I am sad I missed being able to recommend some good places. I got married at Mike Andersons and had a second-line. Maybe it will help the next person. The Columns is fantastic.

If the Jewish people don;t keep kosher I would also say have a crawfish boil as no weaponry is available except for teeny claws.

Our only disaster broke out during the bachelor party, which had to split into two groups after something about strippers.

Then before the wedding my maid of honor almost decked my brother over the boutoinnierres.

After the wedding, a whole keg of beer was left so I figured, I can do a to-go cup and we filled buckets with beer and walked down to Jackson Square. We got drunk and sang, and the police tried to arrest us for being "buskers"

No place to get married like NOLA!

I love the food, but the lady who runs the place gives you a hard time if you ask a question or don't know the menu right away. I took a subtle photo of my own sandwich with no flash in a corner and she chastised me and continued bitching at me all the way back to her station in front of the entire restaurant (there are no signs forbidding photos). My friend heard her complaining about us to the entire kitchen withn earshot of the diners. The bad vibes are so strong I will never be back. Too bad. It was so promising.

Try parking on the N-S running street east of Portos. I can usually get a spot there easily, or in the "small strip lot". The big parking lot is a nightmare.

Thank God I'm not the only one who doesn;t like Chili John's. I love the atmosphere. But I have tried it in every combination, mild and spicy, and even my not-at-all-picky husband won't eat it.

Just a different style I guess.

We got our first Taste of Chicago deep-dish and almost broke our teeth. there were numerous hard chunks, like the little stones you pick out of raw beans. I was trying to think what could do that by accident in a pepperoni pizza? Not eggshells, nutshells or seafood. It is still amystery and we are afraid to go back.

I second both these places.

The "old school" cupcake and red velvet are to die for.

Bistro Provence does serve wine and champagne now.

I have had bad experience after bad experience here. The owner is a shrew who yells at customers and treats them like an inconvenience. Unpleasant.

Unfortunately, while the food is good at Krust, we have had so many bad experiences with the owner yelling at customers and fuming around the place, loundly complaining to employees about diners within earshot, that I really wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

Portos has excellent food, but the atmosphere does not invite lingering.

Try Urban Eats. It's a relatively new place across from Porto's run by a group of recent cooking school graduates. The food is fantastic, they serve beer, and you can invent your own salad.

My favorites in the South Bay:

Versailles on PCH (part of a family chain) excellent Cuban

El Pollo Inka (PCH, plus other locations) Peruvian

Ocean Diner on Aviation

Aimee's Bistro on PCH - a little more expensive, but worth it for great French

I second Bellacon Grill

Sangria on strand at HB PIer Ave

All three Cajun places in HB

I just went for dinela. It's so pretty and the service is so good, but our food was cold and not memorable at all.

I think Clifton's Cafeteria might have it. I have a recipe for theirs from way back.

You will probably have to order Zapp's and the King Cake from mail order - fast.

The Gumbo Pages are a good start for Los Angeles

http://www.gumbopages.com/socal-home.html

Moon Pies mail order

http://www.paradethrows.com/cart/shop.asp?cat=69

Zapps mail order

http://www.potatochips.com/

For fresh ingredients, the Farmers market at 3rd and Fairfax - the meatmen sell sausages, tasso and giant ham hocks. a seafood purveyor specializes in new orleans ingredients.

Whole Foods sells blue crab in envelopes.

Good luck!

Yeah, I'll be writing up my restaurants for LAist as well.

We did Vermont last night. They were really understaffed and I realized as we waited in vain to order more wine that the restaurants can recoup all of that participation money on alcohol if they try.

The fried goat cheese on my salad was cut in half. I am certain it must be a whole cheese on the regular menu, or why wouldn't they just shape the rounds smaller? I felt a little gypped. But the food was killer, and well worth $34. Of course, even with a few glasses less than we would have liked, after coffee and alcohol our bill was 158.

Having previously gotten excited about an event, overcommiting and later regretting the drive, this time I made my choices out of practicality. I narrowed it down to local spots, then chose solely on the menu. A lot of places did seem to be setting out the cheap stuff, whereas a few seemed to really be making an effort to impress. Ciudad sold me on the tamale alone, and Vermont enticed me with oxtails (which were killer. Only 2 though - are there usually three?)

I have a few lunchtimes available that I would like to play by ear. Some restaurants are not taking reservations. Others are filling up fast. I didn't even try getting a reservation for Grace after Fraser said they were already sold out. I did try the appetizers at the opening event, and they were excellent. After dineLA I will be back at Grace first thing to try the boar.

I like Good Earth on Ventura. It's one of the last survivors of a chain. They have a killer orange chicken with soba and a lot of vegetarian options plus a small bakery.

I know the lemon tart at Vermont is killer. We often go there for dessert after Farfalle since Farfalles' desserts are ordered out.

House of Pies is unpredictable. I also love the pecan pie cheesecake, but have been served slices that were way past their prime and often taste like the refrigerator.

