601877 Sat Mar 07 12:19:34 -0800 2009 35 2 Los Angeles Area 0 4482657 Going to be in LA for one night next week, and looking for some recommendations. I rarely have good/great meals in LA like I do in NYC, probably because we always end up with clients at terrible chachi bridge and tunnel places like Koi, Kitana, Asia De Cuba, etc. No thanks. I've really enjoyed meals at AOC, Providence, Nozawa, and Lucques on recent trips, but looking for some new ideas. Price isn't an issue, but shouldn't be Urasawa (I wish). Also going to be with one vegetarian who eats fish, so no steakhouses. Any places with a killer raw bar like Bar Crudo in SF? How is Hatfields these days? I've heard good things. Sat Mar 07 12:19:35 -0800 2009 210760 captainspacefood 1 4482675 Have you been to Hungry Cat? It is Suzanne Goin's (AOC, Lucques) husband's restaurant. Has a raw bar, delicious cocktails, etc. thehungrycat.com Sat Mar 07 12:25:33 -0800 2009 4482657 12984 love2eat 2 4482693 you beat me to it, i was going to suggest Hungry Cat for the raw bar. another possibility would be Bazaar - the new José Andrés venture at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Sat Mar 07 12:31:07 -0800 2009 4482675 103920 goodhealthgourmet 3 4482713 I had no idea AOC and Lucques was the same owner, funny. Hungry Cat looks great as well, I could see that for a lunch or a dinner for sure. Just watched the LA Times video of Bazaar, looks like they've got a WD-50 molecular thing going on there, could definitely work. Thanks guys. Sat Mar 07 12:41:57 -0800 2009 4482693 210760 captainspacefood 4 4482739 Bazaar very well could work however the douchebag quotient is extremely high there. It is an SBE Sam Nazarian venture. So, don't be surprised if your dinner is interrupted by a filming of The Hills. Sat Mar 07 12:56:18 -0800 2009 4482713 12984 love2eat 5 4567515 I have never had anything happen that was remotely douchey, and have been there twice. Both times were elegant with excellent service. Sat Apr 04 12:07:33 -0700 2009 4482739 13235 lotta_cox 6 5014428 Hey guys I'm back in LA and I'm going to The Bazaar. This should be fun. Tue Sep 08 15:22:06 -0700 2009 4567515 210760 captainspacefood 7 5020516 Pretty good food actually! Interesting crowd to say the least. Reminded me of some spots I've been in in Dubai. I liked the traditional side of the menu more than the molecular side. Although I'm not sure if I quite believe that they are the only restaurant in America to serve Iberico. Foie gras lollipops were a fun preparation. Veal was almost like pork belly. Definition of unctuous. Lamb was spot on too. Definitely going to hit up Animal next time. Thu Sep 10 15:57:34 -0700 2009 5014428 210760 captainspacefood 4 4482746 Where are you going to be? If near Beverly Hills/Century City I'll throw in votes for Spago (Puck) or Craft (Colicchio). Yes, either is an industry hang-out with stylish crowds, but the food at either is far more than an afterthought if you want it to be. Spago in particular offers a tasting menu, and you aren't going to find a dessert chef better than Sherry Yard. But L.A. is so spread out -- if you are in Santa Monica or Venice my choices would be different than downtown or Hollywood. Sat Mar 07 12:58:51 -0800 2009 4482713 10855 nosh 5 4485204 Craft I can get in NYC, Spago is a good option. We're staying in Santa Monica, but dinner should be a little more central - Hollywood, Downtown, Silverlake, Beverly Hills etc. Not opposed to driving around LA proper, but just don't want to go to Pasadena or anything. Industry hangs are okay....we're going with industry folks, but like you said, the food should be far more than an afterthought. Sun Mar 08 16:04:16 -0700 2009 4482746 210760 captainspacefood 6 4486109 not hollywood etc. etc., but decent, maybe more than decent, food, industry hang = Ivy at the Shore. Santa Monica. Just saying. Cheers - Sun Mar 08 21:38:02 -0700 2009 4485204 74276 swimfin 6 5015476 If you like Providence and want a fine dining experience, then by all means go to Melisse. Seriously good