Ode2Fatty

The Stinking Rose and Sweet Lady Jane

February 11, 2006

The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant, 55 North La Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 310.652.7673
http://www.thestinkingrose.com
As the name states, this restaurant offers Garlic. The Rose was hopping on a Saturday night and even with reservations, be prepared to wait. The lobby, however, is filled with little curios and items (various sauces, garlic gum) for sale, and there’s a bar off to the side if you need something more mood-enhancing to keep you occupied while you wait for your table. The atmosphere is fun, but the food is merely average. There is a pitcher of water waiting for you at your table, and believe me, you will need it. We began the meal by ordering the Bagna Calda - garlic soaking in a hot tub of olive oil and served in a skillet - which you spread over foccacia bread. Mmmm. The garlic spreads like butter and this little starter goes quickly. We then split a very average Caesar salad. For my entrée, I ordered the Giant Salt-Roasted Tiger Prawns served with a couscous. The prawns were a good size and flavor, and the couscous was an interesting accompaniment. There was nothing wrong with the food, but it didn’t merit the large bill we received at the end of our meal. It was a good meal, but just know that part of what you are paying for is the kitsch factor here. The Stinking Rose is a lively theme restaurant and definitely worth going to once and bringing out-of-town guests - try and get into the Dracula Room for bigger kicks.On a side note, we chose not to eat dessert there, but for those of you who are adventurous, Gilroy’s Famous Garlic Ice Cream with Carmel Mole Sauce is on the menu. See below for where we ended up eating dessert.

Sweet Lady Jane, 8360 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90069 323.653.7145
http://www.sweetladyjane.com
Bar none - THE BEST dessert place in Los Angeles. You will probably have to get your goodies to-go because there’s very limited seating (about 8 tables) and the place is packed. Sweet Lady Jane’s is quite well-known having been featured in various media and is a favorite choice for celebrity wedding cakes. The best-known cake is the Triple Berry Shortcake, and there’ve been a couple of times when we’ve gotten there too late and it’s been sold out. Luckily, this night was not one of them so we walked away with one fat slice of that, a slice of the White Chocolate Raspberry cake and a cupcake. I can also highly recommend the English Triffle and really, anything there - you can’t go wrong - I guarantee it!

posted by Fatty @ 8:35 AM