Eating Zagat

The Late Night List: Because You Can't Always Be in Vegas...

2010-05-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

LA is a tough town to get the food on late at night. But thanks to Josh W. and Yelp there is a cure. The bold I rep.

The List

Abbey (2AM)
Apple Pan (12AM)
Astro Burger (varies)
Bar Marmont (1:30AM)
BCD Tofu (varies)
Berri's Pizza (varies)
BJ's (varies)
Brasserie Les Voyous (12AM)
Bravo (varies)
Brentwood (varies)
Broadway Deli (12AM)
Cabo Cantina (12AM)
Cafe 50's (varies)
Cafe Sushi (12AM)
Canter's (24 hrs)
Carney's Express (varies)
Casa Bianca (12AM)
Casa Vega (1AM)
Chaya Venice (varies)
Clafoutis (12AM)
Cliff's Edge (12AM)
Continental (12AM)
Courtyard (1AM)
Dakota (12AM)
Dan Tana's (1AM)
Dominick's (12:45AM)
Dona Rosa (12AM)
Doughboys (12AM)
Du-par's (varies)
Electric Lotus (12AM)
El Torito (varies)
Figaro Bistrot (12AM)
Firefly (12AM)
Frankie & Johnnie's (varies)
Fred 62 (24 hrs)
Geisha House (12AM)
Greenblatt's Deli (1:30AM)
Hamburger Hamlet (varies)
Hamburger Mary's (12AM)
Heroes B&G (varies)
Hollywood & Vine (3AM)
Hop Li (varies)
Hop Woo (varies)
Hungry Cat (12AM)
In-N-Out Burger (1AM)
Ivy at the Shore (12AM)
Jan's (2AM)
Jer-ne (12AM)
Johnnie's Pastrami (varies)
Jones Hollywood (1:30AM)
Katana (12AM)
Kate Mantilini (varies)
Kitchen (12AM)
la di da (12AM)
La Dolce Vita (12AM)
Lamonica's NY Pizza (varies)
La Velvet Margarita (2AM)
Lola's (2AM)
Lunaria (1:30AM)
Mel's Drive-In (varies)
Mexicali (1AM)
Minibar (2AM)
Mi Piace (varies)
Mirabelle (12:30AM)
Mix (12AM)
Miyagi's (2AM)
Monte Alban (12AM)
Nak Won (24 hrs)
Nirvana (2AM)
O-Bar (1AM)
Opus B&G (12AM)
Original Pantry Cafe (24 hrs)
Pacific Dining Car (varies)
Palms Thai (12AM)
Pearl (2AM)
Pete's Cafe (varies)
Pho Cafe (12AM)
Pink's Chili Dogs (2AM) --- but it's only a hotdog.
Pizza Rustica (12AM)
Polo Lounge (2AM)
Poquito Mas (varies)
P6 Restaurant (12AM)
Roscoe's (varies)
Saddle Ranch Chop (varies)
Schwab's (12AM)
Shane (2AM)
Spanish Kitchen (varies)
Standard (24 hrs)
Swingers (varies)
Tangerine (12AM)
Tommy's (24 hrs)
Uzbekistan (12AM)
Wokcano Cafe (varies)
Yard House (varies)
Zankou Chicken (varies)
Zip Fusion (12AM)

Pure Beauty is Rare: Grace

2010-05-05T15:07:00.001-07:00

Grace
://7360 Beverly Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2501
(323) 934-4400

Quickie: No quickie. A good lady you always wait for.

Full: If I left my heart in San Francisco at Gregoire, I found a new and better one in Los Angeles at Grace. I've been waiting to go to the restaurant since I officially declared my food addiction in October 2008 (Thanks Yelp) and last Sunday my dream was finally fulfilled (Thanks to the great deal at Bloomspot).

Not a single dream went unmatched. Grace felt like a symphony. And I was dancing. The orchestra was starting to tune its instruments, the flute plays a chord, the bass tunes the D string and the cymbals are starting to round out as the drummer takes his place. The conductor is still missing from the stage coated in black velvet dresses and satin black cummerbunds. The conductor (Neal Fraiser) arrives and there's silence...

The show lights come on, the stage is set, and the audience is waiting with bated breath. The violin starts up the first course with crab meat and snow peas, the percussion hit in with spinach & arugula salad, but the true star was the cello with her lobster thai soup, rich warm flavors that floated over your entire body. The piece is finished and the last note rings in the air. You can't believe you are here.

Only shortly after you are hit with the warm up piece comes the real master. Your heart is racing as the conductors arms start to sway, softly ringing in the winds, then the strings, then BANG. The gong goes off. Enter in Sautéed Wild Alaskan Salmon, Wild Boar, and the Grace Burger with truffle cheese. It's your lucky day since the Grace burger is only available on Sundays, the dry aged meat medium rare as the best way so the juice melts into the cheese and fleur de sel bun. You'll think the orchestra is only playing for you.

And when all the plates are empty and your heart is near tears, the room gets silent and cold. The conductor leaves the stage. How could it all be possibly over? How can you return to your drab life when you know this beauty exists and in such limited form?

But the orchestra hasn't left. And you can feel something in the pit of your stomach building. Hope. Your hands grip the cold metal railing and you wait. Something is coming. Your eyes open wide to the swift black coattails moving back across the stage. Alas, a new conductor (Mariah Swan) has arrived! And with the wave of her arm she brings in a caramel tequila milkshake, sticky toffee cake, and the creme de la creme: the salted caramel donut with brown butter popcorn ice cream. The caramel milkshake hits you like a shot of patron -- without the painful sting down your throat. Your tongue warms as with the sticky toffee cake's brûléed bananas and the sweet swirl of hazelnut gelato and toffee sauce. But pure beauty can only have one name, and that name is the salted caramel donut. A taste so pure Fred the baker would wake up from his sleepy-eyed dream world.

Finally your eyes open again and the orchestra is leaving the stage. It wasn't a dream. This happened. And it all started with the wave of a baton...

Don't let the bill make you cry. You know it was worth it.

How to Read Food Guides: A Life Skill

2010-04-11T15:43:00.001-07:00

Quick Disclaimer-y: Obviously all my opinion, my experiences, my nonsense. You can't get mad at me for a single thing I say. For all you know, it's complete hoo-hah. My experiences tend to be based on Zagat and Yelp. I will specify where necessary. Also, if you can read all of this, you should get a cookie. Not from me. From somewhere though.

More than anything, I think I know how to read food guides more than I know what places to eat at or that I'm in the know to any degree. They are written to be obvious, but there are always nuisances and important interpretations that make the difference between the right restaurant, and a terrible evening. Most important rule: Food Is Expectation.

First, a couple myths...

Everything in Zagat is Good: No, not everything is Good For You. Zagat is an excellent source. But Zagat isn't sending out inspectors to judge food (not that this method is preferable). It is a survey, which means that everyday people vote on it. Things aren't voted on and then screened. Everyday people have completely different preferences about food. There are 1950+ restaurants in the LA book alone. You won't like everything.

Each year, Zagat decides on the restaurant for the next guide and the points based on online surveying that everyone has access to regardless of how often they eat out. This is prone to biases obviously -- people having different ideas of the point system, choosing restaurants for a number of personal motivations that may not be generally applicable (got really drunk and don't remember much, there for a bad office party, spent too much, spent too little, went on a bad night, went on an exceptionally good night...the list never ends), and the timing between when they vote and when they ate there (almost everything gets EXTREMELY better or EXTREMELY worse after even a few weeks of eating somewhere).

