Tasting Menu, Under $75 pp, Glendale and Surrounding areas

[8Gr8N8]

Hail Hounds!

My wife and I have been away from LA for a while, but we're back in time to celebrate our anniversary on Saturday night. We're dropping off the kid at a babysitter in Glendale, so we want to stay relatively close to that area, though we're open to Los Feliz, Burbank, Montrose, La Canada, etc.

We're omnivores, and we love our protein! We have pretty open palates. We eat sushi a lot, so I think we want something different this time. Maybe French, California, or some sort of ethnic fusion.

We're hoping for a course or tasting menu, but we're hoping to escape for less than $200 including wine, tax, and tip. $50-$75 per person is good for us.

So, anyone know of any exciting deals on some romantic little overlooked corner of the city?

Thanks a lot! You guys are the greatest!

--8Gr8N8

[hppzz]

Agree w/ a estone888. Bashan is a great place in glendale. They have a 5 course tasting 70 with pairing 95. Which we never had but we typically make our own tasting from the appetizers. But of their entrees the duck and steak are fantastic. BYOB is like 15 corkage fee.

[8Gr8N8]

Thanks, both of you. We've enjoyed Bashan before. We'll take Palate for a spin this time and let you know how we enjoy it!

[8Gr8N8]

Palate Food & Wine really came through for us. Our slender, bearded, and French accented waiter offered us a five course meal, chef's choice, for $60pp:

Beet Salad with avacado and strained greek yoghurt
Anchovy Ceviche
Halibut with Pomegranate
Pork loin with a little piece of smoked pork belly and other fanciness
Cheese plate

We are neither beet nor anchovy people, but nonetheless very much enjoyed the dishes, both because they were so nicely balanced and because these were items we never would have ordered on our own. The pork loin was especially divine and the cheese plate was a lot of fun. To accompany the meal, our waiter selected a flight of four lovely wines, all French except the first, I believe an Argentinian wine our waiter called a... vinho verde?... which was crisp, refreshing, and my personal favorite.

Out the door, tax and tip included we spent $225 and were very happy with the food, wine, and service. Our only complaint was that the tap water we were served was warm, and we had to ask for ice twice. The parties on either side of us also had to ask for ice. For such a simple thing, we couldn't understand why this detail was overlooked. Nonetheless the overall positive experience allowed us to forgive this minor grievance.

The maître d' referred us to an upscale coffee place in Silverlake called Lamill. There we were presented a thick menu stuffed with a baffling array of brews, but were guided by a wonderful and intelligent waitress towards a couple of relatively pricey but excellent selections.

We also shared a dessert called "Espresso Chocolate Panna Cotta" which was absolutely phenomenal. It featured a little coconut meringue they called a ravioli, which had a sweet coconutty liquid center which flowed out onto the rich panna cotta. The dish also featured a dollop of Bailey's ice cream on top of a chocolate coconut streusel. It was freaking awesome. I think the bill was just under $20 and we threw in a $5 tip.

Thanks, Hounds, for a very foodie anniversary!

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Lamill Coffee Boutique
1636 Silver Lake Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

Palate Food & Wine
933 South Brand Blvd, Glendale, CA 91204

[estone888]

Palate Food & Wine in Glendale ought to suit the bill, if you can get a reservation this close to the date: http://www.palatefoodwine.com/

Otherwise, I also very much like Bashan: http://www.bashanrestaurant.com/