Saturday Night Dinner in LA

[JFLinLA]

So this Saturday night we get to go out to dinner without the kids. I'm thinking Angeli on Melrose (where I haven't been in ages) but I've been reading the recent posts on where to eat in LA (started by JGBanker) and Beach Fan's report of his recent dinner at Melisse. So here's what I'm looking for.

I want a nice meal but want something relaxed. I'm frankly too tired to get very dressed up. Yea, yea, we'll dress nice but hubby probably doesn't want to wear a jacket and I don't want to wear pantyhose. And I also don't want some place where everyone is in their 20's, anorexic and wears black -- if you know what I mean.

I was thinking of Angeli since we can also walk around before or after.

I'm pretty willing to go almost anywhere from downtown to the ocean.

[DVSDave]

I'm assuming you're looking for more of a mid-range meal so I took that into consideration for my recommendations.

Water Grill: never had a bad meal here, tends to be business casual but I've seen people there in jeans and tshirts, great wine list

Vert, at Hollywood and Highland: relaxed, good "bistro style comfort food" to stretch a cliche, could be busy on Saturday so might try it with a reservation

I also find myself at Antonio's alot on Saturdays, good daily specials and some of the friendliest servers in the city.

Two fairly new Korean barbecue places, Surabul (Western & 1st) and Cho Sun (Olympic, one block west of Western) are good. Both are of comparable quality, but service at Surabul is more relaxed (Cho Sun can get noisy and rushed), plus they have an "off-menu" special for 50 bucks (assorted beef preparations, pork belly, shrimp and a big bottle of beer) that's a very good value. Get that with some "mul nengmyun", perfect combo for a hot summer night.

[arkestra]

I'm not sure what you're looking for price-wise, but I'll make two suggestions, one expensive, the other not.

First, on the relatively expensive (though not outrageous) side, I've never had a bad meal at Campanille on La Brea. I've had some great meals at a few other restaurants in town (e.g., Patina, Chinois), but I've always found Campanille to be the most consistent. I also enjoy the atmosphere -- for what it is, it's very laid back and casual.

If you're looking for something very causal, I would recomemnd Allegria on PCH in Malibu. You won't be blown away by the food, but it's a nice Italian restaurant that delivers good, solid and unpretentious food. It's one of the few L.A. restaurants with good food that has a real neighborhood feel. It's very reasonably priced (I'm guessing main dishes are mostly in the $10 $22 range) and very causal (I've even worn shorts on occasion and we've been with our kids on several occasuions, so it can't be too fancy).

I'm sure you'll receive other (and probably better) ideas, but a few more relatively inexpensive places to consider are Yabu on Pico for Japanese (crowd can be somewhat young; counter-seating recommended), 2117 on Sawtelle, Cafe Pinot in downtown, and Joe's in Venice.

Enjoy!

[JFLinLA]

Dave and Arkestra -- thanks to you both. On further thought, I'm going to stay out of downtown. I go there every weekday.

Dave -- Antonio's? I'm drawing a blank. Where is it and can you describe it a bit.

Arkestra -- I don't think Campinile is out of the question. I was actually thinking about that in addition to Angeli. It's another place I haven't been in years. I've been thinking of trying family-night or grilled-cheese night both of which rule out Saturday. Maybe we'll do family-night when both kids are back and before they go back to school. Joe's in Venice sounds like a possibility. Is it in the Main Street area, Abbot Kinney, somewhere else?

[Beachfan]

If you haven't been to Sona, it might fit the bill. Everyone is in black, but people of all shapes and ages.

Definitely don't need a jacket there.

[arkestra]

Joe's in Venice sounds like a possibility.  Is it in the Main Street area, Abbot Kinney, somewhere else?

Joe's is on Abbot Kinney.

http://www.joesrestaurant.com/

[mixmaster b]

JFL-

Did you decide?

I have never been to Angeli Cafe. I am curious about it beacuse of the Slow Food connection, but the reviews I've read have been less than stellar. If you decide to go you need to give us an update.

Could give us a few more perameters: are your kids picky? How old are they? Is there a particular kind of food you want, or want to avoid? I assume you want to go someplace nice enough for it to feel like an evening out, but not super pricey. (And also not too stuffy or uber-trendy as you mentioned.)

How about Ita Cho or to Osteria Angelini?

