Category Archives: California

Bella Vista

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Exterior

**** (4 stars)

Excellent outside dining setting amid the lush gardens of the Four Seasons Biltmore. The menu has a short but well thought out selection of Italian items. The Caesar salad was a bit weird, with broccoli and cauliflower, but the pastas were obviously homemade.

The inside dining is very noisy, with all hard surfaces and fairly bright lighting.

The wine list has a medium size selection of local wines, and more from other regions, but markups are very high.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Bella Vista
Four Seasons Resort
1260 Channel Dr
Santa Barbara, CA 93108
(805) 565-8237
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bella-vista-santa-barbara-4

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe

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Bacon cheeseburger

Flatbread

Interior

**** (4 stars)

This combination wine shop and cafe is where one of the best scenes in Sideways was filmed. They have an excellent selection of retail wines, focused on the surrounding area, at reasonable prices. Wine tastings are also available, and the central wine bar is a good place to have a glass of your favorite.

The cafe has excellent food. The hamburger is particularly good, especially loaded up with bacon, sauteed onions and your choice of cheese.

I’ve been a member of the wine club for many years, which I particularly like because every quarter you receive high-end wines from completely different wineries, so there is much more variety than in most clubs.

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe
2879 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441
(805) 688-7265
https://www.yelp.com/biz/los-olivos-wine-merchant-and-cafe-los-olivos-4

Old Place Restaurant

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***** (5 stars)

In the thirty years we’ve been going here this place has stayed true to its quirky roots. Constructed of random bits and pieces, and little bigger than a shoe box, the ambiance is what it’s all about. You still have to sit at the bar unless you’re a large party, and you still have to go outside to visit the restroom.

But the food and wine list have been upgraded significantly. You can still get the clams as an appetizer and the steak as an entree. Those were the only two dishes originally. But now there are more appetizers, and the baked potato has grown from from the size of a golf ball to a softball. There’s also a wonderful chicken entree.

The wine list has also grown, from two jugs to a couple dozen nicely chosen bottles, most available by the glass.

Service is friendly but constrained but the strict three-seating schedule if you have a reservation. Our server had been there as long as we have been going, and it was fun to reminisce about old times.

Old Place Restaurant
29983 Mulholland Hwy
Agoura Hills, CA 91301
(818) 706-9001
http://www.yelp.com/biz/old-place-restaurant-agoura-hills

Harold€’s Restaurant

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***** (5 stars)

If there is a better omelette on the face of the planet, I have yet to find it. I’ve been going here for thirty years, and even through a change in ownership and expansion into the space next door, the omelettes have remained transcendental.

My favorite is the Special Omelette, which contains bacon, green chilis and sour cream. A mound of hash browns form the base, then come the ingredients, and then a fluffy egg disc the size of a frisbee. Ask for your hash browns well done for the ultimate omelette enjoyment experience.

Harold’s Restaurant
2440 E Thousand Oaks Blvd
Thousand Oaks, CA 91362
(805) 230-3147
http://www.yelp.com/biz/harolds-restaurant-thousand-oaks

Boxwood at The London

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*** (3 stars)

Boxwood is a nicely decorated space on the ground floor of The London. The dining room is bright and airy. It actually has a great view of the city, because of the steep hill that it’s on.

They offer an excellent buffet breakfast that is included with the room. We didn’t try it for dinner, but they boxed up a nice Thanksgiving lunch for us to take to relatives.

The lounge area out front isn’t particularly cozy, but the bar in the middle of the restaurant is fairly nice.

Service is friendly.

Boxwood at The London
1020 N San Vicente Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 358-7788
http://www.yelp.com/biz/boxwood-at-the-london-west-hollywood

Starving Artists Bistro

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***** (5 stars)

This is a great little gastropub with an eclectic, extensive menu of mostly American comfort foods.

I really loved the idea of hot dog sliders: three small hotdogs with interesting toppings. The sweet shrimp salad was also an interesting combination of greens, shrimp, candied nuts, cheese and a sweet balsamic dressing.

We loved the vibrant decor, with guitars everywhere! Service was extremely friendly, and the kitchen is lightning fast.

Starving Artists Bistro
9447 N Fort Washington Rd
Ste 101
Fresno, CA 93730
(559) 433-0133
http://www.yelp.com/biz/starving-artists-bistro-fresno

Ahwahnee Dining Room

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**** (4 stars)

We’ve been coming here since 1978, and it’s amazing how it never changes. In fact, I think it hasn’t really changed much since 1927, when the hotel was constructed. The food is no doubt different than it was then, but it’s remarkably similar to the way it was in 1978.

The soups are still rich and creamy, and the portions large. At dinner I enjoyed the short ribs, and the salmon was even better.

There’s a buffet breakfast, but even better choices are available on the menu, including a kitchen sink vegetarian omelet made with three eggs that barely fits on the plate.

Many of the servers have been working here almost as long as I’ve been coming, which is a testament to what a special venue this is. During the day, the tall glass windows offer unsurpassed views of Yosemite valley. And at dinner the enormous windows turn into mirrors, reflecting back the hundreds of candles in the chandeliers.

It’s really a pretty magical place.

Ahwahnee Dining Room
Ahwahnee Hotel
9005 Ahwahnee Dr
Yosemite National Park, CA 95389
(209) 372-1489
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ahwahnee-dining-room-yosemite-national-park

Flights 101 Club Lounge

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**** (4 stars)

This lobby lounge offers a surprisingly intimate atmosphere in the evening, with low lighting levels that make it easy to watch the flight traffic in and out of SFO. In fact, the lobby area is a much better choice for dinner than the adjacent restaurant, which is lit up like a coffee shop. And the lounge offers all the same food, plus bar food.

The chicken quesadilla was really more like a flauta, and it was fine. But the fish tacos were truly delicious: three larger servings of nicely seasoned fish topped with slaw and a piquant sauce.

During the course of our meal we were tag-teamed by six different servers, yet there was perfect continuity, and they were all very friendly and helpful. If traveling through SFO I would definitely eat here again.

Flights 101 Club Lounge
1800 Old Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 692-9100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/flights-101-club-lounge-burlingame

Koi

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IMG_0690

**** (4 stars)

This was a delightful find. Wonderful interior design and lighting make this a place you really want to spend some time in, and we dawdled our way through close to a dozen dishes, all of which were excellent.

Some of the sashimi was particularly good, and the specialty rolls were quite creative. There’s also a nice assortment of non-cconventional cooked dishes.

The wine list is excellent.

Koi
730 N LA Cienega Blvd
West Hollywood, CA 90069
(310) 659-9449
http://www.yelp.com/biz/koi-west-hollywood

Bedford & Burns

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**** (4 stars)

This terrific bistro offers a great lively ambiance, and both indoor and outdoor dining options.

There is an excellent assortment of food ranging from sashimi and caesar salad starters to steak and lamb entrees.

The winless offers great variety, and there are some very nicely priced gems.

Service is friendly, attentive, and yet not at all rushed.

One of the best choices in the area.

Bedford & Burns
369 Bedford Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
(310) 273-8585
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bedford-and-burns-beverly-hills