U-Zen on Santa Monica Blvd & Brockton in West LA.

Talpa on Pico. Not sure if they use onions, but their beans are so creamy.

Dolores does not have good cinnamon rolls. Simultaneously dry and overly sugary without rich flavor. No, no, no.

I just bought some Kyoho grapes today at the Safe n Save market on Sawtelle (the one near Hide Sushi) for $2.25/lb.

I also saw a flier saying they would be on sale at Nijiya market on Sawtelle for $1.99/lb this weekend.

Two weeks ago, I bought them at the Galleria market on Western and Olympic, a 4 lb box for $10.

It has both mul & bibim neng myun, but I can't vouch for either, not having tried them. I did like the saesak bibimbap - kind of like eating a salad rice bowl. Good summer food.

Hide Sushi on Sawtelle north of Olympic (cash only) and U-Zen on Santa Monica Blvd and Brockton both have a decent unagi. Hide definitely will seat a child, U-Zen not 100% sure, but probably okay - it's not shrine-like, like Urasawa.

I like the pupusas too. Cheese is my fave. The plantains are good too - caramelized and delicious.

Probably Literati on the westside, on Wilshire. Not sure if they have wifi, or if that's a requirement.

I don't know about the egg sandwich for sure, but both the Beverly Hills Library and the Santa Monica main library have cafes where you can hang out. Coffee + food. SMPL's website lists 'breakfast sandwiches'--whatever that is. Kelly's, the fudge/coffee place in malls, has sandwiches & salads, but I don't recall seeing a grill. Kelly's had a pretty good caramel apple for $3 (not what you asked for, I know).

My stepmother's 70th is coming up - she's Korean. Any recs for a restaurant that can accommodate 10-12 people, preferably a place where conversation is possible.

Ideally, I'd like to keep it around $30pp, maybe $35pp. Probably won't be much, if any, drinking--a pretty sedate group.

I brought up Park BBQ since it was so well reviewed on this board, but someone I know said about a year ago, it was expensive for the quality/quantity of food, that the service was weak and that the side dishes were lame. This was in a private room.

I've been there once at a regular table and thought it was good, but what do I know?

Clean, good food, good service. If it's seafood, great, if not, fine.

Thanks!

I've been to Paris Baguette in Seoul and in Los Angeles. Surprisingly, probably because there are fewer stores here, the quality control is better in Los Angeles. Also, they don't have the faux Westernized pastries like hotdog-mayo-souffles (I made this up, but you get the idea) or whatever.

The stores here are, I think, actually all bakeries, whereas aren't some of the ones in Korea are sometimes just storefronts where the goods aren't actually made, just sold?

It's kind of like how the McDonald's abroad are often awesome with super-friendly people and fresh food because they're corporate-owned, not franchises.

I like the sweet potato twists and the chocolate chip twists at Paris Baguette.

I asked about the westside mousse. Just fyi, if you ever happen to find yourself on this side of town, I did find mousse at Jamaica's Cakes on Pico near Gateway.

Amandine has good quiche. If you want a whole one, I'd imagine you'd have to order it in advance.

Yeah, I was the one who said that their cheesecake was like Pastina's. But then I went again, and it wasn't as good because it had weird-refrigerator taste, like something was wrong with their refrigerated case and was imparting a strange plastic-y flavor.

I'm guessing Zinio and Pastina buy their cake from the same vendor, but Pastina seems more consistent, thus the couple extra $$. I could be wrong on this. Maybe they just happen to both use circular pans. I'll probably give Zinio another shot. One bad egg out of several good, eh, it happens.

The sandwiches are more European (actually Brazilian) if I remember correctly, not Persian, and they were okay, nothing spectacular. I'd eat 'em if I was there and hungry, but I wouldn't drive for them.

The coffee, I liked - better than Starbucks, well-priced. I would drive for that.

Ambiance wise, kind of noisy inside and out, and on the patio, a lot of heavily scented hookahs, which I find cloying (strawberry tobacco? no thanks), but to each his own.

I don't know what how Indonesian style compares, but I've seen cendol on the menu at Ramayani on Westwood.

Have you tried Label's Table on Pico? I had some sliced tongue there a few months ago that was pretty good. When I don't feel like the hassle of Nate N' Al's or Langer's, I sometimes pop into Label's for a decent (but not superlative) pastrami on rye.

A couple of notes - no grill, so no reubens here, and for some reason, I am thinking this may be a cash only place. I could be wrong on the cash thing. Don't be deterred by the dingy look. Most of their business is takeout.

Oh, added bonus, it's a block away from Beverlywood Bakery, so I can hop over there for a black-and-white after I have my sandwich.

Big Lots in West LA on National right before it closed down carried them. I got the feeling they weren't selling that well at regular stores, so you might want to try other Big Lots or 99 cent stores.

