Resnick Pavilion and The Stinking Rose – a Garlic Restaurant

Yesterday BK and I went to a member’s only preview of the Resnick Pavilion, a new art gallery at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).  There were three displays – a large area of fashion and textiles from the 1600’s until the early 1900’s – the center of the building which had ancient art from as far back as 1600 BC – and another very large area which had art from the Resnick residence of which most was from the 1700’s and earlier .  Although we both found much of it beautiful, none of these are of particular interest to either of us.  I can’t imagine having a home with all that art and this is only a sampling of what they have collected. I will post a few pictures on Facebook.

After we went to LACMA, it was time for lunch.  Neither of us were excited about the menu they had at the cafe and the last time we were there we went to the cafeteria and didn’t want to do that either.  So, we got into the car, drove to La Cienega and there was The Stinking Rose, a place we have often talked about but we never went there.  We parked on the street although there is a parking lot which does not have a valet during the day.  The decor is very interesting and I again will have pictures posted on Facebook.  We were seated in a somewhat covered area and were immediately given a large pitcher of ice water.  Someone came and lit a candle beneath the plate where the waiter placed delicious garlic rolls so they were warm throughout our meal.  Along with the rolls, we had a mixture of parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil.  We were quickly given our soda and ice tea and our order was taken.  The waiter said it would be ready in 10 minutes and it was.

 

BK ordered fish and chips.  I don’t know what kind of fish it was but it was huge and she said it was wonderful.  She was served enough garlic French fries to feed a family of four.  I tasted them and they were delicious – crispy on the outside and covered with garlic.  We took home enough so that BK had the same dinner at night and I ate the fries.  I ordered salmon which I could have had with any of four sauces.  I chose one with cherry tomatoes, roasted garlic and calamata olives.  It came with a pasta but I asked to substitute the garlic mashed potatoes and I wasn’t sorry.  The fish was tender and the sauce was extremely tasty.  I cleaned my plate.  The waiter brought us a dessert menu and we passed on the garlic ice cream, although one day I would like to try it, but we just couldn’t pass up the super sundae.  This was good but not worth the calories and fat.  With our check, we were given soft minty things to counteract all the garlic we ate.

The Stinking Rose is at 55 N. La Cienega in Beverly Hills.  The website is http://www.thestinkingrose.com/pdf/menu-la.pdf . This is not an inexpensive restaurant.  Our meals were $19.95 each with the dessert at $9.00 plus the cost of our drinks which were refilled without asking. I will definitely return because I like garlic.  If you don't like garlic, this isn’t the restaurant for you.

EAT Cafe – Revisited

I reported on EAT on September 29, 2009 when we went there for breakfast as we had on numerous occasions. Yesterday we decided to go there again, this time for lunch also after we had been at the Y in North Hollywood. It was a beautiful day and we arrived at about 11:30, just before the rush. Actually, the restaurant is a bit larger than it was last year because the business next door is no longer there. EAT has put a few larger tables outside on the patio of the building next door. That was good because by 12:15, both inside and outside were full and people were waiting. We chose to eat outside on a beautiful day.

The menu is quite varied with breakfast served all day. This time both BK and I chose to eat lunch. They had a few specials listed on a board outside and BK chose a pressed chicken sandwich which had white meat chicken, basil, feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes. There was a sauce that appeared to be a Russian or 1000 Island on the side but BK didn’t feel the need to use it. She also had a choice of shoestring fries (which happen to be seasoned), mixed green salad or fruit. She chose the fries and liked them. The sandwich was delicious, just about perfect, she said.

I decided to have the Halfer which is in the I’m Sure I Forgot Something section. It was a half sandwich (choice of tuna, ham or turkey) and either soup or salad. As you might know from past reviews, I seldom choose a salad so this time I had corn chowder soup which was the soup that day. The soup was thick with corn and some vegetables. It tasted somewhat creamy but not heavy with cream and it did have a very slight zing to it. Not having eaten a ham sandwich for a very long time, my ham sandwich, which I got without the Swiss cheese or onion, but with lettuce, tomato and mustard mayo on whole grain bread, was great.

This is not a greasy spoon. This is a restaurant that says the tuna is dolphin safe. They have various burgers, melts, sandwiches including wraps, salads and soup. Every other Tuesday, we eat lunch out after we go to the gym. I know we will be going to EAT much more regularly than once a year. The address is 11108 Magnolia Blvd. in North Hollywood – website is www.eatnoho.com .

Chi Dynasty and more

Labor Day Weekend, 2010, and we decided it was time to eat out rather than have BK’s delicious cooking. One day we went to Chevy’s Mexican restaurant in Burbank and had a very good meal. I am not writing up a review of Chevy’s but almost everything I have ever had there has been good. On Sunday they have $3 guacamole made at the table which was quite tasty.

On Monday, we decided to go to a new Chinese restaurant that we hadn’t tried – Chi Dynasty. A few years ago, a new building was erected and it was designed in a Russian motif. It housed a more elegant Russian restaurant upstairs and a café on the first level. They went out of business and recently this Chinese restaurant opened in this Russian looking building. We received a menu in the mail and thought it was a good time to try it out.

The interior is very nicely Chinese with a lot of red and black. The music that was playing sounded like Chinese pop music and was quite nice. We started out with a Chinese chicken salad since it had been voted the best in town. The waiter (all are Chinese and dressed in black Chinese outfits) brought a large bowl and the ingredients for the salad were all in the bowl. He mixed it at the table and then split it into two dishes for us. It was all white meat in small strips tossed with ginger, scallions, ground peanuts, sesame seeds, crispy rice noodles, lettuce and dressing. It was delicious, as good as the best I have had. My only complaint is that there was a little too much dressing but I am one who likes very little dressing on my salads. When I go again, I will tell them when I order that I want light on the dressing. The salad was $7.25 and plenty for two people.

We also ordered the dim sum sampler. This is made up three types of dim sum depending on what the cook decides. The waiter told us what was in the sampler today. We got two pork, two shrimp and two vegetable. Interestingly, the wrappers of each type were different. This was served in the traditional wooden dish and were all steamed, not fried as we see at some restaurants. I really liked the pork and the vegetable. I found the shrimp to be a bit tough. This sampler was $6.25.

As if that wasn’t enough to eat, we also ordered sesame chicken. We were asked if we wanted rice so I rightly suspected that there was an extra charge. I got brown rice and BK got white rice and we were charged for each. Since both of us had a lot left over, next time we could only order one. The sesame chicken ($8.75) was a bit disappointing because it was more like sweet and sour than other sesame chicken we have had in the past. Also, some of the chicken was so small that after frying, it was a bit tough. Other pieces were very tender. We ate all of this as well and it was quite a large amount. We arrived there at 3:15 and found out we could have the lunch menu until 4:00 which was very nice.

I had jasmine tea which was surprisingly served with just a cup of water and a tea bag. It was very tasty but I had to ask for more hot water which cooled rather quickly. Serving a closed pot of water would have been better. BK had diet Coke and was charged for a refill even though it was presented as if there would be no extra charge.

We left there very full and satisfied. I would definitely return, again for lunch because it can be quite pricey for dinner. We had very good service. They deliver with a $3 delivery charge and I am sure we will do that in the future. Chi Dynasty is at 12229 Ventura Blvd. in Studio City. They also have a restaurant in Los Feliz.

After enjoying the Labor Day eating-fest, today we went to the gym. When we came back, BK cooked a wonderful, healthy lunch – angel hair pasta with grape tomatoes, garlic and parmesan cheese, garlic bread made with olive bread and cantaloupe. All I can say about our lunch today was that it was fantastic and I am so lucky to have my personal chef.