I couldn't have said it better myself!

I'm very happy you enjoyed it as much as I did. The place really is a gem and I want it to survive, so spread the word!

True!!

Please see my review of "Fusion Burgers". They kick all kinds of cow right in the udder. One Hound purports them to have some familial bonds to Umami Burger:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/866871

http://fusionburgersla.com
5933 York Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Tel: (323)257-8705

Great! Please let me know what you think, Dirty!

I put in work on a number of the restaurant pages, so it's very frustrating to find they've been eliminated. It was an extremely useful service and the site is lesser for lack of it.

I was shocked to find this useful feature removed. The hyperlinks to restaurant info were fantastic. I keep hearing about folks abandoning Chow in favor of Yelp. I tell them not to, but now you're taking away one of the major selling points. Without the restaurant pages, this is no longer the wikipedia of restaurants!

What in the world happened to the hyperlinks!? There was a wonderful system in place whereby if you wrote about a restaurant, the website would hyperlink your text to a page with details about the restaurant. Now those restaurant pages all seem to be gone! Please tell me they're being fixed or they're coming back. I keep hearing about folks abandoning Chow in favor of Yelp. I tell them not to, but now you're taking away one of the major selling points. Without the restaurant pages, this is no longer the wikipedia of restuarants!

A friend took me and another pal to lunch at a new gourmet burger joint in Eagle Rock and I'm here to sing it's praises. These hamburgers come from heaven's own grill.

This restaurant is a tiny hole in the wall. It doesn't look like much, but the linen table cloths hint at what's to come.

I ordered the Noir Burger (Aillade, boschetto a la tartufo and pinot noir sauce - $9). My buddies had the Parmigiano Burger (Balsamic onions, parmesan crisp, sun dried tomato and shitake mushrooms - $8.50) and the Classic Burger (Thousand island, green leaf lettuce, oven dried tomatoes, onions and cheddar cheese $8.50) Each burger was served on a sesame brioche bun and we enjoyed sides of fluffy beer batter onion rings and exquisite sweet potato fries.

I tasted each burger and each transported me to a different beefy cloud, as angels strummed harp music somewhere in the distance. Fusion Burgers has only been open for four months, so hounds, check it out and let's ensure its survival. Very, very good burgers. If I wanted to start a fight, I might even say that they're THE BEST BURGERS IN LA!!!

http://fusionburgersla.com
5933 York Boulevard,
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Tel: (323)257-8705

After calling around, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the Watergrill was willing to work with us within our budget. We were able to get a special deal because we held our party mid-week and before the rush of December parties began. We settled on Wednesday, Nov 23rd.

Alison was the manager who helped us, and she did an excellent job from start to finish. She was pleasant, easy to get ahold of, and attentive to our needs. The night of the party she was right there to make sure everything went smoothly.

Here was the menu:

White Chowder with Manila Clams
Fingerling potatoes, apple wood smoked bacon
or
Wild Fijian Big Eye Tuna Tartar
Thai red chili and green papaya
~
Colorado Catch Striped Bass
Sautéed with Whale Cove black mussels, fennel ragout, and “chorizo” foam
or
Hook and Line Caught Morro Bay Swordfish
Grilled with watercress puree, Israeli cous cous, braised fennel, butternut squash, and fig
or
Gulf of Maine Lobster
Steamed with market vegetables, and bacon chive biscuits
or
8oz Beef Tenderloin
Grilled with hand-cut French fries, and watercress salad
~
Red Velvet Cake
Cocoa nib streusel, raspberry and mascarpone ice cream
or
Sorbet Assortment
Mango, strawberry, and Greek yogurt with poached pineapple

True to Watergrill expectations, all of the food was superlative. Of particular note were the appetizers. A choice between clam chowder and tuna tartar sounds pretty darn pedestrian, but the execution was jaw dropping. Both were favorites of the evening. The clam chowder in particular was downright magical. It literally brought tears to my eyes; it was that freakishly good. My wife was jealous, so she swapped her tartar with me, but I could hardly complain because that was amazing as well, exotically layered with flavor.

