Caffe Primo

Caffe Primo is a restaurant that I like to pretend I had a hand in creating. A couple of years ago, I ate my lunch in the Sunset Millennium Plaza. That plaza was built in 2000 (surprise, surprise!), but had a lot of trouble filling the stores and keeping them full. Equinox, the pricey gym moved in to one corner, and a few stores switched constantly in the smaller spaces. There is this nice area in the plaza with tables and a fountain set just far enough away from the main drag of the Sunset Strip to offset the noise.

A little gelato/sandwich place moved into the the space kitty-corner from Equinox. Since I was in the plaza anyway, I made a point of checking out the restaurant right when it opened. I enjoyed their paninis and the gelato was always a nice treat. I brought others there to try the food too. After about a year in the cramped space, the restaurant closed down and moved to the prime corner location right on Sunset. It was closed for at least a year during renovations.

Finally, after a long wait, Caffe Primo opened. I went to visit immediately. The 'new' space in West Hollywood is huge, with a large counter, a lounge area with TVs, common tables, and a large outdoor patio. At lunch, the cafe fills up with patrons seeking a simple Italian lunch.

I love the salads and sandwiches there, but the prices are a little steep. Well actually, the prices are fine if you're on the Sunset Strip, probably one of the cheaper places you can go, come to think of it. Since I worked within walking distance I have also sampled the coffee (strong and bitter, probably the way coffee is supposed to taste), cookies (delicious), cupcakes (a little expensive for the size, not even close to the cupcake giants, but worth it in a pinch), muffin tops (expensive, but it's the TOP part only!), gelato (eh, I don't know what all the fuss is about gelato, give me some full fat ice cream instead).

Just recently, Caffe Primo opened a new branch in the new Americana at Brand in Glendale. Unfortunately, they changed some of the things that were great in Weho when they moved. They don't have room for the giant patio and as a result the seating is a little cramped and people were confused as to whether they sit down, or go up and order first, or what (you go up and order and then sit anywhere, for the record). They added rotisserie chicken to the menu and showcase a pizza oven along with their gelato case and fancy Italian coffee machine.

The food still tasted good, but the portions were way too small for the cost. The pizza one diner at my table ordered was advertised to be 1o'', but it was smaller than the plate it rested on and it only had four large slices of pepperoni on the entire thing. I got a salad and it was somewhere between a dinner salad and a side salad. The problem is, the prices weren't adjusted when they moved from the expensive Sunset Strip to Glendale. Sure, the new mall is a little bit classier than other areas of the valley, but even so, people expect to see larger portions at those prices. I am hoping they are just still settling in and will live up to my expectations next time I visit.





Caffe Primo
8590 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
Map

Also at the Americana At Brand

Marix Tex Mex Cafe

Today I had lunch with a couple of friends at Marix in West Hollywood. Marix is a sister restaurant to Basix cafe next door. It has an "open air" feel although I am pretty sure there is a ceiling all the way around.

On Tuesday nights Marix has a taco night, but watch out, a pitcher of margaritas could be a little more money than you bargain for.

But I went for lunch. We were seated immediately and the restaurant wasn't really crowded at all, but I have been there before when it has been crowded, so that's a good sign for its food.

I ordered the brisket (tri-tip) tacos and it came with beans and rice. Also ordered at my table were fajitas, chicken tacos and a tostada salad. While we waited for our food there were ample chips and salsa at our table and drinks of course. The waiter was very attentive to our needs. Just before our food came, however, we heard some really loud construction work outside, that sort of stunted conversation for a little, but it ended as suddenly as it started.

My tacos were delicious. The meat was really tender and flavorful. I was pretty full after just the tacos. The fajitas also looked amazing. For tacos though, the price was a little higher than I would normally pay. I am glad I tried something slightly unusual rather than sticking to an old favorite. I would definitely go again though if I were in the area.





