Wow, this is really good to hear because the one knock I seem to read about Cafe B. was the service. But I got the impression the people who were unhappy were folks who found the relaxed service frustrating. Sounds like if you know that going in, it's great. Thanks!

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Cafe B
3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Good morning, my wife is taking me out for a birthday dinner to the restaurant of my choice. We recently moved to Eagle Rock and I would like to try someplace in the neighborhood. Cafe Beaujolais looks very appealing, but I've been very curious about Canele on Glendale Blvd. in Atwater. There doesn't seem to be a lot of posts about these two places. Does anyone have strong feelings yay or nay about them. And if you have any other recs for that area, please share! Thanks!

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Canele
3219 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90039

Cafe Beaujolais
1712 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

We tried it the other night, good but pricey. The large pizza's (18") average about $21.00, if you get a specialty pizzas. And you definity want to get it to go, very much a mini-mall joint. Little Toni's is a better bang for your buck, but they definitly had some tasty and unusual choices here.

Ruby Table is great, and pretty much your only casual option. The place itself isn't much to look at. Think airport bar. But they have kirin on tap, tasty apps, happy hour prices, and very friendly staff. We went in before a show with a party of ten and had a great time for cheap.

Taps looks very interesting, I think that will fill the bill. Thakns for the advice!

Hello all, my wife and I are driving out to the city of Brea Saturday night to go to an art gallery opening. If you're not sure where that is (I certainly wasn't), it's where the 57 and 90 freeways cross just south of the 10. That's a long shlep from Downtown LA just to spend an hour in a art gallery. So I thought it'd be nice to have dinner somewhere in the area or along the way that I might never normally go to because of the distance. We'll be taking the 10 so one thought was to stop at the amazing tiki joint, Bahooka's on the way. Only for a drink since the food is pretty bland. We're open to anything, but it's not so much about the food being the best, more about it being a fun destination since this is practically a road trip.

Wow, thanks for the warning. Time for Option B.

I'm meeting friends tonight in Hollywood & just read about a new place on Hollywood Blvd at La Brea called the Happy Ending. It's a bar with an extensive menu. I guess the chef used to be at The Mint. It sounded promising. Anyone been there or heard anything?

Just got back on-line after being down for a bit. Thanks to all for the tips. Looks like I'm off to King's Seafood.

My wife and I are driving up Sunday to spend the night in Ojai for our anniversary. I'm looking for a nice place for dinner that night, but suggestions for breakfast/lunch or a good patio for a glass of local wine or beer would be great. I checked previous posts and most are a few years old. Seafresh Seafood, Suzannes, and Bocalli's get a few nods. And someone mentioned a locals-only joint called The Summit that's ten minutes farther up Highway 33. Anyone know of it? Thanks!

My wife and I are big fans of a Japanese sushi pub called the Saki House on La Brea near 8th. We recently tried their grilled butterfish and had our minds blown. It was my first time trying that type of fish and I couldn't believe a whitefish could have so much flavor. Is it commonly on Japanese menus and I've just been missing out? Anyone know another place I should go to try it? Preferably near Downtown or Koreatown? I'm also wondering if it is something I could get at a market, say Kings in Glendale?

I have a group of about 10 people gathering next Sunday to celebrate a birthday. I'd like to spend it outside on a patio with good food and drinks. The beach is the obvious destination, but we're not married to it, especially since most of the group will be coming from the valley.
It'd be great to find a place with more then bar food to offer, anyone with a reccomendation?

Wow, everyone has the same suggestion. I'm excited and will be trying it out ASAP!

About a year ago i had the most amazing steak at a Argentinian restaurant in Seattle and would love to find it's equivelant here. It was (i'm pretty sure) a flank steak served on a sizzling grill at the table. Perhaps this is a signature Argentinian dish and not as hard to find as I think. Anyone have a suggestion for a good Argentinian place. I'm in Koreatown but not bound by geography.

Hi,
I'm still exploring Koreatown (my new neighbohood) and had heard from people at work that there was suppossed to be a good and affordable sushi place on Olympic near Western. I've looked around but so far haven't seen any sushi places in that specific area. Anyone know what they may have been thinking of?

Thanks,
PQ

JAR is doing a special menu with a fixed price. Not sure on the details, but you know it will be great.

Looks like it will be Triple George, thanks to all for the good suggestions. I will check out the status of Binions while I'm there though.

I just wanted to say after driving by Polla a la Brassa every day anxiously waiting for the C to change, I broke down last night and got a full chicken to go. Wow, this is the real deal. Dare I say it, even better then Zankou. C or no C, I am a convert! I wonder what the general Chowhound concesus would be, does a C stop you from eating at a place you really want to try or go back to?

