tupac17616

You can say that again I am really excited about the trip, as it's just right around the corner. I'm not too worried about planning everything out right now, though. I think we'll mainly just go with our gut feeling about what we feel like eating on a given day. I'll make a few more reservations just in case, but I don't want to give us a whole itenerary or anything. The lack of spontaneity would suck the fun right out of it. Here is my current (way longer than necessary) list of places we may check out: LOS ANGELES AREA Lucques (already have reservation for Sunday Supper) Athenaeum at CalTech (invited by the school) Tacos Baja Ensenada El Parian Langer’s Philippe’s Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles Pie n’ Burger (more interested in the pie than the burger) Hatfield’s Grace Josie Table 8 (salt-crusted porterhouse for 2. My dad is a meat guy.) Jar (not interested in regular menu, but are post-Silverton Mozzarella Mondays still worth it?) Spago Providence (will my dad hate this place if he doesn't like stronger flavored fish or raw fish? He loves shrimp, lobster, scallops, oysters. Enjoys salmon and mild white fleshed fish like snapper/bass. Hates rare tuna. Doesn't like clams or mussels... Also, is the dessert tasting menu any good?) Sona EuroPane Susina Bakery Jinn Patisserie Boule Frances Bakery Bread Bar Sweet Lady Jane La Brea Bakery Kee Wah Chinese Bakery Fosselman’s Cheese Store of Beverly Hills Gioia Cheese Company General question: How far in advance do the top LA restaurants require one to make reservations? I find it odd that here I am less than ten days from the trip and there are tons of options on OpenTable still. In NYC I'm used to many restaurants taking reservations up to a month or two in advance. Not that I think one city's situation is better than the other. I just want to better understand what dining in LA is like. I don't want to think of it as a bad sign or a lack of popularity that many restaurants still have availability, even for a Saturday night. Please enlighten me on this point if possible. Another question: What neighborhood or area of LA would you recommend for a food crawl, where we just pop into several different places and grab something small at each? BETWEEN LA & SF In-n-Out Burger (basically a sure thing) Tacos (breakfast/regular/fish) La Super Rica (doubtful as they don’t open til 11am) -- Santa Barbara Lilly’s Taqueria (ditto) -- SB Taqueria El Bajio (this one looks good) -- SB Rose Café -- SB Minnow Café – SB Pete’s Pierside Café -- Avila Beach Cabo San Luis -- San Luis Obispo Taco Temple -- Morro Bay Chapala Restaurant -- MB Ruddell’s Smokehouse -- Cayucos California Market -- Carmel Pie & Ice Cream Avila Valley Barn -- San Luis Obispo Linn’s Fruit Bin -- Cambria Gizdich Ranch -- Watsonville Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream -- Arroyo Grande Costa de Oro Winery -- Santa Maria Swanton Berry Farm -- Davenport Love Apple Farm (heirloom tomatoes) -- Ben Lomond Cracked Crab -- Pismo Beach Splash Café -- PB Big Sky Café -- San Luis Obispo Giant Artichoke -- Castroville SAN FRANCISCO AREA Manresa (already have reservation for Grand Tasting Menu) Chez Panisse (already have reservation downstairs) Ferry Building Marketplace (basically a sure thing) Berkeley Bowl Tartine Bay Bread Boulangerie XOX Truffles Citizen Cake Mitchell’s Ice Cream It’s It Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Tadich Grill Koi Palace Yank Sing Golden Gate Bakery AA Bakery Aziza Piperade Canteen (only considering for breakfast) The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton ("salt-and-pepper" tasting menu) Fleur de Lys Incanto Quince A16 Risorante Milano (only for zabaglione, not for dinner) The French Laundry (hopefully the cancellation gods are on my side) Ad Hoc (if it will be open yet) Couple of questions: What area of San Francisco would be best for a food crawl, popping in at several different places to grab something small? Also, what kind of options for good food are open 24 hrs in the SF Bay area? And where would you recommend for a very early (~7-ish) weekday breakfast?

Definitely agree with those who have posted so far. For a "high-end" lunch, I would definitely choose JG without any hesitation whatsoever.

