Relaxing Fun Dinner on a Friday & Saturday night? (Glendale: fit in, renting)

[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!

[LASam]

They just opened up a brand new outdoor mall in downtown Glendale called "Americana at Brand." I haven't been there yet, but it's supposed to be very impressive. I would think that would be a good place to go for a meal on Friday.

Sunset Strip will definately be hopping on Saturday, but parking is $$$ and the places there are usually very crowded. Westwood Village is sort of hit or miss these days... may be kinda dead. Don't know much about Studio City. Hollywood Blvd around Cahuenga will be very lively. Are you looking for a restaurant for Saturday night, or a bar/club?

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

The restaurant for Saturday can be a cool restaurant and bar or we could go to the restaurant and wander down to a cool bar. It would be nice to park somewhere and meander around. I haven't been to Hollywood in about 6 or 7 years so I'm a little rusty to what is where and how to get around.

Thanks!

[BRinSM]

There is a restaurant called Puran's, which has two locations, one on La Brea near Melrose and another in Los Feliz on Hillhurst. The food is very good and reasonably priced as far as LA goes. We didn't get charged a corkage the last time I was there either! You can check their website here Puran's Restaurant presents "Cuisine Naturalle", a complete approach to healthy eating that gives new meaning to the concept of a wel-balanced meal. We use no animal fat. I have created health conscious menu items that are naturally low in calories, If you decide on the Los Feliz location, it is very close to Hollywood as well as Glendale. It is also located in the Los Feliz Village, which is a nice area to walk around and includes a number of bars to walk to, including the last remaining Derby. Otherwise, there's a number of places on Hollywood Blvd, especially in and around the Hollywood & Highland complex. That area is much more touristy, which you may or may not be interested in. For some reason, whenever my family comes to town for a show at the Pantages, we always end up at the California Pizza Kitchen. There's obviously a lot to see and do in that area, so it may be worth the trip if you don't already have it in your schedule.

[katenik]

there's a fun japanese shabu shabu house called koji at hollywood&highland. if that isn't to your liking, there's also the hollywood grill, which serves classic american fare in a nice atmosphere. both restaurants are very crowded on the weekends, so be sure to make a reservation. after dinner, you can leave your car on the property (the first three or four hours are free or very cheap -- $2-3--with validation), and explore the "new hollywood." it will be very safe, as there will be loads of tourists (and some locals) and visible police presence. there was a fire at basque earlier this week, so that won't be open, but eva longoria recently opened a restaurant called "beso" that will be a hot-spot until the novelty wears off. of course, that's an option for dinner as well, assuming you can get a reservation. you'll have a greater chance of spotting celebs there than at the hollywood&highland eateries, which are both pretty pedestrian, but that isn't something one can count on. it happens very randomly and in unexpected places, like the carwash.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

Do you know what, I meant Burbank and not Glendale! So sorry, I got my towns mixed up. If we get into Leno on Friday night we'd be looking somewhere in that area.

Thanks for all the great ideas so far!

[the one]

i was gunna rec that americana at brand in glendale. a girlfriend of mine wants to check it out, but i dont. i see no point in driving to glendale for a "grove' on steroids (tho i have a feeling ima get suckered into it). not too sure about nightlife there. for locals it will be exciting i suppose but i dont know if this will be the next celeb hang out.

what about universal city walk? only been once or twice in my life (again, whats the point of going to a manufactured/synthetic place?), but they have dance clubs that are pretty popular. plenty of restaurants and stores.

if you dont care about celebs, then i would suggest downtown. or hollywood (but not the sunset strip). try the eastern part of hollywood and the silver lake area. but it depends on the kind of night you want to have. you can find many places like the blu monkey in hollywood, which are fun dance places to hang out, but still pretty laid back, or you can find dive bars that play nothing but juke box music (4100). this will keep you away from the fake hollywood mess. but if thats what you want go to the strip.

there are many other places including old town pasadena, which has a lot of restaurants and night spots. but it depends on what kind of vibe you are looking for. i have never partied in westwood so i cant speak on it, but for dining, there are tons!!!! of spots through out the city. what kind of food? any moe info would allow us to be more helpful. are you adventourous in your meals? are you renting a car? do youonly want to stay in the hollywood area or is long beach an option? let us know

[BRinSM]

Seeing that it will be you and your 23 y/o daughter, Old Town Pasadena would certainly be another good option. More restaurants than you can shake a stick at, plus lots of places for a dessert or drink after dinner as well.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

Thanks for all the ideas! I think we might want to stay in the West Hollywood and Sunset Strip area for Saturday night now. CityWalk... not so much... we're from Orlando! lol... been there and done that a bazillion times.

Anyone who has any specific restaurants to recommend in these areas would be great!

[katenik]

Originally Posted by BeenAroundTheBlock

Thanks for all the ideas! I think we might want to stay in the West Hollywood and Sunset Strip area for Saturday night now. CityWalk... not so much... we're from Orlando! lol... been there and done that a bazillion times.

Anyone who has any specific restaurants to recommend in these areas would be great!

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.