72417 Wed Aug 17 12:57:48 -0700 2005 28 2 Los Angeles Area 0 396785 I have never been, but am going because of suggestions from many of you. Please help with details: Do they have website or review anywhere? They're not in Zagats Credit Cards? Specialties for me and 9 year old girl? How do I get there without freeways from Pico in West LA? Thank you soooooo much! Wed Aug 17 12:57:48 -0700 2005 0 Saralee 1 396786 Its a greasy, rough diner. I've only had the steak and eggs the two times I've been. Good toasted or fried sourdough bread drenched in oil/butter. Wed Aug 17 12:59:36 -0700 2005 396785 0 Xericx 2 396788 ok, it sounds AWFUl. Is there ANYWHERE right near Staples to eat at 5:00? Desperate in West L:A. THANKS!! Wed Aug 17 13:02:09 -0700 2005 396786 0 SARA LEE 3 396792 Hi, if you follow my earlier directions about taking Olympic blvd eastward, stop at Talesai Cafe (on Olympic just west of Doheny)for decent thai food in a modernish dining environment... Wed Aug 17 13:09:18 -0700 2005 396788 0 silence9 4 396802 Thanks all for the great suggestions. I am freeway shy so am going to haul butt down Olympic the whole way. Am leaving at 4 for 7pm concert. Does this sound right? Wed Aug 17 13:14:50 -0700 2005 396792 0 Saralee 5 396809 Sure, 4:00 p.m. is plenty of time. Like I tells the wife, there are few penalties for being too early to anything. And what with finding dinner and finding parking (since you are new to the area around Staples, be prepared to go down long one-way streets and circling in an attempt to find a parking lot that you are willing to walk back toward later at night; no worries, really, since there will be about 15,000 other concertgoers striding in your direction as the venue spills forth). And don't make goo-goo eyes at that lout Constantine, puffing out his chest and warbling thru his pie hole ;-) Wed Aug 17 13:21:04 -0700 2005 396802 0 silence9 3 396793 See link to Engine Company 28. 5 minutes from Staples. Nice setting, good food, (especially the meat loaf, the chili and the more American type food) and the service is normally quite nice with reasonable prices. Link: http://www.engineco.com/ Wed Aug 17 13:09:23 -0700 2005 396788 0 WLA 4 396798 I beg to differ on prices at engine co 28 as an example $18.50 for meatloaf is not reasonable. Wed Aug 17 13:13:04 -0700 2005 396793 0 malibumike 5 396808 Twenty bucks for meatloaf, on paper, does seem sort of ludicrous. The portion, however, is positively gi-normous. And pretty tasty (if you like your meatloaf kind of wet). Overall, ENGINE CO is a good rec for the OP, I think. Wed Aug 17 13:19:54 -0700 2005 396798 0 rabo encendido 5 396818 Lots of sandwiches however in the $11-12 range, which at a more upscale place like this aren't usually available on the dinner menu. Wed Aug 17 13:34:46 -0700 2005 396798 0 WLA 3 396799 It's not that good for anything other than breakfast. Of the steaks, I'd go with the hamburger, medium-rare. It's a good value and their other steaks are tough. Their slaw is a little too sweet for my taste but still good and the sourdough is wonderful. I'm not sure if they can do sourdough toast for dinner. You can always do a ham steak and eggs but the ham is watery and lacks flavor. It would be fun for the kidlet, though. If price is not too big a deal The Palm is right across the street from Staples but they'll soak you $25 for parking so parkin oneof the other lots. Wed Aug 17 13:13:19 -0700 2005 396788 0 TomSwift 3 396810 Second the recco of CPK at 7th & Fig. Terrific kids menu & the Sicilian pizza (ask for it crispy) is quite delicious. Wed Aug 17 13:21:13 -0700 2005 396788 0 Mr Grub 2 396791 Disagree with "rough", and "greasy" is a judgment call... meat, gravy, potatoes are all good honest middle-American fare. Yes, it's diner food, but the mashed potatoes don't come out of a box and the gravy doesn't come out of a can. Those guys back there are really cooking. You can take either Pico or Olympic all the way in, if you're