I've only been to Tempo once, and since it's much more a neighborhood place than a destination (esp. coming from Columbia U), I doubt I'll be back (although I will be back to Al Di La sometime). I did enjoy my meal there for the most part, though. One particular dish stands out in my memory as being quite delicious, and has earned a very regular spot in the rotation of what I cook at home: Bucatini with Sicilian Pistachio Nut Pesto -- fagiolini beans, toasted breadcrumbs, pecorino Really wonderful stuff.

Thanks, ludja. That info about Tartine & Mitchell's is quite helpful. Figuring out where the places on our list are in relation to one another is tough. Lumping the places together in certain neighborhoods would be great, as my dad has expressed interest in doing a "food crawl" in San Francisco, similar to those I've taken him on in NYC, where I just pick a neighborhood and take him to place after place grabbing small bites at each one. The most likely scenario will be one late night, one full day and one early morning in San Francisco itself, with more time in the bay area on the front end. Tuesday night after dinner at Manresa we'll probably spend the night in the Palo Alto area. Wednesday during the day I'll be checking out Stanford. Wednesday night is the 6:30 reservation at Chez Panisse in Berkeley. Then we'll probably drive into our (yet-to-be-booked) hotel in SF. That way, we have late Wednesday, all day Thursday, and very early Friday morning in SF (our flight is at 10:30ish, so we'll be returning the rental car around 9:00, but ideally we'd hit a nice breakfast spot before then ). So the only way we wouldn't have the entire day Thursday in SF is if The French Laundry has a cancellation for Thursday and we do that. There's no way to know the odds of that happening, though, so we're definitely looking at the SF options.

tupac17616, you wrote something completely different in the e-mail you sent me when I wrote to you about La Terza. Are you being ... uhh ... indecisive?? I might have to do a Regis on you and ask: Is that your FINAL answer? Not being indecisive in the least. I had that thought about Italian food in LA from the beginning. Was not really interested in the places that had been suggested (here on eG and elsewhere): Angelini Osteria, Il Grano, Trattoria Tre Venezie, etc. What I wrote you about La Terza was written well after I'd made the post you quoted above. (Both are 100% accurate, btw). And my response that e-mail had much more to do with my recognition of a great opportunity for an enjoyable evening than any desire to eat (or not eat) a certain type of food that night. Now that sounds rather decisive. Are you a Kellerite? My reasoning on that was that if we weren't able to snag a cancellation spot at TFL, we would like to spend as much time in San Francisco on Thursday as possible, since we've never been to there, either, and it's a city we'd like to explore. Your father can have it all, tupac17616: Eat dim sum in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. He doesn't have to participate in the "full dim sum experience." Personally, I order some dumplings from the Chinese deli and take it back home. Besides, you're dragging him all over California (and/or vice-versa), ehh?? Your father deserves a few perks. It's his trip too!! Argh! Why do I feel like I'm on the defense stand in this post?! The idea for no dim sum outside SF was my father's choice, as I stated above, and I felt I should honor that. FWIW, I was interested in NBC Seafood in Monterey Park (with a stop at Kee Wah Bakery afterwards) and Mission 261 in San Gabriel before he made that specific reqeust about the dim sum and I took those off the list.

eGullet itself is all the tour guide we need! Seriously, though, we'll have it sorted out soon enough. The main hindrance to that being finished yet is that there aren't crystal clear standout places I feel like I have to visit in the LA area and the SF area; that, and I have also not reviewed the list much with my dad. There just hasn't been much time. And I don't think either one of us is at risk of losing sanity in trying to make these choices. It's food we're talking about here, people! Having such a wealth of options is a good problem to have. Lucques is definite. Manresa & Chez Panisse (and hopefully TFL) are the places I most look forward to checking out, so those are definite, too. The starting point (LA area) and end point (SF area) are the question marks that remain. They'll get cleared up, though. Just takes time. BTW, a couple of new guidelines that have come up the past couple of days: -- No Italian food in LA. That was my call. I'm not as intrigued with the menus of several places I've seen in LA as I am with a couple of Italian places in SF (Incanto, A16, etc). -- Nothing north of San Francisco that doesn't involve Thomas Keller. -- No dim sum anywhere outside of San Francisco. That was my dad's doing. He's got it in his head that dim sum anywhere else in the state will be inferior to that in San Francisco. I can't say that I agree, but it's a detail I'll adhere to for his sake. I can get dim sum in NYC. But here in San Antonio, not so much. So I'd like for him to enjoy dim sum in California as much as possible. I've updated the lists above to reflect these and some other changes. Thanks for the link, and all the advice regarding some specific places! Very helpful. Can you explain what was so bad about SLJ? I'd seen some kind of berry cake or some sort on their website that looked quite good, but with words like that coming from the Official eGullet Queen of All Things Sweet, maybe I should re-think.