They are both reasonably nice, not too trendy, and both have wonderful food. Ita Cho specializes in small, cooked Japanes dishes. (The garlic sprouts with ground pork are my favorite. Other yummies are enoki mushrooms in foil, eggplant with sweet miso, two-day simmered pork, and lotus root.) Osteria has very, very good northern Italian style food, and many nice wines by the carafe and half carafe. I think it is a contender for best Italian in LA.

I don't know if Ita Cho takes reservations, but they are a must for Angelini Osteria. Both places get crowded, too, so if you eat on the early side, say 7, you will have a more enjoyable time.

My other idea is Taylor's Steak House in Koreatown. I have such a soft spot for that place--such a fabulous old LA vibe, (relatively) cheap but good steaks, and lots of red pleather. You have to be able to appreciate the kitch factor to enjoy it. If you go, be sure to check out the tiny bar on the landing of the stairs. COOL!

Or, you could do all us e-Gulleters a favor and check out (and review ) Amuse Cafe (796 Main St. at Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice). Brooke Williamson, the prodigy who was cooking at Zax last year, has just opened it. As I haven't been I can't say a thing about the scene (though I suspect reservations would be wise). But she is a really promising young cook, and this new place is supposed to be fairly informal.

Good luck with the plan!

[JFLinLA]

Mix:

I've made reservations at Joe's in Venice. Maybe we'll get to the area a little early and take a peek at Amuse. Remember, this is without the kids. You're other recommendations are great and I'll keep them in mind for something else in the future.

Go to Angeli. You'll have a great time and good food.

Are you going to the Dumpling Lunch? I'll miss you all.

[dfunghi]

Amuse Cafe:

Brook is not doing anything too fancy (yet). There are lots of tasty little plates and the cooking is solid. Farmers market produce and high quality meats and seafoods. The room is upstairs with some outdoor seating on the balcony. It has a nice open homey feel to it and is filled with Venice / Main street types. Casual and comfortable. Prices are mid range at about $20 a head for several small plates, they range from about $8 up. Service is efficient and freindly. NO WINE OR BEER LICENSE so byob. Corkage is free. All in all its a go.

D

[JFLinLA]

Thanks everyone and especially Arkestra. We had dinner at Joe's in Venice Saturday night and it was perfect. The atmosphere was ideal -- lovely and relaxing . . . just what we needed. The service was impeccable.

They had 3 prix fixe tasting menus. I ordered the 4-course seafood tomato menu which was delicious. It's hard to go wrong with tomatos this time of year in So Cal. The first course was deliciously juicy shrimp with a very light tomato sauce -- a perfect accompaniment. Second course was a smoked lobster tail with a smoked tomato sauce. Third couse was poached salmon in tomato water. All three courses were great. Even so, I decided that I had had enough tomatos by that point and swapped out the tomato dessert for something creamy and fudgy.

Hubby ordered a la carte. He started with a lovely tuna tartare and had the sirloin for his main course. He liked them very much. I tasted and enjoyed both though the sirloin was a little overpowering given my menu.

Kid #2 came back yesterday so this was a nice, grown-up treat for us.

[arkestra]

I'm glad you liked it. The seafood/tomato menu sounds great.

We, in contrast, had to settle for California Pizza Kitchen with the kids. I had pizza, but I'll spare you the details. We did, however, have a nice meal last night at Alto Palato. If you haven't been there, that's also a place worth checking out sometime.

Take care

[JFLinLA]

Personally, I love the original chopped salad at CPK (with garbanzos thank you very much). That's one of our regular places when we go out as a family. You can't eat out fancy and expensive all the time.

I think we are off to the family dinner at Campanile next week.

Edited August 4, 2003 by JFLinLA (log)

[arkestra]

Hey, I really like the tricolore salad pizza at CPK, so it's not like I suffer when we go there.

I would love to try family night at Campanile, but my wife and I can't handle fixed menus because (1) I eat fish, but not meat, and (2) she is allergic to fish. What a couple!

JFLinLA, do you (or anyone out there) know anything about grilled cheese sandwich night at Campanile? I heard/read somewhere that it's very good, but I'd like to get some details.

[JFLinLA]

Check it out here:

http://www.campanilerestaurant.com/#

[tanabutler]

Rather than start a new thread, I thought I'd add on here since y'all seem to know the LA food scene well.

Are there any restaurants in LA that have their own chef's gardens? A few do here in Santa Cruz—I'm not sure it's possible in LA, given the cost of real estate.

[hollywood]

Any number of LA restos have gardens. Parkway Grill, Campanile, etc. Parkway Grill's is behind the restaurant. Not sure where others have theirs.