High rankings are bought: Though I could never independently verify this, I don't believe it is true. It doesn't behoove either of these institutions to up the ranking of a place in the face of terrible service and food. The amount they could possibly make by making a place more rosy than it is versus losing their customer base just doesn't make financial sense. People would notice. Give up the conspiracy theories Mulder, it's probably not happening.

Mo' Money Means Mo' Better : Worst one. The best way to approach this is to realize every experience is proportionate. And all food is expectation. A lot of money tends to come with a lot of expectation. Little money tends to come with almost none. If the food is good but expensive, you discount it more because it cost you more. If the food is good but cheap, it suddenly becomes a lot more delicious. This is a rational approach -- if it's expensive it should be better. But people overall tend to weight this more than they should. Hype and lack of hype ruin a lot of good things.

Armed with this knowledge you're ready to start reading.

The basics...

First, I almost always cross reference Yelp and Zagat. If both of them agree the place is good, it's probably a safe bet given the huge difference in audiences for both.

Second, when I'm reading about a place, I spent a lot more time thinking about what kind of experience I want than whether the place sound good. The place will be good if it is what I want. Think about this every time you read: price, ambiance/service, type of food. If food is expectation, a place you have picked will only fail you when you thought one thing about it and it turns out to be another. There are places that will always be good and always be bad -- but these are few and far in between.

If you ask me to find you a place, this is why I grill you on what you want. I always say genre first, I always follow it with who you are going with, and where you want to be. Your mood both before and after you eat also heavily impact the taste of the food. If it was too hard to get there, you're more critical or you're really relieved, if it was easy to get there, but a bitch to leave, your love for it decreases the harder it is to get to your new destination.

This is also why I am so hesitant to tell people where to go. A place I like may be something you hate. And maybe the opposite.

Third, check the website if there is one. You can get a lot from a website. The photos, the music, the way it presents itself will give you a lot of insight into the way the restaurant sees itself. Family places have websites that have a lot on the history, they might be simpler/homier, they have either a lot of photos or none at all. Hyped/trendy restaurants have lounge music on their website, they have more photos of the people and the restaurant than the food, and the website is definitely in flash, takes a while to load, and has the word "events" listed somewhere either because they think they are important enough to have "events" or because they expect you to have your "event" there -- they also want a lot of money for this "event". Gourmet/foodie restaurants have only pictures of food. They forget pictures of the restaurant, they might have "events" too but it's for tastings. One of their pages will explain their "concept". They want you to know their philosophy about food, because they definitely have one. The trendy restaurants want you to know they have food, and that's about it. There's not a philosophy. There's sometimes a who has been here recently list (Millions of Milkshakes, I'm looking at you).

The specifics...

First, think about audience

The Zagat audience is often, though not necessarily, foodies with more discretionary income. Zagat has an association with being more expensive and higher quality (I've already explained how to really think about this) -- so this audience is generally willing to spend more money when eating out. This is important. Remember myth three? It means all your reading of the ratings should keep this in mind. People who spend more money on food on average place a higher value on brand name chefs, places with a lot of food buzz, and ability to impress every time (the Zagat sticker on the door doesn't help with that either). You think this means everything in Zagat is Good, but there's a difference between Good and Good For You.

The Yelp audience is a little bit wider given that access to it is free/don't have to buy a book. There are a couple of different groups of people who use Yelp.

1. The silent type: A group of people who read it all the time, but rarely rate. All this means is, you can't look at a place, see a low number of ratings, and assume no one has been there. It definitely means less, but not no one.

2. The ranters: A group of people who only use Yelp to promote something they really liked or something they really hated. They review five times or less. They are the least reliable. This is different from someone who is just starting to review and is building up. This group has reviews that are total five stars (the highest) or only one star (the lowest -- zero stars aren't possible). They review because something really impressed them or really disappointed them. They don't feel much accountability to reviewing honestly or with some reasonability in their rant.

3. The yelpers: A group of people (largest % of people) who review often. They casually eat out a pretty reasonable amount. They have some five stars, some one stars, and a lot in between. There isn't a good way to decide who this person is -- not a number of reviews or anything will designate it. The basics would be they are active or recent reviews, they are not named Yelp Elite (a little red button on the profile), and they have some compliments (comments left by other yelpers). If you aren't a ranter or a total foodie, you relate to this group the most. So when they make comments about the service not being great, or maybe the food is pretty tasty, as long as you have followed the second tip about knowing what you want, you will probably agree.

4. The elite: Yelp's most active members. They eat out a lot (not always, but are in their late twenties early thirties and have a good amount of discretionary income -- you'd have to for this lifestyle), they review regularly, they are invited to restaurant openings and special events. Because they eat out often, they're reasonable, but naturally critical because they have a lot of places to compare. Like Zagat, you can't assume you will like everything a Yelp Elite likes. In fact, you might love a place a Yelp Elite doesn't like because they can be more picky, and expect more.

Second, think about systems

Zagat is a book published once a year. Everything you are reading are things people experienced last year. Restaurants change waiters, change hostesses, change owners. Last year could be completely different than this year. Zagat also only publishes one paragraph of comments to sum up thousands of people's experiences at the restaurant to cover all of its locations. Restaurants are different by location, different day to day. It can only cover so much. Zagat has a website with a Yelp aspect, but it is not frequently updated.

Yelp is an online feedback system. It is constantly updated, but by thousands of different people. It is hard to read all the reviews and each review is based on who published it. The ranking only ranges between 1-5 stars and you can't give a zero or any half stars. The benefit of seeing how many reviews though does help you decide if a five star really means five, i.e. 150+ reviewed it or if it means a lot less only 30 or so reviews. It can tell you if a restaurant is good currently as opposed to a year ago, if it's closed, and what has changed.

Finally, remember what you want

Only you can know what you want to eat. So choose wisely!

And finally, ask questions. It is why I am here.

Food Literature I read here:
Yelp and favorite Yelp people (See Austin S., Shauna D. and Ed C. for starters)
Zagat
Tasting Table
Urban Daddy
The Rundown
Thrilllist

Sometimes You Have to Leave LA: Gregoire

2010-03-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

EDIT: Sorry for the brief hiatus, a great woman once told me 'Sometimes life gets in the way' - Vanessa Kuroda.

Gregoire
://4001 Piedmont Ave,
Oakland, CA 94611-5208
(510) 547-3444‎

Quick: Since lunch in a Parisian cafe with Julia Child is not happening for me anytime soon, Gregoire will have to do.

Full: French food is the epicenter of the foodie. It's full of beautiful creams, rich sauces, and fatty meats. It's complicated, full of pretension, and stuck up waiters. You have to order in a language you don't understand only so you can end up like this guy. (Please watch the intro...you'll love it).

Gregoire is none of these things. It's a cute little shack sized restaurant with only bar stool seating next to the kitchen and a table or bench outside (depending on Berkeley or Oakland). Every month is a new menu so you never get bored -- it's like opening a present on Christmas.

The menu is always full of rich meats and cheeses -- racks of lamb, chicken, and portobello mushroom (I told you, I think of mushroom as a meat veggie) all squished between loaves of pantofolina, focaccia, and wheat bread. The cheeses are all your favorites -- grueye and brie with a cheddar or provolone in a few. Lunch is the best deal -- only $8 dollars for a sandwich. Dinner is a much bigger undertaking -- I'd recommend only picking it up if you're planning on a cute picnic at home -- the restaurant setting hardly feels like a place you would sit down to eat "Grilled Harissa marinated lamb T-bone with Moroccan yogurt sauce." Mmmm fancy and affordable, my favorite.

