Relaxing Fun Dinner on a Friday & Saturday night?

[CESpeed]

If you want celebrity sightings, go to the Ivy - 113 N Robertson Blvd. That's where Lindsay Lohan and Co hang out. Warning: It's very expensive at least $50 per person.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

Originally Posted by katenik

the sunset strip is mostly bars and clubs, and although many serve food, that isn't their primary focus. hence, you'll find a lot of overpriced, mediocre food in those establishments. sunset plaza has several casual dining restaurants that are great for LA beautiful-people-watching, but none of them have particularly good food. the better restaurants in town are more spread out, from santa monica to beverly hills to west hollywood, but not on the strip, per se. if food matters to you, i suggest you pick up a zagat guide for LA, and select a restaurant according to rating (it's pretty spot-on.) and the type of cuisine you like. afterward, you can go to the strip to hang out and have drinks. if you are intent on eating on the strip, try asia de cuba or norman's. i haven't been to either in a few years, but i remember them favorably.

allow me to offer this caveat: as the parent of a 23-year-old, you probably won't fit in in a lot of the sunset strip night-spots, unless you look 30 and dress like you are your daughter's age, or are at least a recognizable minor celebrity. i mean no offense, but these are very image and youth conscious establishments, and they will turn you away at the door if you don't fit the mold. all of the vapid, materialistic, wannabe actor/model LA stereotypes are concentrated in this area, so if that kind of attitude turns you off, have dinner at the the lobster (great food!) on the santa monica boardwalk, and skip the west hollywood scene. if she chooses, your daughter can experience that with her new friends when she moves here, but i would never subject someone 40+ to that nonsense.

Thanks Kate... wasn't aware that Sunset was mostly bars and clubs... that isn't what we are looking for. You're right, she'll do that on her own when she is there. She'll fit the bill but even though I'm a pretty good lookin mom, I wouldn't subject us to that. lol

Thanks for all the great tips so far! Any restaurants beside Getty (closes at 9:00 pm) that offer a nice view?

[katenik]

as strange as it sounds, good restaurants with city views are hard to come by here. those with the best views tend to survive on their appeal as real estate, rather than on what comes out of the kitchen. places like yamashiro in the hollywood hills and castaway in burbank have been around forever, but locals know that you only go for the view, not the food. ditto for beachfront restaurants. (the aforementioned the lobster is a notable exception.) i can steer you toward some really great dining in LA, but not if it has to come with a view.

what kind of food do you like?

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

American, Italian, steak, seafood. Not too much into sushi but my daughter is... LOL

[calipoppy]

If you want a restaurant with a great view I would recommend The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica on 2nd Street. Walking distance to Third Street Promenade and the Pier/Santa Monica Beach

[katenik]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

American, Italian, steak, seafood. Not too much into sushi but my daughter is... LOL

funny you should mention sushi. my favorite restaurant is a sushi bar that i never miss a chance to promote. it would be called a hole-in-the-wall if it were located anywhere but brentwood, where the walls have no holes. it's called takao, and although it isn't as well-known to the general public as matsuhisa, the food is similarly prepared and just as good, without the attitude or high(er) prices. (it's also popular with celebs seeking a low-key atmosphere. i've seen gwyneth paltrow and her mom, jim belushi, and the olsen twins and other lesser-known celebs there on separate occasions, and not a single papparazzo, ever!)

for seafood, i like the lobster at the santa monica pier (third mention; i'll quit now). this is my top choice for those who feel they must have seafood near the water, but if you're in it for the food, alone, then water grill is the place. it's located downtown.

you really can't go wrong with joachim spilchal's patina or cafe pinot, both located downtown. (patina is located at the walt disney concert hall. cafe pinot is on the street level of the library tower.) i don't know how to categorize the food (maybe "cal-french," if you backed me into a corner), but both restaurants are very good. cafe pinot is the more casual of the two. another spichal restaurant is eat, located on sunset in hollywood. i haven't been there, and the location is kind of "eh," so i hesitate to recommend it to a visitor, but i'm sure it isn't bad.

for steak, although it's a chain, i love ruth's chris. (there's one in beverly hills.) nick and stef's (also a joachim spichal spot, located in the wells fargo center downtown) is quite good, too. i had a wonderful porterhouse at arnie mortons a few years ago, but there's a renovation in progress at the hotel next door right now, so i'm not sure that would be a good recommendation. i've also heard very good things about jar on beverly blvd, but i haven't tried it.

italian: i don't like heavy, southern italian cooking, so if that's the kind of italian food you want, i have no recommendation. for mediterranean/tuscan-style, i used to like campinile on la brea, but honestly, i haven't been there in at least ten years. italian isn't usually my first choice.

finally, although he's almost an LA cliche, wolfgang puck's restaurants can still be relied upon to provide a really great dining experience, and it's almost shameful to come here and not try one. i like chinois in santa monica, but spago is solid, too.

p.s.

off the beaten path, on mission near fair oaks in south pasadena, is a hidden gem called shiro. i go for the catfish. if you haven't found a place to eat in burbank, it's worth the drive.

[katenik]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

If you want a restaurant with a great view I would recommend The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica on 2nd Street. Walking distance to Third Street Promenade and the Pier/Santa Monica Beach

i remember when there used to be a mexican restaurant in that hotel many years ago. yes, the view is fabulous.

[greggd]

Originally Posted by calipoppy

If you want a restaurant with a great view I would recommend The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica on 2nd Street. Walking distance to Third Street Promenade and the Pier/Santa Monica Beach

Good restaurant, but sooo loud for dinner. I go for drinks now only.

[greggd]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

I'm visiting LA 5/23 - 5/26 with my 23 yr old daughter. We are looking at a school in Hollywood and housing in the surrounding areas over the weekend. We're hoping to get tickets for Leno on Friday (still waiting) so we're looking for a restaurant in the Glendale area for Friday and something fun for Saturday evening.

Is Westwood Village a fun place for Saturday night? What about somewhere on the Sunset Strip? Studio City? We're looking for something nice, not fine dining but somewhere in the middle. Throw in some celebrity sightings for my daughter, and we'd have something to talk about.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Its very difficult to recommend a restaurant where you will see a celebrity.

All I could say is I have seen several over the years at the Ivy in Santa Monica and few smaller restaurants in Malibu generally on weeknights.

Closer to the sunset strip is "Koi restaurant" In beverly hills.. Mr. Chow.
There are some fun restaurants along the strip. You may want to walk around and check those out.

Don't waste your time at Campinile on La Brea. It would be boring & stuffy for your daughter and irritating to you when you receive the bill.

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

American, Italian, steak, seafood. Not too much into sushi but my daughter is... LOL

A really good place in Glendale you should try is carousel restaraunt. They have some of the best lebanese/middle eastern food in Los Angeles and on Friday and Saturday nights there is dancing, a live band and a belly dance show by a professional belly dance group. You will absolutely love it.