$? We have a Sasabune in LA so I am disinclined to go there.

sarahbeths in Hawaii

Holes in my Oahu Itinerary- seeking low key local fare with drinks for dinner. Thanks!!

Hi Chows,

I've passed through the euphoria phase of my trip planning and I'm now in my panicked 2-days-away overthinking every choice stage.

It's just me and my boyfriend and he's more of a foodie by association so I don't like to push too much on the $$$$. I wanted a mixture of casual and high end dining but heavy on the "beachy" "Hawaiian" feel. (Hence Hau Tree Lanai over Alan Wong's for dinner, etc. ) Yes, I'm mostly hoping for "good choices!" and not looking to start over from scratch, but always welcome feedback. Sunday Dinner is the trouble spot, see below:

FRI: (arrive at noon) Depending if we can wait that long for lunch, Helena's straight from aiport.
Dinner is Happy Hour drinks/food at Outrigger Hona Grill followed by HWAK drinks/pupus

SAT:
Lunch- Surf lesson on north shore followed by Giovanni's followed by Mastumoto Ice)

Dinner- Roy's Waikiki. (Was relieved to learn that this is chow-approved choice, not the same as eating as a Roy's on mainland. I secretly pined for Roy's)

SUN: Leonard's for breakfast, driving around the East side of the Island, probably can't plan lunch but have Kalapawai Cafe in my notes.

Dinner: ????? Would love some low-key, local approved food but with cocktails and a pleasant atmosphere (Like If Duke's weren't an annoying chain) Does this place exist? i've been combing through every Oahu thread I can find and haven't hit upon this. On trip advisor there is a place called Uncle Bo's that sort of fits the bill but no chows mentioned it ever. I wouldn't mind driving up to 40 minutes. Or like Mariana Sailing Club if the food was good.... I've also toyed with the idea of Happy Hour for dinner at Top of Waikiki, or Haiwaiiana Cafe which nobody on chow mentions but is beloved on Trip Advisor)

MON:
L-Chinatown Legend, Fattys, or Little Village Noodle House (???)
Dinner- Sushi Izakaya Gaku

TUES
L-Ono
D- Hau Tree Lanai

Thank you for your help. I feel like Chowhound is the only place where people understand this obsessing over where to eat on vacation!

sarahbeths in Hawaii

DESPERATE NEED OF FOIE GRAS! Please Help With Restaurants...

Hi Yes,

You don't have to do the Foie for all at Melisse to enjoy theirs. It's a course option for one of their tastings and also sold a la carte. I think the whole foie meal would probably be too much foie for one night....

So far that's been my favorite in LA, I also had a good seared foie at JiRaffe. I also prefer it much more than terrine/pate....

I want to try Animal's.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Mission Bay recs? for this Sat.

decision made- George's Terrace. Fun menu + view. thanks to nileg for pointing me in the right search direction.

sarahbeths in San Diego

Mission Bay recs? for this Sat.

Thanks for the clarification. Anyone care to suggest La Jolla favs? I keep searching in the meantime.

sarahbeths in San Diego

Mission Bay recs? for this Sat.

Hi SD chows,

I'm coming from LA for one night. I've always stayed downtown/gas lamp before on my SD visits and this time I wanted to change things up. So I'm staying in Mission Bay and looking to eat around there, also for the sake of mixing things up.

I don't feel like doing a 80/pp tasting menu type of place this time- something lower key like a california bistro or a mexican place would be good. Definitely want table service and alcohol. I liked the menu of the Drunken Goat and Cantina Mayhuel- anything similarly appealing in Pacific Beach/Mission Bay?

And yes, I've used the search tool. After 2 hours of searching, I am starting this thread because I didn't really find anything. Most threads with Mission Bay in the thread name, the responders either told them to drive somewhere else. Is this because the Mission Bay area doesn't really have good places?

Thanks!

sarahbeths in San Diego

Hostaria del Piccolo

The Garganelli with butternut squash pasta dish is one of the the best things I've eaten this year. I had it three times since discovering this place and still crave it. I do need to request some parmeggiano as they don't think to offer it, and it really sends the dish into deliciousness overdrive.

I also love their Gangolo cocktail. It has vodka, St. Germain, muddled strawberries, and mint. I could drink these til the cows come home.

I love the feel of this place- lacquered wood bench tables. It's comfortable, relaxed with a smidge of posh.

The pizzas are ok, not fantastic. I like to share a pizza as an appetizer, but I will not share the Garganelli!