And please, whatever you do, don't forget to order the potato puffs. These little babies might be the reason I am moving to the Bay. Think mashed potatoes inside of a potato pastry. See an image at The Potato Stories Blog. These heavenly jewels of brown might make you cry in the restaurant. Don't cry, Julia Child never cried.

: Joan's on Third

2010-03-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Joan's on Third
:// 8350 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 655-2285

Quickie: Time to leave your grocery store and open your heart to the wonders of the market. We're over stable and obvious baby. Ready to kick up a notch.

Full: In about 140 days, I move to the Bay. The beautiful, the amazing, the Baytastic San Francisco Bay. And to be honest, I'm excited. Quite excited. Why? Because the Bay is filled with my favorite kind of restaurant, the marketplace.

You know what I mean. You're getting tired of those painful, unexciting trips to Ralphs. You stare at the poor food in giant unattractively wrapped packaging. The plastic cutting off the air supply of all those cheeses, and meats, and the terrible paper packages that contain smothered seasoning. It's heart breaking. You want to rescue the sets of powdered garlic from their plastic bags, you need to free yourself from processed artificial cheese, and frostbitten meat. You're so used to it all and you want to get out. You want to eat a snickers bar cupcake while you anxiously stare down the quiche. Oh Joan's, are you ready to rescue me?

Clean and white, you feel a little like heaven Joan. As soon as you walk in your eyes start to cheat on Ralphs. Stable, faithful Ralphs. She just doesn't satisfy you anymore. You're too attracted to everything else in the room. Easter chocolates straight in front, quail eggs and chocolate covered peeps. If you manage to make it past the Easter delights on the left, you'll be ready to scarf down the mushroom plates, the eggplant, the fried chicken. Maybe a bite or two of that delicious looking mac & cheese. You think you're finished and you wander over to the table on the other side to start eating. But you barely make it four feet before your eyes set themselves on apricot bars, chocolate marshmellow and vanilla raspberry cupcakes. Oh God. I melt thinking about them.

Two more steps forward and you hit the motherload. Salad dressings, soups. Is that crushed almond in the corner? Premade chicken pot pies and sorbets. You're going to give it all up for this. You feel your ears get warmer, your body starts to shake, you want it all.

Joan's is incredible. She's better than whoever you currently seeing: Ralphs, Vons, whoever. They pale in comparison. Joan's will get it done. She always does.

Being Vegetarian is Getting Sexy: Vegan Glory

2010-03-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Vegan Glory
://8393 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Zagat Rated/ $

Quickie: Thai food gets better and better in this casual spot on Beverly Blvd. Think you couldn't dare give up meat? Vegan Glory might change your mind.

Full: You've been thinking about this for sometime now, ever since you saw Pamela in the PETA ads. Vegetarianism (though not the same as vegan-ism). Why would anyone ever give up meat? Delicious, tasty, and juicy...its savory feeling in your mouth is a hard one to sacrifice...

But Vegan Glory makes the transition a little easier. Their soy chicken, soy steak, and soy shrimp makes you feel a little less like you're betraying your ancestors (and your meat-eating-anti-hippie-parents). Vegan Glory even manages to ensure the soy feels like meat, not the soft squishy texture of tofu. Mmmmm soy chicken?...Has Colonel Sanders heard of this yet?

On your quest to PETA friendly heaven, you even dare to add more veggies to your soy mix. A little eggplant maybe? Maybe even a little spicy? To be honest, you're hardly paying attention as you devour the brown rice, surprisingly fluffy and warm in a world of overly crunchy and lifeless brown rice.

You end it all with a little dessert. Hey, being vegetarian or vegan doesn't mean you have to give up the sugar. You're thinking sticky rice with mango. But if it's out of season (like now), you can always try a little soy whip cream with Pamela.

And the Grumpy Continues: Electric Karma

2010-02-22T19:49:00.001-08:00

Electric Karma
://8222 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 653-2121 | Reserve Online

Quickie: Shiny Indian restaurant boasts less than shiny Indian tasting food. Great for those who don't actually like Indian food...or flavor. A place that used to be in Zagat...the mighty have certainly fallen.

Full: I'm in a foodie bad mood. And Electric Karma just added to it. Seriously. Someone break me out of my funk (I'm hoping Breadbar's Debbie Lee visit will do just that).

It's February and you're reviewing your New Years Resolutions list. Monthly check up you see. Some things might have slipped by the wayside by now, lose 30 pounds, run 1000 miles, be a better person. But, on that list, still contains in all its stunning glory: be in a Bollywood movie. Well that's great, because Electric Karma will help you accomplish that.

The room is gorgeous. Really pretty setup that makes you feel king like. You could get up and bhangra right now. (Props to USC Jachdi Jawani for 1st place). But intense bhangra makes a man hungry. And Electric Karma is not the place to fulfill that hunger.

This might have been one of those nights where I ordered the wrong thing. And apparently Josh did too. But the garlic naan, tikka masala paneer and tofu vindaloo just didn't do it for us. It wouldn't do it for you either. Portuguese inspired Indian food comes out in the taste and awesomeness of vindaloo, a far more common food in countries not India. But it is spicy as hell and delicious. If you wanted to look a little like Wile E Coyote after the anvil falls, eat vindaloo. But not at Electric Karma. This came out far more soupy, tomato like, and not spicy. The rest of the meal was similarly "Eh". The bollywood styled room just sets up such great expectations. Only to disappoint in the end. It would be as if Jamal incorrectly answered the last question in Slumdog Millionaire. So much promise. So unfulfilled.

Electric Karma won't help you get the energy to get up and dance with your best 50 friends to win the girl. And if it can't help you do that, well then, it's just no good at all.

Dinner With Your Mom: Enterprise Fish Company

2010-02-15T11:33:00.001-08:00

Enterprise Fish Company
://174 Kinney St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Zagat Rated | $$

Quickie: Wouldn't do it again unless I was drunk, sun burned, and beach bummed. But I guess that's what they are going for...

Full:
When it comes to my parents, I can't pick a restaurant to save my life. Seriously. I fail every. time. It started with bringing them to Border Grill (which my father still teases me about to this day) and has only continued a downward slope. To them, the only good restaurants in the city of Los Angeles are Papa Cristos and Natraliart. That's it.

It gets me thinking about a larger question for foodies: where do we bring our parents? You'd think the foodie bone was genetic, but really it takes a certain willingness to be ridiculous and disappointed to enjoy a habit like this. You're trusting your dietary needs in the hands of complete strangers on a constant basis with no protection! (Trojan, get on this!) You sacrifice money, time, and your general well-being for the hope that you are meeting someone (a restaurant) that will treat you well with no previous knowledge of you and only the hope to procure your money. Pretty treacherous sounding to me.

So here I am at Enterprise Fish Company hoping I've found someone my parents will really like. You see, picking a restaurant for them really speaks to my tastes as a person, my conscious act on a respectable, quality, and reasonably priced restaurant where my Dad can order his water with a slice of orange (not lemon. Welcome to the particularities of my parents). Picking one that is too expensive and trendy means that I've changed as a person, into something my parents did not raise and may have to bring home to reeducate. Picking something that is too cheap and shack like means that I assume my parents aren't willing to spend good money for good food, and that I'd probably never bring my friends to this place. I can't win.

I love my parents. I really really do. I owe absolutely everything to them. But I can't pick a restaurant for them to save my life.

So that was only really brought home when Enterprise Fish Company turned out to be such a disappointment. This place is good for dinners after the beach when you're slightly messy from the sand, but man, you'd really like a lobster. It's not good for anything formal, anything serious, or your parents in their Sunday best. That's right. Try to take my Mom here, and you'll be losing the date before it starts. (And she is gorgeous, you'd love her.)