freeway-averse. Wed Aug 17 13:07:19 -0700 2005 396786 0 Will Owen 3 396795 I also disagree with "rough and greasy" it is good old fashioned american fare and the portions are large. It is owned by ex los angeles mayor Richard Riordan. Wed Aug 17 13:10:01 -0700 2005 396791 0 malibumike 4 396800 Its not exactly family friendly or campy in terms of the decor. The service has been friendly at times, other times not...usually had some old waiters helping us the few times I've been. Wed Aug 17 13:13:51 -0700 2005 396795 0 Xericx 5 397158 The waiters at the Pantry shouldn't be friendly... they should be gruff and no nonsense. When I was ten years old, my dad would take me and tell me they were all ex-cons trying to make a go of the honest life. I believed him then, and I believe him now. See ya Steve Link: http://www.hotdogspot.com Thu Aug 18 18:03:16 -0700 2005 396800 0 Steve Doggie-Dogg 1 396790 Hop onto Olympic blvd and go east, east, east to Figueroa. Yer there... Wed Aug 17 13:04:30 -0700 2005 396785 0 silence9 1 396803 Pantry is a good choice for you & a 9 y.o.; it's not at all "rough" unless rough is the opposite of "refined." It's a greasy spoon/diner place. Don't expect tablecloths. Cash only. Get either the top sirloin or the NY. Price is around $15. Includes their home fries, veggie of the day & excellent cole slaw. Big hunks of sourdough bread. Sirloin tips in gravy ain't bad, either. And the Pantry most definitely is in Zagat. Here's what the current online version says: "An “old-style” American “greasy spoon” that’s been Downtown “since the T-Rex” (or 1924), this open-round-the-clock “breakfast tradition” is “owned by former Mayor Richard Riordan”, who’s maintained “an institution that all Angelenos should respect”; sure, you’ll “wait in line” to sit at a “sticky table”, and there’s potential for “indigestion”, but diehards declare “call me crazy, but I love it.” As others said, take Olympic all the way to Fig. Turn Left. Go one block; it's on your left (Fig is a one-way street, so you just use the far left lane and turn into the parking lot at the corner of Fig & what used to be called 9th street). Wed Aug 17 13:14:54 -0700 2005 396785 0 Jack Flash 2 396876 I've eaten there three times. All three times I was served the home fried potatoes you refer to, which seem to be served with 90% of the menu. All three times they were mushy and bland, not crispy at all with barely any potato flavor and not nearly enough crunchy contrast to the mush to make it interesting or good. In fact the only thing I actually liked was the old fashioned relish tray. But really, how can you screw up fresh veggies? I'll tell you...! :-) On my last visit, my friend was served a grotesque chef's salad, which had literally half of a tomato and half of an avocade just plopped on top of a heap of lettuce and giant pieces of meat. The Pantry is the kind of 'old LA' place I want to like, but I think Phillippe's fits that bill nicely enough when that mood hits. I won't be back... Mr. Taster Wed Aug 17 17:13:22 -0700 2005 396803 0 Mr. Taster 3 397081 I urge you to give it another try. You're absoutely right about the potatoes UNLESS you ask for them well-done and eat only the crisp browned outside parts. Only go there for breakfast, avoid the ham (go for bacon instead) and get your sourdough toast well-done. Sit at the counter so your food doesn't sit and cool. Much like Musso's, there are many landmines on the Pantry menu and one must select carefully. Thu Aug 18 12:49:20 -0700 2005 396876 0 TomSwift 4 397142 Hmm, interesting.... I'll consider.... but Phillippe's breakfast is quite delicious (the entire thing, not just the outer edge of the potatoes!) so it will be tough to stay away! Mr. Taster Thu Aug 18 17:34:20 -0700 2005 397081 0 Mr. Taster 5 397169 I had my first Philippe's breakfast a couple of weeks ago and I agree, it's right up there. The hamsteak is FAR superior to the Pantry (but not as good as Pat's Topanga Grill) and I will give the