Marix
1108 N Flores St.
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Map

Flavor of India

Today at lunch we ventured to Santa Monica and Doheny to check out this Bridal Bar store. Unfortunately, it was closed. But, we were out and about, so we decided to go to lunch instead. Nearby were two restaurants--one was a bakery cafe (that would have been my pick) and the other was The Flavor of India. I have wanted to try this restaurant because I heard it was good, but I didn't want to go today because I wanted something a little faster and less heavy.

The first thing I noticed about the restaurant was that it isn't exactly inside. It looks like an indoor restaurant, you actually walk inside and the tables are inside tables with inside chairs and real tablecloths and cloth napkins but the roof is open partially.

At lunch there is a buffet for a flat fee. The buffet is in the inside inside of the restaurant which is up a ramp through another sunny partially open patio room. The restaurant was pretty crowded the whole time we were there but not full.

The buffet had a lot of options but I didn't feel there was as much variety as other Indian restaurants. There were 3 chicken dishes, a lentil dish, a mashed eggplant dish, rice, cracker bread, naan and rice pudding. There was also some fruit. The fruit was a nice touch--the watermelon was very juicy and the oranges were also delicious looking.

The rice was the first thing I noticed that was not very good. It tasted like it had been sitting there forever and was dry and a little hard. All the other dishes were fine but not outstanding. The lentils were a little more gritty than I like. The Chicken Masala was my favorite dish and I had second helpings of that alone. The naan, which they brought to your table instead of putting it on the buffet, was perfect-just slightly bready with a hint of flavor.

Because the meal was a buffet, our group took a little bit longer than we should have. The staff was attentive to our needs but mostly left us to our own devices. There was plenty of street parking in front so there seemed no reason to go from the relaxing place--until we remembered we had to get back to the office.





Flavor of India
9045 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywod, CA 90069
Map

Sushi Mon

Last night I took my parents to an incredibly early dinner at 4:30pm before they had to go to the airport. We decided to go somewhere close to my office so that we didn't get stuck in any kind of extra traffic after dinner. We chose Sushi Mon. I like to eat Asian or Indian foods when I am out with friends who like this kind of thing because, otherwise, I would never have it.

Parking around Sushi Mon is easy with plenty of street parking on Burton Way just one block away. There are other neighborhood street parking areas but they might be permit parking. The mall isn't far either so you could park there or, you could just valet.

At 4:30pm there was only one other group in the restaurant. We had the choice of any table in the place. We chose a booth facing the sushi bar. Since it was so early, we go to see just how fresh the fish is--one of the sushi chef's was filleting a fish right there at the counter! He also scraped the skin so that it could be used in other dishes. It was fun to watch him prepare the fish for our meals.

We got a special petite sampler for free that came with salted soy beans and sweet cucumbers. It was a nice treat to have an appetizer even though I wasn't that hungry. I ordered the 10 piece sushi combination, my mom got the eight piece combination and my dad ordered the tempura combination. All the combinations came with the miso soup but only the tempura one came with salad. I was disappointed that I did not get the salad with mine.

When the food came, I was impressed by the huge pieces of fish on the sushi rice. They did not use any wasabi to hold the sushi together. The problem was, that although I had 10 pieces of sushi, they all seemed to be about the same. Salmon, and 4 kinds of tuna. I know there are more kinds of fish out there, so why is it that sushi restaurants insist on serving only tuna? Yes, it was delicious, but where is the variety? After about 5 pieces I was getting bored, I even had some tempura because of it.

So, when you go to Sushi Mon, don't get the combination. Instead, cough up the extra cash to get a variety of rolls and sushi pieces. The portions ended up being quite large but the bill was even larger. My 10 piece combination with spicy tuna roll (yes more tuna!) was $22 and some change. Yes, there was a lot of fish a lot of tempura and a lot of rice--but not a lot of new flavors. The service was good because nobody else was there. The restaurant was clean and modern and the portions were large, but it wasn't a place that stood out to me as particularly different than others.





