best lobster roll

Thanks for your brilliant, off the beaten track suggestions. It is always refreshing to see some new suggestions. I have heard that it is worth a trip to Belle Isle for their lobster rolls and that they actually taste like real lobster and not like frozen lobster meat purchased from a wholesaler.

intheknow in Greater Boston Area

best lobster roll

Note to self: please remember never ever to order another Lobster Roll at Legal Seafood. It looked like lobster, but that was the only similarity. It was super chewy and tasteless. It's never a good thing when the flavour of the mayonnaise, celery and green onion bits take precedence.

intheknow in Greater Boston Area

High Tea in Boston

Thanks for your suggestion. Growing up in a British Colony I am well aware that the term "High Tea" is a misnomer, but after living in the U.S. for 30 years you eventually say "when in Rome do as the Romans do".

intheknow in Greater Boston Area

High Tea in Boston

I am living in Boston for the next 5 months. I wanted to know if anyone has had high tea at 1. The Four Seasons 2. The Taj or 3. L'Espalier. I am interested in a comparison of both the food and the atmosphere. I hear that the L'Espalier tea is fantastic, but the new location looks a bit sterile. I've also heard that the tea at the Park Plaza is not up to par.
thanks

intheknow in Greater Boston Area

Need some help with a nice dinner

Providence on Melrose - lots of seafood
A.O.C. - lots of small dishes
Mozza Pizza - easy for a vegetarian

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Afternoon Tea in Los Angeles

Having been on a personal quest for the perfect afternoon ever since I was a teenager and having had tea all over London, Cape Town and New York amongst others I have the following comments:

I recently had tea at the Biltmore. The milk was curdled and the tea was mediocre. The server was completely unapologetic.

I enjoyed the ambiance and tea at the Hotel Bel Air thoroughly and recommend sitting outdoors in a booth on the terrace if possible.

I like the tea at the Ritz Carlton Huntington in Pasadena. It is quite good, but is not superlative. I have been to tea there at least 5 times and always find it to be reliable, but not great. The grounds are very grand and you must walk across the bridge near the pool that has paintings on it.

I have heard that the tea at the Peninsula is fantastic and I plan on trying that one next.

I had tea at the Huntington Garden's tea room last week. The quality of the food has declined dramatically since my last visit. I believe the test of a great tea has to be a great scone. The Huntington scones were tiny and they only had chocolate chip and holiday spice flavoured ones. The perfect scone is all about the whipped cream and jam paired with a plain scone. The sandwiches were flavourless.

The Rose Tree Cottage tea that I had last year was also a disappointment. The scones were lovely, but all of the deserts were still frozen inside. It was a bit embarrassing to me as I was taking a close friend there for his birthday.

Please let us know where you decided to go and also what your experience was like.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

VITO'S PIZZA, La Cienega Blvd.

Having waxed poetic about Vito's before on Chowhound, I now have to add to my previous comments. I agree with a and w above. I have had wildly disparate experiences at Vito's. Sometimes the pizza is sublime and the crust chewy, other times the crust is totally dried out and burnt. I will only eat a slice re-heated if I know that the pizza has come out of the oven recently, otherwise it's likely that it's been sitting for hours. I have sent quite a few friends there who have complained to me about Vito's tireless shmoozing of pretty girls and celebrities. Maybe he should get back to what he knows best and tend to the ovens a bit more.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Weekend lunch in downtown

1. Standard Hotel 550 S Flower Street: restaurant in lobby, fun decor and varied menu
2. Daikokuya Ramen in Little Tokyo, 327 E 1st Street: incredible Ramen & gyoza
3. Empress Pavilion in Chinatown, 988 N Hill Street, 2nd floor: fantastic chinese food, great dim sum
4. Pete's Cafe 400 S Main Street, soups, salads and sandwiches in a lofty space, try the french fries with blue cheese and also the macaroni & cheese. Great soups too.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Palm Springs Spots?

Where in Palm Springs are you staying?

intheknow in California

Luigi and Ortega do Mozza

You can get in anytime if you are willing to go solo. It's pretty easy to get a seat for one, I've been able to every time I have gone there.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

sweet lady jane- incredibly rude!

Alright, having eaten a bowl of English trifle at Sweet Lady Jane just last night, I feel that I must put in my two cents. I have had many kinds of experiences at SLJ, from the good, to the bad and to the ugly.

Last night was very very different. I finally got a chance to chat to both Jane and her husband and they were actually surprisingly really lovely, (and no, they had no reason to shmooze me, I am not at all even close to being a celebrity). I realize now that my negative impression of them from the past was probably due to the fact that they are always frazzled and overworked. The husband was super chatty and quite funny. He is British and quite a character.

They left and I stayed a while. As I was leaving the man that was serving me handed me, for free, a bag of shortbread cookies. All he said was, I thought you might enjoy these...wow, what a different experience.

I do love Susina though and agree that the vibe there is always always laid back and friendly. If you ever get a chance try their tiny little round cookies with the single Italian cherry inside. Everyone that I have ever bought them for as a gift has become obsessed with them and becomes a Susina regular. Also, a must at Susina: get a tarot card reading from Jenna the owner's aunt Jackie. She is a phenomally accurate card reader and a really lovely person.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

breakfast in West Hollywood

I forgot to recommend the old standby: Kings Road Cafe at 8361 Beverly Blvd @ Kings Road 323.655.9044 Excellent simple breakfasts, great oatmeal and delicious sandwiches served with their signature red cabbage slaw.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

breakfast in West Hollywood

I know that Hugo's has its fans and so does the Griddle on Sunset, both of which I have eaten at countless times, but I still put my money on:
Doughboys: 8136 W 3rd Street, 323.651.4202 It is located on 3rd street between Crescent Heights and La Cienega.
Huge creative breakfast menu, served all day, amazing soups, best french onion soup anywhere.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Vito's replacement?

