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| The Odyssey |
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The Odyssey Restaurant has got to have one of the best views of any restaurant in the Valley. Perched high on a hill where the 118 and the 405 meet, the views are breathtaking (when the air is clear, of course).
Every lunch, they have a theme lunch buffet. Mexican on one day, Italian another, and so on. The food is always great there so you can get in and out in no time.
The service is always first rate and the staff is very attentive. Park is very easy in their own parking lot, so no street parking is required.
If you want an extra experience, go back for dinner.
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| Cora's Mexican Kitchen |
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If I had to pick one place to go for Mexican food for lunch, it's Cora's. A small corner building just west of where Washing Blvd and Washington Place meets again.
This is one of the regular places that Dave, Ira, and I go to for lunch and I always get the same items; Iced Tea, Avocado Salad, and the Bowl of Menudo. I've sampled Menudo before at many places and just never liked it well enough to order it again. Cora's is the first place that I really like this traditional Mexican stew where the main ingredient is tripe. With Menudo, freshness counts and at Cora's, it's very fresh, as with her other dishes.
Another thing that I find exceptional at Cora's is the salsa. I LOVE spice and this has a nice amount for me. There have been a few times where Ira asked for the milder salsa but after a couple of dips, went back to the regular salsa because once it bites you, you just gotta have more.
Lunch is always a pleasant experience at Cora's. They always know the regulars and remembers preferences. Even tho' the restaurant is small, about 10 tables, there's never a wait to sit for lunch. Parking is never a problem either. They have a small 2-3 car parking spot behind the restaurant but there's plenty of street parking. The furthest we've had to park is about 1/2 block away. You can easily get in for lunch and out again in about 30 minutes.
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| Rita Hayworth - Sony Studios |
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This is a private studio commissary that we go to because we access to this restaurant and they treat you very well.
The Rita is located inside of Sony Studios and only people who works at Sony, works on a Sony Production, or has the appropriate connections can have lunch there. The Rita ONLY serves lunch so that's a bonus.
Lunch at the Rita is served with real silverware, cotton table cloths, real fresh flowers, and waiters in ties. So you gotta know that it's pricey and the food quality shows it. Even with the $10 sirloin burger, you almost feel that it's worth it. Ira and Andrew both agree that it's one of the best burgers around. Nice and thick and cooked just right.
The steaks are even wonderful. Cooked to perfection and served with fresh vegetables and mashed potatoes to die for. In fact, just about everything that's served at the Rita is to die for. From the Matzo Ball soup to the cookies and fresh fruit for dessert.
Since the Rita is a commissary, there's no parking for the restaurant. You have to park in one of the designated studio lots and walk there. But the sites, sounds, and celebraties that you see going to the Rita, dining at the Rita, and leaving the Rita, makes it worth the extra distance. After all, that's what the Rita is all about.
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| Shanghai Red's |
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Nestled at the end of Fiji Way in the Marina and surrounded by lush trees and ponds of large Koi, is a secluded oasis called Shanghai Red's. As you make your way from the parking area to the restaurant, through Ivy covered trellises, passed the ponds of brightly colored Koi, you can feel your heart rate slow and the pressures of work day melt away.
Once inside we were seated immediately. The restaurant is large and designed well. Almost every seat has a beautiful view of the Marina. There is also a small outside dining area. But, if you want to sit outside either get there early or be prepared to wait.
Our waiter arrived with in minutes and told us about the specials. When we asked him what was good and not so good he actually told us. We were impressed. As he left, our bread and butter arrived. A basket filled with steaming sourdough rolls flavored with just a hint of garlic and tomato. They were delicious.
The food arrived about 15 minutes after we ordered. But the time went quickly as we watched the boats passing before our window, slowly moving up and down the channel. Andrew order the Scallops Diablo and I ordered the Club sandwich. Both portions were large and delicious. The Scallops Diablo was overflowing with large chunks of Scallops swimming in a tangy red base. Andrew's only complaint was the Diablo wasn't spicy enough. The Club sandwich was a two hander with tasty ham layered between crisp lettice, tomatoe and fresh bacon.
For dessert Andrew ordered the Chocolate Suicide, which had enough chocolate to make your teeth hurt. I had the Apple Tart. Again both were delicious.
Depending on what you order lunch should set you back about $10 to $25 dollars and should take you about 45 - 50 minutes. But if you have the time don't rush. Stay and enjoy the warm atmosphere and the breath taking view. It should make the rest of the day go faster
Reviewed by: Ira
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| MONSOON CAFE |
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MONSOON CAFE IS GREAT LUNCH SPOT. THEY HAVE MAKE YOUR OWN BOWL WHICH LETS YOU DECIDE ON SAUCES, RICE OR NOODLE AND DIFFRENT TYPES OF MEAT. THEY ALSO HAVE PETIT APPETIZER YOU CAN ADD TO YOUR LUNCH FOR $1.00 IF YOU ORDER AN ENTREE. MY FAVORITE IS THEIR BENTO BOX WHICH HAS 5 DIFFRENT ITEMS INCLUDING AMAZING KOREAN BEEF.
Reviewed by: FOOD SNOB
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| Meet Me Cafe |
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I heard about Meet Me Cafe from a friend of mine. I finally made it there. I was surprised to see the inside decor, it was warm and inviting. The restaurant was almost full of young hip busines people. It was pleasant to see the crowd and moreover the portions of the food. The food was tasty. I definetely, got out very satisfied and highly recommend it to anyone that is in the Beverly Hills neighborhood. I only paid $10 for a meal and a drink. Where can you find a place in Beverly Hills for that price.