It wasn't food to this guy, it was a launching pad. Like he threw the dart at DVDs, DRY CLEANERS, DOG GROOMERS and it landed on RESTAURANT.

I love how he kept saying, "I won that one!" You're not winning jack with an empty restaurant. What's sad is that I imagine that is the kitchen in every restaurant in town sometimes. Fresh calamari in Burbank? FRESH, never frozen? Does anone know where to get that?

Yet in some perverse way i want to go eat there now just so I can write a funny story about it.

The catfish was excellent, but I found the place REALLY expensive and the wait really long. I can't explain it, but there was a weird "sold out" vibe.

It's hard to find good New Orleans in Los Angeles, so it's a "better than nothing" situation rather than "really good". If you are jonesing, the catfish at Rajin Cajun will satisfy the urge. They know how to deep-fry things southern-style, but the gumbo, etouffe and red beans are run-of-the-mill.

I have tried to eat at New Orleans, but my friends won't go there or walk out because the gumbo is 25 dollars a serving and a po'boy is 17 dollars, which is kind of an oxymoron.

I LOVE the Spot's Mexican sauce. I'm a die-hard carnivore, but I always go back for their enchiladas.

The gutter was in an old bowling alley called Mr T's Bowl. By day it is a dive bar, at night they host rock gigs. They have only had your most basic burger flippers since the sisters left. I wisH i knew where they went. I would follow them.

So simple...yet so easy to forget.

Yes! Thank you! I nursed many a high school broken heart over pancakes in their little back porch.

You are in a great neighborhood for vegetarians. You are probably already familiar with Fred 62. My friend likes to get their Asian chicken salad with tofu instead of chicken, as well as the bang bang noodles.

Zankou chicken on Sunset has the best falafel.

Safari Sam's nightclub has a spicy Southwestern veggie "meatloaf".

If you want to leave your area, the Spot in Hermosa has some old-school hippie vegetarian. They used to cook for Paul and Linda McCartney when they were in LA. Good enchilada sauce.

Vegetable Delight in the valley has trippy fake Chinese meat dishes. They have taken it to a whole new level.

For a low-brow cioppino, try the Hermosa Beach Fish Market on Pier Avenue. For a more upscale version try the Enterprise Fish Company in Santa Monica.

Hmm, most of the best ones are already mentioned, but if I had to make a "top" list...

Bestie's Pub off of Pier and PCH for fish and chips

Good Stuff on the Strand - good for lunch

Ocean Diner on Aviation - amazing desserts

Bellacon Grill - on 190th crab and beef rendang

El Pollo Inka for Saltado de Mariscos and Aji de Gallina, as well as the addictive salsa criolla

Aimee's for steaks

The Spot for vegetarian - especially the enchilada sauce

Eat at Joe's for breakfast

Bill's Pancake House in Manhattan Bch

El Indio on Artesia for vegetarian burritos. A good place for fresh tortillas and masa.

Rosa's on PCH used to be criticixed as "Americanized" Mexican, but now it is an old favorite for wet burritos. Plus, Manuel has worked there for over 30 years.

Recommended with some Reservations:

Tony's on the pier - watery clam chowder and dull fish dishes, but it's all about the ambiance and nostalgia. The hard-core mai tais and fire chiefs don't hurt either.

Brogino's for Italian on Artesia, only because I haven't been there in 10 years.

Captain Kidds is one of the few places you can get messy with crabs and a hammer, but I find their seafood to be kind of "fishy" as well as the unappetizing, umm, "realness" of the fish market.

Chez Melange - Sunday brunch only

Rajin Cajun - great authentic fried seafood, but limited menu and a cranky owner who hassles waitresses in front of customers.

Unfortunately I have a habit of frequenting places and never getting the name...

there is a teensy tiny breakfast place on the West side of PCH just north of Torrance Blvd, across from Smart and Final. It is a little converted house.

Then there is good Chinese on PCH in Manhattan Beach on the East side of the road South of Manhattan Bch Blvd

Anyone know the names of these places?

SGV is actually not too bad of a drive for me when traffic is light...which places do you recommend out there?

I tried to send a message to you - I'm not sure if that's do-able on this site, or if I am awkward and clumsy. I wanted to refer to your post in my blog and wanted to get permission. I am deep in the trenches of the teacake wars.

I'm trying to search for United bakery on the web and not finding it. Do you have the address?

From what I can gather from Martino's web page and local Burbank newspapers. Martino's was bought by Campbell's Soup's Pepperidge Farm division in 1980.

In 1994 Campbell's decided to close them down, so the employees made a profit-sharing deal to buy out the bakery.

But in other articles, it states that Ammerio Corradi, who has been a partner with the Martino's since the 40s, opened the location on Olive, which is now on Victory.

I'm finding some conflicting information, so maybe you can help me out with more info?

Grace is the owner of the restaurant. She's great!