Vito's has reopened, but has now moved to West Hollywood. It is located at:

It is halfway between Melrose and Santa Monica on La Cienega on the east side of the street in a minimall.

846 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
90046
Phone: (310) 652-6859

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Looking for L.A.'s best deviled eggs

- Clementine's in Century City, always carries them.
- Greenblatt's Deli on Sunset at Crescent Heights, always carries them.
- Joan's on Third, almost always has them, excellent.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

L.A. Egg Salad

I agree with you about Clementine's and Greenblatt's egg salad. Go up the street from Greenblatts's deli to the Canyon Country Store. It is the store that is half way between Mulholland and Sunset boulevard on Laurel Canyon. It has superb egg salad at the deli counter that is quite a bit better than Greenblatt's.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Vito's -- it's perfect!

I just did a comparison myself between D'amore's and Vito's. This is how I felt they compared.

I have always been a huge fan of D'amore's and have sometimes driven great distances to get a slice.

Yesterday (Saturday) I had two slices at D'amore's on Coldwater Canyon in Sherman Oaks. They were as always delicious, but I noticed that the crust was rather dried out. After reading about Vito's on chowhound, by dinner time I was completely compulsive, thinking that maybe it would be best to try Vito's on the same day...

Well, I have to say, after being a huge fan of D'amores, I am now a Vito's convert. It is just a bit better. The crust is a bit more chewy. The pizza is thin, yet perfectly crisp without the aid of the cornmeal that D'amore's uses to crisp their crust. They are both excellent and when in the neighbourhood I will continue to stop by D'amore's, but I think I am now a Vito's convert.

Vito himself is quite a trip. He is very warm and welcoming. It definitely feels like you've stepped into a time warp and are back in New York having a slice. It is on La Cienega between Melrose and Santa Monica on the East side of the street in a strip mall.

Vito's
846 N La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069 (310) 652-6859

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Hungry Cat: Disappointment #1

I completely agree with epop. After having 3 mediocre meals in a row at The Hungry Cat, I am going back to the Water Grill. Still love Cat's Clam chowder, but Water Grill's is better. It's easier to get into A.O.C. these days and the food there is far superior, i'll stick with his wife if I'm in the neighbourhood.

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

NY Chowhound in LA for the first time....where to eat!?

I completely agree with Bugg Superstar's suggestions to go to Mandarette, Real Food Daily and M cafe. Mandarette serves unusual healthy chinese food. Real food daily is great if you want to have a really 'clean' meal, and M cafe is the latest venture from the Chaya restaurant chain, serving super-gourmet macrobiotic food. All three are quintessential L.A./California experiences.

If you want a scenic drive and have the time go to the Inn of the 7th Ray in Topanga Canyon for the ultimate earthy crunch California experience. This is where Michael Jackson took Brooke Shields on a date many many moons ago!

intheknow in Los Angeles Area

Anything new and interesting around Palm Springs?

I work in the film business and have a weekend house in Palm Springs. I can give you a couple of really fun things to do with your film festival friends as well as some for you and your kids.

Go after dinner to the bar at Le Vallauris. It is an old school french restaurant right near South Palm Canyon. They have an incredible piano player there called Gil Quesada who used to play at Frank Sinatra's house. Just make sure that he is playing before you go. Hang out in the bar and request songs, it is hard to stump him, and he has a wonderful style that is not your typical schmaltzy lounge stuff.

Have a chic breakfast at the Parker Hotel at their restaurant Norma's. It is a branch of their N.Y. restaurant. The breakfasts are fantastic and range from eggs benedict to crepes and potato pancakes. Skip eating at their other restaurant Mr. Parkers, which only serves dinner. It is fantastically funky inside, but the food is overrated and overpriced, instead go at night to the lobby of the Parker, order drinks at the lobby bar and hang out by the fire pit in the eclectic lounge designed by Jonathan Adler.

Take film friends for an elegant breakfast to Spencer's at the famous old Palm Springs tennis club. It is located on the slopes of the mountain and is a wonderful quiet place to have breakfast or lunch without blowing the bank. Dinner is expensive.

Take the kids to Sherman's Deli on Tahquitz a couple of blocks from Palm Canyon. Their portions are huge. The pastrami sandwiches are amazing as well as the sweet and sour cabbage soup. The matzo ball is probably the biggest you've ever seen. I think that the food is much tastier here than at the newer Manhattan Deli. I've been to both dozens of times.

Have you taken the kids to Tyler's Burgers at 149 S Indian Canyon? It is a burger stand that serves up fantastic burgers and fries.

And, last but certainly not least, Simba's Rib House at 190 N Sunrise Way. Simba used to sing back-up for Ray Charles years ago before becoming a nurse. She has a fantastic soul food buffet that I highly recommend taking your kids to. It would also be fun to take your friends as well. The food is great and surprisingly not greasy. The collard greens are steamed and Simba herself told me that she uses no lard in her cooking. The fried chicken and ribs are what she is known for. On Friday and Saturday nights she has a singer and organ player that play Burt Bacharach-style tunes. It is a trip, with a spinning disco ball included. Be prepared, you will probably have a microphone shoved in your face at least once during the night to sing the chorus. A large group of us went there for Thanksgiving and had such a great time that we're contemplating going there again next year.

If you have a chance it is well worth a visit to The Living Desert in Palm Desert. www.livingdesert.org It is a large natural zoo and botanical garden that shows desert animals and plants in their natural surroundings. I've taken many kids there and they all want to come back again and again.

intheknow in California