James N.'s Profile

Prior to showing up at Red O the week following its launch, I'd studied multiple blog posts and all the available Yelp reviews to formulate a game plan for what I was going to order.  Several patterns emerged from my readings:

- The decor is achingly beautiful--perfectly melding modern, clean lines yet still comfortable and inviting.
- The service is tremendous
- The service is atrocious
- The food is divine
- The food is underwhelming

So basically, I walked in having no firm foundation since there was no consensus to be found about anything other than the decor.  My arrival to the restaurant didn't help put me to ease much in terms of setting aside the negative viewpoints:

*Pull up in my car to the valet*

Valet: "Hi sir, do you have a reservation?"
Me: Yes
V: Thanks

*Walk toward door*

Scowling Door Man (standing not 5 feet away): "Do you have a reservation sir?"
Me: "Yes, party of 6 @ 8"
SDM: "GRRR, NAME!?" (ok, maybe he didn't grr.  But he certainly wasn't friendly)
Me: "James"
SDM: *Peels the door open off its hinges*
SDM: "Welcome to Red O"

*Walks in the door*

Blonde Hostess: "Welcome to Red O!  Do you have reservations"

*Slices open abdomen in ritual seppuku*

After a brief wait we're seated and proceed to start piling the orders in.  Our waitress is friendly and generally was quite knowledgeable of the menu, capable of answering multiple questions and happy to put forward her favorites on the menu when prompted.  So for us at least, the negative marks on service were largely unfounded.  When the food arrived however, things changed a bit for us-- Food was served and we largely dined family style to maximize different tastes.  Having gotten to now try 6? 7? different small plates and 3 different entrees at Red O, I think the food scores being all over the map is indicative of a brand new kitchen with a brand new team trying to learn and cope with a brand new (large) menu.  Dishes that were frequently lauded I didn't particularly enjoy.  Dishes that were barely mentioned anywhere online I ended up loving.   So a quick laundry list:

- Corn chowder with dungeness crab: Loved this.  Great sweetness of the corn pairs well w/ the sweetness of the crab.  I could have happily had 2 more servings of this.

- Grilled shrimp tostadito on a jicama "chip": I really liked this, as it didn't taste too "shrimpy".. which is perhaps why others in the party didn't enjoy it as much.

- Halibut ceviche: Tasted like guacamole.  Looked like chunky guacamole.  Thought it was guacamole and had a hard time believing that there really was fish inside it.  Didn't look a thing like a ceviche.  Nor tasted like it.  Pretty big miss.

- Duck taquito: Enjoyed the taste but on the whole found the filling to be a bit on the dry side.  Though it did pair well w/ the honey sweetened Mexican beer I was having.  So perhaps intentional?

- Goat cheese tamale: I really couldn't get myself to enjoy this.  Granted, I'm not a big goat cheese guy in general, but in this particular dish I just found it one big mushy mess.  A big miss for me at least.

- Queso w/ chorizo: Good taste, but a bit too sparing in the chorizo for me.  Hard to mess up a simple queso dip, so it was fine.

- Mushroom ceviche: Excellent smokey flavor with a subtle slow burn to it (via the paired serrano chili).  Surprisingly succulent taste.

- Chicken w/ mole: For those of us who'd watched Bayless on Top Chef Masters, this was what we came here for.  The chicken was nice and juicy and the mole tasted good, but it really didn't send me to some other culinary plane of enlightenment.

- Suckling pig: Baby pig.  How could you go wrong with this?  Probably the best entree I tried that evening.

- Pork shoulder w/ yukon potatoes: Amazingly tender given the cut of meat, matched very well w/ a mixture of the habanero and tomatillo sauces.

- "Churros": not my cup of tea at all and the only dessert we couldn't finish.  The salty ice cream freaked my palette out a bit.

- Ice cream sundae with Mexican chocolate and caramel: nothing too special.

- Fried empanadas with fresh fruit: My personal favorite of the three desserts we tried.  The empanadas were nice and flaky, and matched well w/ the sweet berry and mango topping and the tartness of the mojito sorbet.

In the end, we all had a great time.  The food on the whole was solid but never mind blowingly good.  Perhaps the bar was set to standards that no brand new restaurant could ever match.  When we stepped back though, we had a strong multiple course meal with drinks and came in at a very reasonable $60 a head.  Service was genial and prompt.  Take the Bayless name off the marquee and it paints the meal in a very favorable light.  I'd be more than happy to come back again once all the buzz about the opening dies down.  It's a nice upscale yet authentic take on Mexican food and serves as a nice counterpoint to the many hole in the wall type joints in East LA.

