The Extravaganza Part II - Rome to Assisi to San Gimignano to Pontremoli

I've posted elsewhere about my upcoming trip to Rome, but I wanted to separate out the second (or second and third) legs of the trip to make things more manageable.

The brief story is that we are renting a car in Rome and driving north to stay at an agriturismo outside of Assisi (after lots of hemming and hawing - including a previous question on this board, we chose Malvarina...it seemed hard to go wrong). We'll be there for a few days, then we're going to hop in the car and drive up to another farm outside San Gimignano (Poggio Alloro). After the better part of a week there, we're off north again to Pontremoli (Costa D'Orsola) to our last farm.

The short version of the question for all of you is whether and where along that route are the places that we cannot miss. I have a list that I've compiled (perhaps a too long list) that comes from Dean Gold's recommendations on Slow Trav, the Slow Food guide, Fred Plotkin, Beth Elon, etc...but I wanted to open the question up to the crowdsourcing here too.

We are purposely leaving our days open so that we can wander where our hearts take us, and then we are planning on, most nights, coming home to the farm to eat there. So, we're looking for lunches, gelato, the amazing cheese store in the little town somewhere, the best olive oil producer selling at a farm stand, the best little osteria in a forgotten hill town.

Like I say, I know enough to know that Bacco Felice is under new hands, La Chiusa is great, and the crazy butcher might read us Dante if we hit him on the right day... The question is, if you were doing this drive, where would you want to be sure to stop and eat? Where would you have lunch between Rome and Assisi? Where would you eat on Lake Trasimeno? Where is the best pesto in the Lunigiana? Etc.

Thanks in advance. We can't wait.

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La Chiusa
Via Madonnina,88, Montefollonico, Tuscany 53049, IT

badschiraldi in Italy

The Extravaganza - Rome

Belatedly, I wanted to thank all who chimed in here. As the trip approaches, I feel more and more armed against the dreaded bad meal. The Thursday gnocci at Arcangelo is pretty exciting. And the updates on what's hype and what's real are invaluable. I know that Rome questions clog this board all the time - but the wealth of information is both staggering and exciting.

Thanks again.

badschiraldi in Italy

The Extravaganza - Rome

First, a thank you to all who contribute to this board. I've perused my fair share of CH boards, and the depth and breadth of the Italy board is pretty cool.

My partner and I are headed to Italy for about three weeks of extravagant eating, and I want to reach out to make sure that I've got my head screwed on straight. I'm starting with Rome, I'll post separately on our wanderings beyond, but I don't want to clutter the board with too much confusion.

First a little bit about us. We are not really fine diners. Although we've had some amazing fine dining experiences, we generally prefer a family place with warm (if a little inconsistent) service to a high end place with more style than heart. We have a pretty open budget for this trip, but we take pleasure in eating the best food for the best price...and sometimes feel bummed if we feel like we paid too much. We are seasonal foodies (of the obnoxious sort that only eat asparagus in spring and fresh tomatoes in summer). I love offal, she loves artichokes.

We're staying for five days in Rome - on Via Guilia pretty close to the bridge to Trastevere. I've been creating a list that is surely too long, in the hopes that just having a map with good options on it will mean that we don't wind up eating a bad meal by accident. In other words, the theory is that we won't reserve every meal. That said, it seems like there might be some places that we have to reserve.

It is in that spirit that I offer this list (culled from these boards, Katie Parla's amazing app, and elsewhere). Let me know your thoughts.

Must tries (Reservations)
Roscioli
Checchino
Gata Mangiona (she loves pizza)

The short list (No reservations?)
Roma Sparita (Cacio e Pepe)
La Campana (Lunch better right?)
Gensola
Nonna Betta
Palatium
L'asino
Da Gino
Armando
Piperno (just for carcofi)
Antico Arco
Settembrini
L'Arcangelo

Snacks:
Forno Campo di fiore
Pizzarum
00100 (on our Testaccio market day)

Thoughts? I have others on the map too - but this is long already. W

Will we be too late for artichokes in the beginning of July? Is there something spectacular that will be in season then that we should be aware of?