Sushi Mon
8562 W 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Map

Buddha's Belly

I met a friend for lunch at Buddha's Belly the other day. I drove over from work around 1pm and found a meter across the street and parked. There is some other free parking during some hours around the corner and valet and other meters around. Buddah's Belly is on the corner and it isn't very big--basically what you see is what you get. They extended the real estate by putting in a nice patio that is partially covered AND walled off from the street by some vine covered trellis walls.

I arrived before my friend and was absolutely floored by the friendly hostess. I felt like instead of walking into a restaurant, I was walking into a friend's house. I was offered either a table or to wait at the bar. I opted for the table which didn't seem to be a hassle at all. The restaurant was crowded but not packed. As I waited I perused the menu and the waitress, who was also VERY nice came over to get my drink order. The menu is Asian Fusion. I recognized some Thai and Chinese dishes but I'm sure there were more. The menu isn't very long but there is a large selection of appetizers and then a good variety of other dishes.

Once my friend arrived the waitress, who was very attentive came over for her drink order. We ordered and waited. All the food around us looked very delicious and smelled even better. I was also impressed that all the decor and features of the restaurant fit together. For instance, the glasses had a bamboo shape to them, the music was not noticeable, the seats were modern-fusion. I also liked the different shaped dishes they used. The dishes were white making the food stand out but they also had very interesting shapes. It seemed like every dish came with a different shaped dish.

After we ordered, our food came rather quickly. It was piping hot though and seemed to have been just made. We both ordered the same thing (which I don't like to do). We had the Red Ginger Fried Rice. It had shrimp, steak, bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, egg, possibly some other vegetables and red ginger in it. The red ginger made the rice look like Mexican rice instead of Asian rice. The food was delicious. The dish had tons of flavor, the steak was tender, the shrimp was delicious. All the flavors worked together and none stood out too much by themselves.

The portion was large and I was able to take half of my meal home for dinner. The waitress, being super nice, offered to box up the food for me. I like when they do this at restaurants because then you don't look like a fool at your table trying to get the food into the box and not all over the table.

I had a great time at Buddah's Belly, the service was outstanding, the atmosphere was relaxed, the food was delicious and the price was very reasonable.





Buddha's Belly
7475 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036-2702
Map

Skewers

The only thing the creators of Skewers seemed to put much thought into was the name and the website. Everywhere else, they fall short.

A group of six of us went to lunch at Skewers on Monday. It was around noon and we occupied the only table. The menu is pretty large with different kinds of skewers pulling in flavors from around the world. They also have some typical Mediterranean food like gyros and hummus as well as a large variety of alcohol.

We all ordered our food and waited. A couple of people came in for takeout orders but nobody else came to sit at one of the tables. The waitress bragged that they had already made $1000 that morning with a big order.

Remember, we were the only occupied table in the restaurant. Sure there were six of us, but as we watched people sitting at outside tables at nearby restaurants receive their food and continued to starve, we started to get angry. After about twenty minutes I went to use the restroom which is right next to the kitchen and didn't see any meat on the grill. It took 45 minutes for our food to come.

After the food finally arrived, some people found their food to be cold. One girl asked for some kind of dessert or something free to make up for the long time it took for our food to come out. Again, the waitress bragged about the to go orders and said "1 cook 1 waitress." It was no excuse and she brought us some pita and hummus but it was too late. We were already turned off of the restaurant.

As for taste, my particular meal was fine--although not as flavorful as I would have liked. The hummus and tahini sauce had a smoky flavor that to some, was reminiscent of a certain illicit drug. One person had the French burger which looked like a thin piece of kabob steak on a bun with no flavor. The salad looked fine but was nothing special and the gyros were cold.

Don't go to Skewers. There are plenty of other restaurants on Santa Monica Blvd that would be more worth your while.





