esculent's Profile
Have car, will travel: truffle festivals this fall?
I'd love to go to Acqualanga, but due to time constraints, I think we will have to concentrate in the Tuscany area. Do you recommend San Miniato or San Giovanni D'Asso for Truffles? Is there anywhere we shouldn't miss?
Have car, will travel: truffle festivals this fall?
Thank you! Do you find the festivals to be too crowded?
Have car, will travel: truffle festivals this fall?
My boyfriend and I will be in Italy from Nov 15-21st and I'm dying for tartufo bianco. We are planning to spend a couple days in Rome, and heading to Florence for a few days. Our itinerary is very flexible, so we can go where the truffles take us. Staying in the Piedmont is fine with us, as is moving Rome to the end of the trip if need be. I looked around on the internet but it seems most truffle festivals are ending before we get there. Any advice on festivals that we must see?
Recommendations for restaurants with fabulous truffle dishes, and local truffle vendors are greatly appreciated too!
Best Pancakes Ever? (For Dinner!)
The hotcakes at Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken in Culver City astound me. Personally, I prefer to overdo it by ordering both hotcakes AND biscuits.
Halloween Treats?
FYI, I saw the Vosges skulls at Alcove Cafe in Los Feliz last week. Joan's on Third also has candy corn and I think some other Halloween treats.
Best Hansen's Cake Flavors?
seconded. the chocolate cake with the white chocolate chocolate chip filling is also pretty good.
Under-rated/Under-hyped
Total agreement. Mike (Mohammad) truly takes care in what he does. Also, try the tuna falafel, which is a falafel sandwich with his special, mayoless, tuna and tabouli salad.
father's office
I ususally just ask people if they are wrapping up. I'll also ask people if they mind if i share a table with them. Most of the time people are happy to share and I've met some great people in LA that way. Just remember to return the favor once you get the table all to yourself!
father's office
i have to be honest here. i enjoy father's office. i find the burger and sweet potato fries are utterly delicious and i usually just kick back and have a great time. that said, in all the years that i've been going, i've never had a problem with a table until this last time. here's the thing. At FO, I'm accustomed to sharing tables with total strangers. I've met some really interesting people that way. I'll always share my table if I have the room, and I've found others to behave in the same way, that is, until recently when no less than three seperate tables of couples refused to share their table. I found it a little strange, and depressing, but dealt with it.
I guess for me FO is more of a communal experience than a one-on-one dining experience (a'la providence or something else).
What's your most recent WOW! Moment at an LA restaurant?
ditto...that wow-ed me too...even with all the hype
What's your most recent WOW! Moment at an LA restaurant?
our total w/out tip (incl 1 sake, 1 asahi and 1 tea) came to about $130. I asked how much omakase is there and they said $100pp which is too steep for my budget, so I was just honest and told the chef that I would love to have omakase, but couldn't afford it. They treated us very respectfully and Eddie brought out his best for us while not completely killing our budget. We did get terrified that we got into a $300 meal halfway through...then I tasted the Mana Katsuo and all was worth it.
What's your most recent WOW! Moment at an LA restaurant?
my most recent WOW was at Sushi Iki in Tarzana last weekend. I just asked for best fish they had (as i have never been before) and everything was fantastic. however, the most transcendent moment was with a piece of Mana Katsuo with a wonderful lemony sauce. Eddie makes all of his sauces and dressings in house (he even makes the sorbet they served for dessert).
father's office
i didn't think that craftsman was bottling yet. please tell me i'm wrong!
http://www.laist.com/2007/05/04/laist_interview_craftsman_brewmaster_mark_jilg.php
Robertson/Burton Way- Favorite Restaurants?
oh thank goodness. i'm looking for another thai restaurant (i live in the area) and was hoping it wasn't Natalee
$2 and under
You can also get two tacos at Sabor a Mexico from their weekend Taco table, or two tacos from the taco truck on Lincoln and Rose.
Sunday Challenge HELP!
How about the Redwood Bar & Grill? I haven't been, but recall hearing some pretty good things on this board. Plus it's downtown, open late, most entrees are around $13 and it's got vegetarian items.
http://www.theredwoodbar.com/Menu.html
Great wine for gift (around $100)?
i realized that the '05 were futures shortly after posting. i guess if i knew that the person was a real Bordeaux fanatic I might spring for that, but I'm just not certain.
Dinner/LA/Friday night
If sushi's your thing, I'd suggest heading down to Ventura Blvd in Studio City for some great sushi. Nozawa is hotly debated on this board but has its fans. My personal favorite, however, is Tama Sushi.
Robertson/Burton Way- Favorite Restaurants?
I think you're thinking of Natalee Thai which is in the mini-mall on olympic & robertson across the street from the fancy gas station.
I also rec the 3rd stop.
Great wine for gift (around $100)?
i was leaning towards a red, possibly italian. i'd also consider a great california wine since i'm in california, or a 2005 bordeaux since they're getting so much hype
$2 and under
You can get 2 samosas from India Sweet House (Pico & Fairfax) and still have 50 cents left over.
Great wine for gift (around $100)?
Looking to give a great (or at least, good) bottle of wine as a thank you gift to someone in New York. I'm in LA, so i'd either need to ship it or contact a shop in New York directly.
Any suggestions for a special bottle around $100? The recipient has three loves in life (wine, food and golf), so I admit I feel like the pressure is on as I get lost when it comes to wine.
Thanks!
List of restaurants that focus on local ingredients
Grace just started doing a "400-mile" menu, where all the ingredients are within a 400-mile radius.
http://www.la.com/blog/7451671.html
Need help finding a bakery that makes cakes like Ace of Cakes
with enough lead time, Hansen's can make just about anything into a cake. I hate to keep using this example (but it's the craziest thing i've done with them personally) but they created a cake for me that looked like the sorting hat from harry potter (totally three dimensional and towering). it wasn't cheap, but it was definitely memorable. I'd work out of the Beverly Hills showroom on S Beverly Drive (west side of street, just south of wilshire blvd.) as i find them to be the most receptive to creative ideas.
Sabor a Mexico
had a lovely 10:30pm dinner there last Saturday. I ordered two tacos (one al pastor & one carne asada) from the taco table and the squash blossom quesadilla. the tacos were great...so great that i went back for a third asada taco. Took about 15-20 minutes for my quesadilla, but it was incredibly fresh (you could tell that it had *just* been fried) and flavorful.
The only caveat was that i forgot to be clear when giving my friend (the driver) directions. I only remembered that it was at the 10 and National. FYI, National crosses the 10 three times! This is at the one close to Robertson.
Best Moules frite?
I'm partial to the moules frites at Lilly's on Abbot Kinney in Venice. The mussels are nice and fresh!
I feel like death, suggestions to lift my soul?
maybe it was because you said macaroons, but the macarons at boule always lift my soul a little bit. and they come in easter colors!
