Marathon Meal--A Mano, The Italian Barrel, or Cafe Giovanni

Thanks everyone. I just scored a reservation at Maximo's. Anyone been there? Seems they have quite a selection of homemade pastas which seem to fit the bill. Can't wait to head down and for the race to be over! :)

charliebear2 in New Orleans

Marathon Meal--A Mano, The Italian Barrel, or Cafe Giovanni

So, which one of the three would you guys pick? One vote for A Mano it seems...

charliebear2 in New Orleans

Marathon Meal--A Mano, The Italian Barrel, or Cafe Giovanni

We are looking for a nice meal that contains light pasta options. We don't eat large volumes of anything the night before a race, but rather something light on the protein and creamy fats. We will be in the Quarter and don't want to venture far out and we want to get to sleep early. We also want a reservation because we don't want to stand on our feet or get caught with nowhere to eat late Saturday. Most Italian places are booked up so the three I mention above still had reservations earlier than 9pm. We are normally foodie-type eaters but this is the one time we can't get a tasting menu or wine pairing.

charliebear2 in New Orleans

Marathon Meal--A Mano, The Italian Barrel, or Cafe Giovanni

Hello All,
I am heading down to NO next Saturday for the Rock N Roll Marathon and need a nice carb loaded Italian meal for the evening before the race. Unfortunately I have waited too late, it seems, to make a reservation at my choice of restaurant as 14,000 other people have also decided to eat the same type of food! The choices I have left are A Mano, The Italian Barrel, and Cafe Giovanni. Which of these should I go with? I have read all the mentions of the above restaurants on this board, but there wasn't alot of info. We won't be able to induldge in wine, creamy sauces, etc., that we normally do, so please consider that when making recommendations. Thanks and we can't wait to get the race over with so we can properly revel in all that New Orleans has to offer! :)
Cheers,
R

charliebear2 in New Orleans

Sixteen or L20 for Christmas Eve?

Hi All,
I am trying to decide between Sixteen and L20 for a quiet Christmas Eve Night Dinner with my spouse. I know Laurent Gras has left L20, so I am having difficulty choosing between the two. Cost is comparable. Each has a holiday tasting menu. I haven't been inside L20 since it changed over from Ambria (our old favorite restaurant), but I assume both have great venues. I just can't decide. Help!
Thanks,
Robin

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Ambria
2300 N Lincoln Park W, Chicago, IL 60614

charliebear2 in Chicago Area

Delimma--Chowhounders help! 60th B-day dinner for Mother-In-Law

Hi All,
I come to you for some much needed help. My mother-in-law has gathered her far flung children for a birthday celebration in Vegas. It is her 60th. My husband and I, as well as his sister and significant other, are more than able to pay for a fabulous dinner out (our last trip to Vegas we got to do the wonderful Alex tasting menu--yum!) and, our tastes trend toward the more extravagant. Here's the problem. My husband's little brother and girlfriend as well as his other sister have little cash to spend. We are already picking up the tab for my mother-in-law's room, tickets, show, dinners, etc., so paying for everyone is out of our price range or we would gladly do that. So after scouring all the boards, internet, etc. I am having trouble coming up with a solution. Where do we go for a nice dinner befitting a 60th celebration on the strip, but where the less cash flush siblings won't feel like they will have a heart attack when the bill comes? My mother-in-law loves French/Asian fusion but French or Asian would do. We are staying at the Signature at the MGM, but that doesn't have to factor in to the decision. If it were my choice we would take her to Alex, Okada, Shibuya, Sage, or the like, but those prices will be too high for some in the group. We would like to stay on the strip. The dinner will be for a party of 8. Any mid-level restaurants with nice ambience where we can hear each other talk and does not feel like it is in a mall or part of a chain? Places like Grand Lux, Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, Buca di Peppo all have outposts in Chicago and are really not what we're looking for. Maybe a place that has a $60- $70 or under per person option or a place where there are both high-end as well as lower priced options? HELP!
Thanks as always,
Robin

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Shibuya
3799 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV

Cafe Ba Ba Reeba
3200 Las Vegas Blvd S Ste 1144, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Okada
3131 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

Grand Lux Cafe
3355 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas, NV 89109

charliebear2 in Las Vegas

Great Food, Fun atmosphere near the Biltmore (PHX)

These are great suggestions, but on my previous trip to Phoenix I ate at Lon's and Elements (we stayed at the Sanctuary). Both were lovely, especially the view from Elements. Anyone have any comments about Christopher's or Crush? The atmosphere looks great, but how's the food? And about the stripmall thing, I don't care what it looks like from the outside, but I do care about what the inside looks like. I just don't want a sort of hole in the wall kind of place for that night...How far is NOCA from the Biltmore? We just want to be able to grab a cab that won't be astronomical...DO we need reservations for NOCA? Thanks everyone!!!!

charliebear2 in Phoenix

Great Food, Fun atmosphere near the Biltmore (PHX)