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Antico Arco
Piazzale Aurelio, 7, Roma 00151, IT

La Campana
Vicolo della Campana, 18, Roma, IT 00186, IT

Palatium
Via Frattina 94, Roma , IT

L'Arcangelo
Via G. G. Belli 59/61, Rome, Lazio 00193, IT

Piperno
Monte de' Cenci, 9, Rome, Lazio , IT

Roscioli
Via dei Giubbonari 21/23, Rome, Lazio 00186, IT

Settembrini
Via Luigi Settembrini, 25, Rome, Lazio , IT

Nonna Betta
Via del Portico d'Ottavia, 16., Rome, Lazio , IT

badschiraldi in Italy

An Agriturismo Question (Road Trip from Umbria to Piemonte)

Thanks to all of you for these great responses. Jen, I'd be thrilled to hear if you had any more specific thoughts up in the hills. The initial path that I'd traced was through eastern Umbria (Norcia or in the hills outside Gubbio), then over to central Tuscany (I've always wanted to see San Giminiano), then up into the borderlands between Tuscany and Liguria (for the pesto more than the CT, but with a glimpse of the sea), then into southern Piemonte (around Acqui Terme).

I know this is too much, but that's the ideal path if we had two more weeks. But, we'd happily detour into the Maremma or even Le Marche if that was where the good food took us. That's the primary deciding point for us - good food at night and access to good food during the day.

Thanks again - keep the suggestions coming if you have more.

badschiraldi in Italy

An Agriturismo Question (Road Trip from Umbria to Piemonte)

Hello all. Let me begin by saying thank you to all of the regular posters here who have armed me with far more information than I can process as I prepare for my upcoming trip to Italy this July. We're going to be in Rome for 4 days, and am happily totally unsure of how I'll manage to eat all 100 meals that I've decided are essential - but that's for another post.

My question here involves our plan to bounce our way between a few agroturismos (agroturismi?) over a couple of weeks going from Rome to Milan. The thinking is this - we want to spend our days exploring in the car, walking in the hills, seeing some art, but most importantly, eating. Ideally, then, we'd return home at night to eat amazing food and drink good wine - no longer saddled with the car.

Now, I know that the relative merits of accommodations are beyond the scope of these boards. And that's not really my question - because what we care most about is food. The ideal place is good traditional home cooking with produce and meat from the farm - local oil and wine is a plus.

So, I want to ask those who know: if you could choose 2-4 farms to eat at on the rough northward path between Rome and Milan, which would they be? Tripadvisor can help me decide if the accommodation side works or not - but it just can't be trusted with food.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

badschiraldi in Italy

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

I'm so happy to have been able to seed this kind of vigorous debate and in depth comparison. This is the kind of stuff that makes CH such a resource for folks like me. I think that I am still leaning towards A5P for two reasons. First, the pleasure of just walking home from dinner sounds good after a day of driving (although I love subways - I don't love as much the late night, slightly drunken wait for the train). Second, per Thelonious777's analysis, I think that we are actually looking for a place with more of a French "backbone." One of our goals on this trip is to pretend (just a little bit) that we are in Paris.

As for price, while it is normally a big consideration - we are letting ourselves spend a little more freely this trip, which means we won't let it be a total deciding factor.

Thanks again - this is great stuff.

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Restaurants that live up to the hype

I'm going to go high and low end here. First, Komi lived up to the hype for me. I've eaten lots of pretty amazing meals in my life and nothing comes close to the adventure I had at Komi. The highlight remains the amazing moment when we were brought baby octopus with pimientos al padron at the same time as we got our glass of txakoli...really hard to forget.

The other one I want to mention is Amsterdam Falafel. I don't think there's a better 5 dollar meal in this city once you learn to balance your condiments.

In a town where so many restaurants are not quite worth the money, I think these are the two that really are.

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Komi
1509 17th St NW Ste 1, Washington, DC 20036

Amsterdam Falafelshop
2425 18th St NW, Washington, DC 20009

badschiraldi in Washington DC & Baltimore Area

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

Ok - I'm now leaning towards staying closer to home and going to a5p on Saturday night (luckily, I have a reservation already). But I'm open to hearing whether or why I should choose 3 Petits Bouchons instead. One consideration is that my SO is sort of pescatarian (she'll eat happily raised meat, but is pretty picky about it). My sense is that either a5p or 3pb are pretty good on that score, but please contribute thoughts if you have them.