Skewers
8939 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Map

Basix

Today, a group of nine decided to drive over to Basix Cafe in West Hollywood for lunch. We were in the mood for something healthy and not particularly fast. At first, I worried that the place would be expensive, but it turned out to be pretty much average, for West Hollywood.

Parking around the restaurant isn't that easy. There is some street parking and meters but watch out because a lot of the parking is by permit only. The restaurant is pretty small inside, but it's corner location lends itself to plenty of outdoor seating. Despite the size of our group, we were seated immediately, they pushed a couple of indoor tables together for us. I suppose if we had requested the patio, which seemed to be the popular place to sit even though it was a little smoky still outside on account of all the fires, we probably would have had to wait because the restaurant was rather busy.

After we were seated we ordered drinks. They had a wine list, but nobody was having any with thoughts of afternoon work looming. The menu is pretty extensive. The breakfast menu--served until 3pm daily--has everything from scrambles to quesadillas to pancakes. The lunch and dinner menus have a large selection of salads, sandwiches and cutting board pizzas plus a selection of pastas and main dishes and a couple of soups.

I had the Antipasto Chopped Salad which consisted of sweet Italian sausage, garbanzo beans, cucumber, tomato, pasta, and cheese. It came with a sweet vinaigrette. The salad had a lot of great textures and the dressing really made it something special with the unusual sweetness. I also tried the tomato bread soup. I expected a thicker tomato soup with bread cruetons but got a thinner consistency soup with vegetables and fresh bread inside. It was still good, but a rather small cup for $4.50.

As usual, our party of nine ordered all sorts of different dishes. The breakfast quesadillas were the only things that looked too much like something you could make at home. The crab cakes with breakfast potatoes were delicious and a large amount for the price. The turkey burger looked delicious, the other salads all seemed large. And then, I saw the pancakes. This month, since it is October, they were featuring pumpkin pancakes with powdered sugar and pecans on top, but they also had regular pancakes. If you are a breakfast fan, and I hope you are, this place is a good choice. Someone at a nearby table ordered a plate of 2 pancakes and eggs. The pancakes were each about an inch to a half inch thick and as big as a dinner plate. The cakes were cooked all the way through too. When I saw those pancakes going by, I was a little disappointed I hadn't chosen breakfast.

So, Basix has all the basics down from comfortable seating, to good service, to a varied menu, to delicious and creative dishes. Treat yourself to the charming neighborhood eatery on your next trip through West Hollywood.





Basix Cafe
8333 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Map

Hamburger Haven

Hamburger Haven is the cheapest place I have eaten in West Hollywood to date. There were seven or eight people in our group and I doubt anybody paid over $8 for their lunch.

On the corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Robertson, Hamburger Haven doesn't hide behind the sheen and class of most West Hollywood restaurants. When you see the little red shack with covered out door seating and an old sign, you pretty much know what you're in for. It looks like the covered seating was perhaps an add-on. The original portion of the restaurant consists of a couple grills and the kitchen, a counter, and then a counter where you can sit by the windows.

The menu--a hand painted wall above the cash registers--consists of burgers and hotdogs with few variations. The place reeks of grease--the kind you crave. I ordered a hotdog with mustard and kraut, fries and a small root beer. They write your order on the bottom of your plate and give you a playing card which they will call when your order is ready. The restaurant is cash only, but there is an ATM inside.

I grabbed one of the plastic tables outside and waited maybe 5 minutes for my food. It is a little hard to understand the card they're calling so keep your ears peeled and if it has been a long wait, you probably just missed it.

There are only a couple of bottles of ketchup and mustard so if you don't get one borrow it from another table. Also, the only salt is at the pickup counter--so make sure you use it before going back and sitting down.

The food is greasy, but in a good way. The hotdog was average, but piled high with plenty of kraut and mustard. I was a little disapointed that the bun was cold, but it was still very fresh tasting. The fries were pretty good, a little too potato-y in some cases but others were just right. A lot of people in my group ordered the turkey burger which is apparently very delicious and flavorful at this restaurant. Someone else got the onion rings and I was slightly jealous of their crispy fried outer layer and piping hot centers. I should have ordered the onion rings, they looked perfect.

