And here we are once again at the Delano hotel. I don’t know if you remember what happened last time, we wound up at the Mandalay and the largest suite I’ve ever stayed in, 1,705 sq ft in the Horizon Suite. But to be honest, we really wanted to stay away from Mandalay, and hopefully we were going to get a nice room here at the Delano.

We walk up to the desk to check in, and since we drove up during Christmas break, we were able to drive during normal business hours and arrive at the hotel just after 8:00pm. I calmly ask the clerk, Mario, if they had an upgrade available to a junior suite. He tickled the ivories of the keyboard, and came back with a yes! Awesome! But he had to get managerial approval, whatever that means.

When we arrive to the 60th floor, yes 60th floor, we got that feeling once again. Walking towards the room, we see the number is at the end of the hall, and that’s always a good thing. We step inside the room and are greeted with a marble minimalist design marble console. Wow, impressive so far. I turn to my right and I see the door, and now I get happy, a second bathroom! Yay! I don’t know why this thrills me so much, it just does. I love having two bathrooms in a hotel room.

We step through the foyer and we come across, a second foyer? No, more a simple open space with a large mirror leaning against the wall and a chair with the round carpet. It had a very Zen minimalist modern art installation feel to it.  I could just sit here for a good long time.

We step into the living room, and Oh My God! The interior windows have a gold tint to them, so in the evening under the room lights, the whole room is just reflective gold. Huge! A large sectional couch, flat screen TV, separate dining table with new age design chandelier and full bar with Kuerig coffee maker.

We  check out the bedroom and we have to walk all the way across the room to the bedroom. And by “all the way”, I mean all, all… all the way! Past the Zen chair. Past the business desk. Past the second full size couch in the bedroom, and finally to the final resting place. After all the suite is 1,400 square feet so this place is massive!

The bed has the Delano tufted headboard, same design we had in our previous Delano room. I guess this is a Delano theme, cool. We step in past the bed and the hallway closet, yes hallway closet. As close as you’re going to get to walk in closet in Vegas. Hmmm… wait, I’m sure there are walk-in closets in Vegas. Wynn suite?

Anyway, the bathroom is nice: Double sink vanity, large soaking tub, separate water closet (toilet), steam shower! Yes, a steam shower for those mornings when you need to sweat that Tequila out. But then in Vegas, it’s never really morning as its just a rollover from the previous night.

I just love the clean modern design of this suite and effective immediately this is my new favorite suite. Let me take that back, because that suite at The Cosmopolitan, although not as fancy as this suite, it did have that double balcony! And on a beautiful spring or summer day a balcony trumps all. OK now that I think about it this is my second favorite suite but it’s my favourite Mlife suite, how about that!

Oh here we go! Hell’s Kitchen Las Vegas. We finally get to taste some Gordon Ramsay speciality food. Our memories fade back to days of The London and that awesome Beef Wellington. And even more, London held two of my favorite culinary memories: The last time we ate there, we saw and met with Neil deGrasse Tyson, the solar systems most stellar name since Carl Sagan. And then there was the food porn picture incident, where some lady asked the waiter to tell us to stop talking pictures because the flash was bothering her. I mean, yes, its annoying when people do that, using flash in restaurants for Instagram food shots, but we were the only two tables in the place! Whatever!

Anyway, this was Vegas and this was going to be one hell of a party! Wrong! The hostess tries to be as cool and nonchalant as some nightclub hostess. Whatever, you see me you insolent little prick. And then, instead of some cool Vegas waiting area, we’re forced to stand in this lame ass cheesy little roped off line. We could have walked around the lobby…foyer…area in front with a life size video recording of Ramsay saying some weird obnoxious stuff, but it was unclear if our name was being called or if we were waiting in line in the order of arrival. I didn’t want the newcomers to jump us, so we waited in line like the little sheep that we are. Lame.

