Lou Winebar

If you are in need of a hip but casual date night spot, Lou on Vine is the place. I spent a lot of time there when it first openned and now, two years later, I remember what I love about the place. The restaurant is in a corner of a mini mall off Melrose and Vine. There are no signs and but if you score a parking spot in the lot, you should have no trouble finding it behind its curtains.

The best thing to do at Lou is go for the Cheese plate and/or Charcutarie and start wine tasting. Unfortunatley, this past trip there, I couldn't indulge (being 71/2 months pregnant). But, my partner could and I was able to pick from a 2oz or 5oz. size pours of obscure and small production wines. Many of the wines are unrecognizable but the staff is happy to explain and the menu gives a pretty accurate picture of what you are about to try. It uses adjectives such as raunchy, briny and cerebral to describe their wines.

For dinner, the menu is market driven. We enjoyed the halibut with roasted cauliflour and parsnhips and farmers market green salad. If you are adventerous, I'd recommend you try the Pig Candy. It's maple glazed bacon and a fun way to start your meal.

Lou is located in a classy strip mall at 724 Vine Street in Hollywood. Yep, that’s us, right next to the laundromat!
Lou’s telephone number: 323 962-6369.

http://www.louonvine.com/

BLD: The perfect pancake

I know it's been a while and after many requests for more reviews, I am back. I decided that the best way to restart my blogging about Food is with breakfast. I don't know about you but I am a french toast, waffle, pancake in the morning kind of girl. Especially when it is the "Perfect Pancake." I can say there are many contenders in Los Angeles (Dinah's Apple Pan Pancake is still amazing), but BLD is my pick for the best of. This pancake is a ricotta blueberry pancake with the most delicious Vermont Maple Syrup that ties it together. It is two large plate sized pancakes and I can barely get through one, so I would share an order with another person. BLD for breakfast is a treat. I also recommend their fresh squeezed orange juice, french press coffee, and Three Bean Huevos Rancheros (they are spicy if you are into that). It is a nice place to start your weekend or end it. It gets crowded so go early or plan on waiting a little for a table.

BLD is run by chef/owner Neal Frasier. He is also the owner of Grace restaurant which I miss terribly. Grace closed last year from it's Beverly Blvd. location but Frasier has plans for a bigger and hopefully just as great new and improved Grace downtown. I am looking forward to that! For now, I'll happily continue to treat myself to BLD, a neighborhood restaurant, and my choice for the best pancake in Los Angeles.


BLD
7450 Beverly Boulevard Los Angeles CA 90036 323 930 9744