A Politically Incorrect Blog About Living in Woodland Hills, California

Kate Mantilini Woodland Hills Retools Happy Hour, Offering Discount Food & Drink Selections 4 to 7pm Weekdays

In keeping with the recent trend among just about all restaurants in Warner Center, Kate Mantilini in Woodland Hills has begun offering discounted food and drink selections in its bar area weekdays from 4 to 7pm.

In addition to $5 house drinks and $6 house martinis, wine selections include Pinot Noir, Cabernet, and Chardonnay by Smoking Loon.  Happy Hour beers priced at $3.75 include Fat Tire, Pyramid Hefeweizen, Sierra Nevada Summerfest.  Discount appetizers and tapas selections are served in the bar area and range from $4.50 to $7.00.  Selections include made to order Guacamole, Tapas Crab Cake, Tapas Ribs, Grilled Artichokes, and several others.

I saw the shiny new sidewalk sign for the happy hour yesterday and decided to call some friends over to check it out with me.  Foods and drinks were very good, and the place was pretty busy by about 6pm.  See images in the gallery below.

Popularity: 13%

Support The Michael J Fox Foundation And Get A Free Stack Of Pancakes At Denny’s In Ventura County Monday 5/10

Some of you might not know that I am a fervent supporter of the Michael J Fox Foundation.  I am hoping that through this philanthropy Michael J Fox’s Parkinson’s Disease will one day be cured and  they will make a Back to the Future Part 4.

That being said, if you go to either of the 2 Ventura County Denny’s locations listed below on Monday May 10 from 9am to 5pm and donate $1 or more to the MJFF you will get a free stack of pancakes.  Enjoy.

MJFF writes via e-mail:

Join MJFF and Denny’s for “Pancakes for Parkinson’s,” a fundraising event on Monday, May 10, 2010, from 9am-5pm at select Denny’s restaurants in Ventura, California and Hawaii. Any customer who donates $1 to The Michael J. Fox Foundation will receive a free stack of pancakes!

The event is made possible by the generous support of Denny’s franchisee and Team Fox member Ajay Keshap. The following is a list of Denny’s restaurants participating in Pancakes for Parkinson’s:

California:

2148 East Harbor Boulevard, Ventura, CA 93001-3706, (805) 643-3414

2511 North Ventura Road Port Hueneme, CA 93041-2014, (805) 985-1727

Hawaii:

2463 South Kihei Road Kihei, HI 96753-8691, (808) 879-8600

430 Kele Street Kahului, HI 96732-3406, (808) 873-5550

Popularity: 10%

Enjoy Spring Prix Fixe Menus At Both Roy’s And Fleming’s

Both Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion  Restaurant (6363 Topanga Canyon Blvd) and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse (6373 Topanga Canyon Blvd) are offering special Spring Prix Fixe menus.  Roy’s is priced at $35 per person, and Fleming’s is $39.95.

Roy’s Spring Prix Fixe menu:

Come taste the exhilaration of spring with our new 3-course Spring Prix Fixe Menu. Bright flavors and the freshest ingredients come together to create incredible dishes like our Mochi Crusted & Seared Ahi Sashimi and our Roasted Garlic & Herb Crusted Lamb Chop. We look forward to celebrating the new season with you.

Available Spring of 2010 — $35 per person

Appetizer (Choice of 1)

Thai Curried Shrimp Salad
Tangelo, Mango Basil Vinaigrette

Mochi Crusted Ahi Sashimi
Ponzu, Truffle Emulsio

Wagyu Beef Potstickers
Kim Chee Cucumber, Firecracker Sauce

Entree (Choice of 1)

Rustic Charred Salmon
Watercress, Pancetta, Braised Bean Cassoulet

Herb Grilled Lamb Chops
Port Wine Bordelaise Sauce

Pan Roasted Stuffed Chicken Breast
Parsnip Puree, Chicken Jus

Tender Braised Beef Short Ribs
Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Natural Braising Sauce

Dessert (Choice of 1)

Strawberry Cheese Cake
Kaffir Lime Essence

Roy’s Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé
Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Molten Hot Center served à la Mode

Fleming’s Spring Prix Fixe menu:

Spring Prix Fixe Menu – 3 courses, $39.95*
An Exceptional Dinner Offering, Highlighting Tastes of the Season

In celebration of Spring, Executive Chef Russell Skall created an innovative 3-course dinner inspired by the vibrant flavors of the season. With a choice of two entrées and a light but decadent dessert, it’s the perfect menu for a serendipitous rendezvous with friends, or a spring fling with someone special.