I enjoy this more casual outpost over the original Piccolo Venice. Piccolo Venice I had a good but uneven meal, and while the atmosphere is lovely, the food wasn't quite as good as some other Italian restaurants in the same price range.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

O Sotto mio!

agreed, i LOVE a soggy center. Having lived in Italy, I dream of soggy-centered authentic Italian pizza. I cried when Pizzeria Mozza opened and did not live up to my expectations. I will check out Sotto.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

La Paella Restaurant - the real deal

Thank you for reminding me that I want to try this place! Since this place is rarely mentioned I wondered if it was "the real deal", and happy to hear that it is. The new places do get the benefit of hype, so we need little reminders of the classic joints out there we haven't been to yet.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Solo Traveler Seeking Amazing Sushi in LA at non-Astronomical Prices

Did you already go? i vote for the original Katsu-Ya in studio city. Some of the rolls are like $6 and they are gooooood. Much more reasonable than the upscale franchise without the hyphen. Delicious.

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Katsu-Ya
11680 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Did you know that Benihana has "Endless Sushi" for $29.00?

Hey thanks for the tip! Please let's thank and encourage people posting good deals/tips so they don't get scared off from doing so. If you're not interested in the tip, just keep it to yourself!

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Best Happy Hour in Santa Monica

That sounds good, but short! Santa Monica is pretty big. It may depend somewhat on the part. And do you care more about food or cheap drinks? There is a huge beer for 3 of 4 dollars at Sake House around 4th and (?) Broadway.

Here's a resource I love for HH and you can list by area:

http://www.vixenslahappyhours.com/search/label/Santa%20Monica

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Sake House
401 Santa Monica Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Staying ay Loews Sanata Monica this weekend - no car - where to eat.

Dunno if it's too far but I really like Madame Chou Chou on Main. You have to sit on the patio though. Good for any of the meals from bfast, just coffee/pastry, or full dinner with wine. The pistacchio raspberry cake visits me in dreams.

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Madame Chou Chou
2518 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Help with 1st Wedding Anniversary: Melisse, Spago, Cut, or ?

Hi Oracle!

I have been to all of your final three and I say definitely Melisse. I went to Cut for a big birthday and was sorely disappointed, and I wanted to like it so much. It really feels like "just meat", not creative and not super yummy to justify those prices. The service was impersonal as well as the atmposphere.

Spago I have written a review of on this site...The first time was for Dine LA and the service was bad and food good but not exceptional. I felt they were holding back because of the DIne LA price. The second time food was delicious the 2nd time, but the service was incredibly non-existent. Literally I could get our waiter to visit the table, didn't see him once throughout the tasting. I did, as others suggest, send my review to Spago management and was sent a gift certificate to come back and try again. I will happily do so, but I wouldn't take the chance on a special meal.

Melisse was one of my very best meals in Los Angeles, if not the best. The food was fantastic, creative, fun, complex, and delicious. The service was a bit on the regal side, which is, frankly, how it should be when you are paying a lot for a great meal. There were all the little extras that you want from a formal dining experience, like the take home chocolates and the cheese cart. It reminded more of my trip to the French Laundry in terms of elegance and service than any other restaurant thus far in Los Angeles. You want to feel special on this great occasion, and I think this is the perfect place. I really look forward to having an occasion like yours so I can go back!

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

21st Birthday in Los Angeles... HELP!!

Hey! The Edison is pretty fabulous in decor and will feel quite festive, but you'd need to reserve a table and then you'll have a minimum food/beverage requirement to hit. Friends meeting up there can be tricky because if others arrive late they might face a long line. Also, men have to wear nice dress shoes, sneakers won't be allowed in.

The issue of hopping around is always a problem in LA, as the coolest bars tend not be in a big cluster (except for the gay bars around Santa Monica Blvd in WeHo, which can actually be a really fun place to bar hop, but I digress....)

Downtown there are a few nice bars within walking distance (Golden Gopher, 7 Grand, The Library) alas the Edison is not one of them. But if you plan ahead the Standard rooftoop bar towntown could be fun. (sometimes there's a private party).

Bar Louie downtown is a nice restaurant that is not that expensive....

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

mid-range french bistro

I second Meet, which my French friend really liked. Madame Chou Chou's perfectly fits the bill, and the decor on the patio is unbeatable. L'Epicure doesn't have the exact ambiance down, but some of the food is pretty good. The potato leek soup on a cold winter day was one of my best food experiences of the past year!

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Madame Chou Chou
2518 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Spekuloos in LA?