DearHohokam,
Thanks for the quick response :)
It will be a pretty low-key "night out." We would prefer somewhere we can have a conversation(i.e. no blaring music,etc). We certainly won't be clubbing it. We are definitely used to excellent food so we wanted somewhere worth the only night out we have, but somewhere that is not a hassel to get to and has a nice fun atmosphere. How is Postino's food compared to Richardson's? Would we need a reservation at either for a Friday night?
Thanks again...

charliebear2 in Phoenix

Great Food, Fun atmosphere near the Biltmore (PHX)

Hi all!
I have been pouring through the Phoenix boards about restaurants for dinner and am having a little trouble deciding on a dinner spot for this Friday night (not for lack of choices I assure you!). My best friend and I are meeting up for a girls weekend at the Biltmore on Thursday night and staying through Sunday. While we know we are eating at the hotel Saturday night, could anyone give a recommendation for the Friday night? We would like somewhere with a fun vibe, close to the Biltmore (we don't have a car), but great food. I know everyone loves NOCA, but I am not sure the stripmall atmosphere fits the bill. We were also looking at Christopher's, Sophie's, Postino Wine Bar and Richardson's. Anyone have any other suggestions or want to weigh in on these? Thanks so much!
Robin

charliebear2 in Phoenix

Las Vegas Anniv. undecided

Thanks for tips! We are really excited. I think we will try the tasting menu with wine pairings since that's what we usually do, but I just took a look at the menu and the four course choices do look delicious.

charliebear2 in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Anniv. undecided

Thanks for the recs. I just got a reservation at Alex for the 4th. I know the view from Alize is supposed to be great which is why I was considering it, but some of the posts about Alex (including the ones with the tasting menu reviews) were just too good to beat! The restaurant looks beautiful and the food sounds amazing! Can't wait. I'll post a review upon our return!
Cheers!

charliebear2 in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Anniv. undecided

Hi all,
We have now decided on our meal choices while in Vegas for our Fourth of July anniversary trip. Thursday: lunch at T & T at the Luxor (we want something light, close to the Four Seasons, and we love margaritas), dinner at Craftsteak. Friday: lunch at Burger bar and dinner at Bouchon followed by LOVE. Saturday: dinner: ????. We can't decide. This is when we will be celebrating our anniversary and we want somewhere fabulous and really romantic. We are trying to decide between Alex, Guy Savoy, and Alize. (We want to save Joel Robuchon for another time). We would love your thoughts on the combination of food, romantic atmosphere, and value of these choices. HELP!
Thanks as always!

charliebear2 in Las Vegas

3 nights in Vegas--Steak, a Show, and an Anniversary...

Hi all,
My husband and I will be in Vegas over 4th of July weekend and are trying to decide on 3 great restaurants for our 3 evenings there. We love high end food and price is really no object. We are not big steak eaters but do want to try Craftsteak maybe the first night (Yes, yes, yes, we are addicted to Top Chef). We have eaten at the French Laundry and had the best time of our lives there, so we thought Bouchon would be a good choice. Our final night we would like to celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary, so something REALLY special and romantic is in order (so no restaurants near the walkways of the casinos--I always feel like when I eat at those no matter how fancy, I am eating at the food court mall). We are staying at the Four Seasons for the first time (so we know we are at the opposite end of the Strip from where we usually stay and where we would usually eat). I was wondering if Craftsteak for the first night, then Bouchon for dinner at 6pm with LOVE at 9 pm on Friday, then Alize for the final evening sounds like a good plan? Is it two too many french restaurants? We do like all kinds of food, but want to stay with restaurants that are on or right near the strip. Also, I want to keep close to the Mirage for the 9pm show on Friday night. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The last night is really up for grabs so any recommendations for restaurants besides Alize are highly welcome! Thanks everyone! :)

charliebear2 in Southwest

Christmas to New Year's Trip to BA--Food Choices?

Oh, that would have been nice if we would have known someone at Los Dos Hermanos. This is our first time to BA so I think everything will be new and exciting! I hope you have a lovely trip, too!

charliebear2 in South & Central America & the Caribbean

Christmas to New Year's Trip to BA--Food Choices?

I also just got my confimation from Luciana. I thought the price was way better than the Four Seasons which would have cost $800 total! I wonder if the $200 includes drinks after dinner for NYE. Also, the confirmation did not include what time we should arrive. Thanks for the tip. I hope it will be fun!

charliebear2 in South & Central America & the Caribbean

Christmas to New Year's Trip to BA--Food Choices?

Pammi,
How did you find out about 647 for New Years? I e-mailed them but they never e-mailed back...do you mind me asking how much it costs per person and how you reserve? We really want something planned for NYE before we go and that might be really fun! We will put Fervor on our list and thanks for the thumbs up for Thymus. We can't wait to go!
Cheers

charliebear2 in South & Central America & the Caribbean