Tag: famous restaurants

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Casa Vega and the Great Mexican Food Debate!

I have long been a fan of Spencer and Heidi’s favorite Mexican restaurant Don Antonio’s in West LA. As far as I can see, it’s the only thing Spencer and I agree on. 🙂 Don Antonio’s serves up the best Mexican food I’ve ever tasted! In fact, the restaurant was the subject of my very first blog post. I really can’t say enough about the place!! But fellow stalkers Mike from MovieShotsLA and EJ from The Movieland Directory have both been telling me that the best Mexican food in LA can actually be found at a place called Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks. On their recommendation, I dragged my boyfriend out to Sherman Oaks this past Friday night to stalk the place.

After eating there, though, I can definitely say that Casa Vega does not hold a candle to my beloved Don Antonio’s. While the food was definitely yummy, and one of the better Mexican restaurants I have eaten at in the LA area, for me, it just does not compare to D.A.’s. Don Antonio’s is just in a league of its own. I also found Casa Vega’s menu to be on the pricey side and the service wasn’t the best. Very odd thing happened while we were there, too -while waiting for a table, my boyfriend and I snagged a seat at the bar and I ordered a glass of champagne – my fave. The bartender poured some champagne into a huge tumbler glass and then filled it to the top with CLUB SODA! Four days later I am still absolutely perplexed by that and cannot figure out what he was doing! LOL

Apparently, Casa Vega is somewhat of a celebrity haven. Numerous stars frequent the small restaurant, including Jessica Simpson and Tony Romo. Ironically, Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minnillo just dined there, as well, while on a recent trip to LA. While there, Mike from MovieShotsLA has seen Travis and Shana Barker, Brian Austin Green, Nikki Sixx, and Jillian Barberie. Sadly, we did not spot any celebs while we were there. 🙁

If you happen to be in the Sherman Oaks area, I definitely suggest stopping in for a bite at Casa Vega. But as for the best Mexican food in LA, this stalker’s heart will always belong to Don Antonio. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Judge for yourself! Casa Vega is located at 13301 Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. Don Antonio’s can be found at 11755 West Pico Boulevard in West LA. Both restaurants can get pretty packed so be prepared for a long wait.

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The Chinese Food Restaurant from “A Lot Like Love”

After what seems like months of searching, I have FINALLY found the Chinese Food restaurant from my fave romantic comedy A Lot Like Love. For the past few weeks, I have dragged my poor father to literally every single Chinese and Japanese restaurant in the greater Pasadena area, because according to the director’s commentary on the A Lot Like Love DVD, the restaurant used was his “mother’s favorite Chinese food place in Pasadena.” But the director didn’t specify the name of the restaurant, which means that this stalker had her work cut out for her! The hostess at one of the restaurants I stalked said I was actually the third person in the past few months who had stopped into her restaurant to ask the exact same question! 🙂 LOL

Then last week, while walking around Old Town Pasadena with my boyfriend, when I had just about given up hope, we happened to walk by Vive Lounge on the corner of Raymond Avenue and Union Street. I peeked in the windows and immediately realized I had found my location! We went inside and asked the restaurant manager, Randy, if the Lounge had in fact been used in A Lot Like Love. He wasn’t sure, so he called up the owner for me who confirmed it! Yahooooooooo! At the time of filming the restaurant was actually a Chinese-Malaysian fusion place called Nonya. Nonya closed down two years ago and Vive Lounge opened in its place. While the decor is a bit different, it is definitely recognizable as the restaurant where Amanda Peet and Ashton Kutcher spit water at each other while enjoying a New Year’s Eve dinner. 🙂

Last night we were finally able to return to Vive to grab a drink and a bite to eat and I am happy to report that we had a fabulous time! The food was amazing (especially the shrimp spring rolls!!!), the atmosphere was very New York-y complete with an exposed brick wall, and the service was spectacular! Jim, the bartender (a cutie for all you single girls) and Randy, the manager, spent most of the evening chatting with us, discussing Pasadena history, wine and champagne (Randy is somewhat of a wine connoisseur), and of course, filming locations. I was amazed to discover that neither man had ever seen A Lot Like Love!!! I tried to explain to Randy that he needs to tout Vive as the restaurant featured in A Lot Like Love and that stalkers everywhere would flock there, but I am not quite sure he believed me. 🙂

Vive is a great place to spend an evening, and I highly recommend stalking it! On weekdays, the place has a laid-back, relaxed feel (which I actually prefer), but on weekends the vibe changes and becomes more of a dance club/lounge. And every Sunday night, the restaurant turns into a salsa lounge complete with free salsa dancing lessons. Rob Schneider even showed up for some salsa dancing a few weeks ago. 🙂

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Vive Lounge is located at 61 N. Raymond Avenue in Old Town Pasadena. You can visit their website here. A meal there will cost you about $30 per person. The bar also features a great nightly happy hour with super reasonable, really tasty hors d’oeuvres.

