rec's near LMU , Playa del Rey

Westsidegal, have you tried the chopped salad? It is great, and Chow-worthy, imho.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

rec's near LMU , Playa del Rey

How about Alejo's on Lincoln. Fairly pedestrian italian, but they have a great chopped salad. A good inexpensive lunch/dinner option.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Manhattan with a six year old

Thanks for the posts! I will research Blue Smoke, and an early dinner at Lupa could be the perfect spot. These are all great ideas. I will pass them along.

-----
Lupa
170 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012

Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street, New York, NY 10016

jeffandnat in Manhattan

Manhattan with a six year old

Kathryn-
For this special trip, I do not think that budget is an issue. They want to have at least one special occasion meal, where price could be high. It's more about finding a great foodie meal for the parents and something that works for the six year old. I always lean toward Italian with my daughter, as I know there will always be a pasta or flatbread that will work. But the kids also love Dim Sum, and Thai.

jeffandnat in Manhattan

Manhattan with a six year old

A good friend of mine is coming to NY to watch the Macy's TG parade with her 6 year old daughter, and I am looking for some recommendations for good restaurants that are kid friendly, but are not awful chain restaurants. They will be staying in Midtown. She is a foodie, but not sure if Babbo is going to be on her list for this trip. Italian is always a safe bet, but she is up for anything. Also, they are looking for a good Thanksgiving Dinner spot. Thanks in advance!

jeffandnat in Manhattan

Apple Cider in LA

Fall always gets me thinking about the cider mills in Michigan. The combo of cider being pressed in front of your eyes, and the whiff of cinnamon sugar/spiced cake donuts in the air brings a huge smile to my face. Short of driving out to Julian, is there good cider in LA? And, who is making the best spiced cake donut in the city?

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Dine LA Restaurants

We dined at Craft last year for DineLA, and it was fabulous. Great Deal! Four of us went, and shared everything family style.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

P.O.G., (the Hawaiian drink) where can I find it in LA?

Bulavinaka: That sounds great! You gotta love lilikoi. We always use a light semi-inexpensive rum due to how quickly the bottle gets emptied when you start serving these drinks to a crowd! Everybody will start sharing stories of some rum soaked tropical escapade.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Food at Steingarten LA

We got there at around 7pm. No table wait. They were probably half full most of the evening. Tables near the bar were full the whole time we were there with the dining room being more on the available side. The sausage platter was $20. A really nice presentation with toasted baguettes and three homemade dipping sauces, (spicy mustards and curry ketchup). I also tried the parmesan fries served in a stylish cone. Thin crispy shoe strings. Very good. I would say the crowd would be 25-40. A good mix of guys and gals. There seemed to be a lot of beer knowledge in the room. The selection is just amazing. Similar to Congregation in Long Beach. Beers were $5 and up. Out the door, two of us were around $70-75. The Parabola stout was a little more pricey than the IPA.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Food at Steingarten LA

Follow up: Had a great evening at Steingarten. Ended up eating the sausage platter. You get to choose 3 from their list of 12-15 sausages and multiple toppings. My picks: Hungarian, Elk, and Duck w/bacon. I added carmelized onions and kraut as the toppings. Paired them with the El Segundo IPA, and finished with a Firestone Russian Imperial Stout called Parabola. Two amazing beers, great food and a super cool staff!

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

P.O.G., (the Hawaiian drink) where can I find it in LA?

Marukai in Gardena has the Meadow Gold POG in cartons, just like on the Islands. We mix it with Bacardi Light Rum and fresh lime, for a fabulous adult twist. Marukai has a great Hawaii section. Huli Huli sauce, coconut syrup, Lion coffee, etc.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Food at Steingarten LA

Heading up to Steingarten LA tomorrow night for the first time,(Wednesday 8/31), for dinner and the the "Pint Nght" with El Segundo Brewing Company. What is the best thing on the menu that will pair with ESBC's IPA?

-----
Steingarten LA
10543 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Lucques "All American Rib Fest"

Excellent! I hoped that was the case. Aside from my complaining above, we had a great time. I think Lucques is a great restaurant, and they did a fabulous job of providing a casual environment for the BBQ. I can think of other high end restaurants that would not be able to pull that off.