I had the scallop risotto. They had the chicken and the shrimp jambalaya. No no no. My scallop was rubbery, that line you cross right after overcooking them. They should be not flaky, but there should be texture to the meat when you cut it. No. No texture. Only big chunks of smooth blandness. No seasoning either? Weak sauce EF Co, weak sauce. Risotto was too creamy, the texture was okay, but it was just a mass of cream and rice. Fail. How about some garlic? Is Edward Cullen in the back making the risotto? My parents said their food was good, but I could hear the skepticism in their voices.

The only things I liked at dinner were the bread in the beginning (pretty soft and fresh feeling) and the lobster bisque (good amount of lobster). But that's sort of all. And let's be honest, even Red Lobster does those things correctly.

I'm working on a list for dinners with your parents. It's the most frequent request I've been getting lately and I never have a good answer for it. But keep posted, it's coming. Your dinner with Ms. Robinson will be the best night you ever had.

Valentine's Day Zagat Style

2010-02-13T10:25:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of Valentine's Day and all things Hallmarky, I'm posting a couple of Zagat's official Los Angeles Valentine's Day restaurants that still have some opentables. The ones I've been to and are willing to rep are in bold. At the bottom, I've posted a few of my own V-Day places with your undergrad budget in mind ;D.

Bistro Garden at Coldwater: The three-courser at this Studio City Continental includes its signature chocolate soufflé, a dish diners have been known to order as their whole meal – though in this case it's accompanied by retro favorites like beef Wellington with black truffle sauce and macadamia nut–crusted mahi nahi with pineapple relish ($78 per person; 818-501-0202; reserve online).

Bistro LQ: Laurent Quenioux's Fairfax newcomer has a five-course dinner available for $60 with highlights like beef culotte with bone marrow tartine, braised cipollini onion in sunchoke purée and a dessert trio with chocolate truffle gâteau, rose water semifreddo and pistachio vacherin (323-951-1088).

Bombay Palace: In a space where you're surrounded by dozens of Hindu deities, this Beverly Hills Indian is offering a four-course menu for $50 with dishes, as the restaurant tells us, "hailing from the country known for the Kama Sutra" (four-course vegetarian menu available for $40; 310-659-9944; reserve online). (STILL HAS LOTS OF RESERVATIONS!)

Cecconi's: This celeb-heavy Italian has a six-course tasting menu for $85 per person ($45 extra for wine pairings) that includes wild-mushroom cappuccino, black truffle and ricotta ravioli and Châteaubriand for two (310-432-2000).

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse: All weekend long, this steakhouse chain is offering a menu of dishes prepared for two – glazed porterhouse steak with salad ($98), blue cheese–crusted filet mignon and lobster "en fuego" ($89). For dessert, think red velvet cake and chocolate-covered strawberries to share ($9.50). Super delicious. Go do it.

Katsuya: While the Los Angeles location of this quintessentially trendy sushi chain will serve its regular menu, the Glendale location is offering a variety of packages – a five-course omakase dinner with a dozen roses costs $210 per couple; add a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and it's $350). Menu highlights include a sashimi trio (negi toro, hirami crab and hamachi jalapeño) and broiled miso cod with spring vegetables. I've been here but...I don't know if you want to be there as well. More of a see and be seen than a "mmm great food before v-day activities" kind of place.

La Cachette Bistro: A four-course feast of romantic dishes, including scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar, will be available at this beloved Santa Monica French ($85 per person; 310-434-9509; reserve online).

RH: Situated in the Andaz Hotel, this French destination is whipping up a five-course wine-paired sharing menu ($120 per couple) all weekend long. The restaurant is right on the Sunset Strip, offering a ringside view of the glitz and glamour, and the hotel is also offering a "Love Goes Around" package beginning at $265 per night (323-785-6090).

RockSugar: You might not think of this chaotically busy Century City sibling of the Cheesecake Factory as a romantic restaurant. But seated at a corner table, it's possible to remove yourself from the din to enjoy the prix fixe menu, which costs an affordable $88 per couple (310-552-9988; reserve online).

Saddle Peak Lodge: A four-course prix fixe is available at this Calabasas American on Saturday and Sunday from 5–9:45 PM. Menu highlights include black truffle soup with shaved Périgord truffles and roasted celery root, and mesquite-grilled petite filet mignon with baby globe carrots, Yukon potato, bloomsdale spinach and violet mustard béarnaise ($125 per person, $60 extra for wine pairings; 818-222-3888; reserve online).

Simon LA: Chef Kerry Simon has created a special à la carte menu of romantic dishes for February 13–14, including red curry lobster soup ($13), organic chicken for two with chestnut stuffing and baby root vegetables ($52), and a $25 dessert tray he cheekily describes as a "Valentine's Day Junk Food Platter" (310-278-5444; reserve online). Maybe the only place worth the money...

Original Zagat List

Steph's contributions:

The Little Door: My own sweet and personal heaven. V-Dayed this place last year and had a roasted chicken with black truffle sauce. Unfortunately for you they no longer serve it, but the Chanterelle Mushrooms, Baby Broccolis and Sun Dried Tomato Fettucine and Roasted Garlic Crusted Rack of Lamb with a Madeira Wine and Black Olive Sauce are probably similarly amazing.

Tuk Tuk Thai: Looks like hell in the front, but adorable and cute inside. The room is wooden panels with pink walls. Super cute. The food is great and they have a huge wine list. Sounds like someone is boyfriend material...

Citizen Smith: Went to this place two years ago and I've already gone back a billion times. Well maybe not a billion :). Amazing jazz music, great champagne and wine list, and the most important on the list...amazing leather booths to cuddle in.

Image at the top is artwork done by Jason Sho Green, an incredible incredible man with lots of talent and a sense of humor. Example

Please buy his work. He's a starving Masters in Fine Arts student in New York and he deserves your money.

It's a Grab Bag: Wurstkuche, Kerbey & Millions of Milkshakes

2010-02-11T23:59:00.000-08:00

I've been doing lots of eating. I hope you have too...only because you might die if you stop eating. So here's where I've been, and places you might end up soon too :D.

Wurstkuche: Only Los Angeles's best exotic sausages in town. Look out Pink's, you've got company. And it's better than you can imagine. Wurstkuche is USC alumni owned, so I've got to rep it. And it's worth repping I assure you. Think 15 different sausages ranging from veggie to rattlesnake. Mango Jalapeno? Chicken and Apple? Green Chillies and Cilantro? No problem. Thirsty? Got that too. Another 12 German beers, followed by another set of Belgian with names you can't even conceive of pronouncing, unless you're Belgian. But no night out for sausages and beer is complete without fries and chipotle aioli sauce (only one sauce of many)and a child like DJ playing the latest independent mashups on his environmentally friendly macbook pro. How's that for thinking green?
[800 East 3rd Street | Los Angeles, CA 90013 | Eat & Drink]

Millions of Milkshakes: Then leave small, artsy downtown to go for giant over the top Robinson street: home to Millions of Milkshakes. Like Paris Hilton, Millions of Milkshakes skipped the classes required for learning to count because it's more like 10 milkshakes and some smoothies. All the milkshakes are named after random celebrities who I can only guess, used all of their brain power to come up with things like: The Heidi and Spencer Shake (fast forward to 2:13), vanilla ice cream, mango and pineapple topped with whipped cream. The shakes are not bad though (Try the Kourtney Shake -- she was always my favorite Kardashian). It's a nutella shake with captain crunch. Mmm I love drinking tasty calories I'm only keeping in me for the next fifteen minutes. Millions of Milkshakes is a little loud...the motto is everyone's a star so the small room is basically a red carpet with music and lights flashing everywhere. Probably not the best place for a date, a study session, or a hang over. Probably the best place for getting a shake after shaking your butt for hours on end to techno music. Or for watching Zac Effron buy his millionth pair of skinny jeans.
[8910 Santa Monica Boulevard | West Hollywood, CA 90069 | Drink]