As we’re being shown to our seats, the kitchen is laid out in huge Red Team Blue Team manner. quite impressive, but unfortunately, that’s the most impressive thing about that space. Just a big hall of a space ala Cheesecake Factory with half the seats removed. And pitchforks. Lot’s of pitchforks. Everywhere pitchforks! I get it already, its Hell’s Kitchen! I know, I just spent purgatory waiting for the place. Oh well, at least when I meet my demise, I’ll be able to look up and say, “I know. I remember this place.”

Good thing though, we are seated in the antechamber, the back room so to speak. At least it’s a little darker, more quiet and you don’t feel like you’re on display. The waiter comes over, finally, and…I don’t know why…but just makes me feel so uncomfortable. Just a real shark-snarkiness about him. I think he or someone must have said something to put me on edge, but either way, I was and he was not making it any better.

Oh well, so much for the Ramsay swag, the menu is rather plain, typical restaurant. Fish, steak, The Wellington, chicken. We start with the Scallops, and for some reason, I love Scallops. And I say that like, I don’t know why I like them, really not much to them, but I always want them when I see them on a menu. Weird, yep, and it’s actually been awhile since I had a good order of them to make it worthwhile.

Well this time, I got it right. First, there’s five to a plat, so plenty to have. Most of the time, there’s only 2 or 3, but with 5, Nancy lets me have a whole one, so I get 3 plump, tender and flavorful. They have just the perfect consistency, the celery root puree blandness was corrected with a touch of bacon fat flavor. The little scallions on top were gone on the second and third pieces, no need, and too sour to not annoy that subtle bacon taste.

So once the food starts coming out, first on the table was the Mac and Cheese. Truth be told, I’m on a MnC pilgrimage. Trying to feed the perfect, or at least something that comes close to the Truffle MnC we had for our Christmas dinner with friends at The Belvedere in The Peninsula years ago. OMG! That let me know MnC is in fact a grown dish that has been watered down for kids, and not the other way around. And so Gordon hits a high note here with his Gouda heavy noodle-rific wonder. But what drives it home is the crispy prosciutto on top. Yes, packs as much flavor as bacon, but in a lighter, crispier dissolves on your tongue manner. And this time, the scallions play the correct role in providing just a tippy top touch of acid. Heaven!

Finally, the Beef Wellington arrives and the presentation is just wonderful. Light and fluffy is the view with the whip potatoes, and I do mean whipped. Oozing with cream, the potatoes are light and delicate as can be. And then it happens…the first bite. And bam! Turns out I was in hell after all. The crust, light and flaky…on top. Gooey down below…please hold your jokes until the end. the meat was cooked to perfection, the mushroom sweater was perfectly uniform. And the flavor, was…gone. Both of us just stared at one another. Where was the flavor? the Scallops. Perfect. Mac and Cheese. Delicious. Beef Wellington. Check please. But of course we powered through it. I’m not that crazy. But it was just so flat. If you’re a carnivore, nowhere beats Vegas. The steak houses here are insane! One of the few places in the world were if you order Kobe, you get Kobe. But this was bland. Perfectly bland. On well. And with that we head out. Not even wanting to try desert, the MnC did us just fine. I miss that original London Wellington. I know Satan, I know.

You know how much I love BBQ! From San Diego’s Phil’s to San Mateo’s Willy’s, whenever i travel, I’m on the look out for BBQ. But what abut at home? Don’t I have it covered. And when I’m in downtown LA, there’s always one spot I love to check out: Sprint Street Smokehouse BBQ.

The food is great, the locale is low key, and the beer is a perfect selection of local and far out brews that compliment the BBQ.

What makes Spring At unique, other than a BBQ spot in LA, is that its in actually Chinatown. At one point, downtown LA actually technically four BBQ spots. Besides Spring St, and sorry if I don’t remember the names, but there was Lee’s(?) on the corner of Figueroa and Sunset. The owner actually had a second satellite location on 7th street, and then there was a spot in Grand Central Market which closed years ago, but now a redesigned front space at GCM has been re-purposed as Horse Thief, a store front of sorts BBQ spot.

So that leaves Spring St. as the only place you can grab some ‘Bones and Brisket’ in a neat sit down spot with TV’s and music. Interestingly, they actually used to host a comedy night here, but no more.