I think I may be officially the most indecisive person in the world. I'm not sure if these lists of LA area & SF area options are getting shorter or longer, but here are the current ones, sort of grouped in (very) rough categories. Whaddya think? CURRENTLY HAVE RESERVATIONS AT... Lucques (have reservation for Sunday Supper) Jar (have reservation Monday, but thinking about cancelling, as I hear Mozzarella Mondays may be on the way out) Manresa (have reservation for Tuesday dinner) Chez Panisse (have reservation for Wednesday dinner downstairs) LA AREA Tacos Baja Ensenada El Parian Langer’s Philippe’s Roscoe’s Chicken & Waffles In-n-Out Burger Pie n’ Burger Hatfield’s Grace Table 8 Campanile Spago Providence Sona Sweet Lady Jane Boule Jinn Patisserie Amandine La Brea Frances Bakery Bread Bar Susina Bakery EuroPane Kee Wah Chinese Bakery Fosselman’s Ice Cream SF AREA Ferry Building Marketplace (this one is basically a sure thing) Tartine (this place looks really good) Citizen Cake (My dad and I both have huge sweet tooths) XOX Truffles Bay Bread Boulangerie Mitchell’s Ice Cream It’s It Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich (where to find one?) Tadich Grill (cioppino) Fish Koi Palace Mayflower Fook Yuen Zen Peninsula Yank Sing Golden Gate Bakery AA Bakery Joy Luck Place Aziza (this one looks interesting) Canteen (only considering for breakfast) Piperade Jardiniere Bix The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton (anyone done the "salt-and-pepper" tasting menu?) Michael Mina Fleur de Lys Gary Danko Fifth Floor Incanto Quince A16 French Laundry (still hoping...) Bouchon Ad Hoc (if it will be open yet)

I'd rather do Manresa than take in the scenery of the PCH. And for my dad's back's sake, the shorter the drive, the better. I am guessing a couple of stops would be in order regardless, just to try to keep him as comfortable and loose as possible. Sounds to me like the 5 may be the best bet. Although I'd still like to see some coastline scenery at some point. Hmm... I do hope we end up having the opportunity to start the drive sometime Monday afternoon, but that part is unpredictable, as I don't know the exact schedule yet of when the different CalTech faculty and students will be meeting with me and showing me around. Worst-case scenario, I assumed we'd be done at CalTech at 5:00pm, and there is no way I'd start a drive at rush hour like that. Maybe later that evening, though. Or maybe we'll be done mid-afternoon. I probably won't know this info for a couple of weeks. If we end up having to skip TFL, I am guessing it would be easiest to stay in SF and enjoy the city for the full day on Thursday. I definetely agree with the order-an-appetizer-at-a-couple-of-places thing. That is fun. I do that in NYC often. I know I can get it in NYC, but dim sum was the one specific request that my dad had for the trip (it is nowhere to be found in San Antonio, that's for sure), so I'd like to honor that request if at all possible. I guess I didn't know much about Chef Humm's history. But I do know his food has been getting lots of praise lately at 11MP. I definitely need to give that place another try some time soon (I tried it a couple of years ago, but dropped in just for desserts and that was it). By the way, telling me not to go is extremely helpful. With a list as long as mine, God knows I don't need many more options for places I should go to. He is a great sport, and has given me free reign to take care of the food stuff on the trip. That being said, while he may not be as much of a foodie as me, I am very aware of what he likes and doesn't like (after all, I do cook for all of us every single night when I'm home for the summer). I am doing my best to plan our culinary adventure in California accordingly. (For example: Several months ago we watched a documentary on high def PBS about Alice Waters. That got him excited about Chez Panisse, and he now refers to Alice Waters as "the lady who talks to her tomatoes" after seeing that show. Likewise, when I showed him all the pictures I took when I went to Per Se back in May, he said he's never done anything like that (an extended tasting menu, I mean), and he'd love to try one out sometime. Thus, my attempt to get us a spot at TFL (and Manresa, for that matter, which is a similar style of dining).) Making the driving manageable (and more importantly, somewhat enjoyable!) is definitely a big priority. I am a notoriously lazy planner, so I've surprised myself already by having started even this early. I imagine we'll get the details sorted out here in the next few weeks. I'm not terribly worried about it. Ooh, and believe me, if we could stay in the Bay Area for a couple more days, we most certainly would. Unfortunately, I've got a flight back to NYC to catch early Saturday morning, so I can check-in to my dorm that afternoon. Should make for an interesting couple of days of travel. Indeed. Which is why I am trying to plan things out the right way so that we can eat some awesome food while we're in California, and have a great time in the process! Just takes some time, that's all.

