Ivy "monkeys love me, yes they do" K.'s Profile

Congratulations and kudos to Christina & fellow Yelp folk for doing a wonderful job with the first LA West Elite Event of the year!

We walked to The Yard, arrived around 9 and said cheese for our line picture taken by the adorable Kwiri Y. Hazel checked us in and we wandered around the cozy and well-decorated space (I loved the "flower ball" lamps!). It was super crowded and we never found a place to sit but the "Backyard Lemonades" made it all better. Light, sweet, and refreshing! One disconcerting thing to see were many yelpers grabbing drinks without even tipping... I know they're free but c'mon, have some class and throw down at least a buck per drink, the bartenders are working hard!

Food-wise, here's what I had the chance to try:

Pulled pork slider with an onion ring - Amazing. So rich, savory, and perfetly seasoned. I'll come back for these alone!

Oxtail meatball - Fabulous with a unique flavor.

Lettuce wrap - The Talented Mr. Chef CJ offered these to our little group personally. They were perfect. Thanks CJ, you're the Top Chef in my book!

I had a blast playing Hungry Hungry Hippos with some fun yelpers (Mike and his gf and the oh-so-sweet Christopher!). We all agreed Hasbro made the games much more durable back in the day, I had an original HHH game and would pound away on that thing. With the new one, if you did anything more than tap the lever lightly with one finger, it would jam and your hippos neck would jam and you'd have yourself a handicapped hippo, immobile and unable to eat any balls.

Thanks again for a fantastic time, great way to spend a Tuesday night on the westside!

1-hour+ wait in a long-ass line... at 3pm on a Saturday. Who wants a hot dog at 3pm on a Saturday?! Argh.

Once we made it past the proselytizing cross-bearer preaching to victims held captive in line (evil genius on his part), we ordered:

- One BACON CHILI CHEESE DOG (topped w/3 strips of bacon, tomatoes & cheese, onions and mustard)

- One BACON BURRITO DOG (Big flour tortilla wrapped around 2 hot dogs, 2 slices of cheese, 3 slices of bacon, chili & onions)

- One Rosie O'Donnell  LONG ISLAND DOG (10" Stretch Dog, topped with mustard, onions, chili and sauerkraut)

- Two orders of onion rings

Total = $20 and change. We pumped ourselves a few cups of ketchup and water and sat down to stuff our faces. The chili was ultra-oily (it created an inch-deep pool in the foil the bacon burrito dog was wrapped in), the onion rings were fat and crunchy, and the dogs themselves were pretty good, but... not worth the hype, not worth the line, not worth the $.

If you get turned on being a super tourist in LA or are craving a $6 hot dog at 3pm on a Saturday and love lines, you should check out Pink's. If not, look for a bacon-wrapped hot dog cart lady elsewhere.

CASH ONLY & NO ATM (keep this in mind so you don't stand in line for nothing!).

La-la-la-laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

We checked out Hyde last night with our group of 20 (the"grand opening" was Friday night). It's basically an "upscale" sports bar trying desperately to bring the snobbiest "exclusive" LA attitude and feel to Mammoth. This is Mammoth Lakes, not Hollywood. Therefore, FAIL.

PRO'S:
- Fairly large, open space with lots of seating that gets snatched up fast
- Drool-worthy descriptions of food even though we didn't eat any (i.e. Mammoth ale-battered onion rings with bacon ranch for $9... mmmm bacon)

CON'S:
- Tiny, weak, overpriced drinks ($9+tip for a watered-down rum and coke)
- Terrible, terrible DJ who played awful techno-mixes of Katy Perry  (insert Jersey Shore fist pumps here) and trainwrecked between every song
- Poor sound system that kept fuzzing, beeping and screeching out every 5-10 minutes... REALLY annoying
- Lines, lines, lines
- Typical 10:1 male to female ratio, pretty standard in Mammoth
- Their slogan is "High altitude, Hyde attitude"... If you need to advertise it, you're trying way too hard.

I drive to Mammoth for a fun, relaxing, rustic snowboarding getaway to take a break from the "LA attitude," not to stand in line for a fake imitation. Go back to LA, Hyde.

3 words: Turkey & Brie Sandwich.

It arrives on freshly pressed wheat bread with thin, refreshing slices of green apple under slightly melted brie with a thick helping of shaved turkey tucked inside. It came with a little cup of couscous on the side (apparently they change sides on a weekly basis, yum!) and everything was flavorful and DELICIOUS!

I took my coworker here for lunch today (thanks to a $10 off $20 purchase from http://restaurant.com) and we enjoyed the cozy space, friendly service (thanks to the server who refilled my water glass about 10 times - with a smile!), free WiFi and tasty organic food.