I bought them because I love Nutter Butters and I love chocolate. They weren't that great--too sweet and gritty. Taste wise, they're almost indistinguishable from a Butterfinger. No, make that an old Butterfinger that's been in the pantry for a year that you eat because you're desperate for candy. I think if the chocolate had been smoother and of higher quality, it could have been a winner. As it was, it tasted like the cheap trashy junk it was :(

Intrigued, I ordered a Di Vita's cannoli. I would never in a million years have thought to order a dessert there. I had just thought that all their desserts were frozen or pre-made from some Sysco-like supplier.

Wrong! They make them there, the only dessert on the menu made there. The filling was creamy, lightly sweet, smooth and generous. The shell was perfectly crisp, and the sprinkling of chocolate chips on top was perfect.

I was a little annoyed at the price - $4 ($4.50 maybe?) because for some reason, in my cranky oldster brain, it should cost less, but frankly, it was well spent.

So far, the best cannoli in town. Better than Vito's, Bay Cities, Sorrento's, Bravo's. Thanks for the tip, benken!

Presumably Susan knows undercooked pork, but just throwin' it out there - it wasn't smoked? Pork gets that red band when it's smoked good & long.

Of course, if it didn't taste good and wasn't tender, then raw or cooked, it's still bad.

No, I've never been to Porky's so I'm talking from complete ignorance.

I'm thinking of the baked apple & german pancakes at Dinah's. I said Pann's because... brain fart. But I agree w/WG that the pancakes are fine at Dinah's.

I just don't like the fried chicken at Dinah's, which is tragic because I looooove fried chicken.

Pann's is a different animal and probably not close enough, unless the poster happened to be coming from that direction.

Vito's on La Cienega does a good cannoli. I think they fill them when you order, but not cheap (are they ever in LA?) - like $4 or something each.

I've had pretty good hamantaschen from Beverlywood Bakery on Pico, but it was over a year ago.

Canter's hamantaschen was okay too, as was Junior's.

Not sure what they called it or if it qualifies, but I had an outstanding poppy seed pastry at the Polish/European deli, I think called J&T European Deli in Santa Monica on 11th & Wilshire.

There is also a Jody Maroni's Sausage place in the same mall, not super healthy but tasty, and Rubio's for fish tacos (is this too ethnic?). The Star Chicken there has decent chicken salads, but none of these are restaurants, more like take out with seating.

Islands is safe.

Out of mall, there's an M&M Soul Food place on La Tijera a short drive away for fried chicken, meatloaf, etc.

I'd also recommend Ayara further south, but if Kabuki in its Americanized glory is too ethnic, Ayara will be a different planet.

I'd probably pass on Pann's for the chicken. They have decent dutch pancakes though.

Went to Koba, that new Korean place on the Northeast corner of Sawtelle & National where Red Moon used to be.

They have Al Bap! Only they spell it Ar Bap on the menu. It was a bit sweet, but fairly tasty. A virtual rainbow of fish eggs frosted the rice - tiny red, green black roe and bigger pearls of salmon roe too. There was also a sector of shredded tamago, aka regular egg, and seaweed piled on. Sparkling and pretty, the assortment of colors. I think next time I'll ask for the hot red bean paste to throw on there. I think it was $13.

As an aside, we also had the seafood pancake which was greasy, crispy and delicious, but heavy, and the spicy soup with noodles. Oh, and the vegetable bibimbap which was more like a salad with seasoned rice on top - a great dish for a lighter summer meal.

Yes, Koreatown has a notch better food, but this is still pretty fine, and the variety for such a small place, is impressive.

Next time, I think I'll also try the yook hwe, the beef tartar.

Aaaaargh, why oh why did I not read this when Primo's was open?

Had no idea that Primo's had bear claws.

And now it won't be open until Monday. Oh the agony!

I just had a really good pad thai at Ayara in Westchester. It had a nice balance of savory, sweet and sour. I was surprised and happy to see little dried shrimp, regular plump shrimp and fresh lime. Unlike some other scary places, this pad thai was not a weird lurid pink or orange. It was brownish.

And the menu at NIck's is ridiculously long. It's like a historical document featuring food trends through the years.

The garlic bread at La Scala is loaded with garlic chunks. The bread is just a raft serving as a delivery vehicle for the thick coating of garlic.

Delicious. It may not be on the menu, but they make it.

That's weird, I have bought it at the Bristol Farms on Westwood & Ohio more than once.

I've also seen it at the Ralph's Fresh Fare on Olympic, just west of Ave of the Stars, and I've seen it at WF (Westwood & West LA).

I vaguely recall the Wine House on Cotner had it too, not sure if it still does, so it's not cheap anywhere. But it's good.

I think it cost about the same at all the places I saw it - about $5 for a few oz.

FYI, it's not a steak salad, I meant steak with salad. Also, this is not a cheap place (meaning <$9 lunch) in general, although you can find some less expensive stuff that's good like the chevre salad.

I forgot to mention The Talpa on Pico east of Bundy. Mexican-American standbys. I like the chorizo and eggs, the bean and cheese burrito, the menudo and the salsa that comes with the chips - spicy!

Oh, and the chopped salad at La Scala on San Vicente in Brentwood.

Yeah, I was thinking Sabor might be gone.

The fried plantains at Ayalas on Venice Blvd are pretty, pretty, pretty good.