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The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-U-SUSHI

No Author — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:16:00 EST

Talk about FAST food: it doesn�t get any faster than at the new U-Sushi on Beverly Drive. Step up to the counter, point to the wrapping of your choice, the filling and toppings, then someone rolls it up while you are paying for it and you�re good to go. It took two of us less than 5 minutes from portal to table.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-LA SEINE

No Author — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:54:00 EST

Only in America! Well, maybe something like it exists in Israel, or New York City, but it would be hard to beat the quality of the kosher food at La Seine in Beverly Hills. I don�t know why it was such a surprise, but it was.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-TOSCANOVA

No Author — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:12:00 EST

Are you reminiscing about your last trip to Italy and wishing you were back there? Well, the next best thing to going back might be dinner at Toscanova.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-OLIVERIO at the Avalon

No Author — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 11:56:00 EST

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-LA PAELLA

No Author — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 11:08:00 EST

I love paella, when it�s made right. If you look on the Internet there are a half dozen or so restaurants between Pasadena and mid-Wilshire which serve paella, but La Paella, on San Vicente near La Cienega, gets the best reviews for that special dish. But, as with most authentic ethnic restaurants, some like it and some don�t. I do.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-TORAFUKU

No Author — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:22:00 EST

Some say that the true test of an ethnic restaurant is whether or not the people raised with that particular cuisine are eating there. If that�s the test, Torafuku meets it because the last couple of times we were there it was filled with Japanese people�and others.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-MEZZE ON LA CIENEGA

No Author — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 19:43:00 EST

Someone told me that a Turkish restaurant had opened up in the old Sona space, so I rushed down with friends to try it out. Boy, was I surprised!

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-TARA�S HIMALAYAN CUISINE

No Author — Fri, 27 May 2011 09:22:00 EST

I like the food at Tara�s, but I have the same continuing dialogue with the owner each time I go: �How is this dish different from Indian food,� I ask. �It�s the spices,� she replies.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-NOSH

No Author — Fri, 20 May 2011 09:13:00 EST

Dining at a fine (and expensive) French restaurant, perhaps pheasant stuffed with foie gras, is very pleasant. And enjoying a glass of Chianti in an Italian bistro while the waiter shaves a white truffle over your pasta al dente can be a treat. But for me, nothing compares to lunch with friends and family at a good Jewish-style deli. And so when part of my mother�s St. Louis family came to town, 10 of us met at the Nosh to renew acquaintances and tell family stories.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-NATALEE THAI

No Author — Fri, 13 May 2011 08:52:00 EST

Finding myself near the corner of Olympic and Robertson one Saturday afternoon, I realized it was time for lunch. First, I looked for Zen, but soon discovered it closed and a new Italian restaurant has already taken over that space, a typical restaurant story these days. So I walked east to the corner and spotted Natalee Thai.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-TAKING A BITE OF THE BIG APPLE

No Author — Fri, 06 May 2011 11:35:00 EST

Here we are in the Big Apple for the opening of the play People In The Picture with music written by my brother-in-law Mike Stoller, a local Beverly Hills-West Hollywood resident.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-FRESH EAST

No Author — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:50:00 EST

�GENERAL COMMENT: Tired of tacos and pizza? Here�s fast food in an Asian and healthy format

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-SCARPETTA AT THE MONTAGE HOTEL

No Author — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 09:47:00 EST

The first thing to know about Scarpetta in Montage Beverly Hills is that it is NOT an Italian restaurant. Though advertised as an Italian restaurant, but it�s really not at all Italian. It�s a high-end hotel restaurant, with contemporary food at high prices. Yes, you can get a small plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce (for $24), or ravioli stuffed with foie gras, but that doesn�t make it an Italian restaurant.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-BAO

No Author — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 11:47:00 EST

Foodies have long debated the philosophical question: what contributes the most to a restaurant�s success, �location location location� or the food? Bao has taken over a space in a location already proven as it�s across from JAR�-consistently one of the hottest restaurants in town. But just in the last several years this very same space hosted a series of failed restaurants including a Korean BBQ. The manager of that last failure, Howard Chan, had an idea: why not use essentially the same décor and put in a Dim Sum parlor. And, most innovative of all, why not serve dim sum at dinner time � not just at lunchtime, as is the custom. So they serve dim sum all day and night and it�s a big success!

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-CHAYA BRASSERIE IN BEVERLY HILLS

No Author — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 11:37:00 EST

I hadn�t been to Chaya in Beverly Hills for a long time but when I heard they had a hot new French chef, I raced over to meet him.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-THE CAPITAL GRILLE

No Author — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 13:13:00 EST

Here in Los Angeles we�re blessed with a number of great steakhouses. Mastro's, Flemings, Cut, BLT, and The Capital Grille, among others, are famous for great steaks. But each has its own personality, with plusses and minuses.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT- RED MEDICINE

No Author — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:37:00 EST

RED MEDICINE
The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT

Unlike Irene Virbila of the Los Angeles Times, I was able to enjoy lunch at Red Medicine without rancor. It�s a pleasant place, modern with hard surfaces except for a rough wood wall on the South side above the open kitchen. So, as you would expect, it�s quite loud, and we had trouble hearing one another.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-BLT

No Author — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 09:45:00 EST

BLT
The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT

While watching the Oscars, while others were focusing on cleavage or goofs, I was wondering, �Where do these people eat dinner?� One of the places is Bistro Laurent Tourondel, known as �BLT� on Sunset.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-PETROSSIAN

No Author — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:51:00 EST

Petrossian
The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT

The name is well known to caviar buffs, and the outlets in New York City and Paris are popular hangouts. Their cozy corner at the Bellagio in Las Vegas is one of my favorite spots. But not as many gourmands realize that this famous company operates an extraordinary restaurant in the heart of West Hollywood�s shopping paradise.

The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT-IL CIELO

No Author — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 10:20:00 EST

Il Cielo
The Courier�s Restaurant Review by MERV HECHT

Eating out is not just about food. There�s the ambiance, the service, the selection, the comfort, the noise level, and it all adds up to how the restaurant and the people make you feel. At Il Cielo you feel good. Maybe that�s why the Internet reviews are almost 100 percent favorable and full of praise.