And thanks again for all the help. I'm getting very excited for the trip.

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Flushing Tour

I just wanted to drop this note as an appreciation for the amazing stuff on this board that helped me lead a few friends through an amazing flushing lunch last week.

First Stop: Nan Xiang XLB. For five of us we got two orders. The skin was as delicate as I remember, and the broth was so rich and yet clean. Two of my dining companions were very pleased because they hadn't had XLB like this since they were in China. I know that the XLB debate rages on, but I've never had a better one than these.

Second Stop: Corner 28 for duck buns. I really can't believe that these are only $1. The buns were piping hot (almost too hot), and although the duck was not the best I've ever had, it is hard to beat for a dollar, especially if you are intentionally grazing.

Third Stop: Xian noodles in the Golden Mall. I actually didn't know that Anthony Bourdain had been here until I saw the pictures posted on the wall. We got the cold skin noodles and the stewed pork noodles. The star was the noodles in the pork, so tender and delicious, and the spice was just right. We saved the burger for another time, basically because we had one more stop and not enough mouths to consume all the food.

Fourth Stop: Fu Run for Squirrelfish, veggies, and caramel apples. One of the goals of the trip was to find squirrelfish for a couple of my friends who were craving it. This version was ok, although it was fried a little heavily and the sweet and sour sauce was a bit cloying (too reminiscent of the orange gloop that we've grown to fear). The preparation is really cool though. The greens were hollow vegetable, a little greasy, but we were looking for something vegetabular. Finally, on a whim, my friends decided to order the apples out of nostalgia. They came searing hot, coated in melted sugar. You dip them in cool water and then eat as the shell hardens. A very cool preparation, but in the end it was hot apples and sugar.

There will be many more trips - and I was bummed not to get my sichuan fix - but the collective wisdom here was very useful in putting this one together.

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Golden Shopping Mall
41-28 Main St, Queens, NY 11355

Corner 28
40-28 Main St, Queens, NY 11354

Fu Run
40-09 Prince St, Queens, NY 11354

badschiraldi in Outer Boroughs

Two Meals in Quebec City - Help Me Clear My Head

So, we're going to be breezing through Quebec city next week as part of a road trip. We're staying in St. Roch and we'll have a lunch and a dinner to eat. I've done some pretty extensive poking around on the boards here and I wanted to pose a couple questions for the collective wisdom.

1) We're planning on walking around the city all afternoon. Does it make more sense to grab lunch on the way into the center (at Le Hobbit or Café du Clocher Penché) or to have lunch closer in (Le Pain Béni or Lapin Sautee)? I guess a big part of this question is where the best bang for the lunch buck might be.

2) Similarly, we'll head back to St. Roch in the evening and we're trying to decide whether we should do dinner at Clocher Penche or whether it is worth it to splurge at Panache, L'Initiale, Sainte Amour, or Patriarche? We'll have just been eating our way through Montreal, and so we'll probably only want to splurge if these places offer something that we just shouldn't miss in good conscience. My research seems to suggest that L'Initiale might...thoughts?

The problem is that there are too many places in too short a time...and I don't want to miss out. Help!

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

So - I have a final dinner itinerary I think (at least I have reservations). Here it is:

Saturday Dinner: Mas Cuisine
Sunday Lunch: MJT grazing (perhaps with a stop at Sparrow for brunch if we are up early enough)
Sunday Dinner: APDC
Monday Lunch: L'Express (other bistros seem to be closed on Monday during the day)
Monday Dinner: Montee

The critical decisions were to forgo Cinquième Pêché for Mas Cuisine on Saturday night and La Chronique for APDC on Sunday night. It is in my nature to second guess myself here...any arguments for whether I should make a last minute change?

Thanks again for all your help.

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L'Express Restaurant
3927 Rue Saint-Denis, Montreal, QC H2W2M4, CA

Mas Cuisine
3779 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G, CA

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

I just made a reservation at 8 - I think we'll grab a drink somewhere within walking distance from us and then hit the metro - how long do you think the ride is from around Sherbrooke metro?

