caligirl614's Profile
Need Recommendation for Cozy Cafe in Downtown Seattle with good food!
I just moved here 3 weeks ago so I don't know the area. I've got a friend I haven't seen in a while, in town just for a few hours and we're meeting for lunch downtown. Are there any nice places where we can grab lunch but also sit for a couple of hours and catch up?
Someplace that has food, tea/coffee and won't be too loud or crowded on a Monday around lunchtime (ie they won't rush us out!). Thank you for your help!
Munch - Banh mi on the Westside?
I just tried this place today as I had been reading banh mi threads this weekend and just happened to drive by and see the sign for vietnamese sandwiches today. Funny that I actually missed this thread yesterday. I tried the Vietnamese Combo with a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, and I was happy with them. The bread was crusty and soft, lightly toasted and while it could have use more cilantro and radish/carrot mixture to make it less dry, I found it satisfying enough to ease the void left after East/West in the village closed. I feel like I've had better and I've had worse in terms of these sandwiches, but it's definitely the best I've found without having to drive downtown or to SG. I would go back.
I was the only one in the shop today so the woman behind the counter, Bi, super gracious and friendly, came over to chat with me. She said they've been open for about 2 1/2 months and it's a family-run place. I'm guessing business has been a little slow starting out, because she asked me how I found this place, and that if I recommended it to friends, to tell them that if they try something and they don't like it, to tell them and they will improve. She asked me for my opinion about the items I'd tried, and wanted me to sample some other items and give her an opinion.
While I agree that the concept and look of the place seem to lack focus and tries to be many things at once, it seems they are open to suggestions and are really focused on customer satisfaction. I wonder if it's like the saying, "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with." I think we're in agreement that there isn't mind-blowing, authentic banh mi to be found on the westside, but I can live with the sandwiches at this place and maybe I'm too optimistic in hoping they will improve with time/experience. Who knows...maybe with the suggestions of devout foodies, we can get them to offer the quality of sandwich we're all craving. They do seem really open to it.
I can't vouch for the take-out items, but i think this place is at least worth a try.
Westside Place for Company Dinner
Our boss just approved a company dinner for us and we're psyched about a free meal! We're in Century City and we'll have about 15 people, so we need a place that can accommodate a group that size, that's somewhat close by, that's fun and where we can get a GOOD meal for about $50 a person including drinks (before or after tax and tip, but let me know which way the restaurants your recommend probably fall. We're trying to figure how far we can push it ;) ).
So far, people have suggested Houston's or Lawry's. Thanks for your help!
westside chinese food
re: Little Hong Kong Cafe? I know they remodeled. I was at Hurry Curry next door a couple of weeks ago and it looked like they were open for business.
westside chinese food
There's a place on Sawtelle, westside of the street just north of Olympic--Little Hong Kong Cafe--that's low key and has amazing Mongolian Beef. Everything else on the menu I've tried has been good and the pricing is reasonable.
Hu's Szechuan on National in Culver City is a little hole in the wall that's decent and cheap.
Best Spicy Shabu
I went to this all you can eat Shabu in the bay area once, where they had fiery soup that was awesome. You could also grill meet in these little compartments around the soup pot. Is there anything like that around LA? I'm looking for an all you can eat with really good spicy Shabu base first and foremost, and then if you can grill meat too...bonus!
Soul food
M&M's on Centinela in Ladera Heights (in the LAX area, I believe). Small, hole in the wall, great value, HUGE portions, and the only place where I've had smothered chicken where the chicken is still crispy even though it's covered by gravy. It gets really busy around lunchtime on Sunday, where people come here after church.
Grub Restaurant?
I read all the good reviews and was excited to check it out for a Saturday brunch. The place is really cute but the food was overpriced and overrated. The blueberry lemonade we'd heard so much about was watered down and tasted artificial. I still prefer the likes of Doughboys or Toast amongst many others to Grub.
Neighborhood Joints
Sunnin in Westwood (on Westwood Blvd., just north of Santa Monica). Little hole in the wall Lebonese restaurant with the best hummus (garlicky), and really good grilled meat dishes and large selection of mediterranean appetizers. Good sized portions for low prices. Markie D's Taste of Philly on Washington Blvd. in Culver City (just east of Sepulveda). Best philly cheesesteaks (really juicy meat) and cheese wiz on their fries instead of that generic stuff. So much better than South Street in the village, and better prices. This is my FAVORITE lowkey around-the-corner type place when I wanna break my diet.
Honey Kettle's Fried Chicken
I think that means I've gotta have pancakes tonight. ;) Thanks for the rec.
Honey Kettle's Fried Chicken
The wait can be pretty terrible, but I think you have to eat it there, vs take out. It's really good while it's still sizzling...the batter is crispy yet slightly mellow. The smaller pieces are better (wings, legs) because there's more batter to meat, as the breast meat can be a little dry underneath and you're fighting against a clock to eat it before it cools down and gets lackluster. Honey Kettle chicken is the BEST fried chicken in town within 2 minutes of it coming out of the fryer. You can't wait longer than that or it starts sliding quickly into mediocre. The biscuits are disappointing to look at (small, flat), but they're incredible while they're still piping hot. They're super buttery and they melt in your mouth. You dip them in a little honey and it's the sluttiest, most delicious thing ever.
Their lemonade is really good as well. It's smooth and goes well with the chicken. I think Markie D's on Washington not too far away (the Philly Cheesesteak place) has better lemonade (they have mint and blueberry in bottles, but they taste really fresh!), but it's still a great complement.
I haven't tried this places waffles and pancakes. Part of me is equally afraid that it won't be as good as Roscoe's or that it'll be better, but my recommendation for the chicken since there have been mixed reviews, is to make sure you walk in and EAT IN, as you really do have to eat the chicken as soon as it's served for you to get the peak experience.
Best Oysters
So I've been lurking on these boards, mostly because there have been so many great restaurant recommendations, that I've been busy out trying them.
Do you guys have a recommendation for the best oysters in LA, at a decent price? Think someone on a budget who can't spend $25 for 6, but doesn't want to buy some shady oysters out of the back of some guy's truck. I've been over to Ocean in Santa Monica for their happy hour, and I really like their sampler (6 different types of oysters paired with tasters of 4 different types of white wine). I think that's something around $15 or so.
Thanks for any recommendations!
