Los Angeles Restaurants: Recommendations & Reviews

[nwyles]

I am coming through L.A. in Nov, taking the kids to the Magic Kingdom and have time for one nice meal.

We have been to L.A. a few times and always fall back on some familiar places....Patina, Chinios on Main, Spago, Santa Monica area.

Looking for something new and cool, nice design, but great food.

The kids will be ok with pretty much anything ( 7 and 5 )..as long as it is served PLAIN

Any suggestions ?

[rjwong]

Neil,

So glad that you and your family are coming down to the Southern California area!!

The Magic Kingdom? Talking about the Stanley Cup Champions Anaheim Ducks, ehh??

Truth be told, you really need more than one night in LA. Nevertheless, let's have a go:

Providence: One of my favorite restaurants. Michael Cimarusti knows how to cook fish.

Water Grill: Another favorite, particularly in downtown LA. David LeFevre is starting to come into his own since Cimarusti left to start Providence.

Ciudad: Nuevo Latino cuisine. Owned by the Two Hot Tamales, Mary Sue Milliken & Susan Feniger. This is one of my "fun" restaurants. Also in downtown LA.

Blue Velvet: Recently opened, just near downtown LA. Kris Morningstar (Patina, Meson G) is the executive chef.

Cut: Wolfgang Puck's steakhouse in Beverly Hills, nearby Spago. Richard Meier-designed room.

Craft: Tom Colicchio place in Century City. Good food very well-prepared. The portions are huge, family-style.

Pizzeria Mozza/Osteria Mozza: Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali are partners in these very popular places.

If you have any questions, well, you know what to do, Neil ...

[Kouign Aman]

Since the Magic Kingdom is in Anaheim, which is squarely in Orange County, you might consider restaurants in that neck o' the woods as well.

[nwyles]

Since the Magic Kingdom is in Anaheim, which is squarely in Orange County, you might consider restaurants in that neck o' the woods as well.

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I am open to anything.

I do not mind a bit of a drive, or, more time for eating. Either way, it is good.

[rjwong]

Hopefully, at least a couple of eGers from the OC will chime in soon ... Sisefromm, Swicks, where are you?? ...

Driving from Disneyland to Los Angeles is quite a drive, especially after a full day at that Mickey Mouse place. You might want to consider Marche Moderne at the South Coast Plaza. I haven't been there yet. I'm waiting for the mall renovations to be completed.

[Swicks]

Hopefully, at least a couple of eGers from the OC will chime in soon ... Sisefromm, Swicks, where are you?? ...

Driving from Disneyland to Los Angeles is quite a drive, especially after a full day at that Mickey Mouse place. You might want to consider Marche Moderne at the South Coast Plaza. I haven't been there yet. I'm waiting for the mall renovations to be completed.

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I think Kouign Aman and Russell make great points location wise...while there aren't as many good options as LA, there are a few places worth your time that are quite close.

I can highly recommend Marche Moderne, really excellent and definitely close to Disneyland; probably 15-20 min. It is probably one of, if not the, best option in that general area, if not OC on the whole. Check out the thread on Marche Moderne in the CA forum, it should be near the top. Leatherby's Cafe Rouge at the Segerstom Concert Hall is also supposed to be excellent though I have not been, it garnered the same three star rating from the LA Times as Marche Moderne (if that sort of thing means anything to you). Napa Rose is very close to Disneyland and has some supporters but I have not been so I cannot offer any opinion.

Edited October 3, 2007 by Swicks (log)

[hzrt8w]

Prego Ristorante. Great Italian food.

Koll Center. Irvine.

http://www.pregoristoranti.com/index.html

[Kouign Aman]

Here are some thoughts.

this one is in LA I think:

Bin 8945

This one in OC:

Marche Moderne

[Swicks]

Prego Ristorante.  Great Italian food.

Koll Center.  Irvine.

http://www.pregoristoranti.com/index.html

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While good, I don't think that Prego is on the same level as Marche Moderne or some of the other places mentioned.

[hzrt8w]

Prego Ristorante.  Great Italian food.

Koll Center.  Irvine.

http://www.pregoristoranti.com/index.html

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While good, I don't think that Prego is on the same level as Marche Moderne or some of the other places mentioned.

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Sorry I don't eat out much. I thought I would mention something "nice" in the Orange County area closer to Magic Kingdom.

I didn't realize "nice" means must be in par with Patina, Chinios on Main, Spago and such.

Edited October 4, 2007 by hzrt8w (log)

[Carolyn Tillie]

Here are some thoughts.

this one is in LA I think:

Bin 8945

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I'll second Bin - I just ate there on Monday night and always have a great time, especially with wine pairings!

[Kouign Aman]

After a full day at Disneyland (in Orange County), its a long long way to LA with a probably-exhausted 5 & nearly-as-tired 7 year old in tow. There is good food much closer to hand. "New, Cool, close to hand" being the criteria.

It just that I dont know the area well enough to suggest some!

[Carolyn Tillie]

Maybe I'm missing something but I didn't get the impression from Nwyles' first post that the nice meal and the day at Disneyland were necessarily on the same day - just that he/she is in the neighborhood and besides the Magic Kingdom visit, a nice dinner is in order.

[nwyles]

Is there a website to Marche Moderne ?

We have a couple of days in the area.

Perhaps I should have been clearer. Vancouver is a small, tighly packed city, so getting from one side to the other is not a big deal, especially when good food is involved.

I forget how spread out L.A. and the area is. We do not mind driving a bit, but hours in the car just to please Daddy's dining curiosity will not go over well.

How far is Craft from Disney ? in minutes ?

