There are literally thousands
of restaurants in Los Angeles and compared to some large cities, the
food here is generally of a pretty good standard. The one thing about
restaurants in relation to hotel rooms, is that you can have a top
dining experience for much cheaper than a top hotel stay. Pick any type
of food you can think of. Los Angeles will have it. Any type of food.
Chances are you will find a number of restaurants serving that type of
food. Then, the only question is which one to go to. The following are
only a small selection of restaurants that Dave has eaten at in the Los
Angeles area. He will continue to explore the culinary treasures of Los
Angeles' restaurants and will update this page as time permits.
Restaurants are alphabetized by name - because Los Angeles is so big,
these restaurants may be up to an hour from each other in any direction.
Consult Google maps for directions.
http://maps.google.com
If you have never eaten at a high-end restaurant before, I highly recommend
splurging and trying either the Belvedere or Spago (both in Beverly
Hills) as listed below.
We like to list good restaurants here (ranging from cheap to expensive) - if you have your own suggestion
for your favorite LA area restaurant, please email
dave@pon.net & reference this page in
your email.
Beverly Hills
The Belvedere is one of the top restaurants in Los Angeles and is
located in the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. This hotel/restaurant
is located near at the sharp intersection where Santa Monica Blvd meets
Wilshire at 9882 South Santa Monica Boulevard.
As with all the other fine International Peninsula hotels you will be
treated in style. You will pull up in the parking circle in front of the
hotel and a well-dressed valet parking attendant will take your car for
you.
Consider a drink at the bar before your meal. While the bar drinks are
extremely pricey the food is only very pricey; however for this type of
quality of food and atmosphere, the price is really quite reasonable.
Formal attire required although when Dave was eating there several staff
members of a former US President were there on vacation; they were dressed in
shorts and jeans at dinner. Dave highly recommends the lobster for
dinner. Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Tea and dinner menus are available on
their website here:
http://beverlyhills.peninsula.com/pbh/dining_01.html
The kosher
Milky Way Restaurant is located at 9108 W. Pico Blvd
almost on the corner. (Cross street is Doheny Dr.) This restaurant has
been here for many years and is owned by Steven Spielberg's mom, Leah
Adler. She is in her mid 80's and has been working at this restaurant
for a long time. She is the main hostess and is often here. She runs to
answer the phone when it rings and makes sure everything is going well
during your meal. She may even come to your booth and sit down with you
for a few minutes. She is very proud of her son, as she has every right
to be - his movie posters grace the hallways in the back of the
restaurant on the way to the restroom. Dining is to the right of where
you walk in - nice maroon leather lounges are available for each dining
party. Many little old ladies were dining at this restaurant when author
visited. PHONE NUMBER (310) 859-0004
Spago, of Beverly Hills is located at 176 N. Canon Drive in
Beverly Hills, just up from Rodeo Drive. What can you say about Spago
except it is a unique and exceptional dining experience. The Spago name
has been made famous by its founder, celebrated chef Wolfgang Puck.
Wolfgang's restaurants are frequented by many well-known celebrities,
politicians including US presidents and other well to-doers. This
restaurant is Wolfgang's flagship restaurant. The service is impeccable
here and the food excellent. Excellent lunch salads, the main lunch
courses tend to be pricey. The hostess will be standing on your left as
you enter the restaurant. Valet parking is available - as well dressed
valets will be hovering around the front of this restaurant (which makes
it easy to spot this restaurant). If you
don't mind walking a few blocks I recommend parking in one of the nearby
neighborhoods located behind the Spago restaurant.
For menus, pricing, reservations & more for Spago of Beverly Hills,
visit:
www.wolfgangpuck.com/rest/fine/spago/bh/index.php or call PHONE
(310) 385-0880
The W Hotel is located in Westwood near UCLA. Breakfast is served
at "The Cafe" in the morning. This is a very eclectically decorated
hotel and restaurant. Very modern & chic. It is located almost directly
across from the Hilgard House Hotel at 930 Hilgard Ave - just down the
street from one of the entrances to UCLA. When Dave ate here he ran into
a well known classical pianist. As the saying goes in Los Angeles, you
never know who you will run into! This is a member of the Starwood
Hotels - Direct link & more information here:
www.starwoodhotels.com
Hollywood
The
Palms Thai Restaurant
without a doubt is one of the top Thai restaurants in the entire state
of California. This is a bold statement, but I feel qualified to say
this after having eaten at at least a hundred Thai restaurants in
Thailand, many Thai restaurants in other countries around the world, and
over 50 Thai restaurants in the state of California alone.