-----
Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Lucques "All American Rib Fest"

Here is my update on the Rib Fest:
We had a reservation at 3:00pm and the restaurant was full. (Maudies5, we were probably there at the same time).
The spiced lamb spare ribs were truly amazing. Tiny spiced, (curry, I think?), rib with meat that fell off the bone and melted in your mouth. The beef ribs were sauced and very moist with a nice smokey sauce. The chicken wings had a fabulous, spicy complex sauce on them, that woke up the taste buds. The pork ribs were the weak link, IMO. A little chewy and fatty. I liked the family style servings. Reminded me of going to Dim Sum with everything coming at once, and total chaos as everyone jockey's for their favorite thing. Fun, if you are with the right group.
Then, the bill comes. Ouch! I agree with the other posts, about $55 being crazy money for BBQ, but I signed up for it. I had some friends that wanted to go, and I was going to suck it up! I will say, that the flavors in the lamb ribs almost made it worth it, to me. (You aren't going to find those delicate morsels at Bludso's!) However, adding a couple of PBR's and two way overpriced specialty cocktails, put us well north of $100 dollars per person, and that is a little nuts. There was a couple sitting across from us, that brought their 4-year old. I wanted to ask if he was getting dinged $55. From what I could tell he only had corn and baked beans!
Next year maybe I can work out a Sunday business lunch, or have the in-laws come up from O.C. to cover the bill! : )

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

NorCal Hound w/kids heading to Disneyland: critique my plan!

It pains me to say it, but do not let your fellow Chowhounders talk you out of Ariel's Grotto. The food is bad, but the facetime your kids get with the princesses, is priceless. Make sure the batteries are charged, because the photo's/video from that lunch will be your favorites. Chances are your kids wont touch their food. Not because it is awful,(which it is), but they will be way too busy chatting up Cinderella!

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Lucques "All American Rib Fest"

I have a reservation for the All American Rib Fest at Lucques on July 24th. Has anybody attended the past rib events? Curious if there are any opinions. Looks like a great menu.

-----
Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Anaheim Convention Center

Looking for some good dinner spots near the Anaheim Convention Center. Any good Thai or Indian close by? I am trying to stay away from Downtown Disney and the chains, although I hear the bar bites menu at Morton's steakhouse is good. I will be staying at the Hilton. Has anyone tried Mix, at the Hilton?
Thanks in advance.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Best BACON in Los Angeles. Prepared or for Take Home

I would assume that they can keep up with the demand of a local market or small chain selling smaller quantities of it for $8 a pack as opposed to TJ's selling a truck load at $4 a pack. What a drag! I bet we will be seeing it at other stores for a higher price.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Best BACON in Los Angeles. Prepared or for Take Home

The Niman Ranch facebook page says they could not keep up with TJ's demand, so it looks like the TJ brand is not a repackaging of the Niman Ranch bacon. Bummer.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Favorite Meals Under $5

Spam Musubi and POG, (aka sugar in a can), at L&L Hawaiian. Or any Hawaiian BBQ joint, most likely.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Westside Burgers-Counter, Hole in the Wall, Father's Office Tavern, What Else?

When i am in need of a great burger, I head over to Second City Bistro in El Segundo. Huge, thick burger with caramelized onions and a garlic aioli. It comes with a choice of o.k. fries, their fabulous Tomato bisque or house salad. They know how to cook a burger medium rare, which can be a challenge at other burger joints.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

5 hour layover at LAX - accessible by taxi

I say, skip the cab ride and walk over to In N Out. Wienermobile had it right on the very first reply to this post! Double Double w/grilled onions and animal style fries. 5 hours seems to be not quite enough time to get away without stress. Traffic on Lincoln/Sepulveda will be slow between 4-6pm.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

First and Hope: complete and total menu change

That's too bad. I really liked the southern fare as well. The mac and cheese flight was a great starter.

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Kids Cooking Classes

I am looking for a good 5-6 year old basic kid's cooking class in either LA or OC. I have checked out Bristol Farms and Sur La Table, and 7 year old is the youngest they will take. Anyone know of any classes that specialize in the younger set?

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Caterer in Knoxville

Thanks Littleman! These guys look great!

jeffandnat in Kentucky & Tennessee

Caterer in Knoxville

Casual. Anything from sandwich platters to southern bbq. Catering lunch for a group of 15-20 people.

jeffandnat in Kentucky & Tennessee

Caterer in Knoxville

I am looking for a caterer/catering in the Knoxville area. It could be a company that comes and sets everything up, (preferred), or pickup/dropoff from a restaurant. Any thoughts?

jeffandnat in Kentucky & Tennessee

Food near or in Angel Stadium?

Great options, thanks everyone!

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area

Food near or in Angel Stadium?

Food at Angel Stadium is not good. I know, I know, I expect too much from a $10.00 hot dog, and a $6.00 bag of stale peanuts. (I am mostly mad at myself, because I never take the time to swing by Bay Cities to grab a Godmother to bring into the game). Any good grab n' go options near the stadium? or am I missing something great inside the stadium?

jeffandnat in Los Angeles Area