Our Director of Wine, Marian Jansen op de Haar, has suggested three outstanding wines to pair with your meal. Each will bring an extra bouquet of flavors to your table.

CHOICE OF APPETIZER

Caesar Salad
chopped hearts of romaine, aged parmesan, croutons baked with whole-grain mustard

OR

Shrimp Consommé
fresh herb dumplings and garden vegetables

CHOICE OF ENTRÉE

Broiled Scottish Salmon
spaghetti squash with lemon garlic beurre blanc and crispy capers
Suggested wine: KUMEU RIVER, Chardonnay Kumeu New Zealand, 2006**

OR

Veal Scaloppini
spring tomato sauce
served with mushroom ravioli in a gorgonzola cream sauce
Suggested wine: VOLPAIA, Chianti Classico Italy, 2005**

DESSERT

White Chocolate Bread Pudding
with bourbon crème anglaise
Suggested wine: YALUMBA, Tawny Port Barossa Museum Release Antique Australia NV

Popularity: 10%

Tomorrow Is Free Pastry Day (’til 10:30am) At Starbucks (Purchase & Coupon Required)

Starbucks has apparently gone through great lengths to improve the recipes of it’s pastries and they want the world to know about it.  To that end, they have declared March 23rd “Free Pastry Day.” That’s right, with any purchase of a “handcrafted beverage” tomorrow from open until 10:30am you can select a free pastry.  But, you must print the above coupon.  Click on it and it will open on it’s own page.  Then print it.  You can also simply load the coupon on your phone and show it to the Starbucks cashier, if you are savvy like that.

Starbucks writes:

Get a free pastry on the morning of March 23 with the purchase of a handcrafted beverage.

Come to participating Starbucks on Free Pastry Day, March 23. Choose a delicious pastry to pair with your beverage and that tasty item is free.

Better yet, it’s free in another sense – free of all this stuff we removed from our recipes:

• No artificial flavors
• No artificial dyes
• No artificial trans fats
• No high-fructose corn syrup

To get your free pastry, print out the coupon below and present it to your barista. Or simply show them the coupon on any mobile device. But Free Pastry Day ends at 10:30 a.m. – so don’t miss out!

Popularity: 7%

Happy Pi Day! Don’t Forget About The Key Lime Pie At Morton’s!

As you might remember, I went to Morton’s Power Hour for the very first time last Thursday.  I liked it so much, that I went back on Friday!  I love the atmosphere in there.  It’s full of people having a good time and unwinding, which is perfect for a Friday evening.  I fulfilled by goal of checking out the Key Lime Pie in advance of the National Pi Day special (today!) and I can honestly report that it is awesome.  For $3.14 you can’t go wrong, people.  I hope you can make it over there today to check it out.  I ended up having dinner at Morton’s, so I took my slice of pie to-go and savored it at home later.

But, let’s face it, any trip to Morton’s would be incomplete without some meat.  I have been yearning to try the $15 Morton’s Prime Burger for quite some time and this was my opportunity.  When it was brought to me at the bar, the couple next to me remarked, “Wow.  That is an insane burger.”  Yes.  It is.  It’s an awe inspiring sight to behold, I must admit.  I got mine configured with sauteed onions, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, and of course, rare.  Dazzling.

This was probably one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long while.  Absolutely mouth watering.  The fries were great, too.  And, I just love the atmosphere at Morton’s.  Grab a friend and check it out tonight!

