Elizabeth K.'s Profile

one of my favorite things to do is to come here with friends after work, order a punch bowl (or two or three) and a few dishes to nibble on. the food is good but i come here for the punch bowl so i just need my kettle corn and my friends can order off the menu. the ambiance is loud, the lighting dim, and the ceilings high which makes for a fun place to catch up with friends or make new ones at the communal table. it doesnt seem like i'm at a douchey bar but more like a backyard bbq with lots of booze. the staff is great at their job too, and appreciates it if you ask them to join you for a drink.

i finally made it here! the line went out the door but moved pretty quickly. ordered the pork banh mi and pulled pork sandwich, then traded halves with friend.

try to get a seat outdoors, share a table with a stranger if you have to- eating this glorious sandwich under the warm sun + the slight marina del rey breeze flowing through made my lunch even more enjoyable.

Since March, I've done about four events with Ambiance this year. The events ranged from 500-1200 people in attendance and 5,000-20,000 sq feet in size of venue. I keep coming back to them because they're professional, easy to work with and very flexible with the budgets I work with. Their service has been invaluable to me, looking forward to our future events together.

the restaurant itself is a narrow space of probably about 1,000 sq ft, but with a black tiled walls, a chalkboard menu and candle lit tables, the Bowery has that wonderful Lower East Side feel to it. it's a beautiful restaurant.

good beer selection, but none are on tap.

what you really come here is for the burgers. an 8oz piece of meat on a english muffin as a bun? yum. choice of toppings, i got fried egg on mines. with red onion confit and, of course, bacon. grunt.

this may be my new favorite restaurant in LA. i'm not just saying this cuz im soooo into gastropubs these days. but this place has amayjing food.

the highlight of the meal was the escabeche duck breast that was juicy and delish. it was topped on a bed of some kind of bean salad with a mustard vinaigrette that gave the overall bite a wonderful tangy taste.

i forget what else we ordered, but it was all very good. im running out of adjectives here.

and what's great about this place is that family style is not only acceptable here but recommended.

rice pudding to finish, please.

five koreans. hungry and drunk on a sunday afternoon, wandering about the streets of downtown, trying to find something to eat.

grubbing on the classic doner with a pitcher of sangria to wash it down hit the spot. and thanks to that awesome game of credit card roulette, i got my meal for free so each bite was that much sweeter.

dont forget to get the $1 pita chips + hummus.

it was perfect for a monday night dinner with the girls.
good atmosphere. hanging lights, tile and bricks, mix matched beechwood chairs.
the food was good enough. small portions but rich in flavor.
good selection of booze.
great service.
also, a few celeb sightings.

we had a show to catch at the dorothy chandler. swerved through downtown traffic under rainy conditions to get perfect parking right in front of the restaurant and be seated by 5:45, right before the 6 o clock rush came. sipped on a perfectly mixed mojito and ordered 2 entrees while i waited for my date to arrive (we decided on what to eat earlier in the day to save time). 10 minutes later, she arrived and so did our food. we were able to eat, engage in good conversation and leave just in time to maneuver through downtown traffic once again to get to the pavilion and watch our show.

service was quick and impeccable once again. food was good. we ordered the trenne, which was pasta with braised short ribs. not too rich, which i liked. i also ordered the burrata pizza because im obsessed with that cheese right now. this one was a mistake because although the cheese was so fresh and gooey and so good, the veggies on the pizza were so bitter. yuck. but man, their pizza crust is to die for.

so everythign is good except the burrata pizza. the end.

chill atmosphere. it's kinda bright in there so it's more of a place to chill with friends, not bring a date.

bomb fries with truffle oil. good salad (why i ordered a salad at a bar? i have no idear). i want to try more food from this place.

it's right next to the henry fonda music box so good location but hard to find parking.

the kobe is A+. Five stars.
the kimchi fried rice was amayjing as well. good food.

the service, not so much. i guess they're all about cleanliness and such but they kept wanting to clear our plates whenever we put our chopsticks down. how dare they ask if we're going to finish our last piece of grilled onion? we may eat it, we may not, stop trying to hurry us out of there! they really need to clam the fuck down and wait for us to ask for the check.

in conclusion, that is why i am only giving them 3 stars out of 5.
oh, and also bcuz of the fact that they charge for kimchi. i'm korean, and that is unacceptable.