Jenni "WAFFLES" H.'s Profile

4 solid Yelp stars - Its no Peninsula or Trump but I'm bumping it up to 5 because this place deserves way more than its current 3.5 average. I had a tradeshow at the McCormicks Center, so I stayed here from a Friday-Monday.

Given the poor Yelp rating and that the hotel had only been open since May of this year I was hesitant on booking at The Wit. The other hotels in the running were: The W, Swissotel and the Palmer House.  At the least, I set the standard of prompt, friendly service and clean, quiet rooms with comfortable beds... I was pleasantly surprised, 100% glad I stayed here!

2 queen beds on the 19th floor. If you go with the king room the bathroom has a shower, no tub. Not that I use the hotel tub but I like that the double queen room has more space.

Each room stocked with the usual amenities: mini bar, blow dryer, iron, ironing board, plasma tv, plus an ipod player/alarm clock. And the complaint from another reviewer about the "high tech" phone... it's touch screen! Do you have fingers? Can you read? Then you should have no problem with the phone. This place is contending with The W, so the guests are predominantly young professionals, I don't really recommend this place for families with young children.

One concern was that this was a party hotel, like the Viceroy in Santa Monica or Standard in Downtown LA but the rooms were quiet. Not that I don't mind partying but there wasn't one incident of drunktards screaming in the hallway or noise from outside.

I was also worried it was too far from the convention center but a cab ride never cost more than $10 with tip.

Friendly staff, from the doorman to the concierge desk. I was promptly notified of any package or fax that arrived to my attention and they didn't charge me a handling fee every time a package arrived.

This hotel has it all:
- a library room
- 24/7 fitness center
- full service spa with in room service as well
- conference/meeting rooms
- mini theater/screening room
- 2 restaurants separate from the Roof
- rooftop bar
- 24/7 room service

Upon check in I received a VIP pass for the Roof bar and a chocolate chip cookie (honestly I was more excited about the cookie), but apparently the Roof can get busy on Friday nights. A friend of mine, who lives in Chicago  informed me that she waited 40 minutes in line to get into the Roof once. But with the colder weather, the Roof wasn't too busy. I can't complain about the drink prices, $9 for a vodka tonic, $12 for a premium shelf cocktail, is about average in LA. The indoor fireplaces, the decor is modern, sleek with a well mixed crowd of patrons.

The internet prices are charged by how fast you'd like the connection to be: $10/$12/$15. The $10 connection worked fine for emails, yelp, the usual.

If you have a car, valet, all day, in and out is $30 per day, no self parking.

A+ to the Doubletree/Hilton team! I'd definitely stay here again.

After repeatedly telling  friends I didn't want to celebrate my birthday... I crawled out from under my rock and met them out for an impromptu drink anyway. Liquid Kitty and bartender Damien... thanks for getting  celebrations off to a merciless start. The low lighting, loud music, vintage porn, friendly bartenders and drink specials...

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday extreme specials:

$3 Low Lifes = well shot and PBR
$5 medium cocktails... what ever that means
$2 PBR

- friendly locals bar
- metered street parking free after 6pm
- great specials, strong drinks
- wide range of specialty cocktails
- dark bar... did I mention loud?
- there's a back table available for a group of 15 or so
- bar was at 70% capacity on a Tuesday night, with 2 booths or so left. Start here then move else where.

Well, 27 better show me something .... or I will destroy it. Wait. What...

I need 4 advils... stat.

Dear God, Is it too much to ask for a good Chinese (any type of Chinese restaurant) in West LA....should I ask Santa?

The fact is, this unassuming restaurant/bakery seats a total of 12 people maybe 14, max, the weekend line isn't there yet but inevitable. Until then, grab your friend that speaks Cantonese or Mandarin and head out to Monterey Park.

The two very friendly women rolling out the dishes at this little shop speak very limited English. Luckily, Squirrel and I had Mr. FTR himself meet us there for dinner which made ordering a whole lot easier and a great experience overall. So, on with the food:

- Roasted peanuts with sugar and nori/dried seaweed... a good sweet/savory snack had me immediately scanning the place for beer but sadly, not a hop in the house, tea would have to suffice.

