How sweet it is to get dressed up a bit on a damp night and go out to a warm Spanish restaurant with bright, beautiful, fascinating women and drink sangria, savor tapas and talk about life on low leather couches.
I had planned this blog to be a detailed restaurant and bar review - which I will actually get to below - using the comment cards that I provided to the participants as a jumping off point. But, in the end I think that one of the comments said it best - if you're with great company you can make almost any place into a five star experience.
I decided over the holidays that I would try something new. A friend of mine wisely told me last fall, "You can't go back. Don't keep saying, when will I get my body back?? When will I get my life back?? When will I get my sanity back? You have to go forward - things are different now and always will be."
So, in an effort to move positively ahead and bring some adult excitement back into my life, I decided that I would go somewhere - a new restaurant, a new bar, a new party of some sort once a month. And I would plan it. And I would be open to whatever that place had to offer. And I would invite all of the fantastic women that I knew so that I would at least be able to catch up with them once a month in person. And I would entangle them in writing up their critiques of the establishment and experience as well - so that I could have a more well rounded view of the evening. And I would try very hard not to spend much money at all. Could it be done, I wondered? Could I get out of my rut and get organized just once a month?
My January pick was Ole Spanish Restaurant and Tapas Bar on Ventura Blvd in Studio City. (http://oletapasbar.com/index.html)
The hostess kindly led us to a bunch of low leather seats and couches right
near the door - which worked really well for a group that was going to grow in
size over the evening. The sweet waitress came right over for our drink
order and we asked for a pitcher of the red sangria. The sangria proved
to be tasty, but a bit weak - as seemed true of the hard liquor specialty
drinks my friends ordered as well.
The tapas were all delicious - in particular the placa caliente which
included the fried goat cheese and patatas bravas which were excellent - definitely
the best starter for a group. The Tarta Mariscos was probably my favorite
- a seafood and garlic tart with a lemon creme sauce. Other reviews were mixed on the authenticity of the Spanish recipes and menu items offered at Ole. I have no background in this type of food, but after researching the menu items, they seem to be authentic Spanish tapas dishes and the quality of the ingredients was very high, so that's enough for me.
To close out the evening, we went ahead and had chocolate fondue with fruit
for dessert. It didn't take long to convince all of the ladies to partake
in a pot of melted chocolate - especially after a few glasses of sangria.
The chocolate was not too sweet but had a lot of rich flavor and was
accompanied by a beautiful selection of fresh fruit. Now, I can't really find any research substantiating that fondue is something on a typical menu in Spain, but...does it really matter? I thought that it followed the tapas very organically.I thought the service was fantastic, as I like a lot of attention, the food and drinks to come relatively quickly and suggestions/advice from the server. Some of the comments mentioned that our server was "too present" and she seemed "too attentive" as it wasn't that busy, but I would rather have her err on that side of things!
The restroom was a good size and very clean - which is a huge sticking point for me. Hopefully they keep it that way on busy nights as well...
Oh, and an important category for you single ladies - the quality of single men in the joint - and it wasn't great. Supposedly all of the good-looking, fun guys go to a Mexican place up the street.
We ended up spending $30 each instead of my intended $20, but I got a little crazy finally flying the coop and of course could not refuse the fondue...
So, I'm not sure if that constitutes a "frugal surprise?" We had a full meal really and dessert and drinks, so that seems pretty reasonable for LA. We'll see if I can stick to the budget a bit better next month... At Bazaar at SLS? Hmmmm...
Well, it's good to have goals.
Here are the average scores from all 6 comment cards:
One star - Poor/Fair
Two stars - Adequate/Expected
Three stars - Fantastic/Exceptional
Ambiance / First Impression: 2.5 stars
Service: 2.6 stars
Menu Selection: 2.8 stars
Variety/Options: 2.6 stars
Clear Focus: 2.8 stars
Appropriate Pricing: 2.8 stars
Presentation: 3 stars
Creativity/Innovation: 2.5 stars
Potency of drink: 1.8 stars
Parking Ease: 2.5 stars
(Street parking and a free parking in the lot in back)
Overall Experience: 2.5 stars
Next month:
Date: Tuesday, February 16th
Time: 7:30pm
Place: The Bazaar Bar at the SLS Hotel
Their review says:
"Experience a collection of magical dining experiences, entwined in a modern-day, European-inspired “indoor piazza” -- savor pioneering culinary creations, delicacies from roving carts and delicious libations by chef José Andrés"
http://www.thebazaar.com/
465 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA
(310) 247-0400