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

Alright - so it comes down to this: Mas Cuisine or Kitchen Gallerie on Saturday night? I'm leaning toward Mas Cuisine, but I'm curious to hear head on evaluations. (Also, is there a decent place to grab a beer or glass of wine before dinner around Mas Cuisine)

Thanks again for all the input.

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Mas Cuisine
3779 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G, CA

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

Thanks so much for the input. Part of the idea behind A5P was that it was close to where we were staying so that we could sort of wander the neighborhood after driving in on Saturday night...but I'm opening up to other ideas. Maybe we'll head out to Kitchen Gallerie or Mas Cuisine that night. How is the cab ride to Verdun from around Parc La Fontaine?

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Mas Cuisine
3779 Rue Wellington, Verdun, QC H4G, CA

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Three Days (I Promise I've Done My Homework)

Hi - I'm D.C. based CH coming up to eat my way through Montreal for three days in late July. After looking at a bunch of recommendations and making some inquiries about who will be open during Construction Week, I've got a tentative eating plan, but: 1) I've got some open questions and 2) I'd love some validation/critiques to make sure that we're getting the most out of the city. (Thanks by the way to all, especially Carswell and Moh for the amazing recs on the board)

First a few pieces of context:
1) We were going to make this trip to Paris, but couldn't afford it, so we're looking to double down on the french/bistro/european side of things
2) We're not shy of spending money, but we tend to be more into places that pour their money into the food rather than into the decor (in other words, we prefer cozy, nieghborhoody, and delicious to swanky)

So, here's the schedule:
Saturday the 17th: Arrive in the afternoon, dinner at Au Cinquième Pêché
- we're leaving on Tuesday Morning, and I think they are closed Sunday and Monday

Sunday the 18th:
- breakfast of bagels/pastries/wandering
- go to JTM and wander around - any ideas for good lunchtime menus around there? (the other option would be to hit a bistro like Lemeac, Laloux, or L'express for lunch before heading out there)
- Dinner at La Chronique (we'd wanted to go to La Porte, but they seem to be closed on Sunday and Monday and ACP was a higher priority)

Monday the 19th:
- breakfast is more pastry wandering (maybe in Mile End)
- Lunch either at Nizza or at a bistro
- Dinner at Montee after drinks at Dieu Du Ciel

So the question is - how are we doing? Are there places we should sub in? Au Pied du Cochon seems a little to meaty for my SO (mostly pescatarian) but I could be convinced. Other things that we wanted to get in but couldn't find space for were 3 petit bouchons, and Kitchen Galerie. But if there are other neighborhood gems with amazing food that might fit in, the only real commitment we have is Montee (Chronique is there largely because Sunday seems like a tough night).

Any thoughts would be appreciated - oh - and we are staying at Hôtel Château de L'Argoat near the Sherbrooke Metro. Thanks so much.

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La Porte Restaurant
3627 Boul Saint-Laurent, Montreal, QC H2X2V5, CA

Mile End Bar
5322 Boulevard Saint-Laurent, Montr, Montreal, QC , CA

Nizza
1121 Anderson, Montreal, QC H2Z 1M1, CA

Kitchen Galerie
60 Rue Jean-Talon E, Montreal, QC H2R1S5, CA

badschiraldi in Quebec (including Montreal)

Bar Tartine - update

I'm a visiting LA hound, here for my birthday and we went to Bar Tartine last night - It was exceptional.

I started with an apertif at the bar: Cocchi Americano which the bar tender described as a cross between Lillet and Campari (strange marriage) - it was outstanding. Refreshing but pleasantly herby, I'd never had anything quite like it before.

My girlfriend (who is a veggie/fishetarian) started with the portugese cilantro bread soup. The soup came with a perfectly poached egg on top. The broth was really fragrant, but suprisingly not overpowering. It didn't hurt that the bread in the soup was the best bread I've ever had.