Street parking can be a challenge so walk/bike/bus it here if you can. Our total came to just over $14 including 18% tip with the coupon (2 sandwiches, a lemonade and a bag of chips). Seating was limited during lunchtime but we scored a table after circling around the cafe like vultures a few times. I'll definitely be back and am happy to have found this hidden gem within walking distance of my workplace!

After a near-death experience (long story short: the boy sliced his finger open on my bike while attempting to inflate its tires, went into shock at the lifeguard station, had an ambulance AND a fire truck called in response, and finally left with... a bandaid on his finger), we biked to Bagel Nosh to get our fill of carbs. We arrived around noon-ish on a Saturday, it was nearly empty and I guess the breakfast crowds had filtered out by then.

Bagel Nosh is a quaint, clean and relatively comfortable eatery with a big-screen tv in the corner tuned to the game. You pick up your cafeteria tray, pile it with various foodstuffs, pay at the register and take your number to your table if you want to eat in.

I ordered a breakfast plate which was just over $6 (extra few cents to substitute cottage cheese for a fruit cup) and included scrambled eggs, 2 sad strips of turkey bacon (never again will I betray you, beloved pig bacon!), a tiny dish of fruit, a bagel and a little paper cup of cream cheese. I wasn't too impressed with the standard breakfast fare but my husband was happy with his breakfast burrito (under $6). We also ordered a side of hash browns ($2), a small OJ (under $2), and a half-dozen bagels with a small-sized container of chive cream cheese to go.

I had a $10 off a $20 purchase coupon from http://restaurant.com, with the coupon the total came to $16. Their bagels are noteworthy, the perfect consistency with just the right amount of chewy-ness. I'd come back for those alone, otherwise there are better places to eat breakfast in Santa Monica than Bagel Nosh.

If you look up "Dive Bar" in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of The Schooner right next to it.

It's hidden on a small, quiet, almost residential street with plenty of parking. The bar itself is roomy with a jukebox, a couple pool tables, a scattering of squishy booths and a big old tv set up for the purpose of displaying karaoke lyrics every Friday night.

Cheap beer is served in giant goblet-shaped glasses, the bartenders are generally friendly and the crowd aside from our birthday group  looked like a rougher crew of locals (several of them could SING although they looked like more like Susan Boyle than Carrie Underwood).

I gave the birthday girl her gift, played a few games of Photo Hunt (very disappointed they didn't have Sexy Photo Hunt, I much prefer looking for third nipples on an 80s porn star than extra fish in an ocean scene) and called it a night. If you go with a big crew wearing jeans and t-shirts and have fun wherever you go then The Schooner might be a good choice, if you're looking for a place to see and be seen then The Schooner ain't your scene.

What a great little hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant!

I discovered Emporium Thai Cuisine on http://restaurant.com and was excited to try the food on a double date late night. Street parking was relatively easy to find, we only had to loop around the block once before we found a spot.

The cozy restaurant inside is a far cry from its loud, cheesy neon-sign exterior. The space is small and intimate, seats about 45-50 max, enhanced with traditional Thai decor and was very clean and comfy.

I was impressed with the service - our waitress was so smiley, sweet and cheerful. We ordered the following dishes to share family-style:

Tom Yum Kung: We requested this "mild" and HOLY COW was it spicy!! Maybe that was mild to a typical Thai tongue but I drank my entire Thai iced tea in minutes in an attempt to slow the burn. If you like spicy, this mushroom-and-chicken-in-clear-spicy-broth soup is for you! Note: As she was ladling the soup, our sweet smiley waitress was careful to point out and warn us to watch out for each "extra spicy pepper" floating in our bowls. I picked mine out immediately and was appreciative of her watchfulness - thanks for looking out, Thai Mom!

Honey BBQ Ribs: Tender and flavorful, yum!

A beef dish with sticky rice and spicy lime sauce (moog or moon something or other?): I wasn't a huge fan of this dish and wouldn't order it again.

Pad See You: My favorite dish of the night! Sooooooo tasty, a must-try!

The Thai iced tea was well-made and refreshing and beers are only $2.50. After the coupon, tax and tip it came out to ~$14/person (we tipped on top of the added 18% gratuity because of the excellent service). I want to try the curries the next time I come here!

Two of my girlfriends and I live in Santa Monica and didn't even know West 4th & Jane existed until I purchased a http://restaurant.com coupon for it. A parking structure is available right next to the bar for those traveling by car. We were excited to try the burgers and salads having read reviews about the "New York" food and atmosphere..

Our experience was sooooooo disappointing.

