Birthday Dinner

[JMan604]

Im planning on having the ultimate chef's tasting dinner with my wife at the end of the month. I haven't been following the food scene lately so I would need your help.

I can only think of Providence or Melisse and would love to email them for a 20+ course menu.

[hae818]

I would have to disagree on Saam. My group of 4 left hungry. Someone that has been to The Bazaar and Saam says the main room is better.

I would add Hatfield's and Ink to your list of possible restaurants.

If you wanna go all out and your wife likes Japanese/raw fish, Urasawa should definitely be on your list of possibilities. They have this foie gras shabu dish that may possibly be the best thing I've ever had. The best quality foie gras I've had in Southern California.

[JMan604]

How was the food at Saam though? I've been to the Bazaar. It was a great experience until the latter part of the dinner which all went downhill. I don't mind giving them another chance.

Saam is very Intriguing at the moment because I missed out on E by Jose Andres 2 months ago when I was in Las Vegas.

[funkycold]

I enjoyed Saam a lot. Sure I did not like all 24 courses but my feeling is if I did then the chef is not pushing new and different things to try. And I would disagree with the previous post about being hungry. I am a healthy eater and was not hungry after my meal at Saam that took over 3 hours.

I recently decided to go to Las Vegas for my birthday at the end of the month but decided too late to get a reservation at e by Jose Andres. I think we will be going to Jaleo or L' Altier instead.

[JMan604]

l'atelier de joel robuchon was pretty good! I enjoyed the concept alot

[hae818]

Majority of the food itself was good. They just had tiny portions. Of the 22 courses about half are one bite courses.
The Golden Boy- was a shot
Lotus Root Chip - was one slice of fried lotus root.
Olive Oil Bonbon - About half a small bite

I could go on and on about the size of each course.

One of the more overpriced tasting menu for what they give you.

I just saw the menu and noticed it has changed significantly though. I am a female (123 lbs) that does not have such a healthy appetite and went with three guys. All 4 of us left unsatisfied. we even added on an extra course and had a few drinks.

I have heard good things about Saam but no reviews lived up to their expectation. I went late Sept. 2011.

I enjoyed L' Atelier very much. All their desserts were excellent. Now that was a much better meal.

[New Trial]

Both great choices--I had the "10" at Melisse last Saturday and will be doing one of the tastings at Providence this Saturday. That said, Spago and Valentino also offer wonderful tastings or, if you want to go more cutting edge, you can try Saam or the new Ink. Osteria Mozza offers a lovely pasta tasting menu but, with advance notice, you can persuade them to mix in from other parts of the menu as well--or go whole hog with their fabulous Saturday pig dinner at the Scuola next door.

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Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Valentino (Santa Monica)
3115 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405

Saam at The Bazaar
465 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

ink.
8360 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069

[wienermobile]

Providence (and it's tasting menu) is the best meal I've ever had in Los Angeles.

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Providence
5955 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90038

[funkycold]

I went to Saam at The Bazaar by Jose Andres for a 24 course tasting after I proposed to my wife. Its the chef's room hidden behind the bar at The Bazaar. It was absolutely memorable.