I live near Simpaing Asia store and I didn't find it there.
My friend brought me a jar but it's a different brand (Waffles&Dinges, something like that) and it's not as flavorful as I remembered it being the first time I had the "real" brand which is Lotus. I found it online "Biscoff Spread" is the american name, can get via Amazon but not available for Prime shipping, so costs $5 to ship it. Some people found it in random grocery stores on the East Coast (Kroger for example in Maryland), so if anyone has a "Biscoff Spread" siting in LA please report! :)

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Coming to LA from ITALY need Restaurant Recommendations: Steakhouses,Burgers and SUSHI

Ciao Foolini! This is very exciting to advise an Italian on where to eat! Well, us chows are very opinionated people and you will get a lot of conflicting opinions. For Burgers, definitely NOT Apple Pan (dry, boring, boo) and I don't like Father's office because they are too sweet and no variety, I LOVE 26 Beach (sort of close to Santa Monica) which has an amazing selection and the most incredible tasting Kobe beef patties. Yum. They also do great elaborate breakfasts, so good for a brunch if some people want hamburgers and some people want pancakes.

I also like The Counter (LA Chain, the original is in Santa Monica on ocean) which is more casual and has amazing sweet potato fries and wonderful milkshakes.

For steak, please do NOT go to CUT which, purtroppo, was one of the most disappointing meals I've had in LA on my 30th birthday. I liked Mastros ok not as much as everyone else- my filet mignon was underseasoned. I loved their signature cake dessert though, sooooo good. Fogo di Chao would be fun, it's Brazilian all-you-can-eat steak and quite tasty high-end chain.

For high end sushi Nobu is good, if you go get their signature miso black cod in addition to your sushi. My favorite sushi is the original Katsu-Ya in Studio City (need car and rez), but the atmosphere is laid-back, not fancy. Sushi Zo (michelin star) is also incredible for nigri sushi only (no rolls, no appetizers, no fusion) but lacking ambiance as it is in a strip mall. Also Sasabune which is near you in Santa Monica.

I agree that Korean BBQ is a very LA experience and better here than almost any other city in the US.

Also Mexican food (disgusting in Italy the few times I tried it there) is something LA is good at and worth trying. I like Don Antonio's on the west side (near Santa Monica)-- I know it's not the best or most authentic mexican in LA, it's near me and I enjoy it.

Please report back! I hope you like Los Angeles a fraction as much as I love Italy!

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26 Beach
3100 Washington Blvd., Venice, CA 90292

Apple Pan
10801 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Sushi Zo
9824 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Don Antonio's
11755 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

Katsu-Ya
11680 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA 91604

Nobu
11357 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Sasabune
12400 Wilshire Blvd Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90025

Mastros Restaurant
2087 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Best tiramisu in LA from a restaurant (no chains)?

This is a tough one! I am a very tough critic of tiramisu, even when I am in Italy I have had some that aren't up to snuff IMHO. I believe that tiramisu needs to taste of coffee, mascarpone, liquor (marsala or rum), and a hint of cocoa. The biggest problem with tiramisu is one or more of those flavors missing, or a dry cake-y texture.

So far the best I've had is at La Botte, it was quite good but not perfect. (I would prefer a heavier hand with the liquor.)

Angelini Osteria has a delicious "cup of mascarpone" dessert that is tiramisu-like without actually being tiramisu. They sometimes offer actual tiramisu as a dessert special, but it's not been available when I was there, would be very anxious to try theirs as I find them to be authentic and overall fabulous.

Worst would go to Ugo in Culver City. I had to send it back.

I would love to find a great tiramisu in town if anyone knows!

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Angelini Osteria
7313 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Five Guys in Culver City...when?

Yay!!! I flipping love Five Guys! Grew up eating at the original location before it was a chain. One of the original Five Guys flipped our burgers. I was a little girl and thought he was dreamy. (Matt with blue eyes) So glad they are coming closer!!

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

help? ONE DAY ONLY in LA - 20-somethings visiting from NYC

Without being specific, I would say be careful about the advice you're getting on this thread. Everyone has their own favorite restaurants and opinions just vary so much. People are adamant about where to go, but you may get there and realize it has nothing to do with your taste. Also some people are mentioning sceney places that are more about classic LA atmosphere and maybe seeing celebrities than tasty food (joans, ivy). As well intentioned as people are, I think you'll do better looking through some best-of-the year round ups lists (Jonathon Gold's essential 99) and eater LA http://la.eater.com/tags/eater-38 and seeing what really appeals to you.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Top Chef All Stars Reunion Show

Great input, everyone! I agree with mostly everyone- Don't bite the hand that feeds you. More like fed you, TC won't feed you no more, Elia! BTW, just noticed that "TC" is interchangeable between Tom C and Top Chef.