Overall, I thought the food was average-good, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there again. I would, however go there if I was looking for somewhere cheap to dine in West Hollywood or just for a quick bite.





Hamburger Haven
8954 Santa Monica Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Map

Joan's on Third

Joan's on Third could be described as a bakery cafe--but it doesn't have the same feel as somewhere like Jack n Jill's or Doughboy's. Joan's is more like a mix between an small local upscale market and a cafe. I went to Joan's this week with a friend for lunch. There are a number of tables outside on the sidewalk and some 2-seaters inside along the wall. The outside seating is much preferred and people sit European style at the same table as others. You order and pay inside at the counter and then take your number and find a seat.

The menu consists of salads and sandwiches but there are some hot dishes that line the glass case by the register. I ordered the Venetian Coppa Salame sandwich on a baguette. It has an olive paste on it and provolone cheese. My friend ordered the Roast beef sandwich with horseradish sauce. The meat and bread are always of high quality. The meat was flavorful on both sandwiches, and the flavors melded easily together. The sandwiches came with a small side of bread and butter pickles. I don't usually like bread and butter pickles--but these tasted more like a cucumber salad than anything else. I also ordered an iced tea to go with my meal. The food and atmosphere really compliment each other.

It is my understanding that they are doing a last check on a second storefront addition where they are most likely adding more tables and seating. This will really help to expand the business. After lunch, my friend and I took a little time to explore the marketplace. They have soups, salads, cheese, bakery goods, and a variety of sauces to go. I always find unusual things there like homemade marshmallows and pita chips.

I stopped at the bakery counter before leaving and got one of their famous marshmallow filled chocolate cupcakes. The chocolate is extra rich with a ganache frosting. There is just a little marshmallow filling but it really cuts the bite of the chocolate. The lunch plus the 2 cupcakes cost me about $20 total, but it was well worth it.

If you are inclined to make a day out of lunch at Joan's there are several nice looking shops around the neighborhood--it is 3rd street after all. If you can't find parking at the meters, there is street parking in the neighborhoods for 2 hours without a permit--but be sure to read the signs.

Joan's also sells itself as a catering company. One thing they do that I think is really neat is provide picnic baskets for the Hollywood Bowl. These are a little pricey but could be fun for a special treat.




Joan's on Third
8350 W. Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Map

Toast

Toast, not to be confused with Taste, a much more upscale restaurant not too far in proximity, has yet to impress me. I've been to Toast twice, and both times I've been satisfied, but I'm left wondering why masses of people line up and wait for so long for a table. Sure, it's in a great location, the food is familiar, and there is lot of outdoor seating, but when I go out to eat I'm less interested in the atmosphere and more interested in the food.

While I wouldn't venture as far to say that Toast is bad, it's not a restaurant I would recommend to anybody considering that both Doughboy's and Joan's are right down the street. To be fair, Toast has a large selection of what looks to be like very good tasting breakfast foods, but I'm not much of a breakfast person and have therefore stuck to some of the more lunch style options in their sandwiches.

On my latest visit to Toast, I had a BMT - Buffalo mozzarella, roma tomatoes, basil and pesto, served on ciabatta bread. I might agree with the sentiment on the menu had they not burned the bread. As a result, my sandwich was overwhelmed by the taste of burnt bread which really masked the subtle taste of the cheese. Again, not bad, just not impressive. Previously, I had the BLT; I find it much easier to order things by letters rather than uttering words. Again, the BLT was good, but not impressive. It had the perfect amount of bacon, but it had entirely too much bread. That is just the worst kind of sandwich construction! Both times I had fries. They serve their sandwiches with a ton of fries. If there's one positive thing I have to say about the meal, it's that I like the way that Toast cooks their fries. They're crispy, not too salty, not too greasy, and they always serve them with ranch.