I was thinking the same thing about doing a dinner in SF if TFL falls through. San Francisco is, after all, the city that I most look forward to seeing on the trip. The eG thread on Incanto is enough to make that a very appealing option, and the offal tasting menu might just be the clincher. As for saving my dad a ton of money by not doing TFL, if only it were so. Knowing I have a pretty ridiculous appetite and a typical meal for me could probably sate a normal family of four, he and I made what I think is a pretty fair deal: My parents will take care of our transportation & lodging. And I'll pay for all the food. I figure you only live once, and who knows when I'll be back in California again. So budget (mostly) aside, I just want to have the absolute best food and the best experience possible on the trip, whether that's a $0.60 egg custard tart or a $240 tasting menu at TFL (gotta have that foie gras supplement, you see ). Oh, and don't worry, Chez Panisse isn't going anywhere. I am extremely excited about that one. The way I see it, Manresa, Chez Panisse, and (hopefully) TFL are sort of the "big three" for the trip. Everything else is important, no doubt, but those are the ones I am most excited about.

Reservations booked so far: Lucques -- "Sunday Supper". We have reservations Sunday August 27 at 7:00pm -- West Hollywood Jar -- "Mozzarella Monday". We have reservations Monday August 28 at 7:00pm -- LA I'm thinking I need to cancel this one because I read today that the Mozzarella Monday thing is only done in the bar area. Is that information accurate? Manresa -- Grand Tasting Menu requested. We have reservations Tuesday August 29 at 6:30pm -- Los Gatos Chez Panisse -- 4-course set menu. We have reservations downstairs (the restaurant) Wednesday August 30 at 6:30pm -- Berkeley Any substitutions/additions/deletions you would make? Question marks that remain: Lots LA area: - Dinner (and of course dessert) Saturday - Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch/Snacks/Bread/Sweets/Ice Cream during the day Sunday - Lunch Monday near CalTech (thinking Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles for this one) - Dinner Monday night as possible alternative to Jar (Hopefully the new Batali/Silverton place if it's open then. But doesn't have to be a similar style of food. Doesn't have to be right in LA, for that matter. Can be a short drive there, and then we'd crash in the city for the night.) Between LA & Los Gatos: - Possible dinner Monday night?? - Breakfast/Lunch Tuesday Palo Alto area: - Lunch Wednesday somewhere close to Stanford. Is there an In-n-Out Burger nearby? Or a taqueria with fish tacos perhaps? SF area: - Dim Sum Thursday perhaps - Dinner Thursday if we don't get lucky with a cancellation for TFL - Early breakfast Friday morning so we don't have to eat crappy plane food Places that I'm still considering: Too many I have a massive list I'm slowly trying to whittle down. Some places that look the most interesting so far, though, are: LA area -- Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles -- Tacos Baja Ensenada -- Langer's -- Philippe's -- Doughboys -- In-n-Out -- La Brea Bakery -- AOC (only if we don't do Lucques) -- Jin Patisserie -- Boule -- Spago -- La Super Rica (Santa Barbara) -- Providence In between LA & SF (this list is terribly short, and fine dining is probably not what we're after during the d, but hopefully it will grow once I find some of the places for the "In search of..." things I'll list below): -- Bouchee (Carmel) -- L'Auberge (Carmel) -- Sierra Mar (more for the view than the food) (Big Sur) SF area/Wine Country: -- Ferry Building Marketplace (this is a must) -- Tartine -- XOX Truffles -- Mitchell's Ice Cream -- Aziza (menu is interesting) -- Oliveto -- Incanto (have read good things here on eG) -- A16 (do I really want to try a pizza place if I go to school in NYC, though?) -- Tadich's (want to try a true SF cioppino) -- Koi Palace (are there better dim sum options?) -- Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton ("salt-and-pepper" tasting menu is intriguing) -- Boulangerie at Pine St. -- Citizen Cake -- Michael Mina -- Golden Gate Bakery -- La Folie -- Jardiniere -- Canteen (although perhaps too similar to Upstairs at Bouley in NYC) -- Fleur de Lys -- Fifth Floor -- Gary Danko -- Campton Place -- Redd Napa Valley (Yountville) -- Cyrus (Healdsburg) -- Manka's (Inverness) -- Julia's Kitchen at Copia (Napa) -- Terra (St. Helena) Yikes, that list was long Still in search of...: -- Olallieberry Pie -- Date Shake (I understand this is a SoCal thing) -- Pick-your-own strawberries, olallieberries, etc somewhere between LA & Los Gatos. Or just a place to buy some awesome fresh tiny strawberries (there's probably a French name for them that I don't know ) -- Some good artichokes (Castroville the place to go?) -- Some good avocados Thanks again for all the help everybody. There are so many great options. The hard part now is choosing which ones.