I'm a software engineer who on a given day can easily spend 9-15 hours a day sitting in front of a computer screen.  Even better, despite over a decade of nagging from my mother and grandmother, I still to this day often slouch while sitting.  Pair that with my not getting to the gym as often as I'd like and the net result is that my back, shoulders and neck are frequently more crooked than a BP oil executive.

Given that background, it's not too surprising that I'm a big fan of massages.  Quite frequently, the things I seek first when travelling for work or pleasure are the great eats in town followed quickly by the great spas in town.  And while I've grown to learn to truly appreciate a well appointed and luxurious spa, more often than not, what I *really* want (or need) is a capable masseuse.  And as such, I've been from everything to high end spas in Vegas to multiple big name spas in San Francisco, Los Angeles, to hole in the walls in Honolulu searching for that ideal massage--equal parts therapeutic and relaxation.

Little would I know that my Best. Massage. Ever. would end up being but 1/2 a mile from my house--in a tiny little store front near PCH that would be very easy to fly past were you not looking for it.  An unassuming window front gives way to an even more unassuming lobby area--but with several friendly faces to greet me at the door.  A quick walk down a very barren hallway into the massage rooms--which were spartan when compared to a luxury spa but still inviting and clean nonetheless.

I typically opt for Swedish and/or Shiatsu massages, so a Thai treatment was new to me.  To ease into it, I went ahead and opted for the combo Thai/Swedish treatment.  Melanie had me hop on the table and proceeded to work me over for the next two hours.  Kneading, pounding, stretching me into a stupor.  I think I may have even drooled into the pillow.  Woops.  The most fascinating part of it was trying to mentally picture the positions she was in relative to my own as she contorted me from position to position.  I'm in relative decent shape but am far from what one would call limber--however my apprehension of the "yoga like poses" being too much for me to handle went largely unfounded.  

At $60 / hr and being so close to home, it'd be silly for me to not go again.  Hell, at that price and for literally having gotten what may have been the Best. Massage. Ever. I really didn't mind being a bit overly exuberant with my tip--Melanie easily earned every penny.

Will definitely be back--perhaps I'll even go the full Thai next time.  Perhaps I'll have to retract any claims of the stretches and poses being non issues. :P

I love me some BBQ.  Lived in the south for a few years and developed a hankering and a palette for it.  So I really wanted to like Pinkie's.  In fact, I've been there a combined 5, 6 times for lunch or dinner since I live not very far away.

Well enough of that, no more chances.

Food is a hit or miss, mostly misses.  Ribs are subpar, particularly compared to competition further up the coast at Baby Blue's.  Tri tip has good flavor but extremely dry (it's also available via a french dip sandwich, which counters the dryness well).  The sides are the worst offenders of bland.  Corn bread?  Bland.  Creamed corn?  Bland.  Beans--sometimes flavorful, other times cold.  And bland.

Tonight was the final straw.  The service has always been polite, but slow.  Often understaffed.  Tonight was the same issue.  But this time, in the 17 minutes I stood at the counter wanting to place an order, the waitress:

1) Had a 5 minute conversation with the customer in front.  Slightly aggravating, but fine, forgivable.
2) Took 2 phone orders that rang in after I arrived.
3) Sat 2 tables and took their orders.  (Also, arriving after me).
4) Had a conversation for another 2 minutes w/ a fellow staff member.
5) Sat down between two tables to chat.

Screw it.  Love me some bbq, wanted to give em a chance, but never again.  I hold grudges and I'll never be back.

Car dealership experiences are always hard to gauge--the same dealership on two different visits can yield drastically different experiences depending on who it is that you interact with.  So consider this a rousing endorsement of at least 3 staff members at Downtown Audi who made the recent purchase of my 2010 Q5 an absolute breeze.

It started some 6 months back with the intention of ordering an A3 via Cars Direct.  Went to pick it up at the lot, greeted by Jonathan Arvatz.  Answered our questions, had the car detailed and when it pulled up for us to test drive prior to taking possession....only for us to find that the Cars Direct folks had screwed up and ordered absolutely the wrong car.  Missing features, options, even the wrong color.  Jonathan was apologetic and did everything he could to locate a vehicle matching what I wanted, but couldn't find anything.  He spent a good hour on the phone trying to work something out w/ other Audi dealerships in the area to sort something out, so at the end of the day he apologized again (for CD's mistake) and we were on our way.  We eventually decided to place an order for a Q5 and based upon our experiences previously, gladly did it via Downtown Audi and Jonathan again.

