Vera "rmagick" A.'s Profile

When Ford's first opened (they were one of the first "high end" restaurants in my neighborhood, I was luke warm on them.  But in the last few months I've been to Ford's four times and every meal has been exceptional.  I love good soups and they always have something interesting on the menu.  The steak is always cooked exactly as I like it (medium rare), and the service is almost spot on (not too in your face, but not constantly trying to catch their attention).

The food is amazing at Gjelina - and what they can do to vegetables!  It can be a bit noisy and the service a bit slow, so be prepared to take your time and wait a bit. However, the food is definitely worth the wait!

This has at times been a great park - but it also attracts some lazy types who are quite content to watch dogs romp around piles of stinky poo. Clearly they have no clue that they put their own dog at risk - or maybe they don't care - if they encourage a culture of filth at the dog park. Dogs walk through poo and put their feet in the fountain - great way to spread giardia.

I think I know now why Santa Monica has a requirement you live in the city to use the park. Since weekends are the most disgusting time at the boneyard I suspect it's the one-day-a-weekers from outside the neighborhood who are most likely to not care about the condition of the park.  Those of us who like to go almost every day tend to be a little more conscientious.

The last two Saturdays I have cleaned up at least six piles of poop as soon as I arrived - then watched at least two dogs poop and no owner step up - so cleaned those too.  I'd rather do it myself than have my dog's face in it five minutes later.

Our dogs did get giardia once here so since then I've been willing to clean up after the pigs and I always bring my own water - don't let your dogs drink from the fountains as they clog with poop encrusted dirt.

Note to dog owners: you can't see your dog has pooped if your face is buried in your smart phone/kindle!

We have seen still- lactating pit bulls with teets dragging in the dirt in the big dog area and my friend saw pit bulls being bred in the parking lot. We go to the small dog park and only use big dog side if we see balanced dogs under the control of their owners. There are some very dangerous dogs at times in the big dog park - many with owners who are clueless.

Another issue is dust - the dirt needs a wet-down occasionally as you sometimes feel like you're in a dust storm.

It's a shame that over time this park has deteriorated.

Finally had to do something about what appeared to be bronchitis, but it was after hours. I was exhausted from coughing for days.  I went to Playa Vista after reading the reviews here on Yelp.  I was not disappointed.  Highly professional office (frankly, the front desk is more professional than at my regular Cedars Sinai doc'),  great intake nurse, and one of those doctors you just feel immediately comfortable talking with.  I simply walked in (no appointment) and waited barely 15 minutes - they did all the basics (bp, weight, temperature), then I waited in an exam room for maybe 5 more minutes for the doctor. This is about half the time I wait when I have an appointment with my primary physician.

Today I'm already feeling relief because of their help.

If you are not in need of an emergency room, but can't deal with your regular doctor office's inevitable "She can see you Tuesday or Wednesday," I highly recommend this option.

Re-reviewing today 1/12/12 because unfortunately the experience here has deteriorated. After spending mega bucks here every month on special orders, they just stopped bothering to make sure we get our special order. It has become a real pain because no one else in the area carries it and we were depending on them. They are now very laissez faire about it - oh well, it didn't get delivered this week , whatever . It's a shame. We thought we'd found a real gem that would make it easier to keep our dog with severe food allergies healthy.  Guess we will now have to go to Whole Foods to get the meat at higher cost, but at least it will be there when we need it.

Also, they used to be more interested in helping people in the store. Now you can search through fridge after fridge trying to find what you need while the workers make a superhuman effort to ignore you completely.

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Original Review

If you are crazy about your dog and don't want him eating all the garbage that's in typical dog food brands, this is the store for you.  They carry all the organic, grain-free, healthy lines of food. It is by far the best source for quality dog food in Los Angeles.

We feed our dogs a largely raw food diet because one of them has food allergies. In a way the allergies were a blessing in disguise, because we started to research dog food and found out most of the typical, well-known brands are garbage.  

We now go with very pure foods - raw rabbit or bison, dry foods that contain no grains or meal - very few ingredients.  The first thing you will notice if you go with these diets is how shiny your dog's coat gets.  They look more vibrant and healthy. They have more energy.  They literally become as active as puppies.

The people in this store are extremely helpful and will special order anything you need.  They have good treats for dogs on special diets (although I have to say the deer feet still creep me out).

Note that street parking can be tough, but they do have roof-top parking. It can be harrowing if someone else is coming down when you're going up (or vice versa), but at least they have space!

Dr. Galea is a great vet - I had to put off getting my dog fixed because she picked up giardia at the dog park most likely - then that lowered her immunity and she picked up a cough.  He gave great advice and she healed beautifully.

I like Dr. G's no-nonsense approach, and the dogs adore him!

Rover has been an essential part of my dog Lola's (and her "brother" Phin's) life since she joined our household a year ago.  Recently Lola had to go by herself for a week (without her bud Phin), and I asked the owner Jeffrey if she was doing okay because she seemed a little shyer about going. He said, she doesn't stop playing for 1 minute - come on, I'll show you.  He proceeded to show me the film of Lola's antics that day (they have cameras throughout the facility) when she served as "ambassador" for a new dog being tested for compatibility at Rover.  She was having a grand old time, running wildly around the play area, up the slides, down the slides, and even stopped to give Jeffrey kisses at one point.  It made me so happy to see just how much fun she has!  I think she was just shy because she is used to her brother being there - but once she gets in with the pack, she is fine.

I also love Irene, the groomer who does Lola's puppy cut. Lola is a Havanese and I'm not thrilled with all the combing (and Lola is even less thrilled with it), but I was reluctant to give her a short cut. I always see these dogs with big fluffy heads and short body hair and think it looks lame.  I told Irene this and she followed my wishes exactly - a nice even short puppy cut that makes Lola look utterly adorable.  This is a good place for grooming because they do not use cage dryers - which can overheat dogs.

I work from home, so having a place like Rover so close by is great - I can get some peace during the day and the dogs don't get bored.  The price is reasonable and the payoff for having a happy (and tired) dog is well worth it!

The Metro is one of my favorite spots in Culver City.  When we first went there it was with friends who had discovered this gem disguised as a hotel diner. Sasa, the proprietor, makes you feel like part of the family. He has a loyal following. He always stops by to chat and make sure your meal is great.  Bernie, the chef, is also very friendly and frankly makes one of the best skirt steaks I've ever had.  Great place for sharing as well. Try the grilled corn salad, skirt steak, and the goulash. On weekends we like to go for their unbelievable French toast. You will have to add a few miles to your jog to work that off!

We found the service to be friendly and fun and the small bites to be terrific. Loved the pork belly (yum).  My friend had the grilled cheese and said it was one of the best she'd ever had (and she is picky).  We ordered the cheesy poofs just because we got a laugh out of the ode to Cartman, but they were a little too greasy.  I'm not a beer drinker, but it seemed to have a huge variety for those who are.

The decor is very cool - an amazing job on a space that was once a tiny counter selling sandwiches (used to be Meltdown).

My friend and I regularly get lunch at La Dijonaise. They are efficient and always serve a yummy onion soup!  Our other favorites are the croque monsieur and the entrecote (rib eye steak).  We happen to like to sit at the counter and watch the busy kitchen.  Service seems to be faster there as well.   Very reasonably priced.