Now the question may remain as to whether I'd go back. The truth is I would. While I prefer Doughboy's or Joan's, the walk is further and I'm lazy.






Toast
8221 W 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90048
Map

The Los Angeles Farmers Market

The LA Farmer's Market is a great place to go for a relaxing or quick lunch. It is located on Beverly Blvd and Fairfax St. in Los Angeles between West Hollywood and Hollywood. The Farmer's market is open year round 7 days a week. In the same area is the Grove shopping center, although, the two are not related. The Farmer's market has everything you expect at a farmer's market and more. Fresh produce, fresh meat, bakeries, nuts, candy, and a variety of restaurants. There is free parking for the first 2 hours with validation from the market, only in the market parking. Don't park in the grove lot and expect validation from the market, you won't get it and they'll look at you disapprovingly.

In the market there is lots of seating. If you don't see anything right away, look for the stairs near the BBQ place and follow them up for more seating--which includes tables for bigger groups. Restaurants and shops are mixed together, so do a loop of the whole place if this is your first visit as there is a ton of variety.

I went with a group of 5 and each of us ate somewhere different. I have been there before, so I already knew what I wanted, but I still took a walk around just in case. I ended up going to my old favorite Moishe's Restaurant where I got a lamb gyro and the potato salad. The gyro here is better than any other I have had in LA. The meat is moist, it comes loaded with sauce, and the tomatoes and onions are fresh (from the market I bet). The gyro comes with 2 pitas on the side. The potato salad is extra and expensive but so delicious I can never pass it up. My food was about $10. I also went to a Gill's Old Fashioned Ice Cream where they have soft serve ice cream and a variety of drinks. I love their fresh squeezed limeade which combines a lot of lime flavor with just enough sugar. The limeade is very refreshing when it is hot out.

The other diners I was with split up too. One went to the Gumbo Pot for some jambalaya that looked good and came in a large portion along with salad and cornbread. Another went to the Singapore's Banana Leaf, an Indonesian restaurant tucked away in the back row of the market. She ordered a rice dish as well as something called roti which is like a thin sweet pancake which we dipped in some kind of curry sauce. Her meal was huge--enough for maybe 2 or 3 and only cost $7. Another girl had Korean BBQ which was huge and looked like your typical korean bbq. The last person with us went to Deano's Gourmet Pizza restaurant for some alfredo pasta. The pasta came in a tiny bowl and was about $6 but she ended up not being able to finish it because it was so rich and filling. Some people next to us got the pizza from D'amores and it looked absolutely amazing.

On the way out I stopped at a Thee's Continental Bakery for some marzipan bones. These are small chocolate cakes covered in green marzipan and a little chocolate coating on the end. The marzipan is high quality and has that European taste to it. Nobody else got dessert this time but were eying the cakes and pies at Dupar's and the funnel cakes at the Country Bakery (related to Thee's).

In short, there's no way to leave the market with an empty stomach. There are a variety of choices and almost all of them are delicious.





LA Farmer's Market
6333 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Map

Mubee - CLOSED

There are lots of places to go for Sushi in LA, but how do you pick the perfect place? Tonight I took my mom to Mubee. I have been there once before. They say you know a great sushi place by the crowd, unfortunately because of it's new nature and location, Mubee doesn't have a crowd. It should though.


Mubee is located on La Cienega near Beverly. It is right next to the sign that says NUDE and Acapulco. There is plenty of street parking if you look for it as well as a small lot in the back. I really want this place to succeed but the crowd isn't promising.


It appears the restaurant could hold 40 if every chair was filled. There are several tables as well as a sushi bar. Right as you walk in the entire staff greets you in Japanese (I guess they could be saying anything but it SOUNDS nice). The staff is very attentive and friendly. The menu has a lot of typical sushi favorites, traditional Japanese dishes, as well as some new modern twists. I'd like to go to Mubee for a snack someday and just try the salmon carpaccio--beef carpaccio is my favorite thing so salmon is probably delicious too. The reason I haven't tried it yet is because it isn't filling but is sort of expensive.