Kerbey Lane: And when you're all done with LA and its madness, you'll hop a quick flight on Southwest to Austin, Texas to enjoy the local favorite queso. Black beans, guacamole, and salsa! Oh my! Kirby's is open 24/7 (Oh USC, why don't you have that?) and serves all kinds of delicious Tex-Mex and more. Plus pancakes the size of your face. If your face looked something like the moon. But I'm not judging.
[ 2606 Guadalupe St. | Austin, TX 78705 | 24-Hour Menu]

Vertical Wine Bistro: The Days Just Keep Getting Better

2010-02-03T11:52:00.000-08:00

Vertical Wine Bistro
://Upstairs
70 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 795-3999

Tasting Tuesdays from 6-8pm first Tuesday of every month!

Quickie: Practice being an adult as you sip on fine wines in an environment that is more like a fun lounge than a wine bar. Quiet enough to take a date, fun enough that you won't feel like grandpa on a old armchair sipping Merlot.

Full: Whisked away to Pasadena on a quiet Sunday, Vertical Wine Bistro was easy going and comfortable. Slightly upscale dress without the feelings of stodgy, wino pretension. Sat down and let Andre and Sean take us for a ride (our waiter and sommelier).

Vertical Wine Bistro is incredibly comfortable. I spent my summer with MBAs, which means I spent my summer drinking wines and watching Bachelorette over beer pong and Jersey Shore. Ah, the finer things. I would pay big bucks to see Ed fight The Situation. But I think ultimately, Ed would stop in the middle, disappear for two weeks, and then come back and tell Snooki she was the only one...Anyway, all this wine drinking got me to learning to appreciate wine. A little bit. I still know very little. But Vertical Wine Bistro is the perfect place for the very skilled oenophile right down to the one who thinks Andre is quality. Sean was completely open to recommending us different items right in our price range.

Sean's List
2007 Zardetto “Zeta”: Veneto, Italy: Prosecco
2003 Altair “Sideral”: Rapel Valley, Chile: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot. Syrah, Sangiovese

I won't pretend I know anything about wine even after having these, but I at least know I enjoyed them. The prosecco was something completely different than anything I had ever consumed watching Jillian cry over boys she had known for three weeks. It's a clean sparkling white wine and as Sean says, really opens up the palette. It's almost flavorless, but only because it doesn't leave any residual flavors in your mouth after it leaves. The Sideral was much more what I'm accustomed to -- much dryer, slightly tart. I liked it quite a bit, though I think I am still a bigger pinot noir fan than syrah.

Dinner might have been better than the wine though, and maybe because we didn't pick wines I generally love (pinot noir and pinot grigio). You should sink your teeth in the house made pappardelle (photo up top), a home made pasta that is flat like lasagna but much thinner to the texture and taste, with pork ragout and wild mushrooms. Ex-meat-eating now vegetarians should spend all their days eating mushrooms. Their fleshiness is the closest you can get to the texture and juice of meat in a vegetable -- not goopy like squash and not too hard and crunchy like carrots. Just right. Goldilocks mushrooms. It would make a Guido Mom proud.

Happy Hour Hump Day & Natraliart Market & Jamaican Restaurant

2010-01-28T00:23:00.000-08:00

No Happy Hour this week. Even better, it's Dine LA Restaurant Week! What is that you say? Why, the best week in the year. (And will probably go longer than a week frankly). Lunch is only $16 dollars, and dinner is $26 for the lowest; $28 and $44 for the highest. Great options include: BLD, Border Grill, Campanile, Citizen Smith, The Gorbals. The dates are January 24-29 and January 31- Feb 5. This is basically foodie heaven. What's up? Food's up. That's what.

Natraliart Market & Jamaican
://3426 W Washington Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90018
(323) 737-9277

Quickie: Jamaican me crazy for deliciousness. Yeah, I whipped that out.

Full: In a desperate attempt to show me my roots, my parents whipped out the threat of a fro hair cut followed by Jamaican food. Thankfully, no fro cut here, but the Jamaican food kind of stuck. And that was totally worth the threat of the frocut.

Jamaican food is rich in onion and thyme flavors. Far more savory and slightly dry. The beef is often braised or skillet grilled -- meats like oxtail and full pieces of chicken. It can be spicy, but not in a chili sauce sort of way. Think dry heat over sriracha type spices. Think vinegar. Think trying to run a bobsled over dry land in the middle of Mandeville with a team of misfits (Is this movie really the only movie about Jamaicans?)

Jamaican food is all of these things and more. More than the jerk chicken you ordered at Chilli's (though Natraliart has that too). My favorite have to be the spicy beef patties...basically Jamaican empanadas (which I only admitted after a huge debate about whether they were Spanish influenced or not). The crust is super flaky like phyllo bread with warm ground meat in the center and onion. Mmmm so tasty.

The lovely photo above is none other than the oxtail platter. Rice and beans, collard greens, and tender oxtail in a braised sauce. Fried plantains for dessert. This place always makes me wish I could be with my grandmother at the plantation (which my family owned interestingly enough...), sitting under orange trees and chomping on fried plantains and patties. There's something unmistakably homely about this food. It isn't out to confuse you or awe you with complex flavors and textures. It's a humble food from humble people with a wealth of love and culture.

You won't need a fro hair cut to enjoy this. Only a heart of gold and a desire to win. And maybe a drunken, cheating John Candy to give you pep talks when you're unsure of leaving your country and your wealthy father to try to beat the Germans in Canada. Oh yeah. Fried plantains make you feel like you can do anything...

Happy Hour Hump Day & Nyala Ethiopian

2010-01-19T12:35:00.001-08:00

Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S San Pedro St | (213) 626-5299
Menu
I've already repped my love for this place. It gives you that cool, secret restaurant feel. Five dollars for tapa plates (get the croquettes) and $3 for wine and beer. Oh yes, I'm feeling lazy.
Happy Hour: Monday - Friday 5pm-7pm

Octopus
729 W. 7th St.| (213) 402-1500
Menu
You'll feel like you're in a neon arcade here, but you'll want it. Soju and Japanese beer are between $3 and $5. Sushi is cheap too -- $4.95 for a spicy tuna roll with tempura crunch (Heart Attack) or $5.95 for a rainbow roll. Even cheaper are the spicy tuna rolls ($3) and
Happy Hour: Monday - Friday 4pm-7pm; 9:30-10pm

Nyala Ethiopian
://1076 S Fairfax Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 936-5918
Menu | Zagat Rated | $

Quick: Get your hands dirty, and your face as you exercise your risky food muscle and try Ethiopian food. Not too expensive, too exotic, or too you know...whatever else is your excuse for not eating Ethopian food.

Full: My foray into Ethiopian food was a near fail about a year ago. Starting the meal liking it, and ending the meal feeling like the sourdough bread they serve you (injera)was going to cause a nuclear war in my mouth (so sour), it left a not-returning-for-a-long-time kind of feel.

Having a friend who spent a lot of his life in DC, he assured me that Ethiopian food was much more than injera bread, and that I had probably not gone to the best place to get it if the injera overwhelmed all the other flavors. Willing to try again, I went to Nyala with him out of sheer luck of finding parking there versus all the other places in Little Ethiopia. Our dumb luck that it turned out to be pretty good.

