Don’t be so crabby.
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Mussel through it for there is a ray of hope. I thought I’d throw in a word of encouragement just for the hali- Saury…
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Aww, it’s all good. We can just fugu-taboutit.
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Just returned from a late lunch at Il Pesce and I am pleased to report that Eataly has calmed down, at least if you go at off hours. It was downright civilized.
Got to Il Pesce around 2:40 and rather than the usual give us your name and we’ll text you when we have a space, it was “do you prefer the bar or the terrace?” Ate outside and it was lovely and peaceful. Started with the octopus salad, which was delicious – octopus, peppers, onions and some micro greens. The only thing that would have made it more delicious would have been a crisp glass of Italian white, but alas, had to go back to work afterwards, so no wine. Had striped bass for the entree, which was excellent as always.
Had a very nice, chatty waiter. I learned that Michael Cimarusti prefers that the fish be made “alla griglia” (herbs and olive oil) and if he had his druthers would always make the fish that way, rather than the two other ways that are offered on the menu which are Livornese (Capers, olives, garlic, tomatoes, with olive oil) and Oven Roasted (with cherry tomatoes, olives, herbs and white wine). Good to know that I have been ordering it the way Chef Cimarusti prefers!
Also learned that lunch has been uneven and if you come at a regular lunch hour, you never know if you will have to wait a long time. The waiter said on Monday - Thursday, 2:30 p.m. is generally safe, but not on weekends, when it is better to get there at 11:00 a.m. (but who wants fish at 11:00 a.m.?) The waiter said they plan to start taking reservations in January, but need to have a mix where there are always tables available for walk-ins. He also said they never plan to start serving dessert, as the concept is different than fine dining where you would linger over a meal.
That lovely pink fish (not sure what it is) was on display at Il Pesce. At the fish counter, they had skate!
Finally, had a chat with an Eataly manager about Terra, the rooftop restaurant that will open in January. The “theme” is Italian “barbecue” with venison and boar, although they will also have fish and vegetables. The wine list will be more upscale than at the other Eataly restaurants.
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And as someone who’s eaten the fish prepared all 3 ways, my tastebuds agree!
This place seems pretty easy to get into now. Walked in at 5:30 while getting my iPhone repaired at Apple, no problems.
@CiaoBob might be happy to know that they are serving panigacci by the platter with meats, cheeses, etc… fresh out of the oven now. Pretty pleasant with a glass of lambrusco to wash it down. You can order more panigacci from the oven for $5 as well.
Terrible photo quality of it, taken via the webcam on my Macbook since the phone was ostensibly being repaired haha
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Righteous!
That’s the way it should be.
Awesome.
Thanks
That’s a California Sheephead. Like PorkyBelly, they help keep Sea urchin populations in check.
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@bulavinaka, they were serving Sheepshead - said it was caught in Newport Beach, I think. If I had known that great looking pink fish was Sheepshead, I think I would have ordered it rather than striped bass, just to see what Sheepshead tasted like. Those teeth on the fish are rather funky though.
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The humans don’t keep the uni population in enough check with their voracious consumption? Or are restaurants targeting uni devouring competitors? haha
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What generation?
I was looking forward today to the Thursday Century City Farmers’ Market (I highly recommend the Brothers kiosk for Middle Eastern), but alas no Farmers’ Market – I assumed canceled as result of the fires.
So I found myself heading over to Eataly at 12:45 p.m. The good news was that it wasn’t crazy crowded (although by the time I left at 1:45 p.m., there was a long line to be seated at the pizza and pasta restaurant).
I thought about getting a salad (no line) since a friend this morning had highly touted the argula salad, but as always, I found myself being pulled to Il Pesce where they were able to seat me without a wait. Alas, I ended up having my first unsatisfying meal at Il Pesce . Curious about sheepshead, I ordered it and found the fish bland and tasteless. The problem was compounded by the fagioli beans that I ordered as a side. Perhaps I have been eating too many legumes at Ethiopian restaurants lately, but I also found the fagioli bland and tasteless. So I had bland fish with bland beans.
I also had lunch yesterday at Eataly – finally tried the chicken. I had thought you were relegated to buying a whole chicken, but it turns out that at the chicken station, you can order a plate with half a chicken which comes with two sides. It was pretty good and only a tad more expensive than the steam table chicken and vegetables that I often get at Trimania, but probably not anything to go out of your way for.
Yesterday, I also temporarily abandoned my carb phobia and tried a cannoli. I thought the quality of the ricotta was excellent, but found the cannoli a tad too sweet for my palate.
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No line at the Rosticceria at lunch today. Lamb sandwich was INSANELY good. Tender, gamey, and simply but perfectly seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Bread was also top notch. Soft yet crusty.
Spicy potato chips were a little pricey at $4 for a (largeish) bag. Still, I thought they were quite tasty too. Crispy, thin, with just a hint of spice.
No porchetta, unfortunately. But the prime rib looks outstanding too. I’ll definitely be back for that and some of the other goodies for sale there.
BTW, you all weren’t kidding. Parking is a total shit show now. Think I saw the ramp to our secret FTC parking area. 
Will probably just walk next time, though.
3rd Floor is the place to be, escalators down one to main Eataly entry.
If you have a hybrid, better yet… (see below) also the Smart Parking feature is awesome too. In and out with no ticket.
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Re parking, I usually walk, but when I don’t, like today, I park by Gelsons (first entrance on Century Park West right after Constellation) because I can usually find a space and I go into Gelson’s anyway for a validation. Today I parked by Gelson’s in a so-called clean car reserved space - there wasn’t a single other clean car parked in those spaces and they don’t seem to have clean car police going around and giving tickets. They also have van and carpool spaces by Gelson’s and again not a single car parked in that area was a van or a carpool (unless you consider a man and his wife who I saw leaving with their groceries count as a carpool).
Today, I finally tried the Eataly salad bar. I got the “build your own salad” with added chicken ($3.50), which consists of whatever kind of greens you want (I chose local mix) and five sides - I chose cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, dried tomatoes, anchovies and something that now escapes me. The salad was impeccable, but even with the added chicken and anchovies it did not have enough protein to satisfy me, and yikes it was expensive at $19.16 with tax, but without tip.
Not sure I would spend $19 again for a salad for lunch, but when I popped by Gelson’s afterwards and saw their sad salad bar offerings, I also realized that I have now been spoiled for mediocre salad bars.
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true, but $19 will get you 2.4 pounds of salad bar offerings on Tuesday.
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Easily one of the worst salad’s I’ve had in LA - and most expensive - I asked for the chicken from the Rotisserie bar, which was a little larger serving, but still not enough protein.
I have to go back to Eately soon to restock my Venchi 75% chocolate bars.
@yogachik, I agree with you that the chicken is too soft and definitely not enough of it for a $19 salad. But I did think the quality of the produce was really good and I am really finicky about produce. But I don’t have a huge desire to go back and soon the salad station will be gone anyway, and we’ll see what the next pop up will be.
uh ohhhh Mario Batali stepping down from his business after sexual misconduct accusations | Mashable
I gotta say that I was thinking about heading over there for lunch again today. But this news gave me pause.