My husband thanks you.

I believe the KFC on National and Sawtelle on the westside has them as well. KFCs seem to be a good place to try.

Unless there's a lot of acid in your marinade (which there probably wouldn't be if it was an overnight marinade anyway). And as long as it was fresh to begin with.

I have a reservation for tomorrow night and I'm still a little on the fence as well. I'd really like to go but we were just in Vegas last weekend so we've recently shelled out for some expensive meals. As much as I'd like to eat in nice places once a week it really doesn't fit our budget. Right now I'm leaning towards going because, as a Top Chef fan, I'd love to meet the man or at least go when he's cooking.

Is there any wine by the glass that's particularly good. My husband isn't much of a wine drinker and we usually can't finish a whole bottle when it's just the two of us.

We will definitely return to Bouchon for lunch or dinner. I believe Bouchon is open for lunch on the weekends (but you're right, not during the week). I prefer bibb to frisee too so I'll give that a try.

The food (for the most part) was really good at Rosemary's so that's the main thing we're looking for anyway. We got the feeling several times during our trip (but not a Bouchon) that we were young and less important than other guests. Always disappointing when we're paying the same price as everyone else. And we're 26, not babies. Overall we had a really good time. And lots of more restaurants left to try next time.

Just returned from our Vegas trip. Here's where we ended up going and what we thought.

Thursday - lunch at Rosemary's (thanks for saving me from showing up on Sat, when they're not open for lunch)
We enjoyed the food but had an odd experience service-wise. We got there at about 2:10 (they stop seating at 2:30 for lunch, but we weren't the last to arrive or leave). The restaurant was less than 1/2 full but they seemed confused by our presence. We had to wait for about 5 min to be seated while it seemed like they were scrambling to "find" a table. They also asked for my name a minute or so before they sat us. I'm not sure why they needed that since we were the only people standing there right next to the host stand. We weren't presented with a wine list, which my husband took offense to. Our server forgot to take our drink order at all and came back later to get it. We were never served bread despite other eating it around us. I would say the service was more odd than bad but it definitely wasn't good.

The food, thankfully, was better. I had the sweet corn soup to start. Really nice flavors, sweet, with slightly spicy chives on top. Really yummy. My husband had the mixed greens. He enjoyed the parmesan "crackers" and wanted more of them. I had the salmon on a green apple slaw. Nice balance of flavors. Messy presentation with sauces and chives all over the plate and rim. My husband had the filet kabob. He enjoyed it. He picked the potatoes and procuitto out of his hash that also had mushrooms which he didn't want. I had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert. It wasn't warm, which was disappointing and the ice cream was already melting like it had been sitting for a while. Maybe a misstep for dessert at lunch since it was really rich but it was good. My husband had the strawberry ice cream, which we both agreed had too many crystals like it was freezer burned. Overall our meal was ok. We probably wouldn't return since we're not in Vegas that often. $56.83 with tax and tip (with the prix fixe deal)

Dinner - a quick snack in the food court

Friday - Breakfast - Bouchon

We enjoyed our breakfast very much. I had the Croque Madame and a mimosa. My croque madame was very good. Lots of sauce. I tried not to think about how many calories were in it. I could have handled a little bit more cheese. Pretty tasty. The frites were excellent. My husband loved them as well. Very nicely seasoned. My husband had the sourdough waffles and OJ. He liked them a lot. We also had a side of bacon-yummy of course. $72.33 with tax and tip

Lunch - Grand Lux (aka Cheesecake Factory) in our hotel

We decided we couldn't make it until out 9 PM reservations so we got a quick bite for a late lunch. I had the Chicken Lettuce Wraps which were fine, but better at PF Changs. My husband had a buffalo chicken sandwich that he liked. Poor server. Didn't check back until we were basically finished with our entire meal. Fine for a quick bite though. $25.03 with tax and tip (no drinks)