The service was welcoming, friendly, and on point. The wine flowed all evening and a wonderful time was had by all!

I didn't price Yum Cha, but Eva Lechon quoted a starting price of $200. After calling around a bunch of places, II ended up getting a 25lb pig from CBS on N Spring for $151. And a grand time was had by all!

Thank you both. Clinton, do you have any idea where you saw that advertised? I called them and they quoted me $145 for a 15 pound pig about two feet long. I could even go for a raw pig if the price is right!

Ok Hounds, here a doozy!

We're having a beach BBQ on Saturday with around 25 people. It's been my dream to dine on a whole roast pig with an apple in its mouth ever since I was a child reading Asterix comics.

I live near South Pasadena and the party is in Santa Monica. Any suggestions for a restaurant which can fill this order at a reasonable price?

Thanks guys!

Too right! Mamma's is amazing!

That's helpful, thanks!

Thank you. I've never heard of The Royce. Warrants looking into!

$2500 is the total budget, including tax, tags, freight, security, roaming, and universal access

Hey Hounds,

I've been given the job of finding a restaurant for a group of 20 Japanese Americans for this year's office holiday party. Last year, they went to Spago's and had a great time, but said it was too far away. I'm looking for something in the Downtown or Pasadena areas. Budget is $2500.

I've gone through the boards and put together a list, and I'd like your help narrowing it down, since I haven't been to most of these places. What would you add, eliminate, or highlight?

Thanks a lot!

--N8

Patina Restaurant 213 972-3331 - 141 South Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012

The Water Grill 544 South Grand, 90071 Tel. 213-891-0900 www.watergrill.com

Church & State
1850 Industrial St.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
(213) 405-1434

Drago Centro
Italian
525 S. Flower St., Suite 120, Los Angeles, CA 90071 (213) 228-8998

Chaya
Cal-Asian
525 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90071

WP24
900 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015 213 743 8824

Roy's Restaurant
Pan-Asian/Pacific Rim, Hawaiian fusion
800 S Figueroa St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

La Grande Orange Cafe
260 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

Barbrix (323) 662-2442 - 2442 Hyperion Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027
http://www.barbrix.com/About.html

Element's Kitchen

Vertical Wine Bistro

On the strength of these recommendations, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary by playing hookey from work at LACMA today. The second Tuesday of every month is free, so we took advantage and splurged on lunch at Ray's.

In short, everything was wonderful. We had a cute redheaded waitress with a great booty who was very attentive and started us off with complimentary champagne and some warm and crusty rustic bread. Nice!

We ordered scallops for our appetizer, which turned out to be served raw. The dish wasn't my taste, but it was ok.

My wife's entre was a squid ink pasta, and mine was hanger steak. Both were excellent. We enjoyed those with a couple cocktails:

SECRET COCKTAIL
Bourbon, Applejack, egg white, freshly squeezed lemon juice, grenadine

STEEL MAGNOLIAS (Champagne cocktail)
Rum, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, strawberry,
basil

Finally, the desserts were a knock-out. We had:

Dark chocolate mousse, black cocoa tuile, korova cookie crust, kumquat purée

LAMILL coffee pudding, smoked caramel, espresso granite, cigarette

We were very satisfied with everything. We got out the door for $125 including tip.

-----
Ray's and Stark Bar
5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Wow, I'm surprised. I didn't realize it's been more than a year since we went! It's continuing to be recommended on the boards, too...

Noir looks great. I feel a little bad now about not supporting Claud more at Madeleine's, so we'll have to give it a shot tonight!

Thanks to all for your input. I'm definitely going to put a star next to Red White + Bluezz for next time.

Hey Hounds,

My wife and I are always going to our usual places, such as Madeleine's or Cafe Beaujolais, so tomorrow night we want to try a bistro we've never been to. All of these look pretty good:

Firefly
Cafe Verde
Derek's
Bistro de la Gare

Which is your favorite? All of the above? None?

Thanks!

