Prix Fixe Fix!

Here at Finer Things LA, we have a fondness for all things prix fixe and all things wine, so when today's Blackboard Eats deal landed in our inboxes, we were pretty much in heaven. Not to mention the blurb on the deal included a shout out to my favorite white wine ever - viognier.

Today's deal will get you a 3-course dinner at Mercantile on Sunset, a low key wine bar-slash-grocery-slash bakery-slash-eatery.  The fixed menu includes and endive and watercress salad, your choice of main entree (sausage, ricotta gnudi or trout rillettes) and a scoop of home-made ice cream (yum!). All this for $20!

If you haven't used Blackboard Eats before, sign up NOW, and then click to get in on the deal. You will receive a passcode for the deal that is good to use at the restaurant for a month.

Blackboard Eats: www.blackboardeats.com
Mercantile. 6600 W Sunset Blvd. (323) 962-8202. www.themercantilela.com

A Tip for Date Night

Your classic date night: dinner and a movie. What was once a reasonably priced endeavor has quickly turned into quite the expensive night out in LA.

 - Two tickets to an evening newly released movie at an LA theater? $27.

 - Dinner for two at Morels French Steak House? $80 (drinks not included)

 - Parking? $2.

So now you’ve spent $109 bucks and what did you get: a  booze-less dinner at a restaurant that almost constantly has a B health rating, followed by two hours of not-talking, ending with a kiss on the cheek as you drop your date off at home.

Yippee….

Well the Grove has a promotion to make this standard date night slightly more palatable: for just $30 per person you’ll get free valet parking, two movie tickets, and 3-course dinner for two at a participating Grove restaurant (hopefully not Morels… seriously… B Rating…Gross.)

So with all your saved money you can take your date to the bar in the Farmers Market (or El Carmen down the street) and buy some drinks. You’ll STILL be saving money even after ordering drinks (unless you drink like our friends, then it might be more, a lot more…) and the booze will definitely help your chances at the end of the night! 

Date Night @ The Grove

$30 Per Person

Available Monday - Thursday Nights

Participating Restaurants and Menus

The Farm of Beverly Hills 

Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill
The Cheescake Factory 

Maggiano’s Little Italy
La Piazza Ristorante Italiano  

Morels French Steakhouse & Bistro
The Whisper Restaurant and Lounge

 

VDAY Dining Options Under $50/ Per Person

I will never understand the type of person who is willing to spend $150+ per person on a dinner that would normally cost them half that. How desperately are you trying to impress your dinner companion? Or if you’re the demander of such dinner – are you a gold digger? Yes, you must be. 

Valentine’s Day is a holiday in which nearly every restaurant in town forces a prix fixe menu down our throats and jacks up the price. While researching the numerous dining options available this weekend for lovas I was shocked to see even mediocre spots are partaking in this thievery. $64/per person at Daily Grill? $35/pp at Wokcano? You have to be kidding me.

Say you’re an unhappy couple who just doesn’t have the balls to call it quits – or maybe you’ve got a blind date – and you want to get nice and toasted at dinner to make it more tolerable. That’ll cost you another $20-$50/pp for wine pairings. What a joke.

But if you’re a shitty chef and you must go out for Vday here’s some options that won’t rape your wallet as badly as, say, Gordon Ramsay @ the London hotel will ($350/pp?!?!!??!?!?)

·      The Gorbals (Downtown): 4-Course Seasonal Menu (Including Wine!!!), $45/pp

·      BLVD 16 @ Hotel Palomar (Westwood), Prix Fixe $45/pp (Also serving regular menu)

·      BLD (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe, $45/pp

·      Barefoot (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe, $40/pp

·      Ciudad (Downtown), 4-Course Prix Fixe, $49/pp (With $5 wine pairings)

·      Akasha (Culver City): Serving Regular Menu + Food & Drink Specials

·      Beacon (Culver City): 4-Course Prix Fixe, $49/pp (Also serving regular a la carte menu)

·      Cube (Mid City): 3-Course Prix Fixe Fondue Dinner + Glass of Prosecco + Take home box of chocolates, $35/pp (SATURDAY ONLY!)

As always - please make sure to call in for reservations! 

Reminder Post: DineLA Restaurant Week!

Just a reminder post to get your prix fixe fix this week and next week at participating restaurants in DineLA's restaurant week!

List of restauarants can be found at http://www.dinela.com/ and you can make your reservations through http://www.opentable.com/

Deals Found at the Foundry!

I'll admit - we've never been to the Foundry. We've heard great things about the food there but its always been slightly out of our budgets.  However, after a quick look at their website today I believe we will be making our first visit there this Sunday.

What: Suds and Song Sundays @ The Foundry on Melrose
When: Sundays, 8:30pm - 11pm (in the Lounge)
The Low Down: $2 Featured Beers + Live Music

 BUT WAIT FOLKS! THAT'S NOT ALL!

The Foundry also has a few other great deals early in the week (And an extra special DineLA menu):

Mondays: Lunes Latinos
Latin inspired cocktails, Greenspan's Gorditas (3 kinds / $3 each), and Latin Jazz
8:30pm - 11:30pm every Monday (in the Lounge)

Tuesdays: Bluesy Tuesdays
Listen to the Blues while eating up Chef Greenspan’s take on Southern food - fried chicken (priced by the piece) and waffles ($4), sides of creamed corn, grits, and greens($5), Green Tomatoes ($5), Corn bread pudding ($7). 
8:00pm -10:00pm every Tuesday (in the Lounge)

DineLA
While other restaurants are offering three courses for a set price for DineLA Week, The Foundry is upping the ante to offer four (4!!) courses for the same $44/per person price. The menu includes items like White Gazpacho, Beef Tenderloin, Duck Breast, and a Blood Orange Bar for Dessert (I want I want I want!)


As you know from our detailed love for the Windows Lounge at the Four Seasons - we love any place with live classy music*. A place with live swanky music and drink specials = True Love.

*Note: a DJ is not 'live music' by any stretch of the imagination... and though we really love 80's cover bands (one of us has even dreamed of having Fast Times play at our wedding...) these just don't fit in this classy equation for love.

Hope to see you at the Foundry this Sunday!!

Hump Day Special!

Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?...

I know we are in the middle of the storm of the century (or so the news stations tell me, even though I only felt some drizzle this morning and it's not raining now....but I'm sure I will eat my words later), but if you feel like leaving the house tonight, head to Campanile on La Brea for their Wednesday night prix fixe "Soup Kitchen" (hence the Oliver Twist subtitle) dinner menu.

You can get a 3 course meal for $22, with soup and entree and dessert! A pretty good deal since Campanile is usually on the pricier side.  They also have specialty cocktails with the menu for $7 each.

Also, Campanile is participating in DineLA week which starts next week! So make your reservations now!


Campanile. 624 S La Brea. (323) 938 1447. http://www.campanilerestaurant.com/

Prix Fix Heaven

DineLA Restaurant Week is just around the corner, it is one of my favorite foodie activities in LA. I can try all the restaurants I have wanted to go to without breaking the bank or whoring myself out to some sugar daddy.

Most all of the hot restaurants in LA participate in restaurant week (which is actually 2 weeks long), and offer prix fix meals for lunch and dinner. There are 3 tiers of dining that all the restaurants are divided into, with lunch menus ranging from $16 to $28 and dinner menus from $26-$44.

For the prix fixe price you can enjoy a 3-4 course meal at any of the participating restaurants. The only downside is booze is not included :(

Dates are Jan 24-29 and Jan 31-Feb 5. More info on www.dinela.com/restaurantweek