Sounds like you had an awesome feast! Great job man.

A couple more recent desserts at the casa... Cannoli -- The absolute best I've ever made. Whipped a bit of cream first, then lightly folded in fresh ricotta, mascarpone, and powdered sugar. The texture was absolutely perfect. So fluffy. Now if I could just get up the nerve to try making the shells myself... Molten Chocolate Babycakes -- Used E. Guittard 72% chocolate. Very rich, but not overly so. I am no pastry chef, but this is a fool-proof recipe is ever there were one.

Fish tacos are definitely on the to-do list. I've had lots of good tacos both at home in San Antonio and in NYC. But I definitely understand that any fish tacos I've had are but pale imitations of what I can get in California. I saw that article last week, by the way. Very convenient timing. CalTech is indeed the Pasadena stop. Thanks for the specific location. That will almost definitely be our lunch on Monday. Thanks for all of your suggestions. Tartine rings a bell. I think I must have heard some positive things about that place some time before. I have a huge sweet tooth (as does my father), so we will definitely have to make a stop there. Do they have any specific specialities? I may also stop by UC Berkeley. They are also right near the top in my field of interest (mechanical engineering). Basically, I am perhaps the most indecisive people on the planet, so I figured I should limit my options from the start. Right now, I'm only considering MIT, CalTech, Stanford, and Columbia (where I go now). Maybe I should re-consider and add UC Berkeley into the mix... By the way, your recommendation to just go with my gut and take some chances as we drive around is a good one. Having every single detail of the trip planned out would be incredibly lame. I will definitely re-review BryanZ's blog. Thanks for the reminder. I can't call your suggestion about TFL too criminal. I definitely understand that perspective (and believe me, my dad would agree with you 100%. He thinks I'm nuts! ). Julia's Kitchen at Copia looks promising. Isn't that the place that was featured in an episode of Top Chef? I'll be studying Mechanical Engineering, or maybe, just maybe Aerospace Engineering. Thanks for the link to the Palo Alto thread, as well. I'll check it out. Did somebody say pie? Boysenberries: check Thanks for some great tips and the suggestion about saving haute cuisine for Northern California. I'm sure I would love a good French Dip. It's too bad I won't be able to make it to Ferry Plaza on a Saturday. I hear that's the time to go. I've heard of Campanile and La Brea Bakery. Where have I seen the name Nancy Silverton before? Checking out the Campanile menu online, it looks interesting. I'll have to look for the eG thread. Strawberries and artichokes: check Too bad about dungeoness season being over. Guess that gives me a good excuse to come back some time later! On a topic completely unrelated to any of the above responses: Anyone have an opinion of Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in the LA area? I've had chicken & waffles at Amy Ruth's in Harlem, and loved them. I think it's something my dad might like too, and a friend of mine had been to Roscoe's when he visited a few years ago. He's not a food guy, though, so I figure it's worth asking for the eGullet consensus. Any thoughts? Thanks again, all, for the repsonses so far. Keep 'em coming!

