Michael D.'s Profile

You can only expect so much from a restaurant built on the remains of an ancient Indian burial ground.  OK, I'm only guessing about the burial stuff, but given the turnover at this location, it's a nice explanation.  I know I've been to at least four or five reincarnations here.  They haven't changed the decor from the previous restaurant, except to add a few photos of mosques to the wall.  It's nice decor, so no reason to change it anyway.

This place is halal [why doesn't Yelp have a category for that?], so all my favorite Chinese dishes aren't going to be served here because they don't do pork. I didn't know this going in, though I still would have tried the place.

The cheapest lunch special with tax and tip will put you in just over $10.  That includes soup, egg roll, rice, and a healthy serving of whatever you ordered.  You also get the option of brown rice at no additional charge, which I appreciate.  All-in-all, not a bad deal.

My issue is just that the dishes aren't that tasty.  The hot and sour soup was neither hot (spicy) or sour.  I long for a place with good hot and sour, but haven't found one nearby.  My main dish was more of the same. I could see that they used good quality ingredients, but nothing really grabbed the attention of my taste buds.  Next time I'll be sure to either order something Thai or something labeled as spicy.

My final comment is on the staff.  They were all pleasant and helpful.  Of course, this is probably the only over-staffed place around these days, so it makes it easier.

Happy to have a new Thai place in the neighborhood, we tried this out today. I'll be sure to update my review as I get a chance to explore more of their menu.

First, their drinks.  We ordered one each of the Thai iced coffee and tea. The tea was not overly sweet, which for me is a plus. The coffee had some serious viscosity, and didn't lighten much by mixing the milk, but that's OK by me. But be warned, because if you get jittery from coffee, this'll do it.

We were both pleased with the dishes we ordered, the Som Tum papaya salad and the Pad Thai. Her salad was quite spicy, and it had a nice presentation inside a large cabbage leaf.  I've been avoiding Pad Thai for a while after a string of bad examples, but this one was worth it. Not the best I've ever had, but certainly one of the better ones.

The staff was helpful and friendly, and the decor is simple yet elegant. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

When in Mammoth, I tend to alternate breakfast between here and bagels. They can add egg to any crepe, putting a little extra protein in there.  The batter they use for their savory crepes is good stuff, sturdy yet light.  Their coffee is also some of the better stuff around.  You should pull out of here under $10.

The only real ding against them is that they use canned mushrooms.  I've still got a place in my heart for the rubbery stuff of teenage pizzas, but my companion ended up picking many of hers out.

For cheap food in Mammoth, this is the best place. The ingredients are fresh, and since you are making the selections yourself, you have only yourself to blame if you don't like what you get.  If there is a down side, it's that I'm usually in the mood for something heavier for dinner and on the slopes for lunch when I would appreciate this place more.

I had the best steak sandwich ever here.  The funny thing was that when I asked the waitress for it, she didn't even realized it was on the menu since it hadn't been ordered in quite a while.  No matter, it was awesome. The beef was excellent, swimming in cheese and mushrooms. The bread was wonderfully crisp.

My only complaint is that it was too much food.  If I knew what I was in for, I wouldn't have had such a large breakfast in the morning.  I just couldn't even think about finishing my fries, though they were fairly tasty.

My companion has a vegetable sandwich that she enjoyed. The bread was crispy and the servings huge.

Now we just have to plan for stopping here in the future.  Unfortunately, they close at 2 p.m., so it's only an option on the way back from Mammoth in most cases.

We ended up here because of someone's search for tai-yaki. I was intrigued by trying another tako-yaki in hopes that I'll find a good one in L.A.  I'm still searching.

The staff was friendly and helpful.  I had a few questions, and after finding out the kimchi has shellfish in it, opted for regular tako-yaki. It was too big, sadly, and ended up tasting too much of dough. To their credit, there are chunks of octopus in the balls (which I'd really thought basic but have been proven wrong on before). They, unfortunately, stick green onions in there.  Several hours later, that's what I'm tasting. Yuck.

My friends were disappointed with the tai-yaki as well.  It was a little too sweet and the consistency a little too runny.  Our best guess was that they are cutting it with something and ruining the bean paste.

Their drinks were OK.  A little too sweet for my taste, but the is apparently where their market is.

Overall a let down.  If I'm ever in the neighborhood, I probably could be persuaded to try their okonomiyaki, but not holding out for anything there.

I have little call to eat downtown, but a trip to the Opera landed us as Ciudad for dinner on tapas night (Sunday).  Oh yeah, and there are those sweet coupons from Whole Foods that made it even more affordable.

We didn't know it was going to be tapas when I called the make the reservation, but we lived off tapas while in Spain.  My fear, though, was the cost, since L.A.'s idea of tapas tends to include a hefty price tag, at least at the places I've seen.

Ciudad ended up being fairly affordable for what we were getting, with the more expensive plates topping out around $10.  For two people it seemed pretty reasonable for a nice place downtown.