I started with an appetizer that mixed squid, pork belly, potatoes and egg salad. When I asked the waiter for his advice, he told me that this was his favorite thing on the menu. I'm not usually a fan of egg salad, but I am always a fan of pork belly so I tried it. This dish has made it into the pantheon of best things I have ever tasted. The eggs in the egg salad appeared to have been medium boiled so that the whites were fluffy without being heavy. The squid was salty and caremized and the pork belly melted in my mouth. There was just enough acidity in the egg salad to cut the richness around it. I mean it - I've eaten some great things - but this is close to the best I've ever had.

For dinner, my girlfriend ordered the gnocchi with kale and truffle oil. I don't think either of us had ever had toasted gnocchi this way - it was suprisingly light. The result was tasty and strangely healthy feeling.

I had duck with chestnuts, foie gras emulsion and an apple frisee salad (hey it was my birthday). I'm not usually a big fan of chestnuts, but this dish worked really well. The duck was nicely pink and the chestnuts provided the sweet underpinning that goes well with duck. Most suprising was the foie gras emulsion - it was almost as if you had found a way to bottle the essence of foie gras without the feeling of fat sliding down your throat.

We had the bittersweet chocolate tart for desert and I'll just say that it was also great - the highlight was the milk chocolate sorbet - which managed to be rich while also strangely light (this seems to be the theme - rich and light).

In sum, we had a great experience. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. The bread was ridiculous and the food was some of the best I've had in a while. It was a great birthday.

badschiraldi in San Francisco Bay Area

What's Special About SF?

Hi, I'm an L.A. hound coming up to SF for a few days. I'm living with the wonders of Thai, Mexican, Sushi and Burgers down here. I've previously lived in NY and Boston - so I've had the best of east coast bagels, ice cream, clam chowder, pizza and pasta.

I have spent very little time in SF, and my question is this: what should I be looking to eat that I can't get anywhere else. I have some thoughts: sourdough bread, mission burritos, etc. - but I'm looking for some guidance.

I want to make the most of my few days up in SF (will be staying at the W), and I want to do it right. We are planning on one nice dinner at Bar Tartine (barring other suggestions) but any and all other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

badschiraldi in San Francisco Bay Area

Best Fish Taco in Ensenada in Los Feliz

Stopped by today. Though I admit that I am a recent east coast transplant with limited fish taco experience, this was by far the best I've had in my short adventures. The fish is hot, they give you one taco at a time. The condiments are good and the prices are low. I think that it beats Siete Mares, the other neighborhood option, six ways to Sunday. I'll agree that it's a little strange for a taco stand, but everyone was very friendly.

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Anniversary meal in Caroll Gardens/Cobble Hill

I would recommend Chestnut's tasting menu. We did it last year for our anniversary and sat outside. With wine pairing it was 80 bucks each. I think that it's one of the best deals and best restaurants in the area. If there is anything with english peas on the menu...they are really good.

badschiraldi in Outer Boroughs

Zankou today: dry, bland chicken

Went to the Zankou on Normandie a few weeks ago and had a similar experience. I guess I was setting myself up for disappointment. What I want is something like the beautiful greasy, dark and spicy Dominican chicken that you can get at Malecon in NY. Even had my chicken not been tough, I would have been disappointed. Does anyone know of such a place in L.A.?

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Any good fish tacos in LA??

Siete Mares is a very fine neighborhood standby. I think that their calamar tacos are better than the shrimp or fish - but you have to get lucky and not get the battery dregs. I've had 3 and 2 have been amazing. I'm pretty excited about trying the new place on Hillhurst though.

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

What's your most recent WOW! Moment at an LA restaurant?

The green garbanzos and cherry tomatoes under my perfect squab at Opus. Why have I never eaten green garbanzos before?

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Thai Town?

I think that the whole fish with fried garlic is amazing. Especially if you are getting other spicy stuff.

I also loved the catfish in turmeric broth and wild tea leaves (on the Southern Thai menu).

Beware the fishball green curry if you are squeamish about the taste of duck egg yolk. I loved it, and the dish is great, but the yolk is intense.

We only tried the mango salad, but it was great, especially good on top of the fried fish - be sure to save some.

Enjoy

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Best tasting menu for under $100?

I'll second Opus. We just did the four course menu which is a remarkable 40 bucks each. We ended up with 7 courses (including dessert and amuse bouche) and it was amazing. I posted on it earlier today if you want to indulge my rave. I think the wine pairings would have cost us around 30 with a 5 course menu - but that's still on 80 each.

