Al Watan Halal

Al Watan Halal: Good-to-great food, diner-level decor. Good service. Spicy pakistani/indian food. I really liked the butter naan, garlic naan, and the nehari (?, spicy beef). The lunch special was good too (variety plate). Mango lassi shake wasn't a shake, but was great. Chai was pretty good. All in all a very nice place for lunch, though not a "date" restaurant.

Sauce on Hampton, Inn of the Seventh Ray

Sauce on Hampton: We were looking for a special/romantic breakfast, but the first impression when we got there around 9am on a weekday was not good. The tables are small and close packed, and there was only one table occupied. They (the other couple) were outside, a choice necessitated by the music blaring inside the restaurant. We also chose to sit in the blinding sun with the rather poor view, so we could at least hear each other talk.

We took time trying to find the right things to order (no pancakes/waffles/crepes on the menu). We got the Mexican omelette with a side of bacon, the Traditional breakfast plate (eggs over-easy), a pomegranate lemonade, and a coffee. In order of experience:
1) The eggs came out sunny-side-up. Though well prepared, that's not what we ordered.
2) The omelette was the best part, delicate yet filling, cilantro adding flavor.
3) The bean salsa did not "go" with the omelette; it washed out the flavors and wasn't flavorful/spicy enough itself.
4) The salad that came with the omelette was drenched in way too much dressing.
5) The side of bacon that came with the omelette was very tasty and just-right crispy.
6) The bacon that came with the breakfast plate was soggy and only tasted ok...not so flavorful.
7) The potato chunks with the omelette were soggy and had no flavor.
8) The roast tomatoes were cold. I love roast tomatoes, and these were charred on the outside, but didn't have any flavor.
9) The toast (on both plates) was fine/serviceable.
10) The lemonade was very dramatic looking, though the flavor wasn't so impressive. It was too sugary though not too-too sugary...it didn't have that fresh taste.
11) The coffee was poor...diner-level coffee...too bitter and yet not strong enough. They had just brewed a fresh pot, so I feel sorry for people who arrived later after it'd been sitting longer.
12) The coffee cup had three bits of napkin stuck to the inside (hidden under the coffee). It had obviously not gotten clean in the dishwasher and wasn't visually examined before use.
13) The waitress was fine...not so experienced but friendly.
I will not go back. Zabies could show these people many things, and I'm not all that fired up about Zabies.

Inn of the Seventh Ray: We made a second attempt at a romantic meal for a weekday lunch. This time we chose from Yelp based on location and "romantic" in the reviews. We called ahead trying to get special seating, but were brusquely told that there's no hostess for lunch. When we got there the sign said to grab a menu and seat yourself, so we did. Then we were told we couldn't sit there. Apparently half the seating area was off limits...the quiet part that wasn't cramped seating next to big tables of loud people. So we sat down, and waited and waited and waited. Ten to fifteen minutes later we yelled out "I'd like some bread too!" And sure enough, a couple minutes later we had bread and a while after that we got our drinks. I'm sure it's hard for a single server to cover 24+ people spread amongst 8+ tables, but feeling neglected does not make for a romantic setting. Thankfully, a second person started bringing waters and bread. Unfortunately the bread was no-fat, no-flavor...though it did have plenty of seeds. Oddly enough it was served with a bitter olive oil (not high grade), and a strong/young balsamic vinegar. Not only did the bread not go with either, but the oil didn't go with the vinegar. If only they'd given us a bit of butter maybe it would've had a good taste. We also got a lemonade (fine, not great), and one of their special drinks (Around the World) which had a very interesting flavor but reminded me so much of Kombucha that I wasn't impressed in the end.

Anyway, the setting was why we were there, right? Not the service or the food, apparently. Unfortunately, the setting was outdoors/rustic, plus a white ribbon around the wooden fence. The stream was nice enough, I suppose, but I've seen woods before. This one even had an old wooden chair just randomly sitting out there near the stream/crick. And the constant sound of traffic completely ruined the "nature" vibe. The wobbly chairs and smallish round "patio" tables didn't help...nor the way I had to lean forward so the waiter could pass by me to reach the table next to us.