- Pork dumplings, these were a bit too soggy for my taste. Apparently you can ask for these extra burnt.

- Of course an order of xlb/xiao long bao (soup pork dumplings) Grab a spoon my friends, this was my favorite dish. 10 pieces for $5. These came out steaming hot with the right amount of soup in each initial bite.

- Fried pork bun with black sesames. The filling wasn't anything outstanding but the home made bun was soft and fluffy on top but also pan fried on the bottom, giving the dish a slight crunch, this was my second favorite dish.

- We were lucky enough to have the first tasting of a new dish, pan fried rice cake filled with red bean. Theres a Korean dish thats very similar and one of my favorite comfort foods. Only good while its fresh, hot and crispy on the outside, gooey rice cake and sweet red bean on the inside.

- Rice blew...this was a first for me. Fermented rice with a slightly sweet taste. This contained home made mochi, egg and some type of crushed flower floated on too, served warm.  The enthusiasm for this dish outweighed my liking for the brew but definitely worth trying.  

I also ordered a red bean and green onion bun to take home ($1 each).

The bill for 4, happily full friends came out to about $30 total. Thats right, TOTAL.

They also sell xlbs to take home, frozen. 50 pieces for $15.

Ugh, I'm already dreading the weekend line that will be here shorty, but until then, go, eat, enjoy.

Well, I hate to break it to you but hell has officially frozen over... I am now elite. Yes, and it only took two years! I know, I'm special. To recap my first event, as an elite Yelper was, in one word, sweet! And even though I'm a bit bummed that I'm no longer Super Squirrel's default plus-one, that new red badge looks great on my page and it had to happen eventually... but many thanks B! ;)

Dawson, what a great event! You even got Yuko, Eli and Joan to come out and it was a blast! From candy themed cocktails, cakes and rice crispy treats dipped in white chocolate, dark chocolate, cupcakes, cookies, a milk bar and hot servers dressed in short polka dot tutus were just a few of the highlights. Btw, Kitchen 12000 was a fantastic find for any event that needs a unique spin on the everyday catering company. OH and I love my lunchbox!

Many thanks sugar mama Dawson, you rock my Yelp!

See, the thing is... during the 2 weeks it took to plan my first ever fishing trip... I imagined it would be me, my dad (who loves fishing) and my friends... catching fish, having beers and burgers, in the sun on open waters, with the Andy Griffith show's theme song playing the background... lovely right?

WRONG.

In reality, it was me... finding out that I get really, really seasick. As in, I was the sickest person on the entire boat, seasick. Strangers offered me ginger candy and dramaminie. Free candy and drugs! But too sick and past the point where medicine would help, all I could do was scavenge out a half smile and decline. If I had taken this ahead of time, I might have avoided getting sick.

Unable to keep down any food or liquid, rendered basically immobile, crouched between the tackle boxes and backpacks, eyes closed was the only way I felt somewhat okay... for eleven long wobbly hours. I watched the others, drink their beers and eat their burgers while I couldn't even keep down water. Tragic. When the boat would stop so we could fish, I felt okay enough to stand and I did manage to catch 2 perch! But the good news is, my dad had fun, which is what matters.

A couple of key points:

-While planning, I was debating between San Diego, San Pedro and Long Beach. At San Diego you get the good stuff: tuna, yellowtail but thats a day and a half trip (way too long). San Pedro - the deck hands work for free in exchange for fishing, so apparently, you need to know what you're doing or they're rude. Long Beach - had the same fish counts as Redondo but LB is bit further for me, so Redondo won.

- Get to the ticketing counter no later than 5am! Reservations are useless. One of my buddies got to the ticket gate around 5:30 and they had sold out but we had called days before and made reservations. Needless to say, he was pissed. I'd be pissed too if I got up at 4am on a Saturday, packed fishing gear, only to get sent back home, I probably would've gone postal. I hate getting up early.

- 3/4 day fishing trip is $60. The fishing license (which you don't really need) is $13 and rod rental is $17 or so. Best to bring or borrow gear.

