rjwong

FRIED CHICKEN?? YOU COME OUT TO LOS ANGELES AND YOU WANT FRIED CHICKEN??!! Okay, here are a couple of my secret places for fried chicken ... My personal favorite is Dinah's Fried Chicken in Glendale on San Fernando Rd., north of Los Feliz. That is not to be confused with Dinah's in Culver City on Sepulveda & Centinela, north of LAX. Mind you, the one in Culver City isn't bad, but it's been a while since I ate there. And there's Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles in Hollywood on Gower, north of Sunset Blvd., near the Palladium. Don't go there on the weekends late at night unless you want to wait a long time. They stay open until 4:00 a.m., after the clubs shut down. They have one in Pasadena, but that's definitely not on the Westside. They might have a couple more places as well.

Dorie Greenspan's book, Baking: From My Home to Yours, has been nominated for a 2007 James Beard Award under the Baking and Dessert category. Go Dorie!

Here's the full title of the Los Angeles Times article (14 Mar. 2007) by Betty Hallock, with a little beginning excerpt: Chefs' common ground: The garden I think it's about time I make a dinner reservation for Manresa, ehh??

So far, I've eaten at numbers 3, 6, 7, 9, 13, & 15. Recently, I ate at numbers 8 and 10. Angeli Caffe is a small casual place over on Melrose. The chef, she's into the Slow Food Movement. I had some suppli or rice croquettes which were okay. The rigatoni with meatballs was wonderful, nothing fancy, just a simple sauce with the pasta & meatballs. The chicken arrosto was a bit overcooked for me and their lemon sauce was very intense. Overall, it's not a bad place. I might give it another try. Il Moro has a beautiful decor with lots of space, just west of the San Diego Freeway (405) in WLA. I didn't feel cramped at all. I ate at the bar on a Sat. night. Started with the sea scallop salad. You can't really go wrong with sauteed sea scallops over a bed of greens. Very nice. And on Wed. & Sat. nights, they serve Lasagna alla Bolognese. Delicioso! Bene! The gelato was okay, I had better. Mind you, I definitely want to try this place again, when I get back to the Westside ... Then, there's this new Italian place called All'Angelo on Melrose, west of La Brea. It opened about four weeks ago. LA Times critic did a recent write-up (not a full review yet). I ordered the octopus carpaccio. Thinly sliced octopus, in the size of small flower petals, covered the bottom of the plate. Tomato halves discreetly placed and careful seasoning resulted in a very beautiful presentation. And the octopus was so tender, not chewy at all. I haven't been excited about a dish in a while. One of their specials that night was raviolis filled with mascarpone and venison. Quite filling and comforting. The filet of branzino tasted fine. They overloaded on the cherry tomatoes just a bit. For dessert, a polenta bread pudding with carmelized lemon. It was served warm and tasted great. The meal overall was great. All'Angelo is off to a wonderful start. I highly recommend this place, especially while it's not too busy yet.

Personally, I like their Salame Nostrano the best. Dry with intense flavor ... Now, I'm hungry.

Don't worry about me. Just a little tongue-in-cheek ... As I was reading the article, the restaurant Vincenti was started by Gino Angelini. Later, he moved on to start the other two places. And of the top twenty, I haven't even been to half of them. And there's a new Italian place that's newer than Mozza called All'Angelo on Melrose ... I can't keep up with this ... Judy, when did you eat there? According to the article, chef Angelo Auriano is back and Valentino is apparently better than ever!!

LA Weekly did a write-up on the Village Idiot about a week ago.

Ah Leung, Kung Hay Fat Choy!! I too was born in the year of the pig. Sorry, I don't know which element, but I think you are older than me ... by a few seconds ... FYI I had my CNY dinner at Sam Woo in Irvine with my family members, including my mother, my brother, my sister, and their families. I'll post my report in the California forum this time. It's interesting that you say that Chinese restaurants in "Yee Fow" (Sacramento) is second-rate. I'm more familiar with the Chinese restaurants in "Sam Fow" (Stockton) and of course "Dai Fow" (San Francisco or Frisco). I have always wondered what the Chinese community in Sacramento was like, considering Sacramento was supposedly larger than Stockton.

artisanbaker, if you & your wife can't have fun on your own ... uhh ... back to topic ... Check out this thread for (vacation, not bread) starters.