Dinner - Delmonico
We enjoyed this quite a bit. We liked the space. Very simple decor all the way down to the table settings. We felt relaxed. I had a glass of wine that was good. I started with the heirloom tomato salad with blue cheese and red onions. Good flavors. I thought the tomatoes were a bit overripe. Almost mealy. Still good though. Nice cheese and nice onions--sometimes raw onions are a bit overpowering for me, these were good. My husband had the mixed greens salad. A basic salad with breaded and fried mozzarella. The cheese was not warm and gooey like I expected. My husband sort of picked a little of the cheese but mostly ate around it. For mains I had the filet and my husband had the boneless ribeye. The filet was good. A really thick cut, cooked well (not well done), with a nice crust. The ribeye was a thinner cut. My husband liked it--I didn't try it. We split the mashed potatoes. Yummy. A pretty straightforward dish, not much to mess up, but it was good. It was served in a cast iron pot, but the cast iron wasn't warmed up first. Seemed to defeat the purpose to me. For dessert we split the butterscotch creme brulee. It was yummy. It was garnished with whipped creme which covered the crust on the top which seemed counter-intuitive to me. It came with some little cookies which were also good.

Saturday - Breakfast - Bouchon Bakery
We stopped at the Bouchon Bakery to grab a quick breakfast. I got a blueberry muffin and a cheese danish. Both were yummy. My husband got a cinnamon and raisin danish that he liked. I also got a chocolate tart to eat later on in the day which I loved, loved, loved. I very much enjoyed the hazelnut garnishes. Yum.

Overall we had a really good trip. Bouchon was our best meal. I think we'd try lunch or dinner there next time. We almost returned for a 2nd meal later in the trip but resisted.

I just ate at Delmonico on 7/27. I enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought the crust on the steak was very flavorful and tasty. I had the filet and my husband had the boneless ribeye. I also had the heirloom tomato salad--the flavors were really good but I thought the tomatoes were a bit overripe, which seemed a bit odd mid-tomato season. My husband had the baby greens salad. This had breaded and fried mozzarella on it. I expected the cheese to be warm and stringy--it was not. We also had the country mashed potatoes; very creamy and very good, but not a hard dish to do well.

The flavors were all good, the service was good, the steak was great, there were a couple slight missteps. If the intent is good steak (which it was for us) I think it works.

Damon and Pythias is my favorite restaurant in Westwood- sandwiches and salads.

Actually it looks like Chipotle is opening further down Broxton near Damon & Pythias. There's a sign in the window now (or was a couple days ago). Not sure what's taking over the Star Chicken location. I haven't noticed any changes going on inside for a while now.

I just saw today that there's another one opening on Pico across from Westside Pavilion. Seems like it's a little close to Westwood.

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm thinking of doing a late lunch, early dinner on Thursday at Rosemary's since Saturday lunch is out. I guess this will depend on what time we end up leaving. I assume that Rosemary's wouldn't be that difficult to get into on a Thursday afternoon later in the afternoon (2:00ish).

Perhaps we'll try Mesa Grill instead of China Grill. Or perhaps the thai place that everyone raves about. We'd sort of like to stay on the strip once we get there though. We'll see.

I think we'll stick with Bouchon and just stay away from the plain eggs and toast entrees. If our stomachs can handle it we'll try for Verandah another morning-- though I'd sort of like to skip adding another pricier meal. Thanks for the tip on the Bouchon pastry cart. I'm sure we'll hit that up at some point if even on the way out for a snack on the car ride home.

I'm going to Vegas at the end of the month. Based on research here I've come up with an eating itinerary. Let me know what you think of my choices. We'll be in Vegas Thursday-Saturday. Friday night is our anniversary (4 years) and we're staying at the Venetian. We'll have a car. We want our Friday night dinner to be nice, romantic over scene-y, but good food is the most important. Friday night can be pricey but not ridiculous the other meals should be more reasonable. No strictly seafood or sushi places.

Thursday

Hit Cupcakery in the way in to pick up a few cupcakes for the weekend.

Dinner at China Grill. This seems to have some mediocre reviews and some really good reviews. I think the menu looks really good.

Friday (anniversary day)

Late Breakfast at Bouchon. I kind of have my heart set on this one since it'll be a while before I'll be able to make it up to Napa for the real thing.

no lunch

Dinner at Delmonico's. I hope I can still get a reservation. I'm going to call tomorrow. Hopefully a Friday night is easier than Saturday.