- The guy with the white beard, the owner, zero stars. He works the ticket/gear shop and a jerk. I know my dad is difficult to understand sometimes but don't be a prick.

- The deckhands, 4 stars. Informative, friendly and helpful.

- Pack for cold and warm weather and wear layers. The weather went from cloudy and sprinkling to hot and sunny. Don't forget a hat, sunscreen, cash and a small towel. No coolers are allowed on the boat but its good to bring one anyways for the car.

- The back of the boat is the best fishing spot, numbers 29-39. Avoid the high/low numbered spots if you can.

- The boat goes to Catalina and back. At one point there were 30 or more dolphins swimming right next to the boat which was a nice surprise.

All in all, I really like fishing, the trip was 3 yelp stars, a-ok. Lesson of the story, teach a girl to fish...she might fish again, just remember to take dramamine.

Kirin Ichiban 21oz. $2.49
(Since there was an HOUR and HALF wait to be seated at Boiling Crab, tailgate time. ClAssy... I know.)  

Other purchases to take home:

Coconut milk. $0.89
(When and if I ever make that coconut curry)

Lychee in syrup . $2.59
(For vodka lychee martinis)

Starburst gummi.  $0.79
(Impulse purchase)

They have fresh mangosteen! Only catch is that the going rate for this fruit is $6.99 per lb.
8 pieces. $13.96 ...
(O_o)

After hitting the gym, what do Ronnie and I do? Get a salad? A juice shake?

Hell no.

We headed to Bar Food for a glass of wine (okay 3 glasses of wine),  garlic edamame, mac & cheese, bangers & mash,  (wait, I'm not done yet...) sweet frites, bread pudding and it was delicious. Yes my calorie intake exceeded my workout but it was worth it! Pub food/comfort food,  done right. The bangers and mash are highly recommended, made with Thai sausages with cilantro mashed potatoes.

I had heard about Bar Food for weeks and this place did not disappoint. Sit at the bar the first time you go, Don't be shy, say hello to team behind the counter and let them know Yelp sent you. Hans and Jason, as Ronnie said, are great hosts!

The restaurant itself use to be a Japanese restaurant, which you'll still find hints of, with large apothecaries of infused sochu adorning the back bar wall.  Modern décor with dark wood, Bar Food has 2 personalities, the dining area has a restaurant vibe with plenty of tables and the bar area feels more like a sports pub with a plasma tv and patrons watching the game. All in all, great place to have a casual meal beer or a glass of wine for 2 or even a large group of friends.  

There's plenty of street parking on Wilshire.  It's a westside bar without the westside prices. Nothing on the menu is over $10. And they have Guinness 250! See ya at Bar Food!

Note to self: apparently only LOSERS go to the gym at 8:30 on a Saturday night because when I got there, this location had already closed for the day...reejected!

Located in the mall, the parking is free. 2 stars, not entirely because of their hours but the machines are really old, the workout space is small. After 6pm, expect to wait for cardio machines.

There is a shared window along the entrance that looks INTO a restaurant. So while I'm on the elliptical, I get to watch strangers eat. Awkward.

Like Barry said, please remodel and get new machines! Seriously, it's the Marina.

Hours of operation:
Mon-Thur 5:00am - Midnight
Fri 5:00am - 10:00pm
Sat-Sun 7:00am - 8:00pm

Go to the LA Fitness location on Wilshire in Westwood, the space is cleaner, not awkward and the machines are new.

There's a renaissance in the world of cocktails and I'm all for it.

The cocktail, more specifically what's dubbed a Vintage cocktail (a beverage composed of alcohol [duh], any kind of sugar, water and bitters) was created as a response to the changing times, gaining notoriety during prohibition to cover up the rough and crude taste of bootlegged liquor and that was just the beginning. (Okay, history lesson is over!) Today, with the long standing legalization of alcohol (thank god) this realm of beverages has been re-engineered for a new generation and, at one modern bar in particular, Copa d'Oro.

I've never been a fan of the syrups or juices mixed with hard alcohol, mai tai, appletini, lemon drop... you get the point, the flavors, syrups, fruit juices were always too sweet, orange juice always too bitter and still to this day, just a way to cover up the alcohol. So for the past few years, I've been sticking to my dirty goose martinis - its not sweet and few bartenders get it wrong. But now, at Copa, I'm not sure what my drink of choice is and trust me, that's a good thing.

