i used to live in Venice and ate here often 15 years ago, when it was serviceable but not memorable.
i ate there last night...and it was great!
not the usual dumbed down Thai. Food was tasty (the Dumplings in 3 sauces appetizer was delicious). loved the pumpkin curry, and asparagus Pad. presentation was excellent..a bit of refinement to the dishes as well. the coconut rice needs some work, but the mango with sticky rice was good.

i just had a slice of cherry pie from the dessert bar at the new Whole Foods in Venice. i was pleasantly surprised..the crust was light, flaky and the edges were delicately crisp. it wasn't sickeningly sweet as the cherries were just tart enough to balance it out..not a lot of mystery goopy stuff either. best thing is you serve yourself as much as you want. i'm going back for more on saturday.

what a bummer - Fauchon closed last year. God--can i make it to Paris by spring?
Barring that, i'll warm up a few from Maison du Pain..or that psuedo French -Korean place on Western that lists the fresh-out-of the oven treats on the blackboard.
has anyone tried the pretzel croissant at City bakery in Brentwood?

um- i meant Mako. and rats, it's closed on Sundays.

thanks for the suggestions. Date has revised cuisine to Asian--not sushi specific. So i'm thinking Mori in Bev Hills...i like Yabu because it's lowkey and the food's good..but maybe it's too crowded and noisy. any other recs are appreciated...will check out Kiriko tomorrow!

thanks for the suggestions. can't do Italian because that's all we've been eating. but i'll switch it to Monday night to get the fresh fish...

First date. Need a nice atmosphere, great service, open on Sunday nights and quiet enough to heard ourselves talk. Somewhere between La Brea and the Westside...don't want to go as far as Santa Monica if possible. Greatly appreciate your suggestions..

i'm praying for the day Tamarind in London opens a branch in LA. i spent one week in London and ate there 3 times and ordered in for delivery another 2 nights. astonishingly fresh, tasty, (deceptively) simply prepared, and miles above the creativity and presentation of anything in the states. oh, for a bowl of warm rice pudding!

An organic Korean restaurant...does it exist? i love panchan but am tired of cooking all the little dishes.
fingers are crossed...

anyone know where i can buy them in mid-town LA as cheaply as TJ's sold them for?
thanks!

Taking Mom to dinner tonight. Which is the best one these days? Food first, then service & ambience...

M Cafe on Melrose has gluten free strawberry cupcakes that are pretty good. Babycakes in Torrance makes one or two flavors daily..you have to call and reserve/order if you want a lot of them. There are fruity gluten free cheesecake slices at WFoods..the strawberry is good, fresh peach also ok...they are pretty sweet. Trader Joe's is on it--they have gluten free pretzels, cake mix, cookie dough, etc. --check out their flyer. And if you are motivated, buy a bag of Pamela's gluten free Pancake Mix at WF--lots of recipes on the bag (i turned the muffin recipe into a loaf cake).
Good luck!

Going to a show thursday night near Sunset and Glendale.
Any recs for any style of food as long as there are a few vegetarian options?
thanks..

i have to go there for lunch today..any ideas?
thank you!!

do you know of any place open on President's Day (this Monday) that's got tasty, healthy food? No pasta or white bread or sugar...thanks!!

We like Ammo a lot and it's right up the street from Mozza. Good pizza all day. Not too crowded. Nice folks.

sorry--they weren't shiitake--they were matsutake shrooms...yum.

i had the angelhair pasta with shiitake mushrooms which was divine. then i ordered the yellowtail sashimi sitting in a pool of yuzu-soy-sesame seed sauce that was so good i licked the plate clean..and went back the next night for the same thing.
i know it's a secret sauce--but has anyone figured out a close approximation of it? i would put it on everything.

It always amazes me that there's a line for Doughboys when Ammo is right across the street, uncrowded and so much better...organic ingredients, inventive dishes...try it.

I need to send some as a thank you but I live in Los Angeles and no one seems to have Paris based affiliates.
Does anyone know if Bon Marche will do it--or is there a better place?

if you hop in the car, try Ammo on Highland. there's a new branch of Doughboys across the street from it but Ammo has way better food, ambiance and service.

i THINK it's called Moon. don't know how long it has been there but i just saw it as i was driving by yesterday--the sign is a bit hard to read. but it's Japanese food in the old Ita-cho location. it looked nice from the steret. anyone tried it out yet?

just a thought -- Bloom Cafe on Pico has great thin crust pizza with organic toppings and lots of vegetarian options. their Moroccan/French take on it is light and crispy and afterward you don't feel like you've eaten an 18" pie...

if, like me, you're allergic to cow's milk and aren't partial to soymilk or ricemilk, Goat's Milk Ice Cream is fantastic...i just discovered 2 brands for sale at Whole Foods and they're both good. but the strawberry and coconut ice creams, and the mango sorbet by a local company called Delicioux is especially great.

i'm from honolulu and can tell you that there is no native hawaiian dish with green papayas in it...but we do snack on slices of green mango dipped in shoyu/lemon juice/black pepper.
an easy dish for you to make would be poke: cubes of ahi tuna, sliced onions and chopped scallions with a splash of shoyu and chili pepper water (everyone has their own take on it). lomilomi salmon is a cold salad --also easy and delicious--salt salmon (you can use lox), chopped tomato, scallions, onions, and a small can of tomato juice. good luck!

hello..i'm looking for organix food based breakfast and lunch spots in LA. i know about M Cafe, Bloom, Inaka, RFD, Mani's...just wondering if i've missed anything recently.
and has anyone tried the Vegan thai spot on Melrose just west of La Brea? Thanks.

Maison du Pain is good for the Pico neighborhood but like Chado Teahouse, it's not much on atmosphere. ditto Paris Bakery on Western which probably has the best, freshest pastries west of La Cienega.
Yours is a tougher request than it should be, considering we are in LA. Guess i'd say for atmosphere go to The Four Seasons in BevHills, Rose Tree Cottage or Huntington Gardens in pasadena (although the food ain't much to talk about), The Biltmore Hotel High Tea downtown. Come to think of it, there is a niche to be filled here by a budding restauranteer.

if you like strong greek coffee you can get a metriole at Petit Greek and sit in their sidewalk seating area. M Cafe has organic coffee but it's a "so hip it's not anymore" place. La Brea bakery used to have decent baked goods but now it sucks and the atmosphere (sidewalk) is lacking. i'd say for aesthetics, you've got to get in the car and drive.

Bloom Cafe on Pico makes many organic whole wheat crust pizzas...they're all great. i usually get the vegetarian plus avocado, pine nuts and veggie link sausage. yum.

there is a health food store/restaurant on Slauson between Crenshaw and La Brea. they make THE BEST veggie burger in Los Angeles. it wipes M Cafe, Astor and Nativ off the table. you get the deluxe with avocado and BBQ sauce. it's heaven. i used to have it 4xs a week when i lived there. damn. i'm going there today just because you reminded me of it...