Gourmet delivery food Los Angeles query with caveat - no GrubHub etc.

May 7, 2020 9:32 PM

I wish to order food in for a special occasion in West Hollywood this Sunday or Monday. I wish to avoid intermediaries like GrubHub - will tip the driver and restaurant directly. But I never eat out so have no idea where to take my business, and am not learning much from Eater, or the recent L.A.Times article on delivery. Can be any cuisine but sushi. If the restaurant(s) offer dessert, even better, as we're celebrating two birthdays. 3 people, and I'll spend up to $300. No drinks necessary. Help me out?
posted by goofyfoot to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

For that kind of money, I would see about the possibility of hiring a personal chef.

But I don't live in the area and recommend anything more specific.
posted by NotLost at 9:48 PM on May 7, 2020

Most restaurants use Grubhub etc (even if they offer ordering for delivery on their website, they outsource to those services for delivery labor without explicitly saying so). The only exception I can think of is pizza delivery like Dominos. There may be some local businesses out there that deliver using their own employees.

Is curbside pickup an option? If so I'd suggest Taix in Echo Park (classic fancy French).
posted by Red Desk at 10:32 PM on May 7, 2020

Most fancy LA restaurants are on Tock, not Grubhub. Tock is a reservation system and they just started online orders due to this crisis. I believe their model is signifcantly more fair than Grubhub (they charge restaurants 3% per order). They are mostly offering fixed price menus, maybe with a choice of entree.
posted by acidic at 10:48 PM on May 7, 2020 [6 favorites]

I’m not familiar with LA, but in Seattle, a number of very fancy restaurants have converted to a take-out model with a daily menu. (Example: Canlis, which is fancy enough that it normally requires a suit to get in the door.)

So it might be worth checking the older articles on the LA Times Food section or Eater for reviews of fancy restaurants pre-pandemic. Then if you see anything you like, check their websites and see if they’re doing takeout!
posted by a device for making your enemy change his mind at 7:13 AM on May 8, 2020

Not sure if brunch is your speed but La Brea Bakery is delivering. I bought my own champagne but they have fresh OJ for mimosas. It made my 4/20 very special. I think I'm going to do it again because I'm losing the light at the end of the tunnel.
posted by Uncle at 8:52 AM on May 8, 2020 [1 favorite]