I drive by the Il Cappricio pizza storefront almost every day and have yet to see any work being done. Must be delayed for some reason. I adore the main Il Cappricio on Vermont but have never tried the pizza. Is it good stuff?

Hello all, I am going on a bachelor party in a few weeks and we'll be staying in Downtown Las Vegas. This will be eight 30-something foodies looking for a good steak or seafood dinner. Looking at past posts, Hugo's sounds over-priced for what you get, and Binions is out of business. Great Moments in the Vegas Club casino gets a lot of votes. I know there's been a lot of changes Downtown the past year or so. Anyone know of a cool new place (or a venerable old-vegas icon I've missed).

Don't know about San Francisco, but there is a old revival movie theatre in Oakland that's amazing. We went there about a year ago. Every night they show a double feature and you can lounge on old couches while drinking beer and eating really good pizza. Don't remember the name, but they had a great website and it should be easy to find on-line.
In LA, the obvious choice are the Saturday night screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary. Check out Cinespia.org. The bad news is that they only have one or two nights left before the season ends.

My mistake, I did mean the Alpine Village in Torrance. And now that you mention it, the crowd did get a little scary later into the night. Red Lion is great, does anyone know if the Matterhorn Chef in Van Nuys is still around?

Though German food is not my favorite, I have great memories of steins of good beer and platters of delicious sausage the one time I went to Octoberfest in Germany. The Octoberfest held in Orange County at Alpine Village is fun, but the food was a bit dubious. Does anyone know of either a more local version (I think there's one in Montrose) or any German places in town that do it up right.

Some great suggestions coming out of this post. I just moved to Koreatown and while I'm overwhlemed with food choices, pizza is sadly lacking. Anyone know of a place close to Wilshire and Western?

While I agree that 'Phillipes' is a must, I prefer Cole's on 6th off of Los Angeles St. It is (I believe) the odlest restuarant in the City. The snadwhich is just as good as Phillipes, but it's a completely different experience. Unlike Phillipes which is big, bright, and lively. Coles is dark and intimate and very much a tine-warp of LA history. They also have a great bar with Chemais belgian beer on tap.
Note: if you do go to Coles, you'll be in the heart of Gallery Row and walking distance to a dozen art gallerys.

My thanks to everyone for these great suggestions. Quite a few I intend to check out at a later date. But because we got a late start, I was dragged down the block to Tiramissu at the corner of Woodman and Ventura. What can I say?
It really is the perfect example of why the Valley is treated with such apathy by the rest of L.A. County. It wasn't bad so much as banal. Banal food, decor, service, even the prices. Not high enough to get mad about, or low enough to at least call it a bargain. The kind of Italian restuaraunt that I imagine would be called 'high-dining' in a small mid-western city. Not that I'm bitter...
p.s. no knocks against Stanleys, just been there way to many times.

So in my search for dinner in the Valley tonight, I've been scanning through all the posts regarding Sushi on Ventura Blvd. And it's kind of overwhelming. I know this question gets asked ad-nauseum. But there are so many split opinions (perfect example being the variety of posts regarding Sushi Mac).

What I'd love to find is a place that is cheap (and I define cheap as $4.00 to $5.00 an order). Fun and comfortable but not packed with 20-somethings on cell phones. The one place I have been that (to me) fits this bill is Sushi 101 on Moorpark. But it'd be nice to try something new. Preferably in Studio City or Van Nuys. Thanks!

Risotto, I'll check that out. I used to like the Oyster House, but (to me) the food portions got bigger and the quality got smaller. Thanks!

Morning, so tonight I am meeting some friend for dinner in the Valley. To be exact, at the corner of Woodman and Ventura. I lived in the area for years and exhausted what few good dinner options there are. Rather then get dragged to the old stand-bys, I'm hoping to offer an alternative. It's a bunch of 30-ish old guys so something comfortable and mid-range. Mexican (not Casa 'hour+ wait' Vega or Fred's) or Italian are safe bets. I know there's a lot of sushi near there, any that won't break the bank and involve a long wait? Help, or they'll make me eat at Stanleys!

My two cents on the pizza issue; Rafellos, an old local chain, maybe five places scattered around Hollywood. The one on La Brea and Hollywood is the best one to eat at. Dim lighting, xmas lights, chianti bottles, deep booths, etc.

Palermos on Vermont has for my money the best pizza in LA (that I've tried). A great family-style place for pizza and house wine, though the rest of their food is not so hot.

Another great pizza and house-wine joint is Little Tony's in NoHo on Lankershim where it crosses Vineland.

And yes, Casa Bianca is great, especially the home-made sausage. But is it worth an hour wait, no.