Categories:
Mexican,
American (Traditional)
Categories:
American (New),
Delis
Neighborhood: Glendale
Category:
Pizza
The first time I went to the "little parlor" was shortly after they had opened. I found everything to be good, if not a bit underwelming . That being said I didn't get anything all that exciting (the old school which is basically a pepperoni pizza) and although I thought it was interesting, I wasn't in love with the sweetness of the sauce, which is derived from mixing the tomato sauce with roasted red peppers.
I am happy to say that upon my return to the little parlor I discovered despite getting hit pretty hard here on yelp they have seemingly really gotten their act together or I just ordered really well.
I started out with the Duck Confit Mac & Cheese, which turned out a hundred times better than I could have imagined. I will be returning frequently for that dish alone as it is not only a one of a kind but creamy, decadent and gamey all in the best ways possible.
I can't remember the name pizza I had but it was the most expensive at 16 and equally impressive. Crust was wonderfully thin with a crisp char, the non-tomato sauce based pizza had pork shoulder, panchetta, speak, some sort of sausage and peppercini. No where near as heavy as it sounds it ranks up there with some other better pizzas I have had in town, sans Mozza and Bianca. Even so a reviewer stated that better pizza can be found at Bianca, but in my opinon littler parlor is aiming for different things and don't think that are accurately comparable, Mozza would be but that is hardly fair.
It's really worth checking out despite some of the hammering it is getting on here - especially if your solo and want to eat up at the bar. My only suggestion is if you are like me and not huge on a sweet sauce, go with their many options w/o the tomato sauce but the Duck Confit Mac & Cheese is a MUST.
Category:
Pizza
Neighborhood: Westwood
Category:
Italian
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Categories:
Mexican,
Sandwiches
Categories:
Vegetarian,
Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhoods: Mid-City West, West Hollywood
Category:
American (New)
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
I got a soft spot for Houston's and the Hillstone "Empire". Unlike almost every other group of broad corporately owned chain restaurants - the Hillstone restaurants are always on the precipice of design, have flawless service, and more importantly their food, despite being on spread out all over the country, has not had its quality diminished even slightly.
The concept of R + D, as it has been relayed to me, is simply they are using the restaurant as a test ground (research and development obviously), what works here goes to Houston's, Bandera, et. al. Some of the more negative reviews probably reflect a failure in the more experimental nature of this concept - if it doesn't work they are going to fix it. The menu is limited but one thing it won't be is in a state of inertia.
I wasn't huge on the a la carte aspect of the sides - I always find that a bit tacky. Deviled eggs and such I understand - but I'd rather you include a side into the price, even if it ends up being the same price, then pay what feels like more. Chart House, when they were bought out by Landry's, not only did the food go downhill precipitously, but they moved to a la carte, a gesture that says, "Hey give me more money."
That being said I ordered the Deviled Eggs to start. I love Deviled Eggs and these are fine but the apex of Deviled Eggs can be found at La Grande Orange in Pasadena. For the entree I ordered the Ahi Tuna Burger (the special that evening) and good lord. The burger itself was done more in the style of an actual burger, ground but still seared on the outside and rare in the middle, and was unbelievably good. The sandwich itself though couldn't hold a candle to its own bun, so perfect it can almost overpower anything between it. I made a similar comment to my waiter who concurred saying, "Sometimes I just order the bun." It is honestly that good, I could say without any doubt it's the best bun I have ever had on anything, period.
I enjoyed the meal immensely, why I am not giving it 5 stars I am not sure. I think it's the lack of diversity maybe and because of that it doesn't reach the heights of a restaurant deserving 5. Although the place has one of the best bathrooms I have seen in a while. Hillstone usually goes above and beyond in the bathroom department but they out did themselves this time.
Although it's a great location and solid spot for solo dining, it's also a tough sell. Father's Office is just up the street, and although I imagine R + D gets a lot of spill over from there, you aren't going to get me to order a burger from here knowing FO is just up the street.

Phil hasn't made any lists yet.
Loading...
Review votes:
42 Useful, 27 Funny, and 25 Cool
South Pasadena, CA
Yelping SinceAugust 2008
Things I LoveMonica Vitti's Mane, Moscow Mules, Blue Cheese, Iced Tea
Find Me In... tha house...
My HometownS-dale, AZ
My Blog Or Website When I'm Not Yelping...Looking for my keys.
Why You Should Read My ReviewsI eat out everyday - this is not a double entendre but a literal statement.
My Second Favorite Website The Last Great Book I ReadA Fan's Notes
My First ConcertModest Mouse - Boston's - Tempe, AZ - '97
My Favorite MovieMagnolia
My Last Meal On EarthMexican Fiesta, followed by the sad moment of life ending as we know it.
Don't Tell Anyone Else But...Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose... ridiculous...
Most Recent DiscoveryCrockett and Miller
Current CrushMichael McDonald
I went through here not long ago and the narrative is almost identical from customer to customer. The amount of cognitive dissonance the owner must have to ignore and defend against this much negativity is astounding.
What I feel has yet to be properly debunked is his defense of his outrageous price gouging... You can find endless quotes about Steve's dubious excuses for why his prices are so exorbitant... Well let's have a little case study:
The most expensive pizza at Pizzeria Bianco (the James Beard awarding winning Pizzeria that is considered to be the best pizza establishment in the United States -- ["Pizzeria Bianco has been rated as the best pizza in the US by Bon Appetit, The New York Times, Vogue, and Rachel Ray, and has also been recognized by Martha Stewart, Oprah, GQ, Gourmet, and was named to http://GAYOT.com's list of the Top 10 Pizza Restaurants in the U.S. and the restaurant received a nearly perfect Zagat score of 29 in 2000"] is only $16 dollars. The most expensive pizza at Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza in LA is $24....
I make this point not to advertise the other two but to compare and contrast the price of what is considered to be the best in the country to Barista's, which, on the other hand, is a establishment with a 1 star rating from urbanspoon, a 2 star rating here on yelp ( a 1 star if all ratings were accounted for), and an F rating from the Better Business Bureau (http://www.bbb.org/uta...) has a HALIBUT pizza priced at 55.49...!!! Hilarious.
There is nowhere in NY, SF, Chicago, LA, ANYWHERE that would even have the audacity to charge that price. Look around -- there isn't a single establishment in even the most metropolitan of cities that is anywhere near this price point for pizza, let alone halibut. If you can find one, post it here.