The 20 Best L.A. Italian Restaurants / by Jonathan Gold, LA Weekly, Feb. 7, 2007 Jonathan Gold is the food writer for the LA Weekly, your basic alternative weekly newpaper for the Los Angeles area. When he wrote this list, I had to see where my favorite Italian chef (Gino Angelini) was placed. WHAT? NOT FIRST? Okay, so I haven't eaten at every Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. Let's check the list: 1. Vincenti 2. Valentino 3. La Terza 4. Capo 5. Drago 6. Tre Venezie 7. Pizzeria Mozza 8. Il Moro 9. Angelini Osteria 10. Angeli Caffe 11. Madeo 12. La Botte 13. Il Grano 14. Pecorino 15. Casa Bianca 16. C&O Trattoria 17. Ago 18. Matteo's 19. Dominick's 20. Zelo

Melanger, Does Memphis Championship Barbecue (3 locations) or Settebello in Henderson count? How about Chris Cognac's suggestions from his FN series, Las Vegas episode? How about downtown Las Vegas? Fremont Street? Chinatown, or is that still too touristy? It sounds like you're not living in Summerlin or NLV, ehh? Professionally speaking, I hope Clark County would build an intelligent freeway system so people can go from Boulder City to Summerlin or NLV without a major headache.

Let me do a shameless plug for a fellow eGulleteer in the La Canada Flintridge area, near Glendale & Pasadena: http://www.chezcherie.com Cherie teaches a Cooking Basics Series that might work well for you. I suspect you live more in the Orange County area, ehh? SiseFromm, thanks for the heads-up! I gave Chef Michael a call. He's a brave man, letting people like me sign-up for this class.

natmales, Welcome to eGullet California forum! I second the Pacific Dining Car, the one near downtown LA. There is one in Santa Monica, but I've never been there (JFLinLA, dahlink, you beat me to it ...) Even though I've never eaten there for breakfast, check out the Hotel Bel Air, with their outdoor terrace and Swan Lake.

In today's edition of the LA Times Food Section (7 Feb. 2007), S. Irene Virbila reviewed Leatherby's Cafe Rouge, ... this new restaurant from the Patina Group, which owns Pinot Provence around the corner: Bottom line, Irene gave this place a three-star review.

*Deborah*, Palm Springs area is not known for their culinary innovations. Retirees go out there and play golf. Mind you, there is a Trader Joe's grocery store in Palm Desert: 44-250 Town Center Way; Palm Desert, CA 92261; 760-340-2291 Maybe, one of these days, I just might go out there for a day and find some restaurants, for research purposes, of course ...

percyn, thanks for chiming in! Elrushbo, if you can get everyone in on this, L'Atelier has the most innovative & creative dishes around in Las Vegas. And that's not a snub against Guy Savoy or Alain Ducasse (Mix). In terms of food, I have to give my nod to Robuchon. As for Craftsteak, I have not eaten at that place. In fact, I'll have to catch-up on my steak "research" in Vegas: Craftsteak, Delmonico's, Smith & Wollensky's, Binion's ... Currently, I like Prime. I haven't tried the new Michael Mina Stripsteak restaurant. Our own Chris Cognac suggested that I try Bradley Ogden at Caesar's. They serve Kobe beef. Yes, genuine Kobe beef from the Kobe prefect. If you eat at Stripsteak, go to L'Atelier for your 2nd place. Do/does you/your group want to eat at two Michael Mina restaurants on this trip?? Elrushbo, if, for some reason, your group decides to revolt, let us know if you need some help. pansophia, FYI the owners of New York, New York Casino also own MGM Grand, Mirage, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay ... The casinos are all connect. Slightly off-topic, if you want an old-time Vegas show, check out downtown Las Vegas where Fremont Street Experience & Binion's are located. Old Vegas is definitely different from the Strip.

