tookyt's Profile
Umami Burger, Studio City
Food is fine, but not worth the hour-plus Saturday night wait. Once inside, the service was slow and careless-- it took about 25 minutes for me to get the beer I ordered (it arrived with the meal while my dining partners' drinks had already arrived). Drink orders were confused (I ordered a second and received the wrong one, while one companion never ordered a second but received one anyway).
I enjoyed the food but I certainly would avoid this location on a busy Saturday night. Not worth the effort.
Delicious Cheese at Wally's Cheese Box in West LA
I agree that they are providing something important to the neighborhood. The service in the wine store sometimes leaves me a little cold, but I thought the service at the cheese counter was great, and I enjoyed the selection. Due to its size, I don't think it can match the cheese store in BH, but it more than holds it own and I'm glad to have it so close to where I live.
Osteria La Buca LOVE/almost HATE experience…
Went last night and I will not go back. Indifferent service, bland food, and high prices. I ordered a duck ragu special and my friend ordered the bolognese, and when the server brought them to the table he could not tell one from the other. After trying both, neither could I. Noodles were fresh tasting, but the anemic sauces tasted nothing like the meats that were supposed to define them. A gorgonzola/endive/walnut appetizer might have redeemed a bad bagel, but was otherwise as exciting as veggie cream cheese.
Save your money and head to any of the actual Italian places in LA: Angelini, Mozza, All Angello, Terroni, hell, even Angeli Cafe.
REVIEW: Priyani, Northridge
I just ate the assortment of fried goods and about two bellyfuls of biryani. Everything was well spiced and well cooked. This place is great and worth the trip if you don't live in the Valley.
New Tortilleria opening in Corona
I just ate there today. Very good food. Very nice people. I had the recession special today, but I plan to return for tacos and more tamales.
And I got the full tour of the place and a mini-lesson on corn and the poor packaging skills of shipping companies in Mexico.
Los Angelino's short visit to NYC in September..where to get...
Blind Tiger has a great beer selection. http://blindtigeralehouse.com/
loteria goes hollywood
We did have a reservation and the restaurant was not slammed. I disagree with the idea that I should expect below average service because of a large group. I also am sorry that your negative experiences as a server have so drastically colored your view on my group and on restaurant service overall. The majority of the group were out of town visitors here to celebrate my brother's wedding. They are not "Hollywood," nor are they self-absorbed.
I should add that our food arrived quickly, as did the drinks. The restaurant was by no means a disaster, and in no way did I want to leave the impression that it was a horrible, awful, no-damn-good experience. They do have some kinks to work out in terms of service. Judging by the other comments here, this does not seem limited to large groups.
loteria goes hollywood
I went last night with a large group (there were 13 of us). The food is as great as the Farmer's Market stall, but the service left something to be desired. The restaurant's big advance from the stall at the Farmer's Market is the tequila, yet there was no list of tequilas, nor was there even a drink menu. Even if the restaurant just opened, surely someone can open Microsoft Word, type the list, and hit print, no? This led to some annoying confusion about the price of a bottle versus individual shots for the table. We inquired about the price of a bottle and were met with blank stares. We were told shots were $12, but the whole bottle was $200, even though there were about 12 shots in a bottle (their shot glasses are slightly larger). When we crunched the numbers for the manager, he changed the price of the shot from $12 to $15 so that it more closely matched the price of the bottle. I know restaurants make a lot of money on booze, but $200 is a bit ridiculous for a bottle I can buy for $50. But never mind the price, the shady manager is a bigger problem.
We had another problem when we were paying the bill, which I admit we complicated with various credit cards and cash. We did the math and gave the server the money and cards, and he returned 10 minutes later to inform us we owed another $11. We had to take out the calculator and show him we paid him correctly for him to believe us.
Good thing the food is good, right?
Bottom line: I like their food too much not to return, but they clearly have some work to do to elevate their service. This ought to be a great place.