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The food here for both lunch and dinner is very
reasonably priced, i.e., its not going to cost you an arm and a leg!
There is a certain subset of Thai food that has been
terribly altered to the
"American taste"... much less spicy, quite sweet and really not tasting
like authentic Thai food at all. There is a proliferation of Thai
restaurants like these in the USA and in California. Some dishes that
Dave has personally tried and recommends at The Palms Thai are:
Morning Glory - well prepared and |
quite tasty - this is a vegetable dish, a bit spicy
but not too bad, the Thai BBQ, not spicy at all, Crying Tiger (delicious
BBQ beef with dipping sauce) & Tom Yum Tale - the
Seafood Soup.
Unlike many Thai USA restaurants,
yes they actually fill up the soup bowl with seafood. In addition the
Mussel With Chili And Holy Basil Leaves are very good as well as the
spicy raw shrimp (Kung Chea Nam Pla) covered with garlic & other
toppings - this dish is **extremely** spicy even for most Thai people
but you can request different levels of spiciness!
Besides the food and people watching, (one of the hostesses is an
actress who is rather well known in Thailand), the Thai Elvis performs
in the evenings Thursday through Sunday. When he is not performing there
is a large metal statue of him standing near the stage. Good photo op
there.
Location: This restaurant is located at 5900 Hollywood Blvd. Phone
Number (323) 462-5073 - if you are driving in from the 101 freeway, you
get off at Hollywood Blvd and be sure to stay on the West side of
Hollywood Blvd. The Palms is just a block West of the 101, on the south
side of the street. Parking is along Hollywood Blvd, or better yet, in the back of the
restaurant towards Sunset Ave as there is a parking lot guard always on
duty. The
Red Line Metro has a stop on the East
side of the 101 along Hollywood Blvd - its about 1/4 to 1/2 mile walk
from this metro stop to the Palms. For more information, visit their
Website which includes all menus at
www.palmsthai.com
Los
Angeles
AOC Wine Bar is located at 8022 West Third Ave in Los Angeles and
is an extremely popular dining stop. Upstairs and downstairs dining is
available. Parking on the city streets near this restaurant is a
nightmare as almost all the parking is homeowner permit based with the
exception of a few streets right next to 3rd Street. However AOC has
valet parking and this is the smartest way to go! Seating can be very
intimate as you maybe perched next to other patrons. The food here is
served as Tapas, or small plates only. You order a few small plates
which are shared among your group. On a recent visit we ordered 6 of
these small plates for two people (the waiter will tell you 2 to 2.5
plates is enough for most people and that is true). These small plates
are extremely rich and will fill you up quickly. Our
recommendation for something tasty yet out of the ordinary are their
bacon wrapped cheese dates. The salads are quite nice and not as rich as
some of the other dishes. Phone: (323) 653-6359. Visit:
www.aocwinebar.com
Don Felix - specializes in Peruvian and seafood cuisine. Corner
location with valet parking, 4435 Fountain Ave, Los Angeles. Great
selection of entrees - beef, poultry, fish, shrimp and spaghetti. Also a
separate section of the menu offering "hot" dishes. Nice Leche Asada for
dessert. (323) 669-7575
Orange County
Huong Giang Restaurant is located in the heart of Orange County's
"Little Saigon" at 14564 Brookhurst Street just up from Bolsa Ave in the
town of Garden Grove/Westmister. This restaurant is in a one-story
Vietnamese shopping mall on the east side of the street. This restaurant
is very typical of the rice and noodle shops throughout Little Saigon.
