chmod's Qype profile

Laili is a great little hideaway in Santa Cruz. Though the main room of the restaurant is upscale, though reflectively loud, the little garden area adjacent is the treasure. Weather permitting this is the desired location.The enclosed nature of the courtyard creates a sense of privacy and calm, and the lack of god-awful acoustics like the main room allows quiet conversation.

It is easy to walk past the entry, minimalist as is the signage, but once inside thee is a nice vibe. It is casual but upscale – but as I indicated earlier, the acoustics are such that it is regrettably loud.

The food is Mediterranean fusion in nature, with lamb, chicken and Afghan notes, splendidly presented with a solid selection of wine.

An early evening meal at Laili is a fantastic way to end a visit to the small, eclectic central California surfer mecca of Santa Cruz.

Oswald se encuentra en Santa Cruz, y, francamente, tiene lo suyo en contra de nada, al ofrecer alimentos frescos, producidos localmente y de temporada en un ambiente adulto. Esta zona es bastante hippy-Dippy, y más a menudo que no, salir a comer fuera está más cerca de una fuente de espaguetis comunales de comedor para adultos.

Esta es la configuración de lo sublime, con Milla de Davis en el fondo, la iluminación y la acústica adecuada y, sin embargo, es informal y agradable. no es rígido y formal, pero está limpio y se presentó correctamente. Con todo, esto es inusual y muy bien recibida en Santa Cruz.

Hay un bar muy concurrido que, si lo desea, sirve comida sencilla pero impresionante como macarrones con queso, o una hamburguesa enorme. Con demasiada frecuencia, esta “tierra de en medio” de la comida se pasa por alto o pasado por alto. Oswald se pone, y como resultado, incluso en lo que se describe como una economía de cráteres, es casi de pie.

No es barato para las entradas, unos 25 dólares EE.UU. por plato, pero tan bueno como usted va a conseguir. En esencia, usted consigue lo que usted paga.

This is one of the most amazing rooftop bars we’ve visited. Florence is hot, and this place is shaded, breezy, modern, un-crowded, staffed by nice people and serve a great mojito.

We discovered it walking across the horribly crowded Ponte Vecchio on holiday. Highly recommended and really a great place for photos. A welcome relief from the crowds! :-)

Highly recommended for sunset. I toast you!

Fashion week had just ended so the runway was being dismantled between this building the the incredible Duomo. We were hot, and tired (cabs do no exist in Milan, apparently – ha ha) .

We worked our way to the top floor of the building to find this fantastic rooftop restaurant-bar – named Il Bar.

The setting is spectacular, the vibe is upbeat and they serve a great mojito. Aside from a pleasant and visual place to have a lunch, the adjacent upstairs area is stunning. Chocolate shoes?

If you happen to be downtown Milan at lunchtime, this is a very representative place to get a sense of what the fashion district is all about.

It is challenging to find high quality pizza in Firenze without spending too much money. Gusta Pizza is near Pitti Palace so it is easy to find. It is always full of friendly people, and the Margherita pizza is simply incredible and very reasonably priced.

You enter from the side door (in my photo on the right) and place your order, pay and are handed a number. Be sure and tell them if you are eating in or taking it qway as they will seat you when it is ready.

They have beer and soft drinks, and it is a very friendly vibe.

A note – the map location shown on this page isn’t even close to the real location. Very weird. If you punch the address into Google Maps and go down a few levels Teatro del Sale will appear – the map shown on THIS page is more like someone threw a dart at the page.

A brief review of Teatro del Sale…..well, it is unique and quite a lot of fun. It requires a yearly membership as it is a club – so 5 Euros per person to get a card which is good for one calendar year. Then, you are entitled to eat breakfast, lunch or diner. Each is buffet style, breakfast is 7 Euros, lunch 15 or so and dinner is 30. They are open Tuesday through Saturday.

Dinner is a long event lasting from 1900 until they move the chairs and table around for the show at around 2130. Ours was a combination of live music, Tango and poetry. it can be opera, it can be comedy or just music. But it is ALL in Italian.

If you attend dinner, which I highly recommend, you need to go in an immediately grab seating. Ignore the signs which appear to be reservations – they are not. Grab seats. GRAB seats. :-)

As a buffet, it is a free-for-all…not for the timid as you must go get food as it is released very 10-15 minutes at a table. The main guy SHOUTS out the meals and makes a ton of Italian jokes which no one seems to pay any attention to….I watched the local men and got up when they did, etc.

We ate breakfast and lunch in addition to dinner (why not?), and the food is exceptionally good.

So in summary – for dinner it requires reservations (in Italian only) as they seat 99 only. You must get there early – I would say 1830 is far less of a mess than arriving at 1900 like we did as I had to get the memberships taken care of. The food is exceptional. It’s an interesting place, wine and books all centric to the place but that’s really no surprise – and it was friendly and utterly unique.

I would say it’s on the border of being a “must see and do” but it is not for everyone due to the casual approach and, like I said – it’s a free for all to get food! Breakfast and dinner are normal, as they are not time-driven like the dinner show. At least 85% of the people attending were local or at the least native Italians.

We’ve never seen or experienced anything like it and we have traveled quite a few places. Good stuff.

I have a video which demonstrates the incredible activity at dinner but QYPE does not allow video uploads without a premium account – too bad.

5 is fresh, local domestic food served with an underlying tenor of California. You may well ask what i mean by asserting this?

It's casual, yet elegant. It's contemporary while remaining respectful of what preceded it. It is lacking in pretense but dramatic. All in all, they hit the nail on the head on most elements.

Tall ceilings, neutral color palette, striking lighting and a remarkably visual setting - inside a nondescript local hotel? Yes, but it stands up favorably to many places at twice the cost. All in all, it is a wonderful and upscale setting to share a cocktail or five or share a great meal. Or both.

Starting with some Domaine Carneros Brut (06), which just floored us all and can be compared to anything from anywhere, we settled into an evening of conversation and fine food.

I highly recommend this as an experience in fine dining with laughter and a bright, energized setting.

With Ricard's recommendation, we ate at Pla de Garsa while on holiday from California. It was a low key, splendid meal with all of the right elements in place. Then, there is the staircase to enjoy....
The food was splendid and the setting beautiful. It just felt right.

Think postcard setting. On one side, locally famous surfing spot "Steamer Lane". On the other side National Historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk - which is anachronistic to the tune of 1930 coastal central California.

You literally can see either as you imbibe or consume fabulous seafood-derived Mexican-inspired cuisine.

It's going to be a challenge to top this for visuals and setting, combined with food and vibe - if you have any interest in discovering why this part of the US is a highly regarded yet oddly under-visited nook.

It's nearly gourmet food in a clean, bright and movie-like setting. Trust me on this - if you've been to Southern California and seen their "beaches", and liked them - try to roll back 30 or more years, remove 2/3 of the crowd, completely and utterly remove any trace of air pollution and come spend a day or two in this area. See sunsets minus the brown gunk while tossing back a Negra Mondello (recommended with the tacos).

You've been advised . :-)

This is a remarkable place to eat. It is no bargain and does not claim to be - but the quality, presentation and overall experience places it in the top tier.

We roamed Palma de Mallorca in a moderate rain, and finally found it in time for our 2000 hour reservation.

The staff was fluent and friendly, the setting clean and modern and the food simply incredible.

There is an inner courtyard which would be ideal, but as it was raining that option was not on the table.

I managed to blow two efforts at shots of the food we were served, my apologies. This is seriously elegant and good food and deserves your attention.