Violet
3221 Pico Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 453-9113

On our menu:
Mushroom Ravioli
Ahi Tuna Tartare
French Fries
Baked Macaroni x 4
Lake Superior White Fish*
Seared Scallops*
Sautéed Spinach*
Rock Shrimp and Risotto or Polenta, I do not remember*

This is my second time dining at Violet and it was just as enjoyable as the first time. Among four friends, we ordered 11 plates and took home four because we were stuffed as well as leftovers of the baked macaroni to enjoy the next day.

When you first glance at the menu the servers advise not to order a salad only because on the menu each plate is listed as “small plates” and they mean it. I love the variety and the extra components added to the food. The baked macaroni [ photo ] has leeks, Gruyere cheese and Serrano ham that add a rich yet not too heavy flavor. One friend does not even like cheese and peeled away the top cheesy crustiness and was going to give it to me. I asked her to try it since I loved it and she did and almost finished the entire plate. That’s a true sign of good food, when there are ingredients diners to not enjoy and yet they like them.

I was expected the owner and chef to be there but he wasn’t. He is such a cutie and looks as though he should be a member of a rock band. Thank goodness he is the owner of Violet, he has too many great cooking skills.

The French fries were the thinnest fries I have ever enjoyed. I was expected Pomme Frittes style, but the came out very stylish wrapped in a paper cone inside of a metal holder with two dipping sauces, a curry one and a mustard one. These were far better than any fries from fast food chain and most restaurants in general.

Another friend does not enjoy raw fish yet she found the Ahi Tuna Tartare [ photo ]very yummy, and indeed it was. With the thin slices of cucumber and light sauce, and little fried thingies on top (Dinguses? -ed), this was my second favorite behind the baked macaroni. It is so hard to rank these plates, but I guarantee all of them were great.

The mushroom ravioli [ photo ] was the first place to come out and it was in a small bath of melted butter sauce which was frightening at first but hey all food is made with tons of butter so all four of us dug in. This place was a great way to start the meal because it led into more anticipation for the baked macaroni we were raving to our friends who had never been there.

By the time we were eating our baked macaroni we had to ask to get the rest of the order to go because apparently we were eating with our eyes first. We took home the scallops, white fish, rock shrimp and spinach. I tried the scallops and for $16.50 and four pieces of scallops it was pricey but yummy. There were little pieces of cauliflower and it had a nice sweet taste from raisins. I used to eating scallops just seared but the sweetness was a nice touch. The white fish is still in my fridge. I don’t know if I’ll eat it. I actually won’t because there is just too much good food to be eaten.

Oh, I also reheated my baked macaroni for lunch on Saturday. I left it in the toaster oven for about 15 minutes in the foil container. I heard it crackling a little. When I went to transfer my food onto my plate I was so scared to see all of that yellow butter melted out of my macaroni. I stared at it for about two minutes contemplating not eating it. But I realized that I had already eaten half last night and “whatever” I don’t eat badly more than once a week so it’s okay, I will dine on the buttery baked macaroni. I might have over-reheated and baked out all of the light cheesy goodness. However, these leftovers were definitely tasty still.

At the end of the meal, the server brings your receipt surrounded by little shot glasses of milk along with mini chocolate chip cookies. I have yet to order dessert here since I can never manager room for it. But the cookies are very yummy and I would order these by the dozen for my family if they were available.

Of all the Mac and cheese I have tried in Losanjealous and around the country, I enjoy Violet’s the most. I had starved all day so I could enjoy the goodness that is baked macaroni and it was well worth it. There are still a few more places in LA that I need to try, but I would love to always have a plate of Violet’s Baked Macaroni to compare it with the others. Something tells me that this place takes the cheese though! It’s a gut feeling. That or the fact that Jared is just so cute and he’s such a good cook that how could I not rank his as the best?

Total Bill: $114.00
Tip: $26
For four friends, we each paid $35. We did not have any wine (we aren’t drinkers). We also managed to bring the most expensive plates home so had we only ordered what we ate this could have easily been a $20 meal per person.

