Dessert & Drinks on the Westside

[madop]

I want to take a girlfriend out for drinks and dessert this Saturday. Any suggestions for a good place to go on the Westside/Santa Monica? I live here but don't get out much for adults only activities (usually with kids). Thanks!

[westsidegal]

maybe il moro would work after the dinner hour.

[bulavinaka]

I'm not sure how far you consider the Westside to be (always a debated issue), what you consider to be drinks, what time you plan on going, and how much you want to spend, but you might also consider a wine bar. They are very conducive to casual social affairs and offer a great variety of food that might work for your purposes (desserts, cheese /fruit plates, wine pairings, usually good beer selections) where the quality is usually very good to great. While the list of desserts at wine bars can be short, they are usually very tasty and luscious. Here's just a few stretching from the coast to 3rd Street near the Beverly/Melrose area:

http://www.primitivowinebistro.com/

-----
AOC
8022 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Bodega Wine Bar
814 Broadway, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Tasca Restaurant
8108 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Vinoteque on Melrose
7469 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046

[baloney]

Maybe Rustic Canyon in SM would fit the bill? They've got a great pastry chef and it is a wine bar...

[AquaW]

Agreed on Rustic Canyon -- heck you can even probably attempt pairing with beer too, they do have a beer sommelier that rotates the selections seasonally.

Also, there's the Wilshire which came out with a new cocktails & dessert menu -- local blogger Caroline on Crack gave it a look: http://www.carolineoncrack.com/2008/09/17/wilshire-restaurants-new-dessertcocktail-menus/

Sure you can't be convinced to do drinks and a dessert tasting in the not-Westside-at-all Providence? ;

)

~H.C.
http://la-oc-foodie.blogspot.com

[alli411]

For our second date I took my husband to JAR for dessert. I knew he would love their chocolate pudding as much as I do. It turns out his fave is the butterscotch pudding.