Ethiopian food is pretty distinct from any other foods you've had, unless you know, you're Ethiopian. Then it's like McDonalds. You use the injera, which is a sourdough type of pita, to scoop up food. The meats are incredible, pretty tender and with incredible spices, most of which I couldn't really soundly identify. Think of curry type foods, but with much richer spices. The flavors are more complex, but in a way that compliments the sourness of the injera. Think tangy. Think yum.

We had both the meat platter and the veggie platter. Might as well try it all right? We liked the lentils (the green stuff on your plate) a lot, and even this red veggie that tasted like cinnamon. I have yet to figure out which this one is, but it is worth a taste. The other veggie favorite of mine was the Yabesha Gommen, collard greens with fresh garlic and ginger. Tangy enough to enjoy the flavor but didn't sit in your mouth uncomfortably like collard greens tend to do. No sour squish face here.

And of course, it's not an adventure dinner without an attempt to try the regional alcohols. I melted at the taste of the harar beer -- a pale ale with a great vanilla flavor. If you're feeling more adventurous, try the gouder wine. Spicy enough to bite back, and with a strange prune taste at the end. Prune without the dirty aftermath. It will make your grandpappy happy.

Adventure in food #140 completed. Eat your heart out Bourdain.

There's No Oregon Trail Here: Lazy Ox Canteen

2010-01-16T11:09:00.000-08:00

Lazy Ox Canteen
://241 S San Pedro
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Menu | 213-626-5299
Happy Hour: 5-7pm, Monday - Friday, $5 tapas and $3 beer & wine

Quick Tip: Smart casual is the right way to dress for this place. Nice jeans would probably work, but you don't want to roll in here with any sweats. Sweats don't survive on the trail you know.

Quickie: Don't try to forge the river on this ox, you'll want to survive the ride. It won't be easy, this ox will buck you hard with her wild flavors, her seducing hard wood tables, and her come hither glow.

Full: Fall in love, fall quick, and fall hard with Lazy Ox. The old days of sitting in elementary school computer lab playing Oregon Trail are long gone, but you can revive those feelings and more at Lazy Ox. But instead of eating that sketchy meat they sell at the general store come to Lazy Ox where that rabbit and bear meat is prepared at a little higher class than what grandpa made in a rusty tin over the fire.

No sign on the front door already starts to make you feel a little classy when you enter the giant wooden door at a spot only the right people in town know about. Hostess asks you for your reservation immediately, which may add a slight feeling of unease at first if you forgot, but the ox is not about breaking dates: we got lucky and got a table in the front within the first few moments of getting in.

The waitress slips us the happy hour menu with 12 minutes left in happy hour. Right on time. Sacrifice your first children to the potato croquettes for $5 and a lost coast great white beer for $3. The beer is light and smooth, and feels clean. The rest of the night is sort of a blur. The trail has a way of winning your heart and making the hours and days melt together. Plate after plate with sage chard cavetilli, braised veal, and brick oven roasted mussels in a house made sriracha sauce. The meat was tender in each of the meals, not a single sauce too powering or underseasoned. With a tempranillo bodegas vente morales, you'll be sure to sit completely satisfied wondering how on earth a trophy catch like this ever managed to remain so secret.

Dessert was a similar heaven. Orange flan, lemon chiffon, and caramelized pear. There's just no way Lewis and Clark had it this good.

Willy Wonka's Waffle Cousin Finds a New Home in DTLA: Syrup Desserts

2010-01-14T00:29:00.000-08:00

Syrup Desserts
://611 S Spring St
Los Angeles, CA 90014
Menu | (213) 488-5136

Quickie: When the bar scene is getting old and you just don't feel like buying a new dress for Hollywood, you can take a night off with games of Clue and Scrabble as you sip on georgia peach ice teas and eat dessert waffles.

Full: Sometimes I don't give LA enough credit. I moan about her artificial concerns, her worldly needs, her fickle and perfectly manicured perspective on what's hip, what's important, and what's in. Every so often though, LA throws me a curve ball. Behind all the facades in her face, she surprises me with her sense of hipster-geek-chic in quiet cravings for little sanctuaries from the pressure of flashing lights and red carpets. Syrup Desserts is one such momentary break from the expectations of the Hollywood sign.

Nestled in DTLA, Syrup Desserts is hard to catch the eye rolling down Spring street. It looks like any other quick coffee shop, a couple unimpressive tables in front and a glass window with syrup desserts painted quickly on the front. As with nearly everything in life, what you find on the inside is so much more appealing than you could imagine. Glass panes preserve donuts, chocolate violet cakes, mango cheesecakes, tiramisu, giant cookies, and a bay of fruits for what you can only imagine the purpose. You'll graze through the menu and find crepes, iced and hot teas, and the general coffee fare. What you won't immediately notice, and what makes Syrup Desserts the next home to my laptop and my heart, is the list of waffle desserts you can order.

Waffle desserts you say? Like, waffles and chocolate? Or waffles and strawberries and whip cream? My friends, give her a little credit. McDonalds could make those given an extra minute or two. Syrup Desserts considers herself a bit of a Willy Wonka in the world of waffles...incredible sensations that demand a little more Oompa-Loompa and a little less greedy, impatient children. If you're a Charlie like me, you'll be happy to wait for orange cranberry twist, lemon drop blueberry, or caramel apple pie waffles. If you're more like Grandpa, you might spice it up by getting a waffle favorite (I caved to the orange cranberry which featured the orange cranberry waffle, mandarin oranges, cranberry bits, and peace ice cream.)

What Chocolate Factory isn't complete without its games and hidden treasures? Upstairs Syrup Desserts has couches and board games waiting for you. Connect Four, Clue, Monopoly, and the ever favorite Sorry to name a few. Don't scoff at the low brow level of these games, they may not be chess or Risk, but trust me, there's plenty of strategy in Connect Four to last you a life time (Thanks Josh and Cody), or at least until you need another waffle. If you're not up for games and only up for homework, Syrup Desserts will loan you their wifi access on the house. Just don't sell your golden ticket to all the other kids at school. You'll want to keep this treasure to yourself.

Happy Hour Hump Day: Introducing In & Out

2010-01-06T19:44:00.000-08:00

The In-N-Out Wine Tastings
://530 Molino St
Downtown
Los Angeles, CA 90013
310-451-7600

I didn't think it was possible. I really didn't. How do you make In & Out, the godsend of all burgers and fries, more perfect? You can't. It's impossible. It's been done. This isn't a happy hour, but my God, it will make you happy.

Learn About Wine is sponsoring In & Out Wine Tastings. 20 wines and nearly all you can eat In & Out double doubles. $69 dollars for advanced purchase. That's more than you've ever spent for In & Out, but something tells me it's worth it. The first event is January 15th. Oh Dr. King, if only you were here for this...

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hope your 2010 is off to a great start ;D.

Zagatistas Have Christmas Traditions: Dinner at Benihana

2009-12-28T23:06:00.001-08:00

People become foodies a number of ways. Their parents are chefs, restaurateurs, they love cooking, they have friends that are foodies, or they are like the rest of us: they love food and they want any excuse to eat it. For me though, it came from my parents and their preference for not cooking. It's not that they can't. My mom makes a mean lasagna and my dad is a huge fan of the grill. But I think like me, they always saw eating out as a total experience with the family. You're surrounded by other families, you choose your meal from a list crafted by someone with a full heart for food, you eat what the chefs have so warmly prepared. You're enveloped in the love and tradition of other people as you laugh over family stories and your parents' tales of work. For me, there's been no greater place of love than the dinner table. My father, full of stories, most of which make little to no sense and are barely believable, my mother making fun of my sisters and I, my sisters attempting desperately to defend themselves. These were dinners at my house, or rather in other people's kitchens. And I always loved it. One of our traditions even now is to eat Christmas dinner at Benihana. We've been doing it for 13 years.