I am not a chef and admittedly know scary little about food issues for a chow, but can someone explain in a nutshell what the big deal is about corn fed vs grass fed beef? Is it an animal rights thing, an environmental thing, what exactly?

I'm a girlie girl with a boyfriend but I have a huge crush on Padma. I even named my new car Padma. So my mouth dropped and I was quite excited by her girl-curious comments. I had to google 'motorboat' as well. I am kinda shocked she said it on tv! Does anyone else agree that Padma is just the combination of beauty, poise, brains, sweet nature, and humor? She's the bomb!

I love the montages on the reunion specials. I always enjoy the reunion special so much more than I expct because of all the great stuff they put together. I'm a film/video editor so it's kinda a perfect amalgamation of my life's great passions. :)

sarahbeths in Food Media & News

Spago Tasting Menu (5 course) Great food but Lacking Service

I just received a call from management at Spago. They are are extremely apologetic and glad I brought this to their attention. They wanted to hear more details, and offer me a gift certificate to come back and have good service. So thank you all for encouraging me to let them know, because it seems like we all will benefit.

Apparently supplements only happen when truffles are in season, or you can supplement your tasting with something from the main menu (which the waiter should have suggested or offered and hopefully will from here on out). The tasting menu is not written, as it is meant to seasonal and surprising, but the manager said that upon request it can surely be printed out and delivered to take home.

So...the food is delicious, the managers do care, and now that they know about that server who didn't care, they will straighten him out. I will also report back after returning compliments of the house.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Spago Tasting Menu (5 course) Great food but Lacking Service

Thanks, everyone. I will send the review to Spago management after your encouragement.
To Silence9, I would say not to worry about not ordering alcohol. These days, it's in very poor taste to discriminate against those who don't drink. Service industry must be sensitive to those, for example, who are recovering alcoholics, or allergic, or who don't drink for religious reasons. It's completely uncool for anyone to treat you differently because of that.

But at Spago, it seems you might get shi**y service even if you do order quite a bit. I will keep everyone posted on whether or not management responds.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

HELP!!! Is it possible to find good FISH TACOS in CULVER CITY MALL (WESTFIELD)??!!

Qdoba is amazing if you order the right thing. Their rice and their guac and their tortillas are like crack for me. I used to drive all the way to the Manhattan Beach Qdoba to get my fix until the Culver City Mall one popped up like an answer to my prayers. I get the Chicken Burrito with the tortilla on the side (I know, weird) and a big side of guac and their thin, sublimely limey chips. The only thing is I feel comatose for hours afterwards, it's a LOT of calories and carbs.

BJ's is good for one thing only- Pizoooooooookie

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Qdoba
5221 W Rosecrans Ave, Hawthorne, CA 90250

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Your favorite restaurants for healthy food

I am always wondering this.

Mine so far include
Tender Greens in culver city
Govinda's (Krishna Buffet in Culver City)
Shikibu (brown rice sushi in, you guessed it, can you tell I live in Culver City?)
Native Foods
Urth (that salad, man!)
Literati Cafe
Bulan Vegetarian Thai
Mrs Winston's Green Grocery
Sage (silverlake area vegan)

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Tender Greens
9523 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Govinda's Natural Foods Vegetarian Buffet & Dinner Club
3764 Watseka Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90034

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Need replacement for Asakuma (good, moderately priced, Santa Monica-ish sushi?)

I second U-Zen. Went there a couple of weeks ago, and had a good meal. At 8 or 8:3o they start a "late night happy hour" 7 days a week, 3.5 dollar certain rolls and appetizers. So you can really keep your bill down. Salmon was particularly fresh and the albacore. It's in your hood. The atmosphere is very un-LA. Kinda 90's sushi joint in non-urbane town.

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area

Spago Tasting Menu (5 course) Great food but Lacking Service

I had been to Spago once before during Dine LA but wanted to try it the "right way" with their signature tasting menu.

As our waiter handed us menus, I said "Oh, we were going to do the tasting menu..." and he snatched away our menus and said "Well, then you won't be needing these". And then he abruptly left without confirming anything about the tasting menu or asking us any further questions.

Now, I had been studying up the tasting menu situation here on CH and read that there was a 5 course and 10 course. I was a little bit undecided going into the restaurant and thought discussing with the server would answer the question, but he didn't give the chance. Amuses just started coming. First a tuna tartar in a cone. Crazy delicious. Then a spoon of burrata with a jam of rhubarb. Also crazy delicious. Then a salmon blini with caviar-wow wow wow wow- so incredibly delectable. Probably the tastiest amuses I've ever had. Not super creative, but just close-your-eyes yummy. The only problem was they were coming too fast , overlapping even, and our first cocktail hadn't even arrived from the bar. We were a little rushed.