The biggest star was the Wild Mushroom Empanada.  In fact, I ordered two of them by the end of the meal.  The flavor of the mushrooms combined with a nice flaky pastry with no unwanted ingredients (onions) was heightened by the excellent sauces accompanying it.

The fritters we had were good, but nothing to rave about.  We had one order each of the goat cheese and salt cod.  My wife was pleased with the ceviche, drinking the sauce from the cup when she was finished. The Tri Tip Picanha could have been a little saltier, but was still quality meat.  Then there was the excellent Duck Fat Papas Bravas.  These melted in your mouth, with an excellent texture and a tasty cheese on top.

The only real disappointment of the night for me was the churros.  They were a little doughy inside still, drawing from the nice crispy exterior and chocolate dusting.  Not quite the desert I was hoping for.

Overall a good experience, with a nice night-time view of downtown L.A.  Of course, walking back to our parking near the Opera was a bit lonely, but that's probably typical for downtown L.A. on a Sunday night.

The best thing Cafe 50s has going for them is their pajama night.  It's what got me to be a regular customer a few years back, but when I was no longer in the area regularly, I stopped going entirely.  We stopped in last night to check in on the place.

My old standby for pajama night was an omelet.  They do a pretty good job, but then how do you really mess that up.  Last night I tried their fried chicken.  It was the best part of my meal, with a good crisp skin and not dry inside.  It did, however, have some dough parts; and I wouldn't exactly describe the meat as succulent.  The mash potatoes and gravy were decent, but the steamed vegetables were truly disappointing.  They really drained the life out of those vegetables, and I could relate to the spoiled children everywhere who complain about having to eat such fare.  Then there was the biscuits ... ugh.  I could only take a few bites, they were so dry and bland.  No amount of butter or dipping could have helped them out.

They do have sweet potato fries, and that's something my wife or I will order every time.  They aren't stellar, but then again, it's hard to mess up sweet potato fries.  Their hamburgers are really just passable, but are really what you'd expect for a run-of-the-mill diner.

Their draw is their shakes, and when you don't have one with your meal it really draws out how uninteresting some of their food can be.  I always have to be careful with which shake I order, as they can get sickly sweet very quickly if you order the wrong one.

A lot of attention went into the decor, but that's not enough for me.  The staff here is always pleasant and attentive.  I've had nice conversations with the chefs while sitting at the counter.  Upon reflection, though, I doubt I'll ever eat there again.  There are too many great restaurants within a block of there to bother with it.

In my quest to try food from everywhere, I'd already eaten food in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  We'd stopped for lunch in the town of Neum back in 2007.  But that's not exactly Sarajevo, and this sounded like a good place to hit up anyway.  We weren't disappointed.

The place isn't huge, but they can accommodate six to eight people at several of their tables. They also double as a market for those nostalgic for the goodies of their homeland.  I remembered Kras chocolates and the other items from the former Yugoslavia.

I had the sarma in sour cabbage. This dish was excellent, with a nice fat dollop of sour cream in the middle.  They also brought out an excellent warm bread which was great for soaking up the broth the sarma was served in.  I had no trouble cleaning my plate.

My wife ordered the Bosanski Lonac, or Bosnian stew.  It came out in a terracotta pot which helped keep it warm throughout the meal. She loved it; a hearty mix of beef with vegetables.  Definitely something she'd order again, as we're sure we'll try to come back here at some point.

Both dishes were under $15, the typical price range for all there larger dinner selections.  I was initially worried when they only brought out four cabbage wraps for me, but it ended up being quite filling.

The only people there that evening who weren't speaking a Slavic language were my wife and I.  One table was occupied by three older men playing cards, one of whom I suspected was the owner as the younger people working there seemed to treat him that way.  The waitress, though easy on the eyes, wasn't the kind to pamper your every need and actually seemed in a bit of hurry when she took our order.  It didn't bother me too much, but might if you had a lot of questions to ask.

My main warning is about smoking.  Health regulations may limit smoking near entrances, but that's not going to be enforced here.  If you don't like smoke, sit inside and away from the door.

They are closed on Wednesdays.

I'm not too surprised to see so few reviews for this place.  I missed its existence for a long time, since it's closed in the evenings.  It's a nice place, though, and the couple running it are quite friendly.

I first stopped in after getting off the bus back from a doctor appointment.  I stopped in for a pastry and ended up leaving with an eclair that was quite excellent.  The cream inside wasn't overly sweet, and I liked the hard dark chocolate on top.

I then returned on a weekend for lunch. They have a strong selection to choose from, and we enjoyed the dishes they served up. Nothing to knock you off your feet, but a great deal for the prices, which are generally well under $10.

I stopped by again this morning on the way back from yet another appointment.  This time I got an apple turnover.  Another excellent choice (they'd run out of eclairs) with just the right amount of sweetness to the filling.  The pastry was flaky but not so crumbly that I couldn't eat it while walking.

Great Culver City shop which I hope stays around for a while.

They are closed on Sundays.