*Indicated the plates that we took home.

okay ryan. you know how you gave me an assignment in december. well miraculously, i didn’t eat ketchup since then so i can’t tell you what places had the best ketchup. i also don’t use mayo or mustard in my food, so i couldn’t tell you what places had the best and worst.

also, remember i did see okie dog (please, oki. ‘Okie’ ~ rural Oklahoman relocated to Bakersfield, dust bowl era. — ‘okie’ ed) and the tommy’s off of the 101 exit at hollywood. contemplated going, but since it was 8:30am i couldn’t find myself going in for a chili cheese dog and burger with chili cheese fries for breakfast. maybe next time.

i entitle this entry sweet lady jane because it appears as though i have completed your task in mid-december.

a friend came to visit from new york and two friends here had never been to sweet lady jane. jt and i love scones and last time we were at sweet lady jane we have the best blackberry scones. so good, that whenver i go, i make the person i’m with try the scones. and man, are those mighty fine scones. along with the three berry cake for the fruit fan who does not want chocolate, and the almond roca fan for the dark chocolate lover. so sweet lady jane assures us, “oh the scones are good” and jt and i say “oh we know, we’ve had them before!”

so we all know what happens with expectations, they exist to let you down. (well said - ed) we eat some of our cake slices. then we get the scones accompanied with our tea and french coffee. and man, was that a nasty scone. it was not scone light. mooshy, but dry. basically we tried the drier edges first and it just tasted bad. thankfully jt and i agreed it was gross. so we told our waiter, who i think is related to the owner. and he tells me, “well that can’t be they were baked at 6am this morning” (who was baked at 6am? -ed) and i tell him, “well it can be since i’ve had them many times before and they have always been good, but not tonight!!!!!” then he goes, “are you sure?” and i’m like, “i’m sure sucker! i don’t want that goddam scone! i stuff it where the sun don’t shine!!!” (good use of goddam. -ed)

okay, the last part isn’t true. ( :/ - ed) i think the other two girls felt uncomfortable because along with not wanting to eat cake, supposedly no sweet tootch - but they did eat some. liars. is complaining at restaurants a no-no? well it’s a yes-yes to me if the food is bad. i’ve done it a few times at cheesecake factory, that’s why i only like dessert there, it’s the only thing that is always good. at sweet lady jane once the alcohol wasn’t cooked out of my raspberry lemon curd cake and i got a little tipsy so i had to send it back. i didn’t care for the refund or a replacement, and i didn’t get one. for the scones though, i wanted to let them know they weren’t good. i wasn’t looking for a refund either. but the man took off my two scones at $1.95 a pop. big deal. but their cake is so good that i still go there. am i a masochist or a sadist if i still get their scones too? whatevs. they make damn good cake.

sweet lady jane
8360 melrose, in weho
(melrose and la cienega, toward the east two or three blocks)
323/653-7145

street parking, meters in front and neighborhood parking along kings rd. and orlando av.
cash and credit accepted.
well reviewed lunch time sandwich line (??- ed) , as well as a buy six pies at $50 each get one free when you turn in all the pie tins. (fucking holy shit fuck. you did say $50 each, right? as compared to $5 at any given Callender’s. Just checking. -ed)

Outro: What is this, a sweet lady jane review sans stories about the staff and the ghost of Orson Welles, actually focusing on the potentially slipshod food quality in relation to the price tag? Approved, wholeheartedly. — ‘okie’ ed.

I love macaroni and cheese so much that no matter what city I am in; I order the mac ‘n cheese. Even if all I see is a photo of it, heck, just the words mac ‘n cheese makes me dream of the deliciousness that is cheese and macaroni. On a recent adventure of a friend’s new neighborhood, we walked to the 101 Coffee Shop [photo] off of Franklin. There is a big painting on the side of the Best Western with a cappuccino with the words “last cappuccino before the 101″. For a few years I thought of the painting as a threat, “get your coffee now before you pass out from traffic on the
101.”

The 101’s mac ‘n cheese was the first I have had in a long while that has been very tasty. I knew nothing of the fine food they had, I thought we were just going to have coffee and a donut. Thank goodness we didn’t. I liked that the macaroni is baked in large portions and served by the plate since I get to antsy waiting for my mac ‘n cheese to bake. The best part was the yummy exposed baked segments. Adding on to the great experience was the Grilled Salmon dish served with mashed potatoes and some green vegetables, asparagus maybe? Green beans? I do not remember what it was. I am also a big fan of 50/50 shakes made with some dairy component with some orange component. They do a very good job with orange juice and vanilla ice cream. I also like the orange sherbet with clear soda, but not too many places do that. One dish someone in my party did not like was the Blackened Chicken sandwich; unless you want the food to taste how it sounds, burnt and charcoal like, don’t order it. (!!?? - ed.)