I finally see our waiter and say "Excuse me, has our tasting started?" And he said "Yes". I said "Oh, so there are no choices?" And he spoke in a pretty patronizing tone about "well, that's what a chef's tasting is, it's letting the chef decide what you eat". I didn't really let on that I was annoyed with this, or let him know that I've been to the French Laundry and done dozens of tastings all over the country. I just asked him "So it's a set number of courses?" and he said "Yes, it's five. The ones you got already were not courses" (here he condescended again and preceded to explain to me what an amuse bouche was, awesome!) We also missed any chance to get a supplement, etc, that I had read about.

So I guess there was no decision to be made about how many courses we were doing. Then I said "Do you know if the chef is cooking rabbit or veal tonight? I don't eat those" and he seemed pretty annoyed and said "You prefer not to eat rabbit or veal? I can find out" and then he left. He did not return to "answer" this question. He did not follow up either on whether we wanted to do the wine pairing (we ordered a cocktail to start but told him we were considering the wine pairing with the tasting). Food just kept coming out.

Another amazing amuse, a little pastry puff ball filled with a thick chunk of bacon. Heavenly. Seriously, those amuses I would be thrilled to have as the hour d'ourves at my wedding. I told my boyfriend I wanted to go to an event that had them going around on trays and gobble up as many as I could collect.

Our first course was an octopus 'ceviche' (looked like carpaccio) with mandarin oranges and radishes. Crisp, great flavors, a light but flavorful start to the meal.

At some point there was an intermezzo rhubarb sorbet with daikon radish in a broth. It was quite interesting and did in fact do its palate cleansing job, nothing I would crave to try again.

2nd course was a john dory encrusted in sesame seeds with a sweet pea emulsion on the plate and a purple sauce that I'm afraid I can't remember what it was. (The descriptions were blurted out in rapid fire by runners, and there was never a menu that we could reference the way you usually get at a fine dining tasting.) My first thought was that the sesame was overpowering, but the fish was cooked so nicely and the accompanying sauces really created a great balance of flavor. It was a dish that grew on us as we ate it.

We were also greatly enjoying the bread, the bread server recommended the "country" bread as his favorite, and we agreed.

3rd course was pea ravioli in a thin marscapone parmeggiano sauce with peas. I kind fell into a personal food reverie, this dish really brought me back to eating my mom's tortellini alla panna with peas as a kid. The flavors of pasta, peas, cream, and cheese bring me there, and this was an intense version of that flavor profile.

4th course was a braised short rib with a shallot puree (very small smear of it on plate) and a bone marrow with foam and fancy mushrooms. It was rich, hearty, decadent. The bone marrow with mushrooms was a delightful combination. I usually don't like to see short rib (easy to do, cheap protein) on an expensive tasting, but it was so delicious I can't complain.

5th course was dessert- a Neapolitan style (chocolate/strawberry/vanilla rather than the pastry) mouse/cake/ice cream dish with brandied cherries and some raspberry sorbet on top of crunchy chocolate bits. When it arrived, I felt disappointed, but when I tasted it I was happy again. But, why did it have to be so small? It was just a few bites and I wanted more.

The plain brewed coffee was delicious, but was not included in the price of the tasting, which I always find silly. When someone orders a gourmet tasting and spends a lot of money, let them have coffee for free which costs almost nothing. Call me crazy.

There was no take home menu or take home treat (like wrapped homemade cookies, etc) the way fine restaurants usually provide. This is another touch that is just missing and makes Spago feel a little cold or . When you do the tasting menu, they automatically charge you 20% for service. That may have something to do with our server's lackadaisical attitude towards us, but of course does not forgive it in the least.

Now, the back server (I believe he is called), the one that fills our water, brings us bread, clears our plates, etc, was great. He was very attentive, polite, and chatted with us about this or that, took our picture, etc

Luckily, I care much more about food than service, I didn't let the waiter's attitude effect my enjoyment of the meal, but Spago certainly missed the opportunity to enhance our experience by having a better dialogue about what we are eating, perhaps order some supplements, bring a copy of the menu home with us to reflect upon, etc.

The bill was $322 for two tastings, 2 cocktails, 2 glasses of wine, and 2 coffees. Service included at 20% and as you can imagine, I did not give any extra gratuity. We arrived at 6:45 and left at 8:30

The food was five stars, the waiter was one star, the back waiter was five stars, the value was three stars. I averaged all that to 4 star overall.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

sarahbeths in Los Angeles Area