pansophia, congratulations. I hope you enjoy Las Vegas. Vegas, boring?? What Elrushbo said. I've stayed at the MGM Grand and it's nice. Sign-up for their player's card. They have a package deal which includes a restaurant credit, as well as a discount on their spa services to work off the food, uhh ... if you so choose ... Or you could walk it off by going through all the major casinos along the Strip (at least an hour). Those are great choices. Try the Bellagio Buffet. It's really good. I personally don't know about the Spice Market. There are other places if you want to go off the Strip, like downtown (Fremont St.) and Henderson. I've heard good things about Fix. The tasting menu at L'Atelier costs $129 when I went there late Oct. 2006. Check the Robuchon discussion thread for details. If you hit it big, go ahead and splurge at Guy Savoy in Caesar's Palace. That way, you can compare Savoy with Robuchon. And if you have any more questions, just let us know. And please ... give us a full report afterwards, okay??

Although I've eaten at Sushi Gen for lunch a few times, this was the first time I have eaten there for dinner ... at the sushi bar. Sushi Gen is located at Honda Plaza, around 2nd St. & Central in Little Tokyo, across the street from Office Depot. I come in on a Sat. night at about 5:30 p.m. and it was nearly full already. Eating at the sushi bar was a last-minute decision. I was ready for an adventure ... I sat down at the sushi bar. An old gentleman to my left was finishing his meal. Explaining my situation, I asked him a few questions, mainly for suggestions. The sushi chef gave me a list of what's available. I started checking off a few things. For Round 1, I ordered six items: Tuna Yellowtail Halibut (Served on a separate dish, topped with finely chopped green onions and some sauce seasoning) Shrimp Cucumber Roll (I know it's conservative. Give me a break, okay? Besides, I think it had some wasabi already in the roll) Eel Avocado Roll (The gentleman's suggestion) The eel avocado roll had a "warm" texture, probably due to the avocado. It tasted different. Mind you, it wasn't bad. I don't know whether I would try it again. For Round 2, I ordered four items: Crab (A wonderful, safe choice) Kanpachi Sea Urchin Yellowtail (I wanted to end the meal on a familiar note.) I think I like the Sea Urchin. The rice on the bottom, the sea urchin on top, seaweed wrapped all around. The warm rice, the crunchy seaweed, the creamy sea urchin, I can understand why some people love sea urchin. To me, I notice the creamy texture more than the flavor itself. Is it supposed to be that way with sea urchin?? For ten orders, hot tea, with tax, just over $60. That averages out to about $6 an order. Not bad, ehh??

Since downtown LA is changing more and more (and for the better), I wanted to give a couple of reports on two downtown restaurants I recently ate in 2007: Noe & Sushi Gen (next post). Noe is located inside the Omni Hotel. Chef Robert Gadsby actually oversees the Omni Hotel restaurants in LA, Chicago & Houston. He's mainly in Houston. His main chef in LA is Glen Ishii. I've really enjoyed Chef Ishii's culinary efforts. The last meal I had included a mushroom soup with crispy serrano ham slices and a truffle foam on top. It tasted very warm, hearty, substantial. A wonderful winter soup. Next, I ate the sweetbreads with apple celery whipped potatoes & truffle jus. I enjoyed the deep-fried sweetbreads. For the entree, I had sliced duck breast with an orange-vanilla sauce and an epoisse bread pudding. The duck wasn't greasy and the color of the meat was quite uniform. I was informed later that the duck was not prepared sous-vide. I'm getting use to eating duck that's prepared non-Chinese style. For dessert, I ordered the melanzana and pistachio tart with berry compote. Yes, eggplant for dessert. It wasn't sweet or bitter. It tasted mild and the tart crust was soft, not crunchy. This creation worked very well as a dessert. I've always enjoyed the culinary creativity over at Noe. This is one restaurant I'll keep coming back to.

L.A. Times food critic S. Irene Virbila has reviewed Pizzeria Mozza: I can't believe no one else has commented on this restaurant. I've been able to get in Pizzeria Mozza ... without a reservation. Mind you, I had to wait a while a couple of times, and I try to go at a slow time during the day. About two weeks ago, Mozza started making their own gelato. Dense. Very little air. You have got to try it. Has anyone else been to Pizzeria Mozza?

