|
This is where I primarily outfitted myself in preparation for spending several months in Southern Africa shooting a movie. Though they also have an excellent catalog and outstanding website, I...
This is where I primarily outfitted myself in preparation for spending several months in Southern Africa shooting a movie. Though they also have an excellent catalog and outstanding website, I highly recommend a trip to the store (there's one in Santa Barbara too) to try out all the fun and innovative products first-hand. These guys have the best buyers--all their products are top quality, from their well-designed luggage to their fashionable and functional travel clothing. Need disposable underwear? This is your store. They also have every international electrical and phone adapter you could imagine, and many well-designed gadgets which combine several adapters into one. Travel pillows, travel clocks, tiny lights, compasses, travel games. I always have a great time shopping there and discovering new clever products. Attentive helpful service and fair prices. www.magellans.com
Hide
|
|
Soapbox
Category:
Personal Care
9666 Owensmouth Avenue
Chatsworth, California 91311
(818) /99-39797
Wonderful selection of ALL NATURAL, completely hand-made soaps, lotions, fizzy bath balls, bath salts, essential oils (great prices!), room sprays, etc. Company is run by a husband and wife team...
Wonderful selection of ALL NATURAL, completely hand-made soaps, lotions, fizzy bath balls, bath salts, essential oils (great prices!), room sprays, etc. Company is run by a husband and wife team who make all their products on the premises and sell from their manufacturing location, as well as via phone and internet orders. The freshly made soaps are the best, especially the Cappuccino one, Red Dragon (which is a cinnamon soap) and Breakfast Mint, which has exfoliating oatmeal in it. Favorite lotion is the grapefruit-vanilla "Cloud #9." The room sprays are also terrific and an excellent value. Best of all, they make lovely gift baskets which they will customize to any specifications. Great care is taken to use only natural, plant-derived ingredients, and everything is made in small batches to assure freshness. Even the packaging is recyclable and environmentally friendly. www.soapboxusa.com
Hide
|
|
Josie
Category:
Restaurants
2424 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, California 90405
(310) 581-9888
This is a beautiful restaurant with excellent and attentive service. I went with my family for New Years Eve, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. The food was very good but you could tell that the...
This is a beautiful restaurant with excellent and attentive service. I went with my family for New Years Eve, and we enjoyed ourselves very much. The food was very good but you could tell that the kitchen was under great stress timing all the food to be ready at the same time to a sold out room. Usually there is some stagger from table to table, but not on New Year's. So I got the impression that the menu for the evening was a little overcomplicated for what they were actually able to execute with a capacity crowd (meaning for example that the elk medallions I ordered were too well done), but that with a normal night's crowd the food would be better and more consistent. But the staff was extremely nice and created a fun and festive evening for all the revelers. I would definitely try this place again on a normal night.
Hide
|
|
Katsu-Ya
Category:
Restaurants
11680 Ventura Blvd
Studio City, California 91604
(818) 985-6976
While Sushi Nozawa is for purists, Katsu-Ya, just a mile or so down Ventura Blvd., is for innovative palates. They serve a full menu of Japanese dishes like teriyaki, tempura, miso soup, etc. But...
While Sushi Nozawa is for purists, Katsu-Ya, just a mile or so down Ventura Blvd., is for innovative palates. They serve a full menu of Japanese dishes like teriyaki, tempura, miso soup, etc. But the reason to go is the "special" menu written up on dry-erase boards. This place does not have much atmosphere, the decor is uninspiring (heard they opened a prettier version in Encino) and the service is serviceable. But the creative sushi dishes are out of this world. Top favorites include Crispy Rice with Spicy Tuna, Crispy Sesame Tuna and the 4 1/2 Roll. The piece de resistance is the Baked Crab Hand Roll--one of the most divine things you will ever eat (have one at the beginning of the meal, then save room to have another at the end). Basically, it is a handful of blue crab, baked in butter, then rolled with warm rice inside a piece of sesame soy paper. Words cannot do it justice. Just go there and eat it and you'll see.
Hide
|
|
I am a sushi connoisseur and have tried the best places in New York and LA, and this is hands down the best. Well worth a trip from Santa Monica or anywhere, you are going there for the fish, not...
I am a sushi connoisseur and have tried the best places in New York and LA, and this is hands down the best. Well worth a trip from Santa Monica or anywhere, you are going there for the fish, not the ambience or the service. Chef Nozawa is a sushi purist, so you won't find any California Rolls. Just put yourself in his hands ("Trust me" menu), and you will have the most perfect melt-in-your-mouth-like-butter fish, the most perfectly steamed vinegared rice, the crispiest nori. Don't worry, he won't give you anything crazy, so even if you are a relative novice, you will get the mainstream fish--tuna sashimi, yellowtail, whitefish, albacore, shrimp sushi, crab roll, toro roll. FYI, this is a sushi-only restaurant; no tempura, teriyaki or anything else. As I said the chef is a purist--go for a pure and perfect experience.
Hide
|
|
Chef Kikuchi cooks in full view of the seven tables comfortably arrayed in this intimate space as his wife makes you feel like you are dining in their home. Japanese influenced French cuisine is...
Chef Kikuchi cooks in full view of the seven tables comfortably arrayed in this intimate space as his wife makes you feel like you are dining in their home. Japanese influenced French cuisine is delicate, delectable, perfect. The service is also perfect, with everything being attended to instantly without you even noticing that your water has been refilled or your napkin refolded. The menu is designed as a prix fixe: $40 for a three course meal (appetizer, entree, dessert). There are about five or six choices for each course. This is incredibly reasonable for a restaurant of this extreme high quality. Also, bottles of wine are only marked up about 100% instead of the usual 300% in good restaurants. But besides the outstanding food, service and value, it is an incredibly special dining experience because the space is so intimate, the number of tables is so small, that the chef and staff are totally focused on making your dining experience perfect. Reservations necessary because of the small size of the place. Open Tues through Sat, dinner only. Formerly called Bistro 21 (still listed that way in Zagat).
Hide
|
|
I have taken my two cats to Dr. Schwartz for the last nine years and he is compassionate, professional, communicative, understanding and very kind. He takes the time to really explain what is going...
I have taken my two cats to Dr. Schwartz for the last nine years and he is compassionate, professional, communicative, understanding and very kind. He takes the time to really explain what is going on and how he will treat a problem, without being condescending. Has a lovely new clinic at Overland and Palms, treating dogs, cats, bunnies, birds, etc. Fair prices, too. Great vet, great person.
Hide
|