Upon arrival they bring you a cup of miso soup (regardless of what you order) and ask about drinks. The ice tea changes but is always delicious. Tonight's was a tropical blend. I probably drank a whole pot of tea myself.


I ordered the 10 pc sushi combination. The menu said it came with a California roll - but I don't really like California rolls. I asked to substitute a different roll and pay the difference, they gladly agreed. I substituted the regular salmon roll (a great choice) and it was only $0.50 more. My mom got the 8 pc sushi combination and substituted a regular yellowtail roll for the California roll.


The presentation is very modern and simple. The roll came out first so that we could get a start on eating. Even the wasabi has a nice design. The sushi is delicious. They do NOT skimp on the fish. The fish pieces are easy to chew, incredibly fresh and large. If you are looking for something exotic, don't get the combinations. The combinations have several tuna varieties and salmon but are still worth it. Some of the sushi comes with an alternate dipping sauce.


As with any sushi restaurant, the bill can really add up with just a couple of dishes, but this one is worth it. As far as I can tell, Mubee is a family business and the family is all there working together. Come on out to La Cienega and support LA's newest independent sushi bar and restaurant.
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Adendum 7/27/07

I visited the restaurant again, this time for dinner. It wasn't the same. The menu has changed and no longer prominately features their unusual special dishes such as beef and salmon carpaccio. They still had these dishes, but the restaurant seemed more like a regular sushi restaurant than something different. The menu design was different even--just a piece of laminated paper instead of the nice look it had before.

The friend I ate with had Uni which she thought wasn't very good as well as some terrible tasting wine--supermarket quality. I ordered the Sushi combination as usual and was disapointed to see it was filled with the same common fish I was used to. I wish that there was some variety.

Alas, the service was still pretty good although my drink wasn't refilled as often as possible. There were a lot more diners there than usual too. However, I must reduce my rating after my last visit from 4 stars. It didn't cut it this time.





Mubee
359 N. La Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90048
Map

Taste

Taste is on Melrose near La Cienega. It is slightly hidden by trees and a patio, but don't miss it! It is worth a stop for a casual, upscale dinner. The food was delicious and the atmospher restaurant had a comfortable yet chic atmosphere. It was casual enough for jeans, candle-lit and comfortable. Although we had a reservation, we didn't need it at 5:30 as the place was nearly empty. Probably later in the evening, after people get out of work it is a little busier.

We ordered two appetizers--Calamari and Ahi Tuna Tartare. The tartare was good--but a little salty, it had a nice mint flavor. The calamari was very light and not oily at all. The dipping sauce had a light mustard taste though--completely different than expected from the description. I wish I could have also tried the beet salad which looked amazing on another diner's table.

For dinner I had the salmon on a bed of creamy mushroom risotto. The risotto was delicious, I think I was drawn to the mushrooms that were mini portobello and shitake and had a great texture unlike the regular button mushrooms that you have on pizza. My fellow diner had the braised shortribs (which is meat off the bone in a stew over some kind of pasta) and it was also delicious. The meals were plentiful and I took the leftovers home so that we could save a little room for dessert.

For dessert we shared a piece of the lightest flourless chocolate cake I have ever had. But, another interesting thing about the dessert menu was that it had a whole menu of Hot Chocolate flavors! My fellow diner got the mint hot chocolate and she loved it. Just enough mint for flavor but not too much to overpower the chocolate. I would go back there just for the hot chocolate.

I also really liked the carvings in the bathroom. They were these wooden pictures with carvings in them and they looked like pictures exactly--not like sculptures.

I recommend Taste for a special occasion as it is a little pricy. The food was delicious and still tasted great the next day, the dessert list is excellent and the hot chocolate menu is fun and unusual.





Taste
8454 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069
Map