--N8

-----
Cafe Verde
961 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91106

Firefly
1009 El Centro St, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Bistro de la Gare
921 Meridian Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

Cafe Beaujolais
1712 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

Madeleine's Restaurant & Wine Bistro
1030 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91106

Derek's Bistro-Dickerson West Caterers
183 E Glenarm St, Pasadena, CA 91105

See my comment above!

Denny's FREE GRAND SLAM BREAKFAST is still going strong. How am I so sure? Well, for one, it's on their website. For two, it was my birthday yesterday, and Denny's not only treated me to a free Grand Slam, they also brought me a complimentary ice cream and sang me "Happy Bir'day". All I had to do was show my id. It was great! http://www.dennys.com/en/default.aspx

OP here. Thanks for the tips, guys. I guess I'll give this Corner Pizza a shot. I don't have much choice in the matter anyways.

Personally my favorite pizza in the area is easily Mamma's Brick Oven on Fair Oaks in South Pasadena. Great pasta too!

Full disclosure, I'm not a New Yorker. I know how you purists get when it comes to your pie. I first discovered Mamma's at a preschool open house, of all places. It was love at first bite, "Holy crap, this pizza is great!" My wife and I quickly tracked the lusciousness to its source and Mamma's has become a local habit for us, a la Pie n Burger and Roscoes. Just grubbin' food. This is a sappy sentiment, but it's true: their lasagna actually does taste exactly like my mom's, and my mom's lasagna is the best I've ever tasted. Recommended.

-----
Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta
710 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030

These guys are catering my kid's birthday party, and I've never heard of them. My daughter will be four, so not exactly a refined pallete, ditto her toddler friends.

I just want to ask if any of you can vouch for their pizza being at least swallowable or better, so that the adults attending won't gag. In other words, at least better than that cardboard they try to make us eat at Chuck E Cheese.

Whadaya say?

-----
Corner Pizzeria Restaurant
2136 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041

I just want to emphasize again how amazing that mango dessert is.

People don't usually plan on dessert at Asian restaurants for good reason. The dessert is usually tacked onto the menu with little thought as a token effort to please the western crowd. I mean lets face it, as fantastic and variegated as Asian cuisines are, they're not generally known for their desserts.

This mango and sticky rice dish is the exception. Order it. I don't care how full you think you are. It's some of the best comfort food you will ever put in your mouth. I give it over 9,000 stars.

Thai Boom rocked my world the last time I was there. I remember ordering a beef dish called "Tiger Cry" which which brought me tears of joy, and ditto the mango, sticky rice, and cream dessert. I can't wait to go back. Just awesome grub!

-----
Thai Boom
10863 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034

Thanks hounds! She chose K-Zo. I'll let you know how it goes!

-----
K-Zo
9240 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232

Hi,

I have a lunch date tomorrow with a lady who's on one of those Low Carb deals. We're gonna be in the Culver City area, and I'd like to find a classy joint.

I did a search, but the results were several years old. One from 2004 recommended "Nanbankan and Yakitorya". I've never been to either.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Thanks Hounds,

N8

Thank you all very kindly for your thoughtful replies.

More clues:
I did marinate the chicken (all thighs) for 36 hours in a ziplock bag in a combination of yoghurt, milk, and dried herbs. After letting the bag of chicken sit on the counter for 45 mins to take the chill off, I pulled the pieces straight from the ziplock bag and dropped them, dripping, into the flour to get a good coating.

The oil in the deep fryer was admittedly older than I would have liked, and had a dark color, although I used the coffee filter technique to clean it. The oil in the pot was canola oil which had been in the pantry for a few months.

I started the oil off at about 365, and when I added two big chicken thighs to each pot, the temperatures naturally dropped down to below 300, and I immediately cranked up the heat to compensate, bringing it gradually back to 350.

The thermometer I was using is a candy thermometer with the tip an inch or so from the bottom of the pot.

Several of the pieces I cooked were a VERY dark brown, and had a burnt taste. I was disappointed.

So, based on Uncle Bob's tips, do I need to scrape off any milk coating before flouring the chicken? After the temperature of the oil drops, should I leave it alone? Will the oil sitting in my cupboard go bad after two or three months?