millions

No new confirmations?

I sent my request on the 14th, and haven't heard anything. Maybe no news is good news?

Hey, we belong to Sunce, too - since about 2003. Maybe we've run into each other at barrel tasting. We belong to quite a few (too many). Sunce, because I am of Croatian Ancestry, Frane and the staff are great, and I like staying stocked with a bunch of their Cabs and Meritages. Incidentally, we brought a bottle of Sunce's 04 "Suck Your Teeth" Cab to a blind tasting lunch which was attended by several restaurant owners, wine distributors, and the GM of Bastide, and it was one of the highest rated wines brought, many of which cost 3 figures. Sunce also gives a great discount to its members. We also belong to: Bella, because of the fantastic Zin and great events in their caves; Schramsberg, just because we love the sparkling wine; Martinelli because of their list, and the dream of being able to buy the Jackass Hill Zin; Grgich Hills, because we visited recently, love the wine, and I think we thought we were getting a reasonable discount; Michel-Schlumberger (great reds); and Armida, I have no idea why. Maybe because my girlfriend likes their bocce and their BBQ during events. I'm not so crazy about their wine, but it is a fun place.

I had dinner at Bastide about a week and a half ago, and really think it's firing on all cylinders right now. The only shame was that I actually made our reservations on the first day the line was open, so I had my pick of dates. It's my understanding that during the first week, all ht meals were on the house, followed by free wine pairings the seecond week. I think that's a very nice touch for a reopening, and I'm obviously sorry I missed it. At any rate, I enjoyed each and every course and was very impressed with the service, which was spot on with the attentiveness/invisibility balance. I also enjoyed the fact that on one or two occasions our wine glass was nearing emptiness while a course still had food left, and it was refilled immediately. This should be a no-brainer, but all too often I have felt a restaurant was enforcing some kind of "one pour" rule during wine pairings. I would certainly recommend it for a special dinner. Oh, for those who've been following the new decor, when we dined there the chairs were comfortable and cushioned, so it seems they have replaced the seating which was in place initially upon reopening.

I've just returned from a wonderful vacation in France, where we were able to visit 3 Michelin starred restaurants (Jean Bardet and Hostellerie La Briqueterie being the other two), and Hostellerie De Plaisance was our favorite of the three. The service was impeccable, the atmosphere refined without being stuffy, and the food absolutely delicious. In addition, the dinner was by far the most affordable of the three. We chose the lightest tasting menu, which was to be 3 courses for, IIRC 55 euros (we also had the wine parings for 50), but were treated to 2 wonderful amuses, as well as an incredible selection of petit fours. It truly was a spectacular meal. I'll be dreaming of the foie gras and wild mushroom ravioli for some time.

Absolutely! Great photos - I can't wait! The pork looked awesome to me, too.

Well, the reservation didn't cost me anything more than the price of a couple of anytime minutes. Although I understand some enterprising folks have put their early reservations up on craigslist. Perhaps I should test the ebay market. I have not been to Pizzeria Mozza yet; I've been out of LA since last summer before it opened. My girlfriend and I had been planning to drive down to LA from the Bay Area the day following the bar exam to look for places to live and have a celebratory dinner. We were going to try Cut, but I saw on Eater LA that OM was accepting reservations, and was lucky enough to score one on the day we had in mind. I will definitely give a report, and see if I can't snap some photos.

Did anyone else get up bright and early yesterday to secure a reservation? I'll be there at 8pm on the 27th. It's going to be my end of bar exam celebratory dinner, and hopefully since they'll have been open for a couple of weeks, most of the to be expected service kinks will be worked out.

For my money, the absolute must is a stop at Loteria Grill in the farmer's market for Mexican. It's the best in L.A., and he MUST get the Enchiladas in mole. Grab a beer at the bar next door and enjoy. If he can hadle it, finish the trip off with a dessert crepe at the stand a few feet away.