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Opus Was Amazing (Long)

Damage: 150 for the two of us.

Drink: We shared a 40 dollar bottle of Albarino and a 10 dollar glass of white port.

Not cheap, but I've spent much more on far inferior meals.

In my opinion, the only value that comes close to this Chestnut in Cobble Hill in NY, and frankly, I think Opus is cheaper and slightly better food.

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area

Opus Was Amazing (Long)

Last night my SO and I ventured out to our first fancy meal in L.A. We just moved from Boston and have been feasting on Tacos and Thai up till now. But it was our anniversary, so we decided to splurge at Opus. It was amazing.

We sat at one of the tables with the big cushy chairs. When our waiter came by he was very relaxed and friendly, a welcome relief from the saccharine hostess. We ordered the four course tasting (my SO eats only vegetables and fish – and I eat more than that – and the waiter was very cool about making sure that my tasting had meat in it.) He also pointed us to a great bottle of Albariño. I said we ordered 4 courses (and we only paid for four) but we got 7…and they were all amazing and well conceived.

Amuse Bouche: Creamy Corn Soup with Strawberries in a shot glass
The tasted like the sweetness of corn. Even though it was creamy, the fruitiness of the corn was well matched with the brightness of the strawberries – and the strawberry seeds crunched in your teeth in a really satisfying way. I wanted to lick the shotglass, but I wasn’t drunk enough yet.

First Course: Hamachi Yellowtail with Tonburi and Celery Ice.
This was garnished with some explosively fresh chives (I think garlic chives), parsely and julienned radishes. The fish was really amazing, cut into cubes like little pats of butter. Like most of the dishes, there was a subtle sweetness. The mountain caviar (tonburi) really popped like caviar. This was some of the best raw yellowtail I’ve ever eaten. Again, I refrained from licking the plate.

Second Course: “The Egg” or Breakfast.
I got the Bacon, she got it without bacon, but both of us were speechless. I’ll admit that it sounded gimmicky reading about it here and elsewhere, but the elements worked together with so much subtlety. It really was like a great breakfast all in one little egg. Plus, I really like eating with a tiny spoon.

Third Course: Spotted Prawn Soup with Chard
I wish I knew the exact provenance of the broth that this prawn was swimming in. It was dark, sweet, somewhat smoky. I’ve never had fish stock that I liked so much. The prawn tasted like good lobster tail, it was bizarrely good. And the chard was good…but mostly because it was in the broth.

Fourth Course: Carrot Ravioli with morels, brown butter sauce and aged cheese
So pillowy. The pasta was light, the carrot filling was light, the brown butter was perfect and the morel was fresh. Here, though I didn’t lick the plate, I did sop up the sauce with some bread. Often I find ravioli to be heavy – even when it’s great. There was nothing heavy about this. I could have been happy with just the morel in the butter though.

Main Course: Squab (me) Some kind of white fish (her) over fresh green garbanzos and cherry tomatoes
We haven’t been able to stop talking about those garbanzos. I looked at the farmer’s market today for them, in vain. Green garbanzos and cherry tomatoes is fresh, almost Provencal, but it’s also strange and exciting. My squab was delicate, rare and covered in enough of it’s own jus to make it happy. Her fish (we didn’t catch the name) was also perfectly cooked, and the grape on it provided the link to that sweet through line through the entire meal.

Dessert: Fig and Almond Tart with Chocolate Drizzle
I don’t like figs, and she does. I liked this as much as I can like figs though. The texture was almost like creamy eggplant, and the whole thing was not a cloyingly sweet as some fig preparations can be. Plus the crust was appropriately salty which offset the cloy for me a bit as well. We shared a glass of white port with this as well.

Overall it was an amazing dinner (and certainly an absurd value for the amount of courses that we ate). We’ll be back when we can afford it. We’ve eaten some good food in NY and Boston (Chestnut, Grocery, Craigie St. Bistrot, etc.) and this matched or surpassed them all. Plus, we took the train home. What could be better?

badschiraldi in Los Angeles Area