When we went to pick up the vehicle, Sue Robertson sat with us to prep all the paperwork and she couldn't have been more pleasant.  She was quick to shows us the many options on the car; to answer questions as we went for a quick test drive; and was patient in working w/ the sales managers to run quite a few different lease scenarios for us in order to have all our options on the table.

Finally, Jim Park, as our finance manager couldn't have been friendlier and more helpful.  Made sure we understood every piece of documentation we signed, offered up solid advice on what did or didn't make any financial sense, even if the dealership itself could have made a few extra bucks.  

At all times I felt like the staff had my best interests at heart rather than any short term gain for the dealership.  It's as if they'd rather cultivate a long term relationship with me rather than make the quick buck now.  No hard push to install Lo-Jack.  Or to get a clear bra.  Or an after market alarm.   And the approach absolutely worked.  Despite being 20 miles away, I'll be taking my car there for all service department work.  And in the future, there's a good chance that my wife will now be looking to purchase an Audi.

The rest of the staff may be a bunch of douchebags for all I know, but I somehow greatly doubt it.  Next time the wife and I need a car, we'll be calling Sue immediately.

Decided to start using the Rapid to get to my office in the Miracle Mile area from my apartment in Brentwood.  Trip to and from the office had no more than 5-7 minute wait for the bus.  Found plenty of seats available.  Time was roughly equivalent to if I was driving Wilshire myself at those times... time lost to stops is quickly made up in aggressive merges...who the fuck wants to get in the way of a double length bus that is *adamant* about merging into your lane?

Will definitely become a more regular commuter.

Stopped by tonight with the usual foodie suspects from the office--we'd selected AXE tonight due to their reputation for having strong options for our meat challenged, vegetarian friends.  As always,parking in the Abbot Kinney area was brutal, so big kudos for the complimentary valet service on the weekends.

Multiple appetizers to start off the evening.

Flat bread with multiple spreads was strong, but uneven.  Universal acclaim for the sweet, carmalized onion spread, mixed reviews on the shallot and yogurt options.

Seared sake marinated kobe slices with jalepeno was awesome, although we barely had enough to go around for our table.

The sheets of pasta with cheeses and peas I thought was totally forgettable.  Others thought more highly of it.

Two orders of the green onion pancakes--in traditional Korean style with seafood and one vegetarian.  Big thumbs up all around.

Entrees ranged from the daily fish -- a white fish whose name I won't even attempt to spell, the farmer's market vegetable spread, and lamb chops. I started with a carrot puree soup and followed with the rib eye with roasted yukon potatoes and broccoli spears.  Pretty much everything I ate, including a bite of the lamb, was incredible.   The portion of the steak was  quite generous as well and the potatoes were surprisingly tender and flavorful.  I was most satisfied.

Finally my dessert of strawberry shortcake, while it was good, was generally fairly forgettable.  The meal had been very strong throughout, so the dessert was a tad of a let down.  The mint  ice cream that I tried was pretty good though.

All in all, I thought this was quite an excellent meal especially for the amount paid.   I'd certainly come again.

-1/2 star for the waitress who was Phoebe from Friends spacey at times and relatively MIA by the end of the meal.  

-1/2 star for the heat in the dining room... perhaps my dining companions are just sweaty mongrels putting out 1500 BTUs of heat, but I can't say I'd ever noticed before.  Tonight however, I was sweating up a good storm.

-1/2 for the worst bathroom signage EVER.

+1/2 star for the complimentary parking.

I think I will most definitely have to come again for the brunch menu next.

Quite literally this had to be one of the finest dining experiences I've ever had, in any city, at any price range, period.

We'd originally wanted to go here for a celebratory dinner with about a dozen people--not knowing about the cramped dining space and their inability to seat large groups.  (Though to be honest, the staff taking our call and attempt to reservations should have been able to handle the situation far better--they weren't even willing to consider seating us as two separate tables of 6).  

Undaunted, the chance came for a smaller group of us to try it again, and so we took the opportunity, this time coming with a far more manageable group of five foodies.  So we swung for a late reservation slated at 8:45 PM.

Upon seating, the wait staff were warm and friendly right from the onset.  Within a minute of being seated, water was poured, and out came two amuse bouches.  Quail eggs with a touch of trout and egg mousse  (smokey and tasty) and a shot of a wonderfully colored and very tasty broccoli soup.  Wine, appetizers and entrees are ordered, including the restaurant making sure they did anything necessary to accommodate the two vegetarians in our group.  

