dunnbates's Profile
Lobster in Mystic area?
Thanks-- it sounds great! Conn sounds like a wonderful place-- it's high on my daughter's list. I presume you're a happy alum?
Lobster in Mystic area?
We will be in the Mystic area for one night soon to visit Conn College, and as Californians would love to find good NE lobster. Abbott's doesn't open for the season until May. Are there any other places where we can get good lobster for dinner (we're only there in the evening) in the Mystic area? Thanks!
Pasadena - Family Place with Character for Baptismal Celebration?
Saladang is a good idea. I was just there yesterday. It is nice enough but baby-friendly, and the food is consistently good. Robin's might be a little too downscale, but Marston's is a nice place, and it doesn't get too crowded. My first choice would be Celestino, but if you want to spend less, Saladang will give the most bang for the buck.
has anyone been to zanzabelle's freight by night prix fixe dinners?
There are two indoor tables, and you can reserve them. Otherwise it's outdoors under a heater, and it can get a little chilly.
REVIEW: Yxta Cocina Mexicana, Downtown
I thought the house margarita was excellent, one of the best around. You could do far worse than happy hour here.
Need to find a great place for a girls night out dinner in the Hollywood area
I recently took out the same size group for my daughter's 19th birthday, and we ended up at Luna Park, on La Brea near Wilshire. Fun place, full bar, not great but perfectly good food, very reasonably priced for what you get. Not as hip as Bar Marmont or Comme Ca, of course, but it's a lot less expensive and still with a fun L.A. vibe.
has anyone been to zanzabelle's freight by night prix fixe dinners?
You have to call or e-mail the chef-- info is on my posting above. No website. It's very small and personal! And it's strictly BYOB. They were trying to set up some relationship with Silverlake Wine, but I'm not sure if that's working out.
has anyone been to zanzabelle's freight by night prix fixe dinners?
Yeah, it's fantastic, and miraculously it has not been discovered-- but they need support! I just posted on it: http://eat-la.com/2009/03/find-of-the-month-freight-foods-at-zanzabelle/
Yxta..have you heard anything yet?
It's open, and it makes one of the best margaritas in town, with very good food, too. Nice space, nice people, fairly priced. I hope they can make it in this tough time.
Non-sweet, non-baked breakfasts, NELA/Pasadena?
No bacon 'n' eggs at Little Flower on the Eagle Rock side of Pasadena, but they do make one of the best quiches anywhere, so consider that. Also, I'd suggest trying Central Park on Fair Oaks. It's a cleverly disguised coffee shop, nothing amazing, but reliably good and reasonably priced. I've never been for breakfast, just lunch, but they have a full eggs-huevos-omelets-bacon menu.
The Road to Mammoth [moved from L.A. board]
Heading up there this weekend myself. Nothing is great to eat, but we've had good luck at the Upper Crust Pizza Co. in Bishop and at Bonanza, a pretty solid Mexican restaurant in Lone Pine. I'm not a fan of the Ranch House. Schat's in Bishop is fun for getting a sandwich or a loaf of bread, but sometimes the crowds are offputting.
Pasadena - Family Place with Character for Baptismal Celebration?
Celestino is a terrific Italian place, consistently good, and they can certainly deal with a baby. Mike & Anne's in South Pasadena has a lovely outdoor area that is nice for early dinners. El Portal is a Mexican place across from Vroman's that's good if you stick to the Yucatan specialties; you can sit outside, and it's very baby-friendly.
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Mike & Anne's
1040 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030
Celestino
141 South Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
El Portal
695 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101
Any place like Boulevard SF in LA?
Sure, check out this link:
http://www.aaa-calif.com/WESTWAYS/0908/LIFE/BONAPPETIT.ASPX
Any place like Boulevard SF in LA?
I love Boulevard and have been there many times, and L.A. doesn't have a place that quite matches the combination of atmosphere and food. (And I wish we had a place comparable to Slanted Door.) Lucques is probably closest, not in atmosphere but in food (and perhaps better food at Lucques). And like Condiment said, Campanile is comparable. Rustic Canyon shares a vibe. In MB, try Darren's-- tiny, and kinda pricey, but good. I've had good experiences at Beechwood in Venice, too, and it shares a modern-American spirit with Boulevard.
Best Mexican in East LA?
La Serenata de Garibaldi is the signature place in my book, especially for Mexican seafood. We always take out-of-towners there, and they love it. For more Mexican home cooking, I'd second Servorg's suggestion of Teresitas-- great place.
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La Serenata De Garibaldi
1842 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Teresitas
3826 E 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90063
JGold food event
Goldstar discount tickets are sold out, unfortunately. Here's a link to information:
http://eat-la.com/category/events/
Birthday dinner for 9 in the Pasadena area
Green Street Tavern is good but very small and might be hard for that size group. Palate has a big private table in the "library"-- well worth considering. It's casual enough for a 5-year-old, although it might be hard to find food a 5-year-old will like, if my kids at 5 were any indication. Roy's is fine but is kind of boring because it's a chain. Malbec is a people-pleaser with something for everyone, but it's one open room, no private spaces.
If money is not an object, I would consider Derek's on Glenarm. It's lovely, and the food is excellent, and they have a private room that should be perfect. It's pricey, though, but certainly no more than the Langham.
Dinner spots in Pasadena
In Pasadena/South Pas: Mike & Anne's, Malbec, Green Street Tavern (as opposed to Green Street Restaurant), Oba (sweet newish izakaya place on Glenarm near Arroyo), Tonny's (modest but excellent Mexican), Cafe Verde on Green (BYOB) and, if you can afford it, the Langham.
In the surrounding area, Three Drunken Goats and Bashan in Montrose, Fatty's in Eagle Rock (vegetarian food that we carnivores love), the Kitchen in Alhambra.