Most of the menu is in Vietnamese and the food is excellent and
extremely cheap. Be sure to try the Soup labeled as "Number 1". For more
information call: (714) 531-2464
Next time you are in Southern Orange County, CA be sure to stop in for
some excellent Sushi at Kotobuki located at 24351 Avenida De La Carlota
in a shopping center in Laguna Hills. The "Sushi Master Chef Hiro" will
probably tell you that his food is "awesome" - his praise of his own
cooking isn't really needed. The food is awesome! While your eating,
Hiro may even offer to entertain you with some of his "humorous" toys or
he may even sing a solo!! For more information please call PHONE NUMBER
(949) 587-0290
Pho 79 is a good little authentic Vietnamese noodle shop located
on the first floor of the Asian Gardens Mall (9200 Bolsa Ave #117). They
five locations scattered around the greater LA area. Pho 79 has an
excellent beef Pho which we have tried. They are open 7 days a week from
8 to 8. Phone: (714) 893-1883
Also check out the Little Saigon Cookbook which describes Vietnamese
cuisine and culture in the Little Saigon area of Orange County:
www.littlesaigoncookbook.com
If you are ever on Balboa Island in California be sure to stop by
Wilma's
Patio for casual family dining. They are family owned and
operated. They are located at 203 Marine Ave, in Balboa - Phone:
949.675.5542. Be sure to try their delicious breakfasts - this is
probably their most popular meal. I highly recommend sampling their
excellent Crabby Benedict located under their "Benedict Gallery" on
their breakfast menu. Their main dinner salads are worth trying. Visit
their Web Site at:
www.wilmaspatio.com
Santa Monica
Broadway Deli is located at
1457 3rd St Promenade. We ate here but cannot really recommend this
restaurant. The service was slow (apparently they have high turnover of waiters) and the prices were a bit high for the quality of food which was
just average. They have a large spacious interior with a nice bar. This
restaurant seems a little bit touristy and the food suffers as a result.
However, they have a great location right on 3rd Street corner in the
middle of the Promenade. Phone (310) 451-0616.
For an interesting and expensive dining experience regardless of whether
you are Vegetarian or not, visit Juliano's Raw Planet Restaurant located
at 609 Broadway in Santa Monica. You won't find dishes like these in
most restaurants - all food is completely served raw and the owner Juliano has not eaten cooked food since he was 19. His restaurant is
often visited by major Hollywood Stars looking for a different kind of
diet. Some good salads, very interesting drinks and unique appetizers.
Indoor and outdoor dining - service was very slow when we ate here.
Visit:
www.planetraw.com or Phone (310) 587-1552.
Other
Bangkok Blue is located in La Verne in the La Verne Shopping
center at 2300-B Foothill Blvd off of the 210 Freeway. Great Thai food.
Also check out their "celebrity photos" and their own photo gallery.
Restaurant is owned by famed concert promoter Blue Johnson (who also
happens to be a Jazz musician), his wife Joyce and their son. Phone:
(909) 392-3235. Visit:
www.bangkokblue.com
Hill Street Cafe is located in La Canada Flintridge right off the
210 Freeway at 1004 Foothill Blvd where Highway 2 makes a T by running
into Foothill Blvd. This is as old fashioned traditional as you will
find for American breakfast and lunch. The menu is large and so are the
portions! On a recent weekday around 130pm this cafe was packed with
people. We ordered the Greek Salad with chicken as an extra; it is huge
as was the omelet also ordered from our party. Phone: (818) 952-1019
Park Pantry was founded in 1959 and is located in Long Beach on
2104 East Broadway (corner location). This is as an American breakfast
as you will find - a throw back to the "old days". Breakfast is served
all day and includes a variety of entree choices included the nice Eggs
Benedict as well as some nice omelets (our recommendation is the El
Gringo Omelet) which includes their special sauce. Additionally pick
from a variety of Burgers, Sandwiches and general entrees. They are
clear about not having cell phones turned on in the restaurant - so if
you have a mobile, put it on vibrate and dash outside to take that
important call. Visit:
www.parkpantry.com
For reference, the following are celebrity owned restaurants in
the Los Angeles area. You can look these up on the Internet in Google (www.google.com)
for more information. We will try to sample a few of these during
upcoming trips and will write reviews here.
Dolce | The Continental | The Clubhouse | Madre's | The House of Blues | AGO
Mulberry Street Pizza - the actress owner actually works in the kitchen
at times!
Twin Palms | Hamptons | Maple Drive |
The Viper Room | Schatzi on Main | Blowfish Sushi
Ciudad | Cut, Beverly Wilshire Hotel | Dolce Enoteca e
Ristorante | Madre's | Patina |