[Carlsbad]

How far is Craft from Disney ? in minutes ?

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[nwyles]

How far is Craft from Disney ? in minutes ?

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About 40 miles. 45 minutes to 1.5 hours, depending on traffic.

Where will you be staying?

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[SiseFromm]

If you're staying in Anaheim and have Disneyland on the agenda, I really recommend staying away from the drive to Los Angeles for dinner. Save LA for another trip or another night. From Anaheim you can quickly get to all of the parts of greater Orange County, and I would definitely put Marche Moderne at the top of the list of restaurants to consider.

I don't believe there's a website, though I've been a big proponent of Florent's cooking for some time now and I hear he's getting better each day over there. I also heard the rocky start he experienced a few months back had mostly to do with the difficulties of a chef opening his first restaurant. Apparently Florent has told those close to him he's only cooking at around 75% of where he'd like to be as he deals with the daily routine of putting out the fires of a new hot spot. That's pretty huge because he's already doing great stuff there and I can't wait to see where he goes from there.

If you decide to book for Marche, ask if it's possible to sit in Joy's section. You'll have a MUCH better experience. She's a great server. I also heard one of Pinot's top servers, a fellow from Yugoslavia who's name now escapes me, is there as well. You can't go wrong with either of those two.

[oneidaone]

I'd go for Napa Rose, right in Disney's Grand Californian Hotel. We were there in May and ate at the chef's counter one night and twice in the bar eating so much food they had to put two tables together for my husband and I. He (Andrew Sutton) and the entire staff embrace children and their parents and the kids have great choices that don't pander down to some childish level but just simply well prepared fresh food. It's a lovely setting and the dress code is anywhere from those coming straight from the park to those who are making it more special of an evening. His advice is if you like and have children come at 5:30, if you don't come at 8:00. a hui hou!

[gfron1]

I'll be spending a week in early March at the Wilshire Grand. I know nothing of LA, so any recommendations are appreciated. I might have a rental car, but prefer to stay close (I don't leave my little town much so I'm a scaredy cat). My standard hit list:

- Any great pastry shops

- Any really fun or unique chocolate shops

- One $50-$75 meal (entree price)

- A couple of $20 entree meals

- A slew of cheap ethnic dives

[rjwong]

I'll be spending a week in early March at the Wilshire Grand.  I know nothing of LA, so any recommendations are appreciated.  I might have a rental car, but prefer to stay close (I don't leave my little town much so I'm a scaredy cat).  My standard hit list:

- Any great pastry shops

- Any really fun or unique chocolate shops

- One $50-$75 meal (entree price)

- A couple of $20 entree meals

- A slew of cheap ethnic dives

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gfron1, I work in downtown LA and the Wilshire Grand is on the corner of 7th and Figueroa (or "7th & Fig"), near the Metro station. From that station, you can go to Hollywood and/or Pasadena and/or Long Beach with a $5 day pass.

Just to let you know, downtown LA is experiencing a renaissance of sorts. A lot of developments are going on (LA Live next to Staples Center & Grand Ave. Project next to the Walt Disney Concert Hall). I ate at a Korean restaurant last night at the Wilshire Grand. Pretty good.

I'll PM you with more info.

[tupac17616]

For pastry, chocolate, confections, ice cream, etc, I really enjoyed Boule. If Google Maps is to be trusted, it's about 20 mins from your hotel, but it's basically a straight shot down Wilshire for the most part.

[rjwong]

I second that. The place is now called Boule Atelier and they moved a few doors down from their original spot on La Cienega Blvd. One problem I have with them is that they don't stay open late at night (only until 7 or 8 p.m.).

Contrastly, a place called Milk stays open at least till 10 p.m. Milk is located on Beverly Blvd., west of La Brea.

LA has a few pastry chefs you might want to consider:

Sherry Yard @ Spago

Karen Hatfield @ Hatfield's

Adrian Vasquez @ Providence

Adrian has his new line of chocolate he created for LaMill Coffee. He made a mushroom (chanterelle) chocolate that you need to taste.

As for cheap ethnic dives, I'll mention a few basic places. Mind you, different ethnic places are all over. For example, in Chinatown closest to Olvera St., there's Mexican, Peruvian, Thai, Filipino, Carolina BBQ, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Chinese, & Philippe's French Dip, as well as a Subway's (That's cheap ethnic, isn't it?), all within a two- to three-block area:

Chinese: CBS Seafood, Sam Woo et al. in Chinatown

Japanese: Sushi Gen, Izayoi, KaGaYa, Curry House et al. in Little Tokyo

Mexican: Grand Central Market & various taco trucks

Armenian: Glendale (City of) has a large Armenian community

Salvadorean: Atlacatl on Beverly Blvd., west of Vermont/Beverly station

Thai: Ruen Pair, Red Corner Asia, Samnungluang(?) in Thai Town on Hollywood Blvd., east of Hollywood/Western station

Korean: Koreatown on Western, near the Wilshire/Western station

[gfron1]

Oh its gonna be a great week! I think its funny that you list Caroline BBQ as ethnic - I guess it depends on perspective

Thanks for these - as it gets a bit closer and my schedule solidifies I'll report back.

[hummingbirdkiss]

if you eat no other food while you are there ..eat Persian food ..find a place that makes the sour cherry rice and go there ...I can not remember having a bad Persian meal in LA and I just called and asked or read the menu in the phone book ..the cherry rice is a must ...out of this world

[hummingbirdkiss]

I will tell you what....whenever I eat here I get good food ...kind service and it is a very decent price ..and they have sour cherry rice Darya

there are also Persian Markets in the area of the restaurants