The interior was your typical Barney's Beanery, wooden booths-and-flat screen's sports bar. Happy Hour is M-F, 5-8pm, and includes 1/2 off salads, burgers, and wine with $3 beer specials.

We settled into a booth near the back and ordered:

- Riesling, $4 (1/2 off its usual $8)

- Asian Pear Pecan Salad, $6: Small, light and refreshing.

- 2 Jane's Bistro Cheeseburgers, $14 each (we opted not to have it 1/2 off so we could use our coupon): The bun was gigantic and ROCK HARD. Crunchy and thick, my girlfriend couldn't eat it and I stubbornly gnawed my way through as the bun fell apart and crumbled everywhere. I was so overwhelmed by the awful bun that I almost didn't even taste the burger. They were out of goat cheese and my patty came smeared with a little blue cheese which was a total letdown. Do NOT order a burger here if you are a burger-lover, you'll just have your heart broken.

We ordered the burgers with sweet potato fries that came with spicy ketchup. I nibbled on these the whole night to keep from starving.

- Grilled Farmer's Market Veggies, $10: AVOID AVOID AVOID!!! The presentation was nice and colorful but the veggies were dry and terrible (especially the asparagus which arrived limp and burned, obviously olive-oil free - a brush of which may have saved them). In order to try and "hide" the sad, wrinkled veggies, whoever made them drowned them in a sea of balsamic reduction which also rendered them inedible.

After the $25-off-a-$35-food tab + 18% gratuity and tax, we ended up paying $10 each. A good price for bad food. 2 stars instead of 1 because of our sweet, friendly, flexible waitress and the sweet potato fries.

Sad to say we won't be back. There are too many other pubs and restaurants with better food in the Santa Monica area, go elsewhere and avoid West 4th & Jane.

I hopped on, rode the friendly skies in the big, smooth plane, and lost my Virgin America virginity over the holidays. After several rides, I don't want to go back to any other airline ever again.

First impression: Am I in a club... or a plane??

Leg room, touch screen ordering, leg room, create-your-own playlists with an extensive and diverse music selection, tons of movies, leg room, tv on demand, leg room, video games, leg room, free WiFi during the holidays, leg room, surprisingly delicious food, and did I mention leg room?

Virgin had the cheapest xmas flight from LA to Boston of all the airlines we researched. We paid $550/round-trip ticket with a layover in SFO. Pricey since Virgin America often has $99-one-way-from-LAX-to-BOS specials but we had to pay the holiday premium.

Food-wise, I indulged in a flat iron steak sandwich ($9) that came with a delicious horseradish sauce that had a tasty, spicy kick and a "picnic box" ($6) that came with little packages of salami, spreadable cheese, crackers, apple crisps and gummi bears. I wouldn't get the picnic box again but I'd eat a dozen flat iron steak sandwiches if I could!

Flight-wise, there was minimal turbulence and we arrived 20-30 minutes early every time. We loaded ourselves up with carry on's to avoid the $20/bag check fee. I'd advise to do the same if possible.

That being said, once you go Virgin, you'll be hurtin' if you fly anyone else...

The best you can expect for a "Chinese food" joint in Western Mass (that also happens to have a sushi menu).

During my trip out East to visit the hubby's family for the holidays, I unintentionally ate here twice - once when his father ordered take-out and once when his mother took us there for a Christmas eve dinner.

The take-out food was a greasy mess that gave me an MSG headache and made me hungry 30 minutes after eating it.

General Tso's Chicken & Orange Chicken: I couldn't tell the difference between them, there was so much sugary sauce and over-battering. I'd say the pieces were 10% chicken, 90% batter.

Crab Rangoon: 10% imitation crab, 90% batter and cream cheese. Served with an odd, super sweet and syrupy orange sauce. I secretly liked these if only for the incredible combination of fattiness.

Moo Shu Pork: Served with pancakes and hoisin sauce, colorless and bland.

Pork Fried Rice: Ultra-greasy but edible.

On Christmas Eve, we ate in the restaurant and I was amused to see that everyone who worked there is actually Asian. Of all the people actually eating in the restaurant, I was the only Asian. Then again, I was also the only Asian in the church we attended earlier so I guess it wasn't that much of a surprise... we're not in LA anymore Toto, this is western Mass.

I ordered sushi when eating dinner with the hubby's Mom, it was pretty basic and only one piece was chewy. The spicy salmon and tuna rolls were decent and the sushi chefs were generous when I requested two extra cups of eel sauce. My husband enjoyed his roll, his brother liked the sushi dish he ordered and my mother-in-law seemed happy with her shrimp dish. We finished everything and if I ate here again, it'd be for the sushi and not the "Chinese" dishes.