food. Bazaar is fun too. No douchebags. Ever. Tue Sep 08 23:46:06 -0700 2009 4485204 137061 foodiemahoodie 5 4485212 Yeah - that's exactly what I don't want, although I'm being very tempted by Bazaar. Love2eat - I saw you commented on the XIV thread - would you say that it would fit my "amazing food in a no douchebag environment" requirement? Sun Mar 08 16:06:53 -0700 2009 4482746 210760 captainspacefood 6 4485310 Just out of pure curiosity... what does "no douchebag environment" mean? I saw this thread and it made me chuckle. :) Sun Mar 08 16:40:11 -0700 2009 4485212 71241 lynnlato 7 4485969 You know, like the shiny-shirt bridge and tunnel crowd. Meat packing district type restaurants are the norm in NYC for that kind of crowd...not sure what the LA equivalent would be. Sun Mar 08 20:37:40 -0700 2009 4485310 210760 captainspacefood 8 4486220 Funny, sounds like the "hoods" around high school on Long Island back in the 70's. "no douchebag restaurants" "shiny-shirt bridge and tunnel crowd"......that's a new one to me and I love it. Sun Mar 08 22:52:03 -0700 2009 4485969 11914 monku 7 4500315 me too. my thought was: "should not smell like summer rain" Thu Mar 12 22:10:49 -0700 2009 4485310 23519 barryc 6 4487655 XIV has a farily (but not very) high douchebag/bridge and tunnel quotient, and they just changed their menu from the small-plate-everyone-has-the-same-thing format. DOn't know what it is like post-change. Go to Spago if you have never been...it is fairly easy to get a reservation these days. They have paired down the tasting menu to 5 courses and it rocks. Providence is another very good choice. Mon Mar 09 11:33:27 -0700 2009 4485212 11732 Ciao Bob 7 5015479 Spagos - especially on the weekends, is for Japanse tourists and well-heeled seniors. Food is very good. Just not a hip place. But no douchebags! Tue Sep 08 23:47:13 -0700 2009 4487655 137061 foodiemahoodie 6 4488360 I have always enjoyed the food at XIV but unfortunately its about the same douchebag quotient as The Bazaar as they share the same owner, SBE (Sam Nazarian, who also owns plenty of "bridge and tunnel" nightclubs). If I would have to pick between the two I would go to XIV. Although, as CiaoBob stated that they recently are going for more of a lounge vibe by adding a lounge menu for the patio. I have not been since the change but could only imagine it has made things worse. Mon Mar 09 14:27:15 -0700 2009 4485212 12984 love2eat 7 4489052 I guess here's the question - does the food at Bazaar and XIV overcome the obnoxious crowd and vibe? Mon Mar 09 17:46:28 -0700 2009 4488360 210760 captainspacefood 8 4489121 Wrote a long review here of Bazaar - I say yes to the above question: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/602459 Mon Mar 09 18:08:43 -0700 2009 4489052 160718 uhockey 3 4505771 The douche bag quotient is middling at Hungry Cat. Still a lot of people bullshitting each out about "the business." But it's fairly easy to ignore. The food is good and the cocktails are fantastic. Sat Mar 14 20:39:19 -0700 2009 4482693 28983 gideon 4 4505927 If you don't want to hear anybody bloviating about the industry, Hollywood is not exactly the place to hang out, innit? There are douchebags everywhere. There are the look-at-my-hot-executive-self overtanned douchebags in Newport Beach; the we're-on-vacation-and-determined-to-make-sure-everybody-knows-how-it's-different-from-back-home douchebags in Anaheim and, especially around the US Open, in Huntington Beach; the I-totally-have-an-in-at-Warners douchebags in Burbank, who are related to the oh-my-God-can-you-hurry-with-my-fruity-girl-drink-in-a-martini-glass-I-have-a-development-meeting-in-ten-minutes-hel-LO douchebags in Century City, and of course, the I'm-not-actually-in-a-restaurant-I'm-in-a-temple-of-gastronomy-how-dare-you-intrude-upon-my-worldview chef worshipping douchebags at any place that requires a reservation more than a week in advance. My point is that while there are douchebag-heavy places, you're never going to be free of douchebags anywhere (and, incidentally, we don't call them "bridge-and-tunnel crowd" here, having neither bridges nor tunnels). If you're looking for douchebag-free dining, stay home and order in from RotR... otherwise worry less about the douchebags and more about finding something delicious to eat. Or -- what a concept -- ditch the overpriced status restaurants and go eat food made by real people who have nothing to do with the industry... i.e., go to K-town or Thai Town or the Valley (GASP) or Little Saigon or Little Gaza or the SGV or Chinatown or Glendale or Westwood and eat something made by somebody who had a dream that didn't include a casting couch. Sat Mar 14 22:14:49 -0700 2009 4505771 10811 Das Ubergeek 2 4513304 HUNGRY CAT is nothing special. Much better seafood at hundreds of other places around the country. I never understood the hype about it. Tue Mar 17 11:11:25 -0700 2009 4482675 15114 epop 1 4482749 Ammo is another great option. Very low-key. Food is rustic seasonal, very fresh. Meats, seafood, many vegetarian options. Full bar. www.ammocafe.com Sat Mar 07 12:59:51 -0800 2009 4482657 12984 love2eat 1 4482861 Water Grill Sat Mar 07 13:58:21 -0800 2009 4482657 11583 ipsedixit 1 4485595 Spago and Water Grill have been mentioned, and I would second those. How about Asanebo? It's in a strip mall in the valley, but it is EXCELLENT sushi and has the Michelin star to prove it. The lobster sashimi with black truffle was the single best thing I ate in 2008. Sun Mar 08 18:19:45 -0700 2009 4482657 271510 junipersong 2 4520412 Just went to Asanebo. In my opinion, it is over-hyped. Thu Mar 19 15:29:24 -0700 2009 4485595 13416 ElissaInPlaya 1 4485652 I was very impressed by Bazaar - and that was on a trip that also included many Michelin Starred places and started in SF/Napa and made its way down the coast to San Diego (Danko, One Market, Boulevard, Aqua, Bouchon, The French Laundry, La Botte, Osteria Mozza, and other non-starred places) I'd say Bazaar's biggest douchebag quotient was the servers - the customers were generally cool enough. Sun Mar 08 18:43:45 -0700 2009 4482657 160718 uhockey 1 4486182 Here's a recent thread about Hatflield's: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/597246 It will definitely fit the ambiance bill, just good food as the focus here, no "scene" to put up with. Sun Mar 08 22:27:23 -0700 2009 4482657 63444 groover808 2 4501356 Hey all - I ended up going to Gjelina in Santa Monica. Wait for a table was long, but dinner was pretty good. Mushroom toast and sunchokes were the most memorable. The pizza and the oysters were good, but fairly standard. Thanks for all the recs. Looking forward to getting to them soon. Fri Mar 13 09:11:41 -0700 2009 4486182 210760 captainspacefood 1 4567523 I have been to Rivera 2x recently. It is new, beautiful and the food is fantastic. Good review recently from Virbila in the LATimes. Went for the second time last night and it was just wonderful. I highly recommend it if you are looking for something new but of the caliber of an AOC and Lucques. Sat Apr 04 12:10:22 -0700 2009 4482657 13235 lotta_cox 1 4620221 I had Hatfield's recently and it was fantastic. Great bang for the buck. Not sure if it was like this before as well, but, if you come in pairs each pair gets a different tasting menu, so all in all you get to taste 14 different dishes if you share. Great service, and not a douchebag in sight! Wed Apr 22 20:05:18 -0700 2009 4482657 227072 maiweezy 1 5014467 There are some great suggestions here, but I would suggest that if you go to only place in LA, it should be Animal. Although it's (rightly) famous for it's meat, they also serve some of the best fish, salads and other sides in town. Tue Sep 08 15:34:46 -0700 2009 4482657 40293 waferthin 1 5016809 Folks, let's ease off the criticism of other restaurant patrons and get back to discussing the food, service, and atmosphere. We're not against having a little fun, but the bagging on douchebags is getting out of hand. Thanks. Wed Sep 09 12:17:04 -0700 2009 4482657 2 The Chowhound Team