With all the options for food and entertainment in L.A., The L.A. on a Budget team and myself didn’t have to wait for Cinco De Mayo to start celebrating. Our friend, Kelly Lansing, was turning 22 and we wanted to show her a night out on the town that she would never forget.
If you are looking for a nice way to start off an evening, we recommend dinner on 3rd Street in Hollywood at The Little Next Door Brasserie / The Little Door Restaurant. Known to be a hotspot for celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Halle Berry, Courtney Cox, Adam Lambert, Ryan Reynolds, and Jennifer Lopez, to name a few, these authentic French style “sister” restaurants are convenient to Sunset Boulevard clubs and are perfect locations for a birthday dinner. In fact, Miley Cyrus accompanied Kelly Osbourne when she celebrated her 27th birthday at the restaurant.
The menu has a wonderful selection of entrees (which varies slightly depending on if you go to the Brasserie or the Restaurant) from Smoked Garlic Crusted Rack of Lamb, with Mustard and Rosemary Espagnole Sauce, to Grilled Filet Mignon with Portobello Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Marsala Wine Sauce. I decided to go with the Wild Mushroom Chicken Breast, which I felt was very filling. We all agreed the food was of good quality and the presentation was beautiful.
I thought the service was so-so in the beginning, as the waiter didn’t ask whether we wanted more bread and it took awhile for me to get my second mocha. The rest of the attendees felt the service was excellent, because the hostess seated them, despite not having all our party present, and a friendly waiter served us rather quickly. Hilary Law, co-owner of MoviePals (a social networking site for filmmakers that was launched on April 13, 2012) said flavor-wise (on a scale from 1-5), she would give the Chef Special cheese and meat platter, she and her co-partner Soloman Rothman ordered, a 3.5. In her opinion, the cheeses were too pungent and some of the cured meats didn’t meet her liking. Soloman, on the other hand, has been to France and said this was traditional French cuisine so for those familiar with the flavors, the quality would rate more of a 5.
Hilary did feel the coffee there was superb. “The depth and richness of the brew, along with the creamer, was extremely satisfying. I’ve had coffee like this only at a few other places, so that made me really happy.” She and I felt that the tables could have been spaced out a little more, but the setting was still pretty inviting and comfortable.
Steven Wong got the lamb shank with polenta cake. He commented that the meat was tender and the price of the meal was fair. It was his first time trying polenta, which he described as slightly sweet and spongy.
We didn’t get a chance to try the wine, as we knew there would be plenty of drinking going on later in the evening. However, we did happen to go on a night where if we checked in on Yelp, we received a free cookie (a macaroon, in this case). “It was really good, chewy and sweet. I think the blossom part had a green tea taste to it,” said Steven of the orange creme blossom macaroon.
After retrieving our valet parked cars, we went to the Mad Hatter-themed party at the Boulevard 3 club. “This club is so Hollywood. I love it,” said Kelly. If you wore a crazy hat, you got in free. As you enter the English courtyard, you see a lovely fire seeming to float above one of the two reflecting pools, with canopied lounge rooms and trees bordering. There was also a good amount of seating, after you pass the “old world” entryway to “The Library” lounge area, but we were there to dance in “The Ballroom”. The dancers on stage included two America’s Best Dance Crew Nicki Minaj back up dancers. Jennifer Lai, from The Huffington Post, said the two boys seemed double jointed and she was amazed by their flexibility. There was a man on stilts doing backbends and two main dancing girls. The DJ, high above our heads, played a good mix that evening.
When we decided to take a break from dancing, there were free strawberries dipped in chocolate and tacos to snack on. We were already so full from dinner, but a few of us couldn’t help but make room for the strawberries. The drinks, of course, were “Alice in Wonderland” themed. Steven Wong had “The Mad Hatter” and I had a “Jabberwocky”. The bartender didn’t skimp on the alcohol and there was a good balance so that it wasn’t overkill either. The specialty drinks were priced around $8.00 each.
The party didn’t end for us when the doors closed. We went to the nearest IHOP which was only three miles away. Some of the people we had conversed with in the club also happened to be there so Kelly invited them to sit with us. It was a great evening and a lot more fun with a group of 11+ people. Kelly enjoyed herself and I found a new Hollywood club to frequent.
READERS QUESTION: What club do you find to be the best in Hollywood? We would love to hear your thoughts.
