picnic at hollywood bowl

[steve h.]

deb and i are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary come june 30. i thought a picnic and a clapton concert might be a good idea. this is not locked in cement, just a trial balloon.

what's the best picnic basket basket i can assemble in los angeles? full details, pls.

thanks in advance.

best regards,
--steve

[anothernotch]

My wife and I enjoy Campanile's picnic basket. You can call them up, they will fax you a picnic menu, you fax your order back and give them a pick up time, roll through, grab the picnic and enjoy. We've done this the last three times at the Bowl.

[steve h.]

i'm liking everything i'm hearing. seems the bowl has a lot of fans on this site.

there are lots of scheduling issues we have to grind through but i think this idea is a keeper. packing our own basket should be a hoot.

thanks everyone for your insight and encouragement. i'll keep you posted.

--steve

[steve h.]

on a totally different topic: how is sushi zo?
thanks in advance.

[chowmominLA]

ha. my favorite sushi, ever. search the boards and you'll have days of reading material. Back to the topic, go early and consider the park n ride.

[nosh]

Yes, for those who aren't experienced: Getting into the Bowl is bad, with horrible traffic and lines and confusion. But getting out of that stacked parking lot can be pure torture. Don't be in a hurry to get home, use the park n ride if at all possible, and be sure to remember to hit the restrooms before you leave the concert grounds.

[steve h.]

words of wisdom.

[scurvy]

I recommend parking at Hollywood & Highland and walking up the hill if you can. You can avoid most of the snare that way.

Some friends also park near a metro station and take that to H&H to avoid dodge all of the traffic. This sounds like too much work to me, but they swear by it.

[Hughlipton]

35th wedding anniversary? No limo? Limo with champagned and a picinic dinner if you have a box from Village Gourmet in North Hollywood on Tujunga. Chassagne Montrachet to go with the picnic. Men sit in the back and sleep through the program while women sit in front and try to listen to the program while trying to ignore the snoring.

[marilees]

For quick convenience, BLD does Hollywood Bowl boxes (http://www.bldrestaurant.com/pdfs/BLD...), but it may be more fun (and less expensive!) to assemble your own personalized one. Happy Anniversary!

[Pinkfoodie10]

If you call Artisan Cheese Gallery on Ventura in Studio City and tell them you are planning a nice picnic for the Hollywood Bowl, they will be more than happy to suggest some ideas. Many people in the area go to Artisan for their Hollywood bowl picnic needs. :)

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http://pinkfoodie.blogspot.com

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Artisan Cheese Gallery
12023 Ventura Blvd, Studio City, CA

[Muskrat]

I usually go to a deli and have 'em put something together. A lot less expensive -- and possibly better -- than any of those pre-fab jobs.

[chowmominLA]

I agree... as a regular subscriber I've picnicked a lot of different ways, and find that the prepackaged picnics, as well as ordering delivery to the box from Patina, are not worth the price. If I'm feeling energetic I'll prepare all or some of the food myself and/or pick up a couple things from my favorite places (e.g. the beef roll from 101 Express in SGV, dim sum from a number of places or certain sushi rolls like the Greg's Roll from CA Roll Factory). If I don't have time or energy to cook or go to multiple places I'll go to Whole Foods and pick up a bunch of noshy food and desserts. I think you'll find the food just as good if not better and for less, and the experience will be no less special.

[chowmominLA]

Are you getting box seats or benches? It's much easier to picnic in a box at a table. If no box then be sure to get there early to grab a good picnic spot or table in the surrounding picnic areas. It's not very fun picnicking in bench seats, but maybe I've just become spoiled with box seats.

[steve h.]

this is starting to sound like a fun idea. thanks for the recommendations. i didn't know about the "rules of engagement" but i'm not deterred.

re: the la philharmonic. that is definitely on my stack.

all thoughts, comments, criticisms are welcome.

[bulavinaka]

You might search the boards for posts relating to the Hollywood Bowl. This subject comes up regularly as we head into the season. Go early. Find a good spot to enjoy your picnic. There are those who picnic here frequently and know all the best areas - they will literally run to lay claim to these spots. Don't worry - there's more than enough good spots to go around if you're in the front third of the pack toward the gates. If your seats are beyond the "Terrace" boxes, invest in the seat cushions - they're a buck per, or bring your own. Alcohol normally isn't allowed at the leased events and the offerings at the stands are so-so. There are picnic benches adjacent to the parking areas off of Highland but I'm not sure if alcohol is allowed here either way. Whatever the case, late June is normally great Hollywood Bowl weather. I wish you and your wife a wonderful Coral anniversary, and hopes of seeing you post a similar question for your Diamond anniversary!

[steve h.]

thanks for the sage advice and your kind wishes. plans are still up in the air but they seem to be coalescing rapidly.

[ipsedixit]

The suggestion by bulavinaka for bento boxes at Mako is a good one.

But for something truly romantic, I'd go to La Cachette.

[chowmominLA]

Bear in mind that because it's a lease event rather than a regular season event, you're restricted from bringing in many things, including glass bottles and glasses. See the website for what's allowed and prohibited. Tupperware is your friend.

[scurvy]

Good call. Here are the rules for lease events: http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/lease_pol.cfm

They are much more lenient for LA Phil events. You are allowed to bring wine and such: http://www.hollywoodbowl.com/tickets/...

I was only impressed with the beauty and quantity of the Mako bento boxes. I found the food to be just ok. Clementine's food is lovely and tasty.

[andytseng]

I've been to a couple lease events and I've never had a problem bringing glassware, even though it is not allowed. I'd say go ahead and do it. Drinking wine out of plastic cups just has a weird feel to it.

[chowmominLA]

I'd say it depends on if you get lucky with whoever is searching your stuff. If you're going to attempt to smuggle anything in, be sure to put prohibited stuff well buried.

[westsidegal]

for such venues, i also bring glassware and glass plates that i bought at the 99cent store--this way i feel no guilt about throwing out the dishware at the end of the evening to avoid having to lug the stuff back to the car.

i've put together great picnics from the deli counter at my local gelsons. they offer a terrific assortment of salads that travel well.

[bulavinaka]

For something a little different, try the bento boxes at Mako:

http://www.makorestaurant.com/index_f...

[noshie]

You can assemble a wonderful basket at Bay Cities for cheese (truffle cheese if its there), sausage, bread, cornichons or one of their wonderful sandwiches. You can also get tomato and mozarella, things like that

Clementine in Century City has ready made salads, sandwiches, wonderful desserts (me, I've only eaten some of the desserts and biscuits, but the other things in the case look wonderful, I think it seems like a Bowl place)

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Bay Cities Italian Deli
1517 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401

Clementine
1751 Ensley Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90024

[Emme]

Second this option.

I'd also recommend calling the Beverly Hills Cheese Shop and asking them to work with you on putting together a great box for a memorable night.