Figaro Bistrot Avec Mes Amis

I recently had friends in town and wanted to show them the best spots in LA - especially for dining out. I took them to Katsuya in Hollywood and Don Antonio's in Santa Monica, but on our last night together, my plans came to a fumbling halt when opentable.com denied our request for reservations at Taste on Melrose. After dealing with the frustration that is technology, I decided to look for a spot closer to home that would impress both by way of edibles and environment: Figaro Bistrot.

The French restaurant features a dimly lit interior filled with antique-mirror donning walls and miscellaneous chandeliers, low lounge-like tables and plush overstuffed chairs to match. The mood and environment are laid back, yet luxurious.

The food is right on par with the decor. It's rich, flavorful and aesthetically pleasing to boot. I ordered the French Onion soup to start, and was happily surprised to enjoy the soup past the melted cheese and bread topping that usually serves as my sole excuse for ordering a bowl. The Parmesan-encrusted Alaskan Halibut trumped all other seafood I've consumed as of late, arriving atop a crispy risotto cake served in a lemon garlic aioli sauce. Both the fish and risotto cake were cooked to perfection.

The menu is (by no surprise) en Francais, with English descriptions below each item; perfect for those of us who have peu d'expérience with the foreign language. But even if you mistakenly order le poisson instead of le poulet, you won't be disappointed. Nothing can pacify the enjoyment a meal shared with friends exchanging jokes and memories over the flickering flames of slow burning candles.

Keep your eyes open, too, when you you're at Figaro Bistrot. We happened to spot former 90210-er Lindsay Price. She's just as pretty in real life as she was on "Lipstick Jungle."

Toast: Overcooked and Overrated

To say that riding the metro (subway) in L.A. is "interesting" would be quite the understatement. I've seen near-brawls, traveling bands (which I love, by the way) and everything in between. Although I admit, I'm a little jaded by my overexposure to transit oddities, I couldn't help but eavesdrop today on an early-morning scuttle between two men waging conversational war in a battle of McDonald's vs. Subway. Each overly-zealous male was taking turns shouting what he liked best about his favorite fast-food establishments. Verbalized preferences for each side began with a match of fried vs. baked, but then quickly and predominantly focused on good customer service and taste. How could what originally began as an idiotic conversation turn out to be a logical reminder of what every restaurant patron should be entitled to when eating out?

Image via laist.com

As I slipped out of the train station and hustled into my office building, I couldn't help feeling a little shamed. This weekend I had fallen prey to dining at Toast, a trendy breakfast spot in LA, and was utterly disappointed in my experience. I had heard the restaurant was overrated, but I guess I had to get burned before conforming to this opinion.

I arrived at Toast around 2 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon thinking I would beat the brunch rush, but still had to wait 45 minutes for a table. During this time period, there were multiple cars that drove by and screamed comments expressing what seemed to be the general consensus of "Toast Sucks." It wasn't until I sat down and had my first brush with the waitress that I realized how close to truthful those comments were; after waiting an additional 30 minutes to order, unsuccessfully asking for coffee four separate times, and observing the blatant disdain our server had toward us, I was less than happy.

The food on the other hand wasn't completely a disappointment - but it wasn't a subject of great excitement either. The breakfast burrito contents (scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, sharp cheddar and black beans) were delicious, but the haphazard manner that the burrito was thrown together in was distracting from the overall enjoyment of my meal. The rosemary potatoes on the side were average as well; they would have been better had they not been slightly overcooked.

After mulling over my experience at Toast, I can only help but wonder: how did Toast become so popular? Maybe it was the eatery's appearance on "The Hills." Or maybe it was the restaurant's close proximity to 90210. Either way, I don't want to have to be Sandra Bullock to get the sub-par service I've gotten used to receiving, and now, actually appreciate.