8Gr8N8's Profile
Business Holiday Party recommendations?
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
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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!
Best Deal on a Whole Roast Pig?
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!
Best Deal on a Whole Roast Pig?
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!
Best Deal on a Whole Roast Pig?
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!
Business Holiday Party recommendations?
Thank you. I've never heard of The Royce. Warrants looking into!
Business Holiday Party recommendations?
$2500 is the total budget, including tax, tags, freight, security, roaming, and universal access
Business Holiday Party recommendations?
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
First Impressions: Ray's @ LACMA
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.
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Ray's and Stark Bar
5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Your Favorite Pasadena Bistro?
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.
Your Favorite Pasadena Bistro?
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
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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
Free Birthday Meal?
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
Corner Pizza in Eagle Rock
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.
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Mamma's Brick Oven Pizza & Pasta
710 Fair Oaks Ave, South Pasadena, CA 91030
Corner Pizza in Eagle Rock
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?
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Corner Pizzeria Restaurant
2136 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041
Thai Boom -- Best Westside Thai
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 -- Best Westside Thai
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!
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Thai Boom
10863 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034
Low-Carb Diet Friendly Restaurants - Westside
Thanks hounds! She chose K-Zo. I'll let you know how it goes!
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K-Zo
9240 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232
Low-Carb Diet Friendly Restaurants - Westside
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
Why did my fried chicken burn?
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?
Why did my fried chicken burn?
I looked at a lot of recipes, and they all said to heat the oil to about 350, and cook the chicken for 14 minutes. However, by eight minutes, the chicken was black! I cooked using both an electric deep fryer and a pot of canola oil on the stove with a wire basket and thermometer. The idea was to cook in small batches, then finish in the oven, but in both of the pots, the flour burned to a black char at 350. The only pieces that came out unburned were ones I cooked at 280, but those were greasy. What is happening here, scientists?
Soul Folks Cafe ??? what's the deal??
What's the name of their catering company? I'd love to have the number!
Based purely on the timing of the thing, could it be the new Soul restaurant has been eaten by the plunge in real estate prices and the recession? It's been a long time since there was an update on this...
Best Pizza in or around Mountain View?
Thank you for your replies! Unfortunately, I asked for the info a little too late and went to grab the pies just before you guys replied. We ended up trying the Rancho Take and Bake with disappointing results. The pizza tastes like a gussied up premium frozen pizza from the supermarket. What can I say? To damn with faint praise, it's better than Chuck E. Cheese.
Next time we're up here, we'll try out some of your picks!
Best Pizza in or around Mountain View?
We're having a little house party and we don't want to have to resort to one of the chains. A local mentioned "Frankie, Johnny and Luigi's" as well as "Rancho Pizza Take and Bake". Delivery or Take Out is fine. What do you guys think?
Scandinavian Bakery
Are there any authentic Danish bakeries around San Jose? I'd rather not have to schlep all the way to S.F.
Thanks! And Merry Christmas?
Fine Dining near Stuart Florida
Hello Florida Hounds,
For his birthday, I want to send my uncle and his wife out for a nice dinner. My budget is $150 and they live in Stuart. No special dietary needs, they're omnivores!
My uncle lives next to the water and has a boat, so they're probably already familiar with most of the boat accessible restaurants in the area.
Any suggestions will be appreciated!
Tasting Menu, Under $75 pp, Glendale and Surrounding areas
Palate Food & Wine really came through for us. Our slender, bearded, and French accented waiter offered us a five course meal, chef's choice, for $60pp:
Beet Salad with avacado and strained greek yoghurt
Anchovy Ceviche
Halibut with Pomegranate
Pork loin with a little piece of smoked pork belly and other fanciness
Cheese plate
We are neither beet nor anchovy people, but nonetheless very much enjoyed the dishes, both because they were so nicely balanced and because these were items we never would have ordered on our own. The pork loin was especially divine and the cheese plate was a lot of fun. To accompany the meal, our waiter selected a flight of four lovely wines, all French except the first, I believe an Argentinian wine our waiter called a... vinho verde?... which was crisp, refreshing, and my personal favorite.
Out the door, tax and tip included we spent $225 and were very happy with the food, wine, and service. Our only complaint was that the tap water we were served was warm, and we had to ask for ice twice. The parties on either side of us also had to ask for ice. For such a simple thing, we couldn't understand why this detail was overlooked. Nonetheless the overall positive experience allowed us to forgive this minor grievance.
The maître d' referred us to an upscale coffee place in Silverlake called Lamill. There we were presented a thick menu stuffed with a baffling array of brews, but were guided by a wonderful and intelligent waitress towards a couple of relatively pricey but excellent selections.
We also shared a dessert called "Espresso Chocolate Panna Cotta" which was absolutely phenomenal. It featured a little coconut meringue they called a ravioli, which had a sweet coconutty liquid center which flowed out onto the rich panna cotta. The dish also featured a dollop of Bailey's ice cream on top of a chocolate coconut streusel. It was freaking awesome. I think the bill was just under $20 and we threw in a $5 tip.
Thanks, Hounds, for a very foodie anniversary!
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Lamill Coffee Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Palate Food & Wine
933 South Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204
Tasting Menu, Under $75 pp, Glendale and Surrounding areas
Thanks, both of you. We've enjoyed Bashan before. We'll take Palate for a spin this time and let you know how we enjoy it!