potatoes the edge. What tips me to the Pantry is the sourdough toast, well done. It is perfect for sopping up the runny egg yolks. Phillippe and the Pantry are two of the few places that will actually cook my eggs up and easy. Philippe's toast is wimpy. Thu Aug 18 18:38:27 -0700 2005 397142 0 TomSwift 2 397047 The Pantry is a place for manly meat and potatoes that are overcooked but just like mom cooked em. It's no place for sissies or the effite bourgiousie. The steaks are fine, the coleslaw is terrific, and the waiters are reputed to all be ex-cons. My favorite is the guy who looks just like Humphrey Bogart. I went there once and asked him what it was like to sleep with Lauren Bacall. He gave me a look that I will treasure until the day I die. Right by the door is a group of photos of the staff from the fifties. If you look closely, they are ALL WEARING THE SAME SPORT COAT. I love that place with a passion that only a third generation Los Angeleno can. Even Richard Reardon can't ruin it. God bless The Pantry. Link: http://www.hotdogspot.com Thu Aug 18 05:30:18 -0700 2005 396803 0 Steve Doggie-Dogg 3 397082 Completely agree. It took a few decades to learn what not to order (and how to order the stuff I liked) but I've been a fan since my dad first took me there in '57. Going to SC only reinforced the addiction because of the proximity. A counter waiter, Caesar (now retired), had the best line for me: we went for breakfast on a Mother's Day Sunday and he wished me "Happy Mother's Day, you Mother!" I sat in Caesar's section at the counter ever since. Thu Aug 18 12:55:47 -0700 2005 397047 0 TomSwift 1 396804 I've only been the Pantry once and had a burger that was AWFUL. I thought a greasy spoon would have a fantastic burger but I was wrong! I've heard since then that I should have stuck with breakfast type plates. If not The Pantry, how about going to CPK? Not the most houndliest of places, but very agreeable to most 9-year olds. There's a CPK in the Robinson's May mall right there on Figueroa and 7th (I think). You can park at Staples and walk up to the restaurant pretty easily. Wed Aug 17 13:15:50 -0700 2005 396785 0 Macy U. 1 396811 if you're driving down olympic from west l.a., you have LOTS of options along the way! if you go a few blocks north on robertson, there's AL GELATO on the east side of the street - homey italian food - huge chunks/slices of bread brough to the table, pizzas, pasta with softball sized meatballs, etc. pretty good gelato. do kids like ice cream? LOL! also, in koreatown on western, there's EL CHOLO - mexican food is always good fun for kids. that's all this brain can think of for now. have fun! Link: http://thedeliciouslife.blogspot.com Wed Aug 17 13:21:32 -0700 2005 396785 0 the delicious life 1 396859 The Pantry has great buckwheat pancakes. I don't think they serve them during dinner, but you can usually beg later in the night and they'll make some for you. i've done this on many occasions and always left satisfied. Wed Aug 17 16:27:49 -0700 2005 396785 0 e 1 396877 I'm with your hausband. wouldn't be caught dead or alive at AI. But if I were with a 9 year old, I think I'd go to the Daily Grill. Link: http://dailygrill.zgraph.net/location.cfm?subsections_id=51 Wed Aug 17 17:14:06 -0700 2005 396785 0 mc michael 1 396951 Personally, I don't think Zagat's is a trustworthy guide at all. I've been to plenty of absolutely horrible places which were highly-rated on Zagat. I think they should "humanize" their rating system, as is done here on Chowhound (nothing beats these 'boards!). The book is so impersonal-- you can't "feel" the people behind the ratings. Food exudes emotion (for the "live-to-eat" types, anyway); we have a "relationship" with food. So, I believe thoughtful posts and conversation are natural in talking about how food makes us feel, as opposed to explicitly-numbered ratings and a quick summary of a restaurant. Anyway, my 2 cents. Wed Aug 17 19:52:49 -0700 2005 396785 0 Mike Q