D Town Burger
http://www.diglounge.net/food/d-town-burger-bar/

Hole in the Wall Burger
http://www.diglounge.net/food/celebra...

And of course, Hawkins if you are feeling adventurous.

-----
Hawkins House of Burgers
11603 Slater St, Los Angeles, CA 90059

Thanks for this list. If anyone has any info on specific winery events besides Chandon please post. Would rather stay in or around Napa, don't want to be driving around too much with the CHP crawling the streets.

Thanks for pointing that out. I used google to search the boards and it only brought up posts from last year.

Anyone know of any good options for New Years eve in the Napa area? Would like to do something at a winery or wine bar, not necessarily a big elaborate meal, as we are already headed to Bouchon and Ad Hoc on the trip.

Malo is trying, Bar Lubitsch has a few. Haven't been to Osteria Mozza yet, but I heard they have some good cocktails.

I went to the Far Bar in Little Tokyo and the bartender there was mixing up some great cocktails too.

I went and I loved it. I can't wait to go back, and it's a place I could see myself returning to, often... http://www.diglounge.net/food/animal-...

Check it out, hit Daily Candy today

http://www.dailycandy.com/los_angeles...

I believe at one point, the veggie burgers were homemade. Then the original owners of Mo Better sold and the new owners stopped making the homemade veggie burgers. (and ultimately drove the place into the ground)

They plan on making their veggie burgers again, but right now, they just buy their veggie burgers from a food supplier.

The turkey and beef burgers are hand pattied though, and so delicious. I haven't had the veggie burger yet at the new place.

Their turkey burgers are also reallllllly good

WineStyle is small, but I sort of liked that. Not a huge selection, it's not a place for the serious wine buyer. But I liked the layout and org of the store. The selection was enough for me on the first visit, but you may grow tired of it after repeat visits. Not sure how often they change up the selection.

I am gonna check out Mission Wine next! Maybe a wine tasting marathon on Sat, first mission from 12-5, then winestyles from 5-9:30. Then who knows, maybe 750ml after that if I am still standing.

Just because it is a small chain, doesnt devalue it... in my eyes anyway. So is K&L and Bevmo and those are a good place for wine as well. But I will definately, check it out next time I am there.

While exploring South Pasadena via the Gold Line over the weekend I stumbled upon a wine store/bar called Winestyles. Winestyles is a new wine store chain, with an interesting concept. Instead of setting up shop and lining up the zins, cabs and blancs side by side, they organize their stores by the style of wine; bold, crisp, silky, mellow, fruity, rich, bubbly and nectar.

Looking for something to go with that light pasta or grilled chicken? Go for something “silky” with flavors of honey and melon. Or how about something from the “mellow” selection? It goes well with pasta, veal, pork or beef with flavors of cherry, berries, herbs and earth. A great set-up for someone who doesn’t know a whole lot about wine.

See some pics at my blog http://diglounge.net/?p=274

What’s better than a day at the races? Santa Anita Race Track provides 6 hours of entertainment for just a few dollars, majestic views of the San Gabriel Mountain range, fresh air, beer, fresh carved deli sandwiches, beautiful million dollar horses and of course 5 foot tall jockeys. You don’t have to know horses and jockeys to have fun at the race track. Plus, there is a center field open area with several picnic benches, playgrounds and eating facilities that’s good for families and large groups (it’s only open on weekends).

Besides the infield there are plenty of food options in the stands as well, and good food options. Food choices on the club house level include fresh carved turkey or roast beef sandwiches and clam chowder. Or have lunch at FrontRunner. Overlooking the finish line, they serve contemporary California cuisine. Prices range from $6.00 to $24.00. There is a huge restaurant/bar called Sirona’s in the general admission area that serves salads, sandwiches, stone oven-baked pizzas, juicy half-pound burgers and desserts. Prices range from $6.00 to $10.00.

