Good eats near-ish to Century City?

[valleygrrl]

Hi folks, I'm putting together a list of restaurants available in and near Century City for a national conference (taking place at the Hyatt Century Plaza). Problem is, I live in the SFV and have so little knowledge of that area! Any recommendations for decent restaurants near the Century Plaza (I would say within a 30 minute drive) would be really appreciated. Any price range, any type of food. Should I include Culver City? Venice? Hollywood? It's making me head hurt. A thousand thanks...

[burumun]

For century city proper, I typically go to Clementine, pretty much right across from the mall. Here's my review on it: http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2008/11/quick-soupsalad-lunch-at-clementines.html
Mid-range salads, great soups, sandwiches and such.

For a pricier, finer meal, there's Craft on Constellation Blvd: http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2008/10/in-for-well-crafted-meal-but-could-be.html

Nook Bistro in Santa Monica. Mid-range, very reasonable for what you get!
http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2008/10/neighborhood-nook.html

Orris on Sawtelle: http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2007/10/orris-going-big-on-little-dishes.html
Japanese fusion, small plates.

If you need vegan, there;s Real Food Daily in Santa Monica
http://gourmetpigs.blogspot.com/2008/...

--burumun

[bulavinaka]

Great list, burumun. You probably meant to type that Nook is "on" Santa Monica (blvd) and not "in" Santa Monica (the city)...

Another vegan option that my vegan sister enjoys along with Real Food Daily is Native Foods on Gayley in Westwood.

-----
Native Foods Restaurant
1110 1/2 Gayley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024

[natedawggh]

Clementines cafe right across Santa Monica Blvd from Westfield mall in Century City is the cutest brick cafe with the yummiest food. They have a ton of sandwiches and such but I go for the seasonal array of salad stuffs. Chicken salads, lentil salads, pasta salads, its always so awesome. Here's their website: www.clementineonline.com note: lunchime is so busy that its hard to find a table, so I usually order takeaway at those times, and they are only open till 7:30 at night.

[latindancer]

I'm at Clementine every other day for lunch and the food is good but not excellent. I will, however, say they have the best banana cream pies in the city. I do love their flatbread and mac and cheese and their greek salad is wonderful. I had their meatloaf sandwich the other day and I had to throw it out....it tasted like liverwurst....ugh.
The service is very hit and miss and usually people are confused about which counter
is/isn't open....with as much overhead you'd think one of these days they'd get it together.
I've decided to start giving Breadbar in Century a little business...the breads are superb and the lunches are excellent.

[westsidegal]

sushi zo in palms.
reservations required.
do not attempt to order from the menu--get the omakase only.
only for those folks who are willing to let the itamae lead the way--not for people who have their own ideas about what sushi should taste like and what sushi should be dipped in.

[valleygrrl]

thank you thank you so much everyone. I had noticed a few of your recommendations but wasn't sure if they were worth while. Now I need to go check out some of these places myself. Time to leave the Valley! ;)

[Servorg]

Shamshiri Grill on Westwood Blvd. and Monte Alban on Santa Monica Blvd. and Javan on Santa Monica Blvd. for Persian and Place Yuu on Sawtelle for Izakaya and The Stand in Century City for Dogs.

http://www.shamshiri.com/

http://www.thestandlink.com/

http://www.javanrestaurant.com/

[Jwsel]

For lunch places, I would include Piknic and Cuvee in the same area as the Stand, as well as let people know about the food court in the Century City mall.

[mamayama]

I would include Culver City, Venice, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica, Hollywood, etc. if people are coming from a long distance. It will give them a chance to see how diverse Los Angeles is. In addition to high priced, well known places, I would also include ethnic (Japanese places on Sawtelle, Mexican (although not chain restaurants), cheap eats (open late) like Tito's Tacos & Johnnie's Pastrami (Culver City), hole in the wall joints like Baby Blues BBQ in Venice and places with great beach & / or city views (like Yamashiro in Hollywood). Good luck!

[Jwsel]

I would keep your area to 405/Sawtelle on the west to Fairfax on the east. A 30-minute drive is so unpredictable. On some days, that could get you into Sherman Oaks or near downtown. On other days, it could get you to Olympic/La Cienega. I don't think Santa Monica or Venice should be included. I guess you can include Culver City.

I think the primary areas you should include are: Century City, Westwood, the Sawtelle
stretch between Santa Monica and Olympic, Beverly Hills, Beverly Center/Grove area. High-end restaurants would include Craft, La Cachette, AOC, Chaya, Spago, La Terza, Ortolan, The Little Door, Lucques, and Urasawa. Less expensive sushi options include Kiriko and Sushi Zo. More casual options could include: Sprazzo, Clementines, Mako, La Serenata (on Pico), Gulfstream, Houstons, Orris, and Il Pastaio. For a conference, I would also include Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen in Beverly Hills. Culver City is on the margins, imo, but you can include it.

[mangefromage]

CRAFT!! Even if you can't afford dinner--it's great to sit at the bar, have a fantastic glass of wine (it's a well-honed list by the glass) and a few appetizers. I highly recommend the sausage stuffed sage leaves with a crisp white wine...mmmm.

[yogachik]

Include Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Santa Monica, West Hollywood. All are within 20 minutes to the Hyatt. There are so many restaurants to choose from! Craft is across the street, Houston's is around the corner, Beverly Hills has everything from Nate n Als to The Grill on the Alley and Spago and Cut, Brentwood has Drago and Vincenti and Toscana...