looking for a pleasant spot to have a dinner, French, Italian, American, in the area near the Stamford Towne Center...A spot with good food, decent wine, and an atmosphere conducive to conversation.

Thanks in advance

Re: Ombra My sister and B-in L went last night for dinner and had a terrific meal and an all around lovely time.
She started with the grilled baby octopus salad and had the pasta with Dungeness Crab. My brother in law had the beet salad and the pasta Genovese. BOth dinners were first rate.
The chef came out to talk to the diners, which is always a nice touch. He plans to change the menu every few weeks and wants to be nothing more than a good neighborhood place. If their dinner is indicative, he has succeeded.

Oh, Steve2, it was far too hectic at the opening to return anything . I just chalked it up to opening night difficulties. We did get a bottle of wine on the house, though. Nice...

Ombra--lovely decor, chef used to be at Domenica's in Silver Lake.
Opening night was a little chaotic and uneven. My husband's risotto was excellent but my pasta with sausage was cold and gluey.

I would still give it another shot. Nice feeling to the place and an interesting menu

It's open.
Didn't get a chance to investigate, but hope to soon.

Let us know what you think if you go.

looking for a restaurant for Thanksgiving. Do NOT want Turkey and the trimmings. Just two of us..

Los Feliz area, Hollywood, Studio City, Pasadena...

Heard he was selling...Anyone know?

Thanks so much.

Are the three of these fairly similar in price?

Italian from the Nutmeg state here.
Another vote for Monte Carlo's in Burbank.
Also, Marconda's Italian sausage at the Farmer's Market on Third and Fairfax--very good. I like them as they have fennel in them and the hot sausage is hot.

Is it the same baker? My baguette last week was dreadful. Doughy and undercooked....

I heard complaints from others this week at the Hollywood Market.

Anyone know?

looking for before or after drinks or light dinner in the theater area..Italian, French, or American-nothing Asian

TIA
Mangia

Hi, New Yorkers,
I'll be in The City at the end of July. We are staying near NYU. Any neighborhood favorites?You can include Little Italy, Soho, etc. Italian, French, or American . Also, we will be in midtown, Broadway are, any pre-theater favorites? NOthing fancy, just local favorites.

Thanks,
mangia in LA

had an excellent lunch there.Plan to return for dinner. Liked it a great deal, especially the salumi antipasto

Is there a Puritan Poultry or Farmers' market Poultry equivalent?? Getting my feathers ruffled from the drive to The Grove for pounded chicken breasts or other specialty items. Not to mention the nightmare parking there on certain days and times...

Two of us order martinis with a twist and an olive...one orders a gimlet with a slice of lime. I stuck to a glass of wine.
We wait a good twenty minutes before they arrive..no slice of lime, no twist, and a dish of picholine -type olives for the martinis. When we ask about the olives we are told , with a fair amount of hauteur, that they are very expensive and they do not serve martinis with martini olives. Well, it went downhill from there.

Waited 45 minutes for mediocre meals with small, small portions. Turbot, sea bass, steak frites, chicken. The chicken was the best of the lot and the frites were very good. When Turbot asked about the small size of her fish she was told "it says small on the menu". Yes, it does, in French. Gimlet ordered another gimlet and waited 20 minutes for that. It served as dessert.
Oh, the coffee was lukewarm.

We spoke to the manager during dinner and spoke to the waiter after about 30 minutes of waiting for dinner. It's a small kitchen, it's busy...etc. Don't you want your restaurant to be busy?

The decor is very hip and I liked that . Oh, very loud--like having dinner with Metallica.

You couldn't pay me to return to the place. Terrible service, attitude, mediocre food, and loud.

Many thanks ..many.many thanks...I read about it on this board and took my mother there for a belated Mother's Day dinner. What a gem! From the gracious host to the innovative menu, I mean, elk with chestnut puree, wild boar pappardelle, cassoulet, not to mention Dover sole, fresh asparagus soup and a real treat, some of their homemade, not on the menu, wild boar pate.

And I loved the wine glasses. I loved the whole place.
(had the elk, my mother had the pappardelle, we had the prosciutto with melon drizzled with sauterne, the roasted dates with pancetta, and split a Grand Marnier souffle--oh, champagne toast and a lovely bottle of Amarone).

Agree completely with the location..It was far too lovely a place for that stretch of Hollywood. I guess it's too early to be part of the W complex, but it sure would be great to have an elegant restaurant near the Pantages or in Hollywood in general.

Maybe downtown., Larchmont.....maybe even Los Feliz. Please...

I'll keep you posted as I am on the mailing list.

I received an e-mail from them stating this was their last weekend and that they have found a "fabulous new location". That fabulous location was not revealed.

Anyone know where the new location is?

is the same as the one is Silver Lake?

a Polish friend of mine told me there is a butcher shop on Wilshire and , she thought, 10th Ave.??? She told me the name and I can't remember.

Anyone know??

I did have a reservation and got the communal table. Weekday, too..The backroom was empty and univiting.

Next time I will ask when I make the reservation. The communal table was uncomfortable. One of those situations where the chairs don't clear the table legs.

begourmet@att.net

Tim Ross runs a lovely cooking school in his house in Silver Lake. It's very personal. I've taken two classes and one of them I was one of two students.

Highly recommend....

Another vote for the very potent and very tasty ones at El Conquistador. Really good and really strong...

Stonehill. I found Sapphire to be very loud and a bit too trendy.
I liked Stonehill a lot, both the food and the atmosphere.

6541 Hollywood Blvd. West of Wilcox, north side of the street.

Pastas were around $18.00.Starters in the $10 range. Wine was pricey-few under $50 and all Italian.

I forgot to mention, we received complimentary glasses of an excellent Sicilian dessert wine, and I normally dislike dessert wine. This one was fresh with a hint of orange and not cough-syrup sweet and thick. Can't remember the name. If it comes to me , I'll post it.

Had a great dinner at the lovely Melograno last night. Angel hair pasta served with a sauce of rabbit roasted with red wine and pomegranate -excellent -and the pasta , amazingly enough, was not a gluey mess which happens a lot with angel hair. The slivered artichoke appetizer with a lemon dressing was equally good . My friend had the same pasta, but chose the roasted beet with goat cheese salad as a starter and enjoyed that.

It's a pretty place,too. It's elegant without being fussy and hip without being trendy. It's a great addition to Hollywood.

Oh, the maitre d' knows his wines. It was our first visit there and when the weather warms -up I know we will be on the patio enjoying another meal.

I didn't care for Melisse--too fussy for me.
There's a new chef at Bastide, Paul Shoemaker from Providence. Who knows how long he'll last, though.

I heard the same thing.

Does anyone know what , if anything, is going on there? New owner?