Started with a ravioli of mustard greens in a rich butter sauce.  Absolutely delicious.  I found myself wishing that the portion of the appetizer was a bit larger as it was just that good.  I then debated the skirt steak on special but instead opted for the mint and date encrusted lamb chops after the waiter highly recommended them.  They were perfectly prepared and laying atop a puree of chive and fava bean. Scrumptious though for my personal tastes, the puree while good, was a touch too sweet for me, as the date crust on the lamb already added a sweet touch to the meal.  Minor nitpick however.

Finished the night with an order of one of each dessert available that night.  My favorites were strawberry napoleon, the beignet, and the chocolate and peanut butter truffle cake.

Great staff, a small, cozy dining space, and excellent food from beginning to end.  I absolutely would come again and again to try the rest of the menu along with the daily menu specials.  We came in at just under $100 a head for 3 courses, cocktails, and a bottle of wine--so while not cheap, this has to be easily the best $100 I've spent on a meal in a very long time.

I'm one of the biggest red meat eaters you'll ever meet in your lifetime.  The things I enjoyed by far the most here?  The vegetarian dishes (broccoli soup, mustard green ravioli).  That pretty much says it all in my book.  I ate my veggies and I *LOVED IT*.

Been going to Lori's diners for well over a decade, dating back to my undergraduate days all the way to now whenever I happen to find myself in the city on business.  

Not a place one guys for a superb fine dining experience, but for what it is, it's a great shop.  Late night grub, breakfast all day long, and their famous orange blended shakes.  It's a greasy spoon, 50's themed diner..  if you head with those kinds of expectations, it's a great option if you happen to be passing by.

Passing through Westfield mall and happened to bump into this pastry shop.  The place  seemed to have an excellent selection of pastries, sandwiches, sorbets, and other quick bites.

Had a strawberry mille-feuille (aka Napoleon). Most excellent. Pleasent decor and a friendly staff.  Spent maybe 30 minutes just chilling, snacking, and talking with friends.  Bit out of the way (buried deep in a massive mall) but had it been in any location elsewhere in the city, could easily be a neighborhood favorite corner cafe.

If I could rate Spruce on the merits of their food and their food alone, they'd easily be 4 stars.  Unfortunately for them, so much goes into a dining experience above and beyond the food itself.  My experience here was one of those situations where everything else about the restaurant easily outweighed the food that was served us.

Had late reservations for a Sunday night, spent 30 minutes at the bar having cocktails (quite good too actually, albeit pricey even by SF standards).  Got seated in a corner and started with appetizers.  Charcuterie for the wife and I got the carrot and cardamom soup.  She loved her platter and devoured it (particularly raved about the duck liver mousse) and my soup was quite tasty although I did end up having to season it a little further.  We also ordered the fries.... amazing.  Probably our favorite thing of the night surprisingly.

All was good at this point, but then the troubles started to occur.  We'd been seated and had our orders taken by the hostess.. odd, but we didn't think much of it.  But soon it dawned on us that we hadn't really seen our waitress at all.  Even our appetizers were brought by someone who wasn't our waitress.  Our dishes, now empty, sat there.  And sat.  And sat.  Until nearly 20 minutes of idle time finally passed and our waitress finally appeared to remove the plates.

Entrees soon arrive.  Pork tenderloin and pork belly for the wife, steak and "duck fat fries" for me.  The tenderloin was a generous portion and tasty.  The pork belly, while extremely tender, was relatively flavor less.  My steak was wonderfully prepared and tasted amazing.  The duck fat fries sadly turned out to be over cooked potatoes with crispy (but tasty) skins, but ultra bland inside.  Throughout the course, I was hoping to place an order for another cocktail or at least get my glass of water refilled, but alas, no waitress.  Again.

And then once again we played the empty dish table sitting game.  This time nearly 30 minutes pass before dishes were cleared and dessert menus brought out.  By now, we'd been seated for nearly 2 and a half hours on simply appetizers and entrees.  While some of the choices on the dessert menu sounded interesting (particularly the beignets), we weren't willing to risk having to sit for ANOTHER hour just for that.  And thus, we called it a nightl, paid our bill and walked off.

The restaurant is gorgeous with tall ceilings, exposed duct work, and white marble throughout.  The hostesses and bartenders were friendly and accommodating.  Food was a bit uneven, but had several high points for us.  The wait staff however just ruined the experience and that alone is what crushes their score.

I'd consider coming back if I ever heard that they addressed wait staff issues, but monitoring other reviews, it certainly doesn't look like I'm alone in having these types of problems with the front of house.