Help me find a good L.A. restaurant for Valentine's Day

February 6, 2006 6:59 PM

L.A.-Filter: Can you recommend a good restaurant (not too fancy) I can take my new bride to on Valentine's Day in the Los Angeles area?

We'll be visiting (from NYC) for only 2 days (Feb 14-15). I'm more interested in fantastic food than I am froo-froo ambience, though something cozy and romantic would be great as long as it's not full of L.A. machismos and their dates. We definitely want to stay away from where everyone else will be and have no interest in celebrity-spotting. Given the last-minute nature of this trip, getting a reservation might be hard, but I know Ask MeFi wil come thorugh for us and sugggest someplace off the beaten path that will create memories of a lifetime.

posted by camworld to Food & Drink (16 answers total)

Forget about every restaurant you've ever heard of; they're booked. In fact, forget about anyone who takes reservations; they're booked.

Romantic and great food is a very tough mix to find here, since the real foodie places, by which I mean the ethnic joints, tend to skimp on decor.

What kind of food do you guys like? If you're willing to let the romantic side slide, I've definitely got some ideas.
posted by Scram at 7:17 PM on February 6, 2006

Do you want to narrow down the neighborhood for us a bit? I'm guessing you don't want to spend hours getting from point A to point B.
posted by jvilter at 7:20 PM on February 6, 2006

Response by poster: We're open to anything. We don't care so much about ambiance or price. I'll make a reservation if I have to but I'd rather just show up and wait 15 minutes to get seated. It's a last minute trip, so I don't expect a miracle. Just good food, clean silverware and no chain restaurants. It doesn't have to be romantic, just memorable. Also note: we don't care about going to the hip or trendy places: it's impossible to get a table there on the 14th anyway. I'm just hoping for some suggestions, which is a lot better than me poring through L.A. Citysearch or other resturant-rating sites.
posted by camworld at 7:24 PM on February 6, 2006

Response by poster: We're staying at the Beverly Hilton on Wilshire Blvd. which is right off Santa Monica Blvd. and near the L.A. Country Club. I guess this area is called Beverly Hills. Anything wihin an hour's drive is great, though I'd prefer to stay closer to the hotel if at all possible since I've never driven around L.A. before, but I'm a great map-reader.
posted by camworld at 7:28 PM on February 6, 2006

My husband and I like Pane E Vino a lot, but it will be busy.
posted by Uccellina at 7:36 PM on February 6, 2006

Best answer: Well, if you did go to LA Citysearch, you might see some of my restaurant reviews. ; )

Anyway, if you want really great food, you gotta go East, out Monterey Park/Alhambra/San Gabriel way. It's an easy hop off the 10 freeway, which is easy to get to from your hotel.

This is my favorite restaurant right now, a cool little family-run Chinese/Korean place next to a bowling alley that serves the most sublime chicken wrap, scrumptious dumplings and peanutty good dan dan noodles.

And then there's Wok and Noodle, which serves very impressive Shanghai cuisine at 828 W Valley Blvd., Alhambra, CA 91803-3233, [phone]. There's no English sign, just look for the red awning.

Or double dip your chopsticks into Mongolian Hot Pot at Little Sheep, which is quite a romantic and unpredictable experience. Plus the psychedelic photo murals of ladies, yurts and lambs are like nothing you have ever seen.

I do see on Opentable that 63 westside restaurants still have seatings, at least as of this moment. You couldn't go wrong with Josie or Campanile, though it would cost 4x what you'd pay at 101 Noodle Express, et al.
posted by Scram at 7:47 PM on February 6, 2006

Up for something different? How about brunch instead of dinner. Or in addition to dinner?

L.A. Farmers Market has great food and is a fun time. Tons of options. Walk around, soak it all up.

I'd also recommend this -- Dakota at the Roosevelt Hotel. I'm betting that Feb. 15 won't be completely slammed. Sure, the Roosevelt has the celebrity reputation these days, but the food at the Dakota is tremendous.

you gotta go East

I'm sure there's great food to be had at those places listed, but East L.A. ain't the nicest place in the world.
posted by frogan at 8:42 PM on February 6, 2006

I had a great experience at the Stinking Rose -- the food is surprisingly excellent, and be sure to have the ice cream. Good luck finding a place that isn't full-up, though.
posted by headlessagnew at 8:44 PM on February 6, 2006

Cafe Beaujolais in Eagle Rock is an absolute gem -- one of LA's best little secrets. Wonderful French bistro food, good wine list, nice ambience, terrific service, and really good prices. It may be booked already, but give it a try. (The only reason my bf and I aren't going on the 14th is that my birthday is the 15th, so we're doing dinner in for Valentine's Day and dinner out for my birthday.)
posted by scody at 8:53 PM on February 6, 2006

I can't emphasise enough, how hard it will be to just turn up at a restaurant on Valentine's Day and get seated within 15 mins, especially within a reasonable distance of BH.

Josie in Santa Monica (Scram beat me to it!) would fit the bill nicely, although you would have to book now. Its cosy, elegant but unpretentious, and serves great food. Its a bit pricy but nothing outrageous. Alternately, Jiraffe in Santa Monica fits the bill equally, but not sure if there are any reservations left.

I can recommend a truly excellent sushi bar (Sushi Yotsuya, 18760 Ventura Blvd, Tarzana) that will serve you the best sushi you have likely ever eaten, and you will be able to walk in and be seated on Valentine's Day. It is friendly, an unpretentious strip mall sushi bar, traditional only (no california rolls), but it is very very expensive, and about 30 mins drive from BH.
posted by Joh at 9:35 PM on February 6, 2006

I'm sure there's great food to be had at those places listed, but East L.A. ain't the nicest place in the world.

Just a note to our out of town guests who might be put off by frogan's remark, the San Gabriel Valley (encompassing Monterey Park, Alhambra, etc.) is not part of East L.A.... which is a very interesting neighborhood in its own right, and which often gets a worse rap than it deserves. Hipster Silverlake is probably just as dangerous.
posted by Scram at 9:44 PM on February 6, 2006

Chez Mimi has great food and wonderful, romantic atmosphere.
posted by lola at 10:00 PM on February 6, 2006

I run a restaurant (many thousands of miles from LA, alas), and every Valentine's Day, we are packed solid, with 20-30 people waiting for a table most of the time. Last year, one couple waited 45 minutes for a table. I kid you not. They were willing to wait simply because no matter which restaurant they might go, the scene would have been similar.

So I'd say that no matter what you picked, unless it was some hole-in-the-wall joint, you'd find it hard to get a place to sit. (Of course, I have never been to LA, so the proverbial pinch of salt should apply.)
posted by madman at 1:05 AM on February 7, 2006

I second Cafe Beaujolais (they also have their own bakery) -- but you can also go to Houston’s Century City, more expensive, less French, closer to your hotel: it's nice and the tuna salad's really good. you may have to wait between 30-45 minutes, but since you're a New Yorker I don't think that would be a first
posted by matteo at 8:14 AM on February 7, 2006

Response by poster: Using Scram's OpenTable link I've made two reservations: one at Spark Woodfire Grill in Beverly Hills (about a mile from the hotel) and another one at the Friars of Beverly Hills. I'll cancel the reservation we do not use, thogh they are more than 2 hours apart -- this is because I don't know our evening schedule yet for the 14th and need to be prepared for anything.
posted by camworld at 8:39 AM on February 7, 2006

No recommendations, just congratulations to you and your bride. W00t!
posted by Lynsey at 10:51 AM on February 7, 2006