Saturday

Maybe a quick pastry for breakfast at Bouchon. Can we get a pastry to go? Room service?

Lunch at Rosemary's using the prix fixe lunch special.

Comments?

Chipotle is not open and does not appear to be opening anytime soon. It's been in the same state of disrepair for a while now.

The Broxton lot always seems to be full when I go there at lunch time...

I love AB. I didn't like him at all after the first episode I watched (one where he dressed up as the grandma character) but when I gave him a 2nd chance I loved him. He's one of a few FN stars that I think I'd like in real life AND that knows what he's talking about.

I always have frozen roasted chicken in the freezer . Just roasted on the bone and shredded. Then it's easy to add to a jar of pasta sauce or a quesadilla or anything else. I also have portions of steamed rice in the freezer to add to a meal or an easy side dish.

I like Langers the best- but it's not on the westside. Factors is my favorite westside deli.

I'm looking for a place to go for lunch tomorrow (around 1 or 2). 4 people for Father's Day. Anywhere on the westside would be good. If it were walking distance to SM/Venice beach that would be a plus. Moderate price, like mains for less than $20/person. My ILs aren't exactly foodies so it doesn't need to be high end. Just good food. No sushi and nothing too exotic. Any ideas?

Yep, I bought mine at Whole Foods. They had a coupld different brands.

I enjoy border grill. I think the skirt steak is nice and the carnitas. Happy hour is fun and I'm not sure how there could be complaints since the prices are so cheap. House margaritas are something like $3. I recently had lamb tacos and ribs for something like $5 each (maybe less).

I personally like the noise. I wouldn't go there for an anniversary dinner but it's nice for a fun night out. Ciudad on the other hand, I found very underwhelming. Poor service even though the restaurant wasn't even close to full and my paella was not cooked properly (the rice was raw).

The Whole Foods on National and Barrington dry ages beef- though I've never tried it. There's a display case behind teh regular case in the middle of the counter. I find this WF to have better meat & service than the other WFs I've tried on the westside.

I've had a citrus salad with citrus sections, cilantro (I believe), and kumquats that were sliced and poached in simple syrup.

As long as there's cumin it tastes like fajitas to me. Everything else is optional. I think some kind of citrus is good, even if you server the fajitas with wedges of limes to add at the end.

Yes, gelato is milk-based and ice cream is cream-based.

I would probably do about 3 1/2 cups of milk with about 8 egg yolks. I think the banana (if you're using fresh bananas not extract) would also help with the creamy texture and emulsification.

I think meyer lemons and limes are sweeter than regular lemons so sugar might need to be adjusted slightly. If the mixture is a custard (which it seems it is with a yolk) then the flavorings and the sugar should not effect the texture (within reason of course).

I made individual pavlovas (that turned out to be more like merenges) for passover this year and I was able to bake them on a Silpat without buttering it. They sort of peeled off but definitely didn't stick. I served them with strawberry sauce and whipped cream with great success.

I toast my rice for about 3-5 minutes. I shoot for the edges to be translucent but the middle of the kernel is still white. Then I add about a cup of white wine, reduce that away, then start adding stock.

I would add more cooked potato and then chicken stock to thin it to the right consistency. If it's still too hot I'd probably garnish with sour cream or creme fraiche.

Cumin is not hot. It is "spicy" but not the hot kind of spicy if that makes sense.

I was going to suggest this as well. It's cheap but delicious and perfect for a dinner party since you start it early and it only gets better with time.

Has anyone ever used fresh chickpeas? I have a pint of fresh chickpeas but I'm not sure if I need to blanch them first or if I can use them raw. I guess I'll open the package and see how hard they are and go from there.

Darn, I wish I would have gotten in before the TM for the whole table rule was set. My dining partner has really particular tastes (doesn't like anything!) so that usually rules out the TM for me. Maybe we could both get the 3 course and then order a separate entree for my picky partner and I could eat two of all the courses he won't touch.