Where to have "last meal" :)

[theriviera]

Hi,
It just hit me that my husband and I only have a few weeks before our first child is due and we have not been taking advantage of this time to do things that will be difficult after the baby arrives. We love to go out to eat but we live in the South Bay and don't make it out enough to try the great restaurants in LA.

So, I am looking for your suggestions to must try restaurants. We are willing to drive anywhere and my main request is that it be a restaurant that is not child friendly. There will be plenty of time for those in the future. Since I'm pregnant I would like to stay clear of sushi and steak (it's not the same when you need to order it on the more cooked side).

Restaurants that we have tried (and enjoyed):
Lucques
Gjelina
Annisette
Comme Ca

Price: entrees around the $30-40 range? if it's less, fantastic, more, we can try and squeeze one or two of this in.

Thanks!

[westsidegal]

michael's in santa monica (more for the ambiance than for the food imho)
and
jiraffe in santa monica (more for the food than for the ambiance)

providence (since, presumably, you won't be ordering a bottle of wine, this will be more affordable than it would normally be)

[renogirl]

Oh, my, what a great idea...

If you like Lucques and Comme Ca, yes you will love AOC and Osteria Mozza.

Best meal I had last year was Osteria Mozza.

Another great restaurant often overlooked is Hatfields on Melrose.

And, honestly, Palate Food and Wine in Glendale is off the charts for a wine merchant/small plates place. We saw Keanu Reeves there, and that guy is super hot, but the food was still the best part of the visit.

[sumo3175]

providence, osteria mozza, hungry cat

[dtm323]

If you liked Lucques, then you have to try AOC - the food is great, the ambience is wonderful and the prices are right in your ballpark. Campanile is another old favorite. In the South Bay, you might try Brix on PCH in Hermosa Beach, the food is pretty great (if you can get past the really bad bad bad music they play).

[lambrusche]

How about Watergrill or something even in Little Tokyo... like Sushi Go 55...

[Clyde]

i really enjoyed drago centro. the service could not have been any friendlier! the food was amazing. and you won't see a child in sight. very adult-ish. the atmosphere is lovely as well. we sat by the window and stared at downtown all evening.

[johnnyshungry]

Hopefully someone else can help with the name but there is
a mexican restaurant well known for the magical ability to send women into labor.

[chez cherie]

it's in studio city--caoti
http://www.caiotipizzacafe.com/

[theriviera]

i'll have to save that one for the very end :)

[PurpleTeeth]

That's the one but it's not Mexican it's Italian. In fact the owner is said to have invented California Pizza.

[FranklinJefferson]

Caioti Cafe. Not actually a Mexican restaurant but a pizza joint formerly owned by the late (and very much lamented) Ed LaDou, creator of the now ubiquitous BBQ Chicken Pizza and many others. Supposedly it's something in the dressing of the The Salad - not a typo - that has been known to induce labor. A friend of mine actually had me FedEx the stuff to her on the East Coast when she went 10 days past her due date.

[schrutefarms]

I think it was at Pace.

[PurpleTeeth]

Caoti used to be where Pace is

[MarlaPR]

It was the balsamic salad with walnuts that they famous for, sometimes packed just with pregnant women!

[Obessed]

I really enjoyed Michael Mina's XIV this past weekend...and it's definitely not child-friendly. Congrats!

[mollyomormon]

Although the Bazaar is likely to be a madhouse after the 4 star LA Times Review yesterday. My vote would be for Animal.

[J.L.]

Uh, it's BEEN a madhouse for the past few months... The LA Times review yesterday will just make it worse.

[mollyomormon]

So true. I was there a week ago on wednesday night (making it a week before the review came out) and we still had to wait almost 20 minutes for our reservation at 9:30pm. So i can only imagine what it'll be like now. It was a blast, but I'd definitely pick Animal over the Bazaar for my last meal, all things considered.

[schrutefarms]

The Baazar at SLS is definitely an experience, and nary a child in site (unless you count the 17 year olds with the fake ID's)

[Nicole]

The Bazaar is exactly what came to my mind as well. It is experimental, cutting-edge food that is not at all child-friendly, and a very cool, adult environment. Really fun.