What catches your eye as you enter is the selection of beers available. Of course they feature Angel City, the localest of breweries, but they also feature San Fernando Valley and Ventura County in addition to San Diego and San Marcos brews. But don’t worry, it you feel only foreigners make the good stuff, England, Belgium, Canada and New York are represented. Hey, they might as well be from another country – no one can understand that accent!

Although there are plenty of BBQ spots surrounding Spring St., I’m sorry, but Korean BBQ does not compare. Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Brisket and Burnt Ends are what we mean when we say Barbeque!

And in no BBQ spot is worth its Salt Lick if they don’t have their own BBQ sauces to compliment the meat. I normally wait until about half way through the meat before I start adding extra sauce. That way I get to enjoy the flavor of the meat, and then BAM! I kick it up a notch!

And fear not, it’s not all meat. There are plenty of healthy dining options to join the meat elite. Their sides are just awesome! Slaw, mash, the mac and cheese is killer! And yes, the roasted veggies hold their own as a star with the chili being some of the best you’ll taste anywhere. Honestly, I’d order the chili over most menu items in other restaurants. But here, BBQ is king!

Spring Street Smokehouse

640 N. SPRING ST. 
LOS ANGELES, CA 90012
213.626.0535

So a Travelzoo deal comes across the wire and it’s an “Eat and Greet” opportunity to have some fine Italian cuisine and meet chef Scott Conant of Chopped and pretty much every Food Network show. My wife jumps at the chance to do so and we’re off to Beverly Boulevard restaurant row for some celebrity chef Italian fare at The Ponte.

Most of the restaurants along Beverly Boulevard have rear or side entrance due to the fact that Beverly is a high traffic volume street and there’s really no way to just simply pull up and park. That’s just car culture at its finest. Cool enough, we pull around to the back of the restaurant and drop the car off at the valet. The entry is a classic Italian Villa door. Stepping inside, you are transported into a lovely courtyard dominated by huge, I believe this to be Magnolia, tree. It gives a nice alfresco feel to the dining experience. 

Stepping into the restaurant you step into a maze of fast and frantic servers scurrying about serving the patrons. The back of the restaurant, which is actually the front of the restaurant, you find a large bar with low level Edison lighting. The overall design is slick modern, but a little cramped and claustrophobic. We let the waitress know that we would prefer to sit outside in the patio.

Our waiter, ironically, his name is Chris also, comes over with a huge smile on his face. He walks supposed to be this special tasting menu and we order up. Our amuse-bouche comes out, followed by an appetizer tasting of pasta. Spaghetti al Pomodoro, swirled into a stack that looks less like an appetizer and more like a small entrée. But the pasta is perfect al dente, the sauce tender and sweet and fresh. If this is what the rest of the dinner going to be like we’re in for a treat tonight!

At this point, I will make note of how many times I’ve gone to a celebrity chef restaurant, and in the end, we are thoroughly disappointed. Not tonight. My sirloin comes out and it is fabulous. Sitting on a bed of potatoes and squash, the smile on my face was from ear to ear. The steak was a perfect medium, and so tender and tasty. The squash and potatoes were tender yet firm and full of bright sunny flavor. This Scott guy really knows what he’s doing! Nancy had the Branzino and she was equally pleased with her tasting.

Dessert was a yummy caramel treat, a Caramel Budino. This is basically pudding in a small jar with a caramel layer on top, topped with cookie crumbles. Tasty and a perfect wrap up to the meal. Sorry, I didn’t get any pics, as Chris brought this out just as we were speaking with Scott, and I was pre-occupied so I just started eating. It was soooo good, and by the time I realized it, it was too late.

This was a wonderful dinner, full of character, charm and flavor. The restaurant was interesting, the service impeccable, and the food was fantastic! This rates very high and demands a revisit. Maybe we should just move back downtown to be closer to these restaurants. Just sayin’!

The Ponte Ristorante

8265 Beverly Blvd,
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 746-5130