I had no idea such a campaign existed, but if that's the case, are they looking for a new campaign manager? Sign me up. For me, eating a variety of colors is a huge part of what I consider to be good nutrition. Different colors usually connote different nutrients, from what I was taught. (Keep in mind, I'm only 21, so what do I know? ). I always make it a point to have at least two or three different colored fruits/vegetables at every meal. Red tomatoes, yellow corn, orange sweet potato (my favorite vegetable), green asparagus, blueberries, etc, etc. I may be crazy, but cooking and eating with that in mind is definitely doing something right for me. I can't even remember the last time I was sick. And there's a reason I can eat as much as I want without much, how should I say it....horizontal enhancement. It's because I am incredibly aware of the nutrition of the foods I eat. People tell me with as much as I eat I must have a hollow leg, but I know my body better than that...it's full of calcium, and lycopene, and beta-carotene, and...

I have an interesting request, and hopefullty a fun one that will spark some great ideas... First, the facts: -- I have never been to California. I am from San Antonio, Texas, and go to school in New York City. -- My father and I will be visiting some schools in California from Saturday August 26 to Friday September 1. We fly into LA and out of SF. -- We will be renting a car, so mobility won't be much of an issue. The plan is to make the drive between the LA area to the SF area along the coastline highway, which I understand is beautiful. -- The only two places we must go are Pasadena and Stanford, but those will likely be just during the day on Monday (Pasadena) and Wednesday (Stanford). All areas surrounding these cities (say, less than a 2-hour drive one way) and the environs in between are fair game. We are willing to travel for great food. -- Nothing is set as of yet, although I plan to make reservations at Manresa in Los Gatos and Chez Panisse in Berkeley. And I've already been placed on the waiting list at The French Laundry. Also considering Lucques when in LA, but that one's not as certain, it just happens to be one of the few LA restaurants I've heard of). Now, the question: What are the 10 things you think it would be absolutely criminal to leave California without tasting? -- We love all kinds of food, from fine dining to hole-in-the-wall taquerias and everything in between. That being the case, any and all suggestions are welcome. I wouldn't mind, for example, seeing Oysters and Pearls from TFL on the same list as an In-n-Out Burger. That's exactly what I'm after, in fact. Regardless of price, regardless of location we just the best food, period. And and all help is greatly appreciated.

This is interesting to me. How does one get started as a vegetarian at such a young age? How do you think this affected her development? How do you feel is has shaped her view of food now?

Despana on Broome Street in NYC has mojama.

Agreed. Don't know where ya had to be born to like them, but wherever that is, I know I definitely wasn't born there. The texture is horrible.

We just got a small (just 1 qt. capacity, but it was free...) ice cream maker a couple of days ago, so that ricotta-marsala gelato was the trial run. Recipe was straight out of the instruction manual. Good flavor, but I wasn't thrilled with the texture. I can post it here if you'd like, though. As for the buneulo ice cream, you'd have to ask Blue Bell! The stuff is really delicious, though.

Tehuitzingo 695 10th Ave, New York 10036 Btwn 47th & 48th St Phone: 212-397-5956 Looks like they stock much more than the avg bodega but then again I've only partaken in the tacos. (Chicken was the best, pig's ear the worst) ← Amen. Pig's ear taco from there was one of the worst things I've eaten in the city. The sangre (goat tripe) taco, on the other hand, was good.

agreed

Sounds like a pretty good meal to me. I look forward to the pictures.

I'm often an admirer of this thread, but rarely a participant. Time to remedy that. Some recent goodies... Strawberry Shortcake with Homemade Ricotta-Marsala Gelato, Fresh Whipped Cream & Warm Berry Sauce Summer Berry Shortcake with Homemade Ricotta-Marsala Gelato, Fresh Whipped Cream & Warm Berry Sauce Buneulo Ice Cream with Warm Pumpkin Empanada

Me, three.

That simple dish of polenta (which I had at L'Impero...still need to try Alto) remains among the best dishes I've had anywhere in the city. It really is unbelievable. And I remember having that fresh spaghetti with tomatoes and basil there, too. My friends' reactions changed from asking me what I was thinking ordering a plate of basic spaghetti & tomato sauce that cost that much, to begging me to let them have another small bite.