Business-y Lunch in Pasadena
Yes, Celestino is better than Smitty's or Green Street, although both are fine in a fairly generic way. If the weather's good, lunch is lovely at the Langham Huntington by the pool, and the tables are large and private-- very quiet. Good food. I also like Mike & Anne's in South Pasadena for lunch.
Client dinner MDR or Venice or LAX convenient
I vote for Beechwood. The dining room is handsome and not too noisy, and the food is very good, and if you're having fun you can move to the bar afterward.
Or Joe's, but you'd have to have them set up a special table for you. Very good food, classic Venice spot, good place to talk, and you can explore Abbot Kinney before or after.
bakeries between la and santa barbara?
I second the Renaud's recommendation! It's worth saving up an appetite until you get to Santa Barbara, and worth driving to the north end of town. Gorgeous and delicious croissants, pain chocolat, fruit tartes and other French pastries. The coffee is good, too.
More Places Like Joan's on Third & Clementine?
If you find yourself on the east end of town, Little Flower Candy Co. makes wonderful soups and the best quiche in Pasadena. In Eagle Rock, Auntie Em's has great mac 'n' cheese, enchilada pie and desserts. And in San Marino, Julienne makes an excellent beef daube, beef and vegetarian lasagnes, chicken pot pie and chocolate truffle brownies.
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Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Julienne
2649 Mission St, San Marino, CA 91108
Little Flower Candy Co
1424 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA
pasadena recs, please?
Oh yes, and ipsedixit is right, Malbec is a very good value Argentinian place-- most of the hearty entrees are well under $20, and it's a fun atmosphere with tasty and modestly priced Argentinian wine.
pasadena recs, please?
Some of the places recommended are a bit pricey for what you're asking. I'd second the Daisy Mint recommendation, and the EuroPane for breakfast/lunch/coffee/pastry, and add a few good ethnic places:
-- Tonny's is a sweet and very good neighborhood Mexican restaurant with low prices. No beer, but wonderful fresh juices and smoothies.
-- La Caravana is a nice little Salvadoran restaurant with wonderful pupusas and chicken dishes that aren't too spicy/weird for your friends.
-- We have some very good taquerias in Pasadena. For a great, cheap lunch, go to Taquito Mexicano #2, home to fabulous sopes, tacos, menudo and daily specials. Really great, really cheap. A dive in the best sense of the word.
-- In Old Town, Crepe Vine may be your best bang for the buck. Or, if you can get them to be more adventurous, Tibet-Nepal House. It's not spicy, and it's fun to try.
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Tonny's Restaurant
843 E Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104
Tibet Nepal House
36 E. Holly Street, Pasadena, CA 91103
Crepevine Bistro
36 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA
La Caravana Restaurante Salvadoreno
1306 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104
El Taquito Mexicano 2
467 N Fair Oaks Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103
Old Town Pasadena has the worst
I'm a longtime Pasadenan and agree that Colorado Boulevard is boring. But there are worthy places on the side streets. I've had a few very good meals at Siena. Tibet-Nepal House is a sweet place with tasty, inexpensive food. Vertical does a very nice job. Yujean Kang's remains consistent. Word is that BarCelona's a lot better with the new chef, but I haven't been yet. I've always liked Crepe Vine but haven't been in a while.
There's nothing mind-blowing in Old Town, but there are plenty of worthwhile places to eat if you get off of Colorado. And if you're willing to get out of Old Town and try Daisy Mint, Celestino, Mike & Anne's, Tonny's, Little Flower and Euro Pane (breakfast and lunch), the Arroyo Chop House (too expensive but still very good), you'll find plenty more.
New Yorkers seeking amazing Mexican food
On the high end, La Serenata de Garibaldi in Boyle Heights and, if you want to go all food-as-art on your friends, Babita Mexicuisine in San Gabriel. For Yucatan food, Chichen Itza near MacArthur Park. For Oaxacan, there are so many great places, but the obvious starting place is Guelaguetza in Palms. In East L.A./Boyle Heights, try Teresitas for an excellent traditional sit-down Mexican meal. Enrique's in Long Beach is also one of the greats. For a street-food burrito, I confess an addiction to the carnitas-bean one at Yuca's Hut in Los Feliz. As for taquerias and taco trucks, I don't know why people say that's not an L.A. thing-- there are great ones all over the place, especially in Highland Park, East L.A., Eagle Rock, Pasadena and environs, but there are even a few on the westside.. Bandini's Great Taco Hunt blog is a great place to research
Cool Restaurants in Pasadena
I had bad experiences at the old Fatty's, a few years back, but I've been several times in recent months and always had really delicious food, perfectly acceptable service and a good time. And I'm a carnivore, as are most of the people I've eaten there with. I've read the Chowhounds complaints, but every one of my experiences has been great, as have those of my friends.
Cool Restaurants in Pasadena
Believe it or not, there are some cool restaurants in Pasadena. No one's mentioned Daisy Mint yet, and that place is definitely cool, and has good food at modest prices (BYOB with no corkage). The new Siena on Union in Old Town has character and Italian food good enough to compensate for the spacey service. Vertical Wine Bistro has an urban hipness that's a cut above the Old Town norm. TAG, you're right, Mike & Anne's does need a bar menu, but even without it it's still a pretty cool place. Europane for breakfast is cool, as is Little Flower Candy Co. for lunch. And the coolest of all is Fatty's in Eagle Rock.
Affordable Wedding Caterer
Jennie Cook's is an excellent, moderately priced catering company with a big emphasis on locally sourced, sustainably produced, and organic food. She makes vegan food that carnivores love, but she also makes a mean brisket. I've used her a few times and have had her food at other people's parties, and it's always delicious, affordable and sustainably produced and served.
www.jenniecooks.com