Popularity: 11%

A Sweet Deal At Morton’s For National Pi Day 3/14

Now this is definitely an offer that both the dessert lover and math geek in me could never pass up.  A new friend writes in:

Don’t miss out on Morton’s The Steakhouse’s super sweet National Pi Day celebration where you can order their scrumptious Key Lime Pie for only $3.14 per slice in the main dining room or in the bar area (only on Sunday). Slices of Key Lime Pie are priced around $10.50, so which is the better deal? You do the math.

Guests can take advantage of this National Pi Day celebration at any LA Morton’s location not just Woodland Hills including Beverly Hills, downtown, and Burbank this Sunday all day. Here are addresses and phone numbers for each restaurant:

· Morton’s The Steakhouse Woodland Hills (6250 Canoga Ave., Woodland Hills, CA 91367; 818-703-7272)

· Morton’s The Steakhouse Beverly Hills (435 S. LaCienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048; 310-246-1501)

· Morton’s The Steakhouse Burbank (3400 West Olive Avenue, Burbank, CA 91505; 818-238-0424)

· Morton’s The Steakhouse Los Angeles (735 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017; 213-553-4566)

This is an outstanding deal.  I haven’t had a chance to really cover Morton’s much for the blog just yet, but it is one of my favorite steakhouses.  You can, however, pretty much guarantee that I will be heading over their Sunday for a piece of this pie, as will a few friends of mine who are absolute Key Lime Pie loving maniacs.

Update: I had a chance to bring home a slice of the Key Lime Pime from Morton’s the other night and it is awesome!

Popularity: 10%

Roy’s Rolls Out Its “Aloha Hour” Happy Hour At Woodland Hills Location

I often get questions about local Happy Hours and see people searching the blog and coming in through Google looking for them.  So, today I sniffed around and discovered that Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion just began offering Happy Hour specials at it’s Woodland Hills location (6363 Topanga Canyon Blvd) this week (March 1st).

Roy’s Happy Hour is called the “Aloha Hour” and takes place weekdays from 4:30pm to 6:30pm.  Highlights include $5 featured appetizers, $5 select wines by-the-glass, and $5 Roy’s Fresh Hawaiian Specialty Cocktails.  I will be checking it out very soon.  Not sure how it will compare to the Fleming’s Happy Hour, which is pretty sweet.

From Roy’s site:

ROY’S ALOHA HOUR $5
All items $5.00 from 4:30-6:30pm Monday through Friday in the bar only

FEATURED APPETIZERS Crunchy Golden Lobster Potstickers Spicy Togarashi Miso Butter Sauce Lobster California Roll Avocado, Cucumber & Tobiko

Tempura Crusted Ahi Roll Miso Butter Sauce

Chicken Lettuce Wraps Shiitake Mushrooms & Chili Hoisin Soy

Pork & Shrimp Shu Mai “Old School” Firecracker Sauce

Wagyu Beef Sliders Chipotle Aioli & Garlic Truffle Sweet Potato Fries

HAND-SELECTED WINES

Terra Noble Chile Sauvignon Blanc

Rutherford Ranch “Roy’s” California Chardonnay

Colores Del Sol Argentina Malbec Reserva

Rutherford Ranch “Roy’s” California Cabernet

HAWAIIAN SPECIALTY COCKTAILS

Roy’s Original Hawaiian Martini Nothing says Martini like “shaken, not stirred,” and Roy’s put this delectable creation on the map. In classic Hawaiian fashion, our Maui pineapples are drenched in SKYY Vodka, Stoli Vanilla Vodka and Malibu Coconut Rum. Shaken and served with fresh pineapple.

Roy’s Island Mai Tai

1988 Martini

And All Roy’s Fresh Hawaiian Specialty Cocktails

It would also seem from the information on Roy’s site that the Aloha Hour is also now available in Downtown LA.  Enjoy.

UPDATE: Here is my first look at Aloha Hour.

Popularity: 30%

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