My first stop was in LA for the PRSA Travel & Tourism Conference. It was at the Millenium Biltmore Hotel in downtown....and
although it was a historic hotel with pretty good service, I need to take a moment to say that my stay was marred by one pretty
bad experience. My complaint went ignored, both in person and on Tripadvisor.com, which is *BAD* considering this was a PR
Conference! Anyway, on with the show....
Before meeting SeaUrchin & Kopp for my Fodors GTG at The Grove, I stopped in at the adjacent Farmer's Market. It's
a buzzing hive of activity, with everything from fresh produce to meats to baked goods to eateries. From there I went to The Farm at Beverly Hills and had a great time with fellow Fodorites. Both Nancy (SeaUrchin)
and I had the Maple Baked Salmon Salad, while Shirley (kopp) had the Grilled Artichoke Salad. All salads are topped with crushed
candied walnuts, which really adds to the texture & taste. The salmon was almost raw in the middle--just right! Service
is quick, but they are very busy.
| LA GTG at The Grove! |
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| kopp, me, and SeaUrchin |
El Cholo is quite historical, having opened in
1922. They still serve their “first enchilada” and almost every dish has the date it was created in parenthesis
to show the evolution of the menu. Definitely spicy food but not like Las Turres in Des Plaines. So in that sense, I felt a little gypped, but this is a place filled with both Mexicans and gringos like
me, so it must be the “Little Village” of Mexican dining in LA. When I left, my mouth was tingling, so all was
not lost.
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| A morning tour of the LA Flower Market |
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| Thank you, Susan Bejekian, for the tour! Click photo for more... |
Owned by the Two Hot Tamales of Food
Network fame, Ciudad is hailed as a hip Hispanic restaurant in downtown LA. It’s
a little more than that, though—Ciudad uses seasonal, locally grown ingredients, and all menu items are trans fat free.
We
all started with the ceviche—whoo! That’s spicy! Three bites and everyone was instantly ready for liquid. Every
Tuesday from 5 to 9 p.m., they feature Paella on the Patio ($29, includes a pupu). I ordered this and found it to be comforting,
with calamari in every bite. The gals next to me ordered Pollo Ciudad ($25.50) and the Halibut ($28), which they said was
very good. It
was hard for me to enjoy all of the delicious food before us because I wasn’t hungry enough. The company, however, was
incredible, and that always adds to the meal.
| Dining at Ciudad with PR pros & media |
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| Who are these people? Click the photo to see more and find out... |
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