Melisse

**** (4 stars)

This is a good, but not great restaurant. The preparations are elaborate, and most results are quite tasty, but it is rare that things come together in that transcendental experience where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

The wine list is good if, expectedly, pricey. There are some hard to find gems, although no great depth of vintages.

Service is efficient and accommodating, neither stiff nor particularly friendly.

Atmosphere is understated although the open room and fairly bright lighting aren’t particularly intimate.

A fine restaurant, but after two visits to check it out, not one that beckons me back.

Melisse
1104 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
http://www.yelp.com/biz/melisse-santa-monica-2

Ye Olde Kings Head

**** (4 stars)

If you like English food, this is a great  spot for it. Most is authentic, and what’s not authentic is in general an improvement. The BLSt used English bacon, and was a delicious combination of ingredients. The Ploughman’s Platter was more extensive than any I’ve had in England. And the chicken salad had just the right amount of curry.

The decor is really charming, much quainter than most real English pubs.There’s a cozy dining space and also a more traditional pub.  There’s also an extensive outside dining area along the sidewalk.

Next door is an English shop where you’ll find many hard to obtain foodstuffs.

Ye Olde Kings Head
116 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 451-1402
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ye-olde-kings-head-santa-monica

RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen

***** (5 stars)

Amazing decor, and great food. I love being able to get Thai, Vietnamese and Indian cuisine all in one place. Favorites were the summer rolls, samosas and short rib vermicelli bowl. The two or three course lunch is a great deal. It was our server, Jordan’s, first day, and she did an amazing job.

RockSugar Pan Asian Kitchen
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 552-9988
http://www.yelp.com/biz/rocksugar-pan-asian-kitchen-los-angeles-2

Vibrato Grill Jazz

***** (5 stars)

This is my favorite spot in Los Angeles, and I have hundreds of candidates for that list. I like to go around 6:30 because the opening act is great dining music. It’s usually piano and bass. The place has amazing acoustics, and you can hear every note perfectly, yet still have a dinner conversation in a normal voice.

And what food! Anything beef is great, but I like the tuna tartare, salads, and enjoy the lamb lollipop appetizer as an entree.

Great wine list–although somewhat pricey, there are a few gems. Check out the Opaque Petite Verdot if you like big, chewy monsters.

Vibrato Grill Jazz
2930 N Beverly Glen Cir
Los Angeles, CA 90077
(310) 474-9400
http://www.yelp.com/biz/vibrato-grill-jazz-los-angeles

Stan’s Doughnuts

***** (5 stars)

I can attest to the fact that Stan’s has been making the best donuts on the planet for forty years. My favorite is the glazed buttermilk bar, but anything with buttermilk or maple in the title is a winner. I don’t really understand why anyone would eat a donut from anywhere else. I’ve even ordered them shipped to Florida!

Stan’s Doughnuts
10948 Weyburn Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 208-8660
http://www.yelp.com/biz/stans-doughnuts-los-angeles

Bouchon

bouchonsb

***** (5 stars)

What a cozy and cute place. The outside dining, where you’re almost engulfed by a tree, is very romantic, and the inside is a quant and charming bistro. Service is friendly and professional. The standout dish when we visited was the scallop trio, a special with three very different preparations. The winelist offers hundreds of selections, almost all local wineries. Wine recommendations were spot on.

Bouchon
9 W Victoria St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 730-1160
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bouchon-santa-barbara

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe

**** (4 stars)

This is one of the best bakeries in town. As of this writing their butter cookies still come in the traditional waxed cardboard tub rather than a plastic bucket. We compared the butter cookies from four bakeries, and these were the softest and crumbliest. The standout is their plain, round, flat butter cookie, simple and very buttery.

Birkholm’s Bakery& Cafe
460 Alisal Rd
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 688-8188
http://www.yelp.com/biz/birkholms-bakery-and-cafe-solvang-2

Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery & Coffee Shop

***** (5 stars)

This is one of four bakeries in Solvang where we purchased tubs of butter cookies for a taste off. They were among the best, but the real standout here were the pastries. The macaroon was the best I’ve ever had, with a perfect crispy crust and chewy but not soggy interior. The cinnamon pastry, a sort of palmier with a cinnamon crust was amazing. We nursed it for breakfast three days in a row, and it was still just as good!

Olsen’s Danish Village Bakery & Coffee Shop
1529 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463
(805) 688-6314
http://www.yelp.com/biz/olsens-danish-village-bakery-and-coffee-shop-solvang