ChristianLemay "I don't need a tagline"

Fantastic dining experience. My best meal so far and by far in 2007. Definitely on the pricey side but the way you can make your own tasting menu worked well with me.

I started with a Tuna/cucumber tartar (small portion but yummy – A), followed by the crabcake with avocado and miniature tomatos (A+), the seared foie gras (A+) and the calf sweetbread (solid A). Each dish came paired with a well picked wine.

The cheese selection was also terrific and the waitress recommended a white which initially surprised me but went perfectly with the oozing creamy goat cheese.

The desserts were very good but not quite the same level as the other courses.

Service was just excellent, with knowledgeable staff who are always aware of what you have coming next (which can be a challenge given the freeform aspect of the tasting menu).

This restaurant alone makes me want to go back to Baltimore.

I was disappointed by my visit there, mainly because the reviews I read before going were very good. After re-reading these reviews, a lot of the very good ones are for the weekend brunch and we were there for dinner so that might explain the difference.

Upon entering the restaurant, I really liked the atmosphere, the art covering the walls, the location. But unfortunately, the food just did not meet the expectations.

We started with the Crab-stuffed Portobello mushroom, which was simply delicious and the best item we ordered that night. We then shared a Spinach / apple / Chevre / Bacon salad, which was good but had too much red onion in it, which overpowered the apple taste.

For the main course, I ordered an item from the list of daily specials, diver scallops with miniature heirloom tomatoes. I don’t know if it is the acidity released by the tomatoes which were warm or if there was a problem with the scallops but this just did not taste good. I tasted a small slice of each scallop to see if any of them would NOT have that gamey/not-fresh taste but they all tasted the same. This was the first time I tasted a scallop dish I did not like and I had them raw / cooked / sauteed… in pretty much any type of recipe… I always like them. But not that night.

My gf had another of the daily specials, which was mainly steak with mashed potatos and a dijon sauce, which I thought would be on the steak but was really just all over the mashed potatos making them just very heavy.

The service was ok – I have to say they did not charge me for the dish I barely touched but they sent 2 different people to ask me what was wrong with the dish, along with “Oh, we’ve served it to a few people tonite and got no complaints” aka “what’s wrong with you?”. The only other comment about service was that we were each called “Sweetie” a couple of times by one of the ladies there, which sounded a little condescending.

I’d be curious to hear more about people who have had good experiences there. Maybe brunch is where they excel.

Chan Dra is a good, reliable Thai restaurant. The menu is fairly standard, and prices are low. The atmosphere is good, although I generally order for takeout. It is one of the few options (outside of Old Town) open relatively late for takeout in the area.

Their fries are out of this world – for a moment, I thought I was in Belgium, but then I realized I was in what looked like a good ol American diner. Good dipping sauce too.

The Pastrami sandwich was one of the better ones I have had in L.A. but I’m very picky on those, having lived in Montreal. The gf had the cheeseburger and really enjoyed it. Next time, I’ll try the pulled pork sandwich.

I can’t think of a better place to eat in the neighborhood on a hot summer night. They have great outdoors seating, they use the freshest local produce, they have that good sangria and relatively inexpensive wine options…It was just a perfect meal.

Simply put, everything tasted fantastic.

My visit there helped me confirm that I’m not a huge fan of Lexington BBQ. The food was just so-so, pretty dry despite the high quantity of fat.

One of those rare occasions where I was looking at the plate hoping I’d be done soon, but there was just more on the plate.

If you’re a BIG fan of Lexington BBQ, you might enjoy that place a little, prices are decent and all…