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Pacific Dining Car

My father is currently in the hospital (again) as he just had some minor surgery – and no, it was not caused by me dragging him to filming locations! 🙂 As they say, though, every cloud has a silver lining! Not only has his hospital been used as a filming location, but there is a restaurant across the street from the hospital that is a favorite of film producers. My dad is staying at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downtown Los Angeles. Even though there are countless vacant hospitals all across LA that are only utilized for filming, for some reason Good Sam still shows up in productions now and again. The exterior was shown in an earlier episode of The Closer, it was featured on Dr. 90210 and a movie was filmed there last winter, but unfortunately I am not sure what movie it was.

Across the street from Good Sam is a restaurant that has been around since 1921 called Pacific Dining Car. Fred and Grace Cook opened the restaurant in a replica of train dining car on a rented plot of land in Downtown Los Angeles in 1921. The idea was based on a restaurant that they had visited in New York that was also situated in an authentic railway dining car. Owned and operated by the same family since its opening, Pacific Dining Car serves up some AMAZING food in a truly unique environment. You definitely feel like you are stepping back in time when you enter the restaurant.

The restaurant has long been a favorite of novelist James Elroy, author of Training Day, LA Confidential, Black Dhalia and the screenplay for the 2008 movie Street Kings. James usually writes about the LA area and often features Pacific Dining Car in his novels. Consequently the restaurant often shows up in the movies based on his books. The movie Training Day was filmed in the Pacific Dining Car, as was Street Kings with Keanu Reeves. Both movies were filmed in the Pacific Northwest Room of the restaurant. The scene from Training Day when Denzel Washington meets with the “three wise men” was filmed at the booth I am standing in front of in the picture to the left. (IMDB actually states that Training Day was filmed at the Santa Monica location of the Pacific Dining Car, but that information is incorrect.) My dad happened to also be in the hospital during the filming of Street Kings and I got to watch part of it be filmed. 🙂 I got to see Keanu Reeves, Forest Whitaker, and Jay Mohr. I was HIGHLY disappointed, though, that I didn’t get to see Chris Evans, who also starred in the movie. He is such a cutie!! The security guard on duty during the filming was slightly disgusted with the fact that I was standing around watching the filming of Street Kings while my father was in the hospital. What can I say – once a stalker, always a stalker! 🙂

If you dine at Pacific Dining Car, chances are you’ll get to see a celeb. Famous patrons have flocked to the restaurant since its opening – including Louella Parsons, Mae West, Mickey Cohen, George Raft, Sid Ziff, all of Linkin Park, Nicholas Cage and Johnny Depp who just threw a party in the Astor Room of the restaurant.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It:: The Pacific Dining Car is located at 1210 West 6th Street in Downtown LA. You can call (213)483-6000 to make reservations. They are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and you can order breakfast there all day long! Pacific Dining Car is in a bit of a sketchy neighborhood and I recommend that you utilize their valet parking and exercise caution at night. Their sister restaurant is located in Santa Monica at 2700 Wilshire Boulevard, but that restaurant is only 18 years old and not as charming. Both restaurants are pricey and will run you about $50 a person for a meal. If you want a cheaper option, head to the restaurant’s full bar for a drink.

Stalk It

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"Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli"

My title might be a bit in poor taste, but it seems Robert Blake followed just that advice on a fateful day back in May 2001 after dining at Vitello’s Restaurant in Studio City. Although a jury found him not guilty, it is pretty widely assumed that Blake murdered his wife Bonnie Lee Bakley after eating at Vitello’s, while the two were parked just around the corner from the restaurant. So this weekend, while in Studio City, I dragged my boyfriend and my parents to do a little Vitello’s stalking.

Vitello’s had long been a favorite of Blake’s – he dined there at least 3 times a week – and the restaurant even named a dish after him – Fusilli a la Robert Blake (I’m not kidding!). On May 4, 2001, after finishing dinner and leaving the restaurant, Blake returned to Vitello’s claiming he left his gun in the booth where he had just eaten. While he was searching for his gun, Blake claimed his wife was shot while sitting in their parked car on Woodbridge Road, just around the corner from Vitello’s. Although Blake was charged with Bakley’s murder, he was aquitted of all charges on March 16, 2005.

At first I was a little hesitant to eat at the restaurant, thinking it might be a morbid stalking trip, but as soon as I walked in the door and was greeted by the Maitre D and the hundreds of autographed celebrity headshots on the entryway wall, all my fears were put aside. Vitello’s is a very charming place with AMAZING food at completely reasonable prices and absolutely FABULOUS service! It’s not too hard to see why the restaurant is a favorite of celebrities – it is definitely a place I will dine at again.

Robert’s house, where he lived with Bakley during their marriage, is located just a few blocks away from Vitello’s. Apparently, while Blake lived in the main house, Bakley stayed in a guest house located on the property. After the murder, Blake sold this house to Alex Kingston of ER fame. Alex had the home completely remodeled and subsequently sold it to another buyer. She never lived there.

Until next time, Happy Stalking! 🙂

Stalk It: Vitello’s Restaurant is located at 4349 Tujunga Avenue in Studio City. Try the cannoli’s – they are amazing!! You can visit their website here. After dinner, be sure to hit up Pomm, a super cute boutique and art gallery located right across the street at 4330 Tujunga Avenue – the Jenn + Jane jewelry they sell is adorable!! Robert Blake’s former home is located at 11604 Dilling Street in Studio City.