When the appetizer arrived, things started looking up. We ordered a three beat appetizer and got a beet salad (with two types of beets that I could tell), that had very nicely done golden beets (and beautiful yellow with red swirled edges), overdone red beets, some salad, pecans, a touch of blue cheese, and a bit of salt and olive oil. The golden beets, touch of salt, and salad made things much happier, though the overdone beets were disappointing. The main courses were a steak sandwich and a flatbread with olives and chicken. The sandwich was ordered medium rare, came out well done. The best part of a steak sandwich is biting into a thick steak, with a bit of bread to keep it from getting your fingers messy. This had thinly sliced steak of pretty high quality, with a really thick ciabatta bun and some not-so-helpful toppings (I remember some fresh spinach and a flavorless tomato). Disappointing...I suppose it's my fault for ordering steak at an apparently "new age" restaurant. The sandwich came with uninspired potato salad...potato salad needs something in it other than potatoes...maybe some green onion? Finally, the flatbread was ok, way too salty. The chicken was prepared well, but didn't have that wonderful poultry flavor, and it was all pretty overwhelmed by the olives anyway.
I will not go back.

La Dijonaise

La Dijonaise: This place was recommended to me for good almond croissants. Unfortunately they didn't have any when I stopped by, though I did have a pretty good butter croissant (great crunch, nice flavor, but not enough to chew on inside)...probably my second favorite behind Le Pain du Jour's. I also tried a bearclaw but was not impressed...lacking in flavor and the first bite tasted burnt, which doesn't go well with marzipan.

Munchie Machine

Munchie Machine: Walking through the neighborhood we saw a foodtruck parked on a sidestreet and went to check it out. It wasn't open for business, but a man ran up and said he was just taking it to the Daily Pint. So we stopped by there later and tried the Croque du Munchie and the club, and smores. The croque contained egg, which was good, but really is just overkill...it's already a very heavy sandwich...I prefer something closer to a cuban (yum...pickles). Though it was tasty, the club was better. Avocado goes well on a club sandwich, and the toasted 6 grain bread was great. Still not perfect...too much mayo and it needed some lettuce. The smores were made using flavored marshmallows, which was neat, but they were blowtorched, which means they weren't cooked all the way through. So eh, good, but not really good. I'd cross the street if I were in the mood for a sandwich, but I wouldn't go further out of my way.

Lal Mirch

Lal Mirch: I was in Hollywood / Studio City / Lake Toluca, working on my laptop in a coffee shop. Here are my comments noted as I was eating.

chicken tandoori has great taste...not bright pink, but colored by
spices
Chicken curries are good too, but not special.
Cabbage tastes like curry...tasty. It's all very mild...meaning the entire meal.

The naan is good, though I wish it were whole wheat...roti.

Chai is interesting. Seems very weak without sugar. Adding enough
sugar to make it sweet. I would prefer a standard chai...I can't
taste any cardamom or pepper in this...I'm not sure what it is.

Paneer doesn't go as well with peas...I prefer spinach. But the curry
sauce is great...creamy.

The corn, carrot, potato dish is nicely spiced but not overwhelming.
Very flavorful, though I wish it had more heat.

Seating is good, comfy booths, carpeting, medium lighting. Attentive
waiters. Not even half full. There are a very small number of
parking spaces in back. I'm picking up an open wifi node, but I don't think
it's official.

I wouldn't go back unless I had a craving for Indian food and was in the area. I should get it through my head that LA doesn't have good Indian food and just eat other types of food.

Zabies

Zabies: Sunday brunch was pretty good. Not too crowded, nice service. The breakfast sandwich was unremarkable. The sausage was amazing, though a bit salty. Bacon was crispy, not burnt. My latte was good, lots of foam. The whole wheat pancakes with blueberries were good. The eggs were excellent over their yummy toast. The fresh lemonade wasn't bad. In all, a fine/solid brunch experience.

Cafe Bolivar

Cafe Bolivar: Having read the Yelp reviews, we hunted this place down and had some arepas. Very tasty, best when hot. The corn bread is great and the fillings were all excellent. The chicken and avocado got high marks, as did the mango/cheese/avocado. My cafe con leche was good and strong with nice foam. The limeade was fresh/homemade and absolutely perfect.

Umami burger

Umami Burger: Umami burger was good, though I think I prefer other toppings than soy sauce and mushroom. The meat itself was excellent. Bun was not so good...white flour. The triple pork burger was pretty good, though I hadn't expected it to come as a patty...looked a little strange and I couldn't tell that there were three types of pork since they were all mashed/mixed together. Iced tea was good, though an odd yellow color. Root beer float was great. Tater tots with cheese were excellent. I would go back, but I think I prefer the burgers from Father's Office for their toppings and overall flavor. Here there's more options though. It's just hard to make burgers taste much better...they're already great.