The wait staff was very nice and we got our feed in a speedy manner. If there is one thing I hate doing, it’s waiting for food. There were lots of industry people there, well they looked like industry people but if you leave them alone they won’t bother you. But as I notice from working in Hollywood, every other person works in the industry. (. - ed)

I recommend this place; I have since been here four times and always order the mac and a 50/50 shake. But since I’ve been to Violet, I can now say I have had the best mac ‘n cheese in LA but the 101’s mac does its job as a comfort food. Their coffee is also decent for restaurant coffee and my friend had an Iced Chai Latte that was tastier than most either of us has ever tried. (most either? ah - most ICLattes. got it. - ed)

101 Coffee Shop
6145 FRANKLIN AVE HOLLYWOOD, CA
90028-5220, PHONE (323) 467-1175

Cafe 50s: one of my favorite places to go on the westside. i’m not sure if it’s cuz of the food or the fact that you can play games while you wait. the milkshakes are way good and the food is decent. i’ve enjoyed everything i’ve had there and also all the fun times. sorry scott, i don’t remember eating there with you two years ago, i think you imagined it.

(Sorry folks. No address or contact info. Hell, why not, sorry scott, too. -ed.)

i really like hawaiin food. which means that i like eggs and spam. the occasional moco loco with the hamburger patties is good. the macaroni salad is full of mayo, but it’s not so bad with the food as well as the ramen cabbage salad that just screams hawaiin. the chicken appetizers are pretty tasty as well. this one is located in the southbay, i forget exactly where, but it’s off rosecrans and south. you see if on the way to sharkeez.

UPDATE!
it is in the southbay, i think it closed down due to a rat problem as my friends from the southbay told me sometime in 2002. oh wait, that one on rosecrans was called the loft then lahaina, now there is another hawaiin place called “back home at lahaina” which also uses a lot of spam, bacon, and lots of crazy meaty fried rice. and this one in on sepulveda, south of rosecrans, close to the target in manhattan beach, i can get the address if i did some research.

(Mair may or may not be referring to this restaurant. - ed.)

(Note: This is the second iteration of losanjealous’ Ma Dang Gook Soo restaurant review. Read the first here. –ed.)

Indeed Ryan is right when he restated (sic) how I don’t like Korean food. I mean, I like the popular standards of kalbi (galbi) and bulgogi, and I like the occasional side dish that are like free appetizers (panchan –ed.), especially the sliced hot dogs in ketchup served with sesame seeds served specifically at the Korean restaurant next door to my old workplace on Wilshire and Harvard where there is a Japanese or is it Korean school room theme, I digress. (??? –ed.)

The clam soup noodle dish was good. (Gook soo –ed.) Definitely not bad, and it was better than Ryan’s sweet Asian spaghetti dish with other strange flavors in it. I’m a hot food eater, if I had the choice between a cold sandwich and one with melted cheese, I’d choose the melted cheese. More flavors come out when the food is heated. Just like my baked goods, I’d rather have a warm brownie or cookie more so than a room temperature one. Apologies, I digress even further.
»continue reading Profile: Ma Dang Gook Soo, aka Intern Does Not Contest Ryan’s Beratement / Review

Apple Pan.

this teenie weenie place on pico blvd. serves a mean burger with good cheese. however, the tight space and the long waits make it not worth it in the lost run. it has the cool like back home on the farm in iowa feel to it. it’s pretty popular based on the wait. but i personally dig the hamburgers from in-n-out. oh, beware of the apple pie, it’s not very good. if you like your apple pie to be tasteless and dry, then you are in heaven. located on pico blvd. and westwood, but more to the east. cash only. and it’s on the north side, not on the side with the mall. there are bank of america atm’s nearby and wells fargo too.

(Note from Ktown: This marks the first of what we hope to be many stream-of-thought reviews from our new intern. Much like Robert Hilburn at the Times, we’re letting Mair run content completely unfiltered, unedited, unproofed. We hope you’ll enjoy the liberation at least as much as you do Hilburn. Finally, there’s been a lot of chatter about Pico stalwart The Apple Pan on local blogs as of late. Somewhat surprisingly, I’m reading very little about the “C” health rating they recently shook off. -Ryan)