Benihana
://everywhere near you

No quickie. Somethings are worth some effort.

Full:
Dinner starts with appetizers. Zucchini, onions, and shrimp are cooked teppanyaki style for you. Teppanyaki uses an iron griddle to grill veggies and meats. Benihana focuses on the way food is cooked -- if you're a voyeur foodie you're a fan for sure. After 13 years, I know all the jokes and the order they come in. I even know what the different color hats mean in terms of skill and ranking. Despite this over saturation, I love it all the same.

Suck on garlicky onions and shrimp, remembering to use the dark sauce for veggies and fish, the mustard sauce for chicken and meat. Watch in awe as your chef grills the onions the old fashioned way, by shaping them into a volcano and torching it. Just like Mom makes it. Gorge on grilled chicken and pieces of steak so thin you'd think the cows were on Atkins.

If you're feeling fancy, you can splurge on the lobster, the filet mignon, or sea scallops. Don't feel like you need to spend just to get great food. The Hibachi chicken or steak will do you right. End the night with my new favorite dessert, plum wine ice cream or the mandarin cheesecake (mandarin oranges included). You'll be saying arigatou in no time.

Zagatistas Make Jewish Looking Christmas Trees: Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T09:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Zagatista.

Happy Hour Hump Day: And I Love Sushi

2009-12-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Stephanie misses being in Los Angeles. I love Vegas, and I love being home. But the happy hours of LA are hard to beat and I'm ready to try something new. So are you. So here they are:

Agura
514 N. La Cienega Blvd. | 310-289-1940
Menu | Reserve Online
This place looks sexy as hell. Think Katsuya with a more traditional spin. By the way, stop in now until the 30th for a Fuji Champagne Cocktail...on the house. No alcohol tastes better than free. If you're in the mood for more, cocktails during happy hour are half off (so around $6), and food is no more than $5. Game on.
Happy Hour: Monday - Saturday 10pm-12pm

Oliverio
9400 W Olympic Blvd | Beverly Hills, CA 90212 | 310-407-7791
Drink Menu | Food Menu |Reserve Online
Sometimes when you're drunk, you really just want to jump in the pool. I know, I've done it. I think Oliverio would be upset if you tried it too, but at least now you can look at it. Half off on the cocktails and small appetizers means you're drinking $7 Pimms Cups and organic margaritas with pom wonderful while chomping on $5 truffle french fries and prosciutto pizza (the pizzetta san daniele). Mmm, I love drinking in swimwear. And if you have one too many pama sparklers (champagne & pama liqueur), you could always get a room @ avalon.
Happy Hour: Monday - Friday 5-7pm

I Love Sushi
://11041 S Eastern Ave
Henderson, NV 89052
Z/$

I'm in Vegas for the holidays so lucky you get a restaurant peek at life in Sin City. And even luckier, it's Zagat rated ;D. Funny how these things work out. I love sushi, I bow to you. I worship at your delicious menu and your fantastic service, and your overall Zagat awesomeness.

Sit at wooden tables and be served by wonderful ladies in kimonos equip with the shoes and all. They hand you a quick sushi list where you can check off any one of the nearly 100 sushi options they have. Don't get confused, the sushi is not listed in the folding menu, but on a stand at the end of the table. Names will make you giggle in front of your parents as you ask for "I Love My Ass" and "Tastes Like My X-Girlfriend". In fact, I sometimes have to stray from the awkward named ones because I'm almost always at sushi joints with my folks when back home. I resolved on Burning My Stomach ( which is probably sexual..somehow) and the Banzai Roll. The banzai roll is a delicious sweeter roll with teriyaki sauce wrapped in rice paper.

What really opened me up was the Burning My Stomach. Really spicy crab meat dumped on more spicy crab and shrimp inside a roll surrounded by a thick layer of sashmi cut tuna. The flavor in this is insane. It's too big to eat in one bite, but maybe that's how you like it.

My mouth was burning so much afterward that water just made the temperature decrease from 200F to 199 F. Had to settle on a nice plum wine ice cream to give myself a break. It was perfectly sweet and tart just at the last minute that I had to eat the entire bowl, good thing I'm starting that "diet" next year.

I love sushi. I do. And now, I love you.

New Years Needs Lovers

2009-12-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

If you're thinking LA for New Years, you're thinking you need a party. And you do, because New Years is all about renewal: new places, new friends, new ways to get crazy. This year is my first in Los Angeles as well, so let's get crazy.

The Den of Hollywood
8226 W. Sunset Blvd. | West Hollywood, CA 90046
I haven't been here yet but something tells me this will be my favorite new place to chill. Complimentary mimosas before 1pm on Sundays, 10% off your entire bill after 7pm on Wednesdays, and a free beer on Thursdays. If I were to open a restaurant (which might happen some day!), The Den would be it. And on New Years the Den is doing a $40 all you can eat, drink, and party. DJ, party favors, and champagne at midnight.

The Black & White Ball @ Playhouse
6506 Hollywood Blvd | Los Angeles, CA
$150.00 for an open bar ticket and ...a lot more for anything else. This bar always looks amazing...the price is high, but what's a dollar or two for a good time in the new decade?

Harbor Breeze Cruises and Yacht Charters
On a boat!
I'm on a boat...and so are you if you choose to spend $65 to chill, drink, and enjoy fireworks. Hope you can swim.

Plenty more where that came from. Buy tickets soon, you need to go all out before you start that diet, and that new workout plan, and you know...whatever else is on that resolutions list of yours.

Happy Hour Hump Day & A Breakfast or Two

2009-12-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

Happy Hour on Thursday? I was traveling home yesterday and unfortunately passed out at 8 last night. Chalk it up to finals sleep deprivation. But, this means I owe you. So here's happy hour for now, and breakfast coming soon.

As a second note, I've got to thank everyone for being great readers. I cannot believe the feedback I've been getting and this little project is really becoming something special. I want it to continue to be useful for you, so please let me know where in LA you need reviews for, what bars you need information about, what creepy alleys to avoid. And please, feel free to send pictures of you checking out different places. This is for you.

Happy Hour Hump Day: Late Night Edition
Happy Hours are always too early for the excuses you want to have from drinking: the dancing, the texting, and everything that comes with it. Here, we fix that.

Lola's
945 North Fairfax Avenue |West Hollywood, CA 90046-7203 |(323) 654-5652
Drink Menu | HH Food Menu
The home of the appletini, Lola will prove whatever Lola wants, Lola gets, and so do you. Food is $5.50 if you come to the early happy hour, though I have to say the Angel Hair Pasta w/ Lobster in pink sauce (not on the happy hour menu :[ ) is hard to pass up. Cocktails only are half off so hit that $5 spot you've been waiting for all week. Sundays are happy hour for the ladies only, so gentlemen, it's an easy night to say, drinks are on me.
Happy Hour: Wednesday and Thursday 10:30pm-12:30am | Ladies Only all night Sunday | Regular Happy Hour: 5:30-7:30 all week

McCormick & Schmick's
DTLA | 633 West Fifth Street | Los Angeles, CA 90071 | 213-629-1929
Reserve Online | Food & Drink Menu
This place is legendary if not for its incredible Happy Hour offering. A $1.95 for Hummus and other assorted goods and a whopping $2.95 for a half pound cheeseburger will have you breaking your regular date with McDonalds. Drinks aren't as cheap as you'd like, $7.75 for a lemon drop or cosmo, but the food makes it seem worth it. Besides, you needed a more classy scene anyway.
Happy Hour: 9:30 - closing (tends to vary so be sure to call). | The site says they are starting HH at 3:00 for a fall special, but I couldn't get in touch with anyone to confirm. I'll update when I hear.