For $20 you gain entrance to the turf club. You can sit in the old school Chandelier Room or sit outside in the The Turf Club Terrace overlooking the track. Menu items include Fried Ravioli and Mozzarella Marinara dusted with Parmesan Cheese and Italian Herbs or the Fettuccini with Garlic Shrimp and Scallops with Crisp Pancetta and Garlic Cream Sauce. Prices range from $8.95 to $16.95.

I blogged about it on my blog Diglounge @ http://diglounge.net/?p=270

Last time I was at 25 degrees the fries were horrible. I remember my first trip there and the fries were really good. Last time they were under cooked, under seasoned, and luke warm. The burger was forgettable too. I prefer LD all the way!

http://diglounge.net/?p=247

http://diglounge.net/?p=259

Here is the link to the list.

Boneyard? Awesome, I recently went for their half off deal. Although, you end up paying closer to retail. Which is still nice.

Thanks bruinike, great list!

I am working on a list for my blog of corkage free restaurants in Los Angeles...

Can I get some help? I'll credit you in the article if you want! Just leave your name and location in your response!

Here are some I can think of:

Cobras & Matadors
Cube
Osteria La Buca? They told me there was a corkage, but they didn't charge me?

Or other restaurants with a corkage of less then $5?

Magnolia is good, Bowery is OK, Chan Dara on Cahuenga, Citizen Smith a little further up. Katsuya is opening up at Hollywood and Vine this week. Charcoal on the corner was just OK, might try it one more time before I form a strong opinion either way.

Ohh, Aunt Kizzy's is close, that might be the one

So we are craving fried chicken at work. Where is the best Fried Chicken place on the west side? Preferably Venice/MDR/Culver City area

So I did end up going to Nick and Stephs in downtown. Here's an expert from my full review at http://diglounge.net/?p=130

For dinner on Saturday night we went to Nick and Steph’s Steakhouse in the Wells Fargo building in downtown. We experienced probably some of the best service in a restaurant that I have had in quite some time. Our waitress, Light (yes, her name was Light), was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and attentive but not annoying. The highlights of the night were the Caesar salad, freshly prepared table side, pumpkin & butternut squash hash, and the homemade chocolate sorbet.

The dry aged steaks and side sauces were very good with lots of flavor. We had some problems with the steaks being over cooked. We even had to send back Corinne’s filet a third time before they got it right. I almost never send food back, but when you pay $40 for a steak, you want it cooked perfectly. They gave us free deserts, free sides, and a bottle of free wine for the inconvenience. The server and manager was very accommodating and apologetic. It really made me forgot about the problems and just enjoy the meal.

Wow! I think he would have loved the live Jazz aspect of Vibrato, unfortunately its booked solid for most of the night. But I will for sure be checking that place out!

Yeah, those are off my list, thanks! So it sounds like Jar is better than Nick and Stephs. The comments on Citysearch seem to back that up too.

OK, so I got in at Jar. for 7:45. But how does it compare to Nick and Stephs. Has anyone eaten at both?

Yeah, Mastro's and Cut is booked for that night. So my options are getting limited.

Just to update. My Dad is 55, but he's not an old man. They can appreciate a hip place. And also love wine, which is why I was considering Arroyo Chop House in South Pasadena. I heard they have an amazing wine list. But I am leaning towards Mastro or Cut (if I can get a table on a Sat night)

So it's my Dad's 55th bday. I am taking him to Steak dinner on Sat. I've done some research, and these are the choices I am thinking, any other suggestions?

Boa
Arroyo Chop House
Cut
Mastro's (couldn't find prices for this one, is it any more expensive then the above 3?)

They also have a restaurant at the Golf Course there at Griffith Park. And its actually not bad.

The King of New York in Korea Town. Their meatballs are homemade and their sauce is delicious. On a side note they have an amazing Chicken Parmasean pizza too! King of New York is on the corner of 3rd and Western. They also have a location on 8th and Berendo i believe.