Denis S.'s Profile

Delta Airlines is the worst.  When things break, they don't fix them.  On both of my flights the headphone jacks didn't work and on one of the routes the tv was broken.  One trip didn't have any water in half the plane.  The other was delayed because some antenna was broken and after fiddling around with it they decided to take off without fixing it (yeah, I felt really safe).

I'm also going to review their burger (I had no idea they served burgers on planes).  the burger was actually ok.  On the ground, it would have been horrible.  It was dry, it was boring, it was just a lousy burger.  But since we were having it 40,000 feet in the air, and since airplane food is already pretty bad, it was ok.

Maybe it's because I was at the tale-end of a weekend in Vegas, but this was not the best way to cap off the trip.  It has "Steak & Egg" in the title, I so of course I got steak and eggs (specifically, the bacon wrapped tenderloin steak).  The bacon was very fatty, the steak was dry.  It came with an open-faced omelet which had way too much mustard on it (why put mustard on an omelet anyway?).  

We also got the pot of bread, which was a gimmicky idea, but not really that special in the end.

The service was very nice and friendly (which is why I'm giving this place a 3 rather than a 2), but I wouldn't come back.

The beauty of buca is that it's exactly the same wherever you go. Same photos on the wall, same layout, same menu and (most importantly) same huge portions.

I was there with one other person, we shared the cheesy garlic bread and gnocchi. Both were very juicy and pretty good, but nothing special. Quantity wise it was more than enough to fill us up, and we were hungry.

I have to say, I love Chipotle. It's an amazing restaurant and I never saw myself giving a Chipotle only two stars.  But for some reason, this location, just kept making mistake after mistake.  

We got a burrito, 3 tacos and chips with guac to-go.  They flattened the burrito so much that it looks more like a hamburger.  The squished the tacos so that they got all over each other and were impossible to eat.  The chips, which are usually fresh and come with a touch of lime, were stale.  

What happened?

I don't understand why this restaurant only averages 3 1/2 stars.  Yes, it is expensive, but so are a bunch of other restaurants in LA that aren't nearly as good.  The service is great, the vibe is very cool, and the people are very friendly.

But let's be honest, we're here for the food, and man do they have great food.  I've been here twice now and have tried a lot of what they offer.  Literally everything, without exception, has been absolutely delicious.  The chicken was succulent, the pizzas had the most amazing crust (I think this is my favorite pizza in LA and it's not even a pizza place), the... I can't remember everything I got, but it was all good.  

If I had to complaint about something it would be about the drinks which are way overpriced and are hit-and-miss.

I had some time in my hands and decided to go a big before leaving Atlanta.

The Capital Grill is very old school. You can picture men sitting here a hundred years ago, smoking cigars, drinking scotch and talking about railroads and oil. You can't smoke anymore and since it was lunch my scotch was a water, but the feeling was there.

I got their new "plates" lunch special, which gives you a soup or salad, sandwich or burger and side for an incredibly low price (for a place surrounded by redwood panelling).

I got the New England clam chowder, burger and truffle fries. The chowder was pretty good, but not great and tasted a but bland. The burger was a bit dry, but came with a runny egg, which somewhat made up for it. The best part was the bun, which stayed strong and fluffy even though it was combatting a runny egg.

The show stealer were the fries, which came with a mound of truffle shavings and were cooked to perfection.  A very close second was the service.  The waiter went way out of his way to be friendly, helpful and welcoming.  Afterward, he gave me his business card, which I'd never seen from a waiter, but I thought was pretty cool.

I've been coming here for years and it's never disappointed.  Quality food without breaking the bank.  This time I got the Jumbo Ravioli, and for the first time ever I couldn't finish a plate of ravioli.  Don't get me wrong, it was delicious, but when they say "jumbo" they mean it.  

I also tried the gnocchi and and the "fritto misto" appetizer, which is just a hodge-podge of fried delicacies.

This bar is hard to define.  On paper its a bit hoity toity because of the specialty drinks, the clothes of the bartenders and waiters, and the prices.  But the crowd is pretty diverse and very friendly.  They really do a good job of serving unique drinks and having their own style, without feeling too stuffy.

Try the Thug, it's great!

Very cool museum/sake tasting area.  You can see how Sake is made, how it was made in the past, and then try out more types of Sake than I knew existed.  

The woman who works here was very knowledgeable and helpful.  Plus, they have a bunch of very affordable bottles you can buy afterward (in case you haven't had enough).

I know everyone always talks about how much they love umami burger, but I just can't hop on the bandwagon.  It's good, but just doesn't live up to the hype.  The bun is too big and gets soggy too quickly.  The patty is juicy, but sometimes too juicy and ends up feeling like a mess (not to mention destroying the bun).  The toppings are pretty boring.  

Don't get me wrong, it's still a good burger, just not worth the hype or the price tag.