Elrushbo, I agree with nightscotsman and chefAZ on this one. The locals in Las Vegas are pretty conservative. Most people's idea of a fancy meal is the shrimp cocktail, steak & lobster. Either that or a French dinner a la Paris Las Vegas or a huge Italian restaurant with Frank singing in the background. Out of the over 40 million visitors, how many are foodies/gourmands? 1 out of 1000? That's 40,000 a year who come, mainly for the food (count me as one). Chefs like Savoy and Robuchon may be using m.g. techniques, but they're not known for m.g., like Alinea or wd-50. BTW, Savoy and Robuchon came to Las Vegas because the casino owners CAME TO THEM FIRST, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!! The owners approached them and told them they can have everything they need. Talk about a sugar daddy ... Mind you, it would be a pleasant surprise and/or total shock if a casino owner would commit himself to a chef who's committed to "molecular gastronomy" (How about calling it extreme cuisine, ehh?). I can think of only one chef that could fit the bill. Elrushbo, if you can correctly name the chef I'm thinking of, you might get a free meal from me in Las Vegas. Back to your topic, yes, people want to have fun, within their own comfort zone, mind you!! People want things to be very accessible, not overly cerebral or intellectual. And the food must taste delicious. If it isn't, then forgetaboutit!! Swicks, if Chicago was so forward-thinking in having an m.g. restaurant, Chicago wouldn't have banned foie gras, ehh?? And yes, I'm not happy about the foie gras ban in California coming in 2012.

I just got back from Beverly Hills. I ate at a kosher steakhouse on Rodeo Drive. Yes, you read correctly ... The Prime Grill is located inside that shopping area called Rodeo Collection, on the west side of the 400 block of Rodeo Drive. I ordered the fried vegetable dumplings, a salad, a New York rib steak, and sauteed spinach. The dumplings didn't have much flavor. The salad was okay. The New York rib steak was 22 oz., bone-in, and came with two onion rings and a roasted tomato. The steak was pretty good. It didn't wow me. The spinach was really good, not gritty at all. Overall, the food was okay, but the service was ... well ... I was not impressed. At these prices, I expect some professional service, instead of some unmotivated youngster. No, I haven't gone to Cut Restaurant yet. I'm still planning to, hopefully this year ...

Salut, lesanglierrouge! Since you are from Paris, France, perhaps you have references who know some of the French chefs who are now working in Las Vegas (par example, Savoy, Robuchon, Ducasse, Boulud, etc.). Was there any particular reasons why you're considering Las Vegas, as opposed to some other cities in the US? Based on what I heard, working in a restaurant at one of the Las Vegas casinos is unionized. I know of one eGullet member who can give you more information. Perhaps, it's best to continue this through the Private Message (PM) system, okay??

This almost feels like déjà vu ... Check out this discussion thread, Steak in Vegas. I hope this helps. To summarize, you can't go wrong with either place. Personally, I really enjoyed my dinner at Prime. Mind you, I haven't eaten at Delmonico's yet. If you're staying at the Bellagio, give Prime a chance, at least for the convenience factor ("Please charge this to my room"). Mind you, you can eat at BOTH places, if you wish ...

IamQuidam, Welcome to eGullet! And congratulations on your upcoming celebration! Here's the link to the Las Vegas Discussion Thread Index. After you read this, I think you'll be overloaded with great ideas ... Is this your first time in Las Vegas? If so, the Strip can be quite the sensory overload. And where you'll be staying at the Luxor, that's located way at the south end of the Strip (Las Vegas Blvd.). I hope you all have a car, or else have fun walking. BTW, even if you don't gamble or maybe play the 5-cent slot machines, sign-up for the player's card. You can get great bargains through that card (all the casinos are owned by the same people). Please let us know what you're looking for: price range ($50 per person? $100? $200+?), types of cuisines (ethnic, French, steakhouses, real high-end, local places off-the-Strip) ... Personally, my favorite casino is the Bellagio. So many different choices: the Buffet, J-P Maury Patisserie, Sensi, Prime ...