A much welcomed change from the previous dark, dingy Bar 217, the decor is now dimly lit, classy and calm. Vincenzo, is the man behind the 40+ drink menu and a master in the art of cocktails, instead of covering up the taste of alcohol he articulates flavors that compliment one another, resulting in drinks that are refreshing, unique and delicious. His arsenal of ingredients includes: spices, such as rosemary, thyme, fresh and organic fruits and vegetables from the local farmers market and the use of traditional throwbacks like bitters, coca cola (with real cane sugar, aka Mexican cola). The only problem... figuring out what to order next.

They don't have the standard premium vodkas and tequilas, so no Gray Goose, etc. They do have their own special premium labels. Drinks range from $9-$15. The food is limited to 5 or so sandwiches that I have yet to try.

On weekends its standing room only and yes, expect a line, good for groups of up to 10, 15 is pushing it on the weekdays, happy hour is 5-8pm with $5 drink specials.

Thank you Jonathan for always being a great host and for teaming up with Vincenzo to build a fantastic bar! Exclamation point!

My Yelp is a bit rusty so bear with me...

First, I'd like to give five big red yelp stars to the fantastic hostess, Veronica for getting the event together, one of my favorite Yelp events so far! I'm not sure how you did it but this event went over and beyond my expectations. An intimate, fun and informative event, it was a reminder of why I joined Yelp, to do more than just dine but to experience new foodventures and meet some great Yelpers, who are just as enthusiastic. Yes, I'm feeling sentimental and I'll gush if I want to.

Second, Fig is now one of my favorite spots in the city. This newly renovated restaurant in the Fairmont Mirimar Hotel is where deliberate simplicity meets graceful comfort.

Nestled on Wilshire Blvd right before Ocean Ave is where the entrance is located, the restaurant is aptly named after the 100+ year fig tree that greets you at valet.

The restaurant itself is now much more open than the stuffy, dark decor during its previous life, there's much more natural light inside, a refreshing ambience without the snootiness. I didn't see scores of gourmet ingredients here, just a combination of simple, fresh ingredients that resulted in a tasteful combination of flavors. A menu that various by season, you will hear this over and over again, nothing on the menu is overworked.

We were offered a tasting of the Five at Fig happy hour menu, which is 5 wines, 5 cheeses, 5 meats, $5 each at 5pm. We got to taste everything on this menu with Chef Garcia, graciously taking questions and comments at each table and the guys behind the bar were just as informative. 5 stars on service alone. The Fig staff also consists of food scouts who forge for fresh ingredients at the local farmers markets. The stand out dishes were the braised beef tongue, a combination of slow braised beef tongue marinated in olive oil and tomatillo with a radish and garnish, the fresh goat cheese with lavender honey, Dicheat Hill Cheddar, the Pork Rillete and the arugula butter. Happy hour consists of small plates, definitely not anything to get full on. I will be back to try the homemade fig bars.

As far as cocktail spots go, this place is a very close second to Copa D'oro. The sommelier, Matthew emphasized that when he and Chef Garcia sat down to discuss the drink menu and bar, they wanted a place that they would go to if within walking distance, with drinks at $9, such as: blueberry and thyme (a bit too sweet for me) and cucumber and lavender, you'll want to try more than one. The only downside, happy hour ends at 6, which is when I'm still at work. Truly a happy HOUR.

Good for groups, a drink after work or an intimate dinner for 2. It was a terrific night with great food and company. Also this is one of, if not the spot to enjoy great food, wine and an absolutely breathtaking view of the sunset in Santa Monica. Thank you Veronica and Fig for the event and reminding me why I Yelp!  

Additional info:
Open Tuesday-Saturday. 5-10pm. Reservations recommended
Parking is valet. $10 or free with restaurant validation or street/meter parking free after 6 on Wilshire and 2nd. They always "valet" bicycles (not exactly sure what that means) for free.
Happy hour. 5-6pm