Reviewed by: John
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| Caffe Di Fiori |
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I just moved to L.A. four months ago and have yet to find another restaurant that I can call "my favorite," except this one. The back patio has great ambiance for dates, or impressing friends and relatives. It's also great place to eat breakfast(all day), lunch and dinner. They stay open 'till 1 on weekends, and they do everything! Take-out, catering, half-orders (for the college budget-minded), daily specials...you get the point. The prices are wonderful for the quality of food you get, and you'll never stop munching on the delicious foccacia bread brought to every table.
Reviewed by: Joseph
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| Broadway Bar & Grill |
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After our first try for lunch at Mariasol (see review), our group headed for the 3rd Street Promenade and went to the Broadway Bar & Grill.
The is a fairly well-know establishment that is a bit pricey and the atmosphere makes you feel like it should be. Dark woods, waiters with clean cloth aprons, and prompt service.
Two of us had started off with a bowl of Clam Chowder, which was ok, but not as memorable as the Clam Chowder at the Sage Brush in Culver City. I had the Warm Seafood Salad, which was very good but it claimed to have shrimp, which I found none of. Maybe they were out that day?
Some of the other items we had were the Fried Chicken Sandwhich which looked very good. I think next time I go there I'll be giving that a try.
If anyone is familiar with the 3rd Street Promenade, you'll know you have to find a public parking spot somewhere since they don't have parking available at the restaurant. But with all the shops and other places you pass, there's some nice window shopping before and after lunch.
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| Bamboo |
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love Carribean food, 'specially cuban, so when I passed this restaurant while driving down Venice, I made a U-turn to check it out.
Bamboo looks like it's trying to be an "upscale" restaurant in an area where upscale is not used with restuarant. The first thing I didn't like was the fact that I had to pay for valet parking even tho' there were plenty of parking spaces and all the restaurants around the place had free self-parking. I really don't like the no-option valet parking idea for a simple lunch.
When I walked in, I was greeted by a waiter who just stared at me. I don't know if they don't get many people who have lunches alone but I thought I was in a place I shouldn't have been. I broke the silence with... are you open? (others were dining) and when he said "Yes" I then asked if I could have seat. Then I was able to get seated at least.
I saw one of my favorite dishes, Paella, listed on the menu. Most places have a 45 minute wait when this was ordered but the waiter said it would only take 10 minutes. No probs! I can certainly wait for Paella! So when it arrived, it looked great but not the way I usually see it served. There was a small "cup-lette" of black beans with no white rice but mashed potatos (how un-cuban!) and two small fried bananas. The paella was good and had some nice seafood pieces but again, I guess everything was served there in the non-standard way of really small portions. I am used to having my paella in a huge pot-bowl thingie, dangit!
Another thing I want to mentioned, and I hope that some waiters may be reading this... I love my iced tea and I hate to have it go empty when I need more. The waiters and bus at Bamboo made sure my iced tea was always filled but that creates another problem for me. I like to have 2 packages of equal in my tea. If my glass is refilled when it's only 1/4 empty, then it throws off the sweetness and you really can't get it back! I would rather have it filled when I emptied it or nearly emptied it, but I really don't need it filled everytime I take a sip, which is the policy of Bamboo.
I stopped in to Bamboo to check it out and if it was a great place, I would take Dave and/or Ira in for lunch with me. But, even tho' it wasn't a terrible place, I think we may go there only if there's no other place we may be thinking of going.
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| Duke's Malibu |
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About twenty minutes from West LA, located in the old Malibu Sea Lion on Pacific Coast Highway, Duke's has inherited one of the best views for dining in the greater Los Angeles area. Named after legendary surfer Duke Kahanamoku, the well designed restaurant is dressed with old photos and memorabilia from the early surfing era. We arrived about five minutes before opening (they open for lunch at 11:30) and were a little surprised to see some twenty people already there. When 11:30 came it was a rush to the hostess. No one thought of taking names, instead they asked the deadly question "Who was here first?"
About two minutes after we were seated, a window table with a gorgeous view of the surf, our waiter arrived with a basket of delicious rolls and butter. The menu is nicely layed out and is heavy in the seafood catagory. Once we ordered, it took about ten minutes for the food to arrive. They got my order wrong and had to take it back. I was, however, pleasently surprised when our waiter returned with the replacement order three minutes later.
For an appetizer Andrew ordered the Sharky's Seafood Bowl soup and enjoyed it. It had ample shrimp, scallops and chunks of fish. For lunch I had the burger and Andrew had the Seafood sandwich. The burger was a little on the thin size, but good. It came with a fair supply of tasty fries. The Seafood sandwich was a two hander, with large chunks of crab and shrimp floating in a tangy sauce all resting on tasty Focaccia bread. Keep your napkin handy 'cause you'll need it.
The desserts looked yummie but unfortunately we had to pass. We were too full from lunch. All in all the food was good but uneventful and the service attentive and helpful. Depending on what you order, lunch should range from $8 to $15 dollers per person and should take you about 45 minutes. But don't hurry to leave, enjoy the view. |
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| Mr. Pickles Deli |
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I enjoyed my lunch at Mr. Pickles Deli. I was impressed with the Country Store decor and the prompt and friendly service. I had the best Hot Brisket with special Sauce sandwich and my friend had a Corned Beef on Rye that I tasted and was the best we both have had in L.A. This deli has the most taste-tempting food. Spinach Burekas, Potato Knishes and Matzo Ball Soup is enough for a small lunch. I will be back often. Great food, Good prices and Location near Marina Del Rey. Who could ask for more?
Reviewed by: Jessie |
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