Sunday Brunch: Getting up at 11:30 is hard, but mimosas make it worth it.

Nickel Diner
://524 South Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013-1422
(213) 623-8301

Quickie: 5 cent breakfast would be awesome, but you won't find that here. You will find interesting maple bacon donuts, a tasty stack of french toast, and a couple fancy egg platters. Mmm, donut.

Full: Oh so cute spot for breakfast for two any day of the week. Oh so terrible spot for a mini-business meeting for eight at all times. It's a small, cute cafe that takes you back to the old days of soda jerks and DeLoreans that only travel 88mph. Once you get there, make sure not to leave once you get on the list, three calls and strike -- you're outta there. I enjoyed the animal lover, a tofu scramble with spinach, roasted garlic, sweet peppers, beans and goat cheese. Oh so good. My only complaint is that it's not spicy. Not even a little bit. Not even at all. So grab some hot sauce if you enjoy being on fire (see Seiyonne).

This place is famous for its unusual pastry offers: red velvet donut, maple bacon donut, and homemade pop tarts (homemade doesn't mean you unwrapped your frozen one and put it in the freezer). I tried the maple bacon, and I decided it was pretty tasty. Less revolutionary than I thought it would be, but the bacon didn't freak me out like I expected. More maple frosting needed perhaps? I'd come back here, but I'd bring a smaller party and I'd be here before dawn to get in on time.

Rejoice! Friday is only a day away. I'll post more Sunday brunches this weekend so you can get your mimosa on.

Happy Hours For You on Happy Hour Hump Day

2009-12-09T01:51:00.000-08:00

As a FIT (foodie-in-training), I spend a lot of time reading food blogs, food trends, and restaurant ads. So I've been collecting happy hour deals and times. Finals week means I have yet to enjoy these, but hopefully you can and report back soon :) I'll post new happy hours for you every Wednesday so you know, the weekend is just around the corner.

Vertical Wine Bistro
70 N Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103 |(626) 795-3999
Reserve Online
Stylish wine bar with lounge music for those late twenties early thirties kind of crowd. Gorgeous modern setting.
Happy Hour: 5-7pm Tuesday - Sunday | 10-12 Tuesday - Thursday

Locanda Del Lago
231 Arizona Avenue | Santa Monica, CA 90401-1203 |(310) 451-3525
Reserve Online
Italian spot on Santa Monica 3rd Street Promenade. Michelin Guide Listed. Little snooty, but the wine list is killer.
Happy Hour: Tuesdays all night long in the lounge

La Grande Orange Cafe
Historic Del Mar Train Depot | 260 S Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105 |(626) 356-4444
Reserve Online
Blogged about Mom's kitchen before...cozy little spot to snuggle up to cheap drinks.
Happy Hour: 3-7 and after 9.

When You Want to Study Chemistry... Drunk: The Lab

2009-12-08T16:38:00.000-08:00

The Lab
://3500 S Figueroa Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007
$

Quickie: College bars get upgraded at USC's The Lab Gastropub. Enjoy inexpensive gourmet dining, microbrews, and your favorite Trojan football team on the big screen. Great for huge parties and cute bartenders...

Full: College bars are always full of great old guys who can't give up the glory days and want to be constantly surrounded by young, beautiful sorority girls to buy them drinks and compliment their perfectly placed...eyes. The Lab is far from this type of college bar. The sorority girls are still here, but they are safe from the hands of old alumni Bob...who may or may not have even graduated from USC. (Wearing the old 'college sweater' that still has the price tag from today might be the first clue.)

The Lab is USC's first gastropub and it's ready for your drinking pleasure. Full of mainstream microbrews (Firestone, Abita Purple Haze, and Speckled Red Hen to name a few tasty ones) and a decently sized wine list, The Lab will get you good and college drunk in no time. No hard liquor here so save your shot contests for the 9-0. But wait, it's not just a bar! It's a great restaurant too. The menu is full of surprisingly gourmet level items like an excellent veggie grain risotto, black angus sliders, and grilled flat iron steak. They also have great less heavy items if you're watching the waistline -- flatbread with basil, tomato, fresh mozzarella and olive oil (pictured); rosemary chicken club; and Asian chicken salad.

Feel free to enjoy the football game here, plenty of screens. Plus if you're feeling particularly drunk and productive, you have access to USC wireless if you're on the patio so you can pretend to write that 10 page paper you're complaining about in your status...and check Facebook.

The price is right here, but I would say it is to match the portions. Not too big by any means, but maybe they're just correcting for oversized portions everywhere else. The service can also be a little random at times, a little like electrons getting kicked off an element and roaming around for someone new to bond with...but they're always personable and get you what you need.

Hoorah for The Lab! You don't need old Bob to buy you a drink tonight anyway...

Your Home Away From Home: La Grande Orange Cafe

2009-12-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Update: Happy Hour at LGO Pasadena is 3-7 pm! Also late night in the bar - after 9 pm. Great drink specials at LGO Cafe in Pasadena.

La Grande Orange Cafe
://2000 N Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 396-9145
Z & $$

Quickie: Mom's Kitchen never tasted so good...

Full:
Thanksgiving isn't great because it's an excuse to ignore diet, food etiquette (quite the opposite at my house), and common sense when it comes to what exactly is in that stuffing. Thanksgiving is great because it's dinner with the people you love, usually made by the Mom who made you. You taste the love in the turkey, the support in the stuffing, and the sense of trust (in allowing you to cook anything at all...) in the first scoop of cranberry sauce. But when Thanksgiving is over and you have to return to dirty old school, your heart feels a bit of a hole where all that family food goodness once was. So you fill that hole with La Grande Orange Cafe.

Located in both Pasadena and Santa Monica, LGO is your Los Angeles home away from home. A cozy little restaurant spot, LGO feels like the modern day Goldilocks and Three Bears cottage, spiced up with a bit of house sangria and California wine. This is a class of comfort food all on its own, because at the end you won't have to sneak your steak knife under the table to make a few new belt holes. The menu is decorated with healthy, savory salads; gourmet styled tacos and pizza; and even a bit of steak house styled entrees if you're feeling adventurous (and hungry). The wall even features my future tattoo: "FOOD IS LOVE". How could I not love that.

Though I was told to go here to get a burger, I, raised in the southwest, could not resist the tacos...and the grilled ahi tuna taco was calling my name. This is hardly your average taco. The tuna isn't mashed up in an unrecognizable fashion and sauteed in unidentifiable sauce. Instead, it's sushi grade ahi grilled rare and on its arm is the real eye candy here: the BEST chipotle aioli sauce I have ever had. The sauce is rich with spice and burns your tongue at the last few seconds of consumption just to surprise you. You won't even need the guac. The plate is not only incredibly delicious, but also wonderfully attractive. Everything in its place -- just like Mom always says. Add a few glasses of the white sangria, you'll be singing her praises.

Dessert if you're up for it is red velvet cake, olive oil cake, or maybe even fine cup of Carmela Ice Cream if flavors like lemon basil or spiced strawberry sorbet strike your fancy. Did I forget to mention? Free sugar cookies before you leave. Beats the hell out of that lame peppermint hard candy they're always trying to feed you. Mom always knows best.