But, one evening, Mr. Sazy Rock and I decided to brave (in the first-world-problems-kind-of-brave) the LA traffic to check out the restaurant. Was it worth the traffic headache?
 |
| Connie and Ted's in West Hollywood, California. |
THE SCENE
Unlike the more formal Providence, a fine dining restaurant owned by the same folks, Connie and Ted's (named after the Chef/owner's grandparents) was loud and casual. The decor looked very modern yet evoked the ambiance of a Northeastern seaside town.
Once we entered the restaurant, we could immediately feel the buzz. On a Wednesday night, both the dining room and the bar area were crowded. While waiting for our table (we had reservations for 8 pm and were seated around 8:15 pm), it was almost impossible to converse unless we also raised our voices a notch. Luckily, when the host showed us to our table, we were seated outdoors, where it was still crowded but quieter. For my mid life ears, I preferred eating without having to strain to hear my dining companion. My mid life eyes also appreciated the fact that the restaurant was not ridiculously dark as some "hip" (or wanna be hip) restaurants tend to be.
THE FOOD
We ordered quite a few things - embarrassing really considering it was just the two of us.
We started off with some raw top neck clams. They were very fresh and needed little more than a few drops of lemon to really set off the brininess of the clams.
The grilled calamari was topped with a fresh arugula salad. The salad was a bit over-seasoned. But, the calamari, which was in a tangy red sauce, was perfect.
The restaurant kindly sent us a complimentary stuffed clam dish that was sort of like a clams casino but with linguica (ground sausage). That was also deliciously meaty.
For the mains, I ordered a hot lobster roll (another option was to have the cold lobster roll, i.e. with mayo, which I did not get to try), which came with a side of fries. While the fries were good, they were not exceptional. The lobster roll itself, however, was. Basically, the hot lobster roll was served Connecticut style with hot butter. The claw, which was hidden underneath, and the rest of the lobster meat were firm (but not rubbery), and had that faint sweet taste. The roll, which was apparently made in-house, was perfectly toasted on the outside and steamed on the inside.
Mr. SR had the breaded and broiled halibut. He thought the fish was perfectly flaky with a nice crunch on the top. He also separately ordered a side of onion rings, which were crunchy and had the sweet onion taste. Although I am generally a fries lover, if I were forced to make a choice between their fries and their onion rings, hands down, I'd take the onion rings anytime, any day.
One would think we would have been full at that point but one would be wrong. We had a little bit more room for desserts, which our server informed us were all made in-house. Because we enjoyed our dishes so much, and because I firmly believe that I have a separate stomach just for desserts that still needed to be sated, we ordered a selection of ice cream.
The chocolate and peanut butter scoops with a side of caramel, and the cookies and cream scoop topped with a fudge sauce (all of those, including the sauces, were made in-house), rivaled many of the ice cream houses in the Los Angeles area. The flavors may not have been novel (as in with Guinness, or with bacon, or with whatever ingredient someone had the "bright" idea of making into ice cream) but, the flavors were definitely very good. We polished off all the ice cream.
THE SERVICE
Other than the initial wait for our table (we arrived/checked in at 7:51 pm for an 8 pm table, and were seated at 8:15 pm), service was prompt. All the employees - from the hosts, to the servers, to the bussers - were all very friendly and helpful. The staff definitely made our dining experience pleasant.
THE PRICE
It was not cheap. But, it was to be expected given that the seafood dishes we ate all tasted fresh and were obviously of top quality. With a bottle of wine and a cocktail (less the comped dish), we paid $175 plus tax and tip. I thought it was well worth the price and would not begrudge them a penny.
HOW TO GET A TABLE
For a midweek evening meal, I was able to get a table easily through OpenTable within less than a week before our dinner. However, if you prefer to call, you may do so at (323) 848-2722.
The verdict? We loved it! Mr. SR and I have already discussed going back in the near future despite the lack of easy freeway access and the more-often-than-not gridlock on Los Angeles city streets.
Have you dined at Connie and Ted's? If so, please let us know your experience.
Unlike the more formal Providence, a fine dining restaurant owned by the same folks, Connie and Ted's (named after the Chef/owner's grandparents) was loud and casual. The decor looked very modern yet evoked the ambiance of a Northeastern seaside town.
 |
| Top Neck Clams. |
Once we entered the restaurant, we could immediately feel the buzz. On a Wednesday night, both the dining room and the bar area were crowded. While waiting for our table (we had reservations for 8 pm and were seated around 8:15 pm), it was almost impossible to converse unless we also raised our voices a notch. Luckily, when the host showed us to our table, we were seated outdoors, where it was still crowded but quieter. For my mid life ears, I preferred eating without having to strain to hear my dining companion. My mid life eyes also appreciated the fact that the restaurant was not ridiculously dark as some "hip" (or wanna be hip) restaurants tend to be.
 |
| Grilled Calamari. |
THE FOOD
We ordered quite a few things - embarrassing really considering it was just the two of us.
We started off with some raw top neck clams. They were very fresh and needed little more than a few drops of lemon to really set off the brininess of the clams.
 |
| Stuffed Clams with Linguica. |
The grilled calamari was topped with a fresh arugula salad. The salad was a bit over-seasoned. But, the calamari, which was in a tangy red sauce, was perfect.
The restaurant kindly sent us a complimentary stuffed clam dish that was sort of like a clams casino but with linguica (ground sausage). That was also deliciously meaty.
 |
| Hot Lobster Roll. |
For the mains, I ordered a hot lobster roll (another option was to have the cold lobster roll, i.e. with mayo, which I did not get to try), which came with a side of fries. While the fries were good, they were not exceptional. The lobster roll itself, however, was. Basically, the hot lobster roll was served Connecticut style with hot butter. The claw, which was hidden underneath, and the rest of the lobster meat were firm (but not rubbery), and had that faint sweet taste. The roll, which was apparently made in-house, was perfectly toasted on the outside and steamed on the inside.
 |
| Breaded and Broiled Halibut with Coleslaw. |
Mr. SR had the breaded and broiled halibut. He thought the fish was perfectly flaky with a nice crunch on the top. He also separately ordered a side of onion rings, which were crunchy and had the sweet onion taste. Although I am generally a fries lover, if I were forced to make a choice between their fries and their onion rings, hands down, I'd take the onion rings anytime, any day.
 |
| Onion Rings. |
One would think we would have been full at that point but one would be wrong. We had a little bit more room for desserts, which our server informed us were all made in-house. Because we enjoyed our dishes so much, and because I firmly believe that I have a separate stomach just for desserts that still needed to be sated, we ordered a selection of ice cream.
 |
| Right Bottom: Chocolate Ice Cream; Right Top: Peanut Butter Ice Cream. Center: Caramel Sauce Left: Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Topped with Hot Fudge. |
The chocolate and peanut butter scoops with a side of caramel, and the cookies and cream scoop topped with a fudge sauce (all of those, including the sauces, were made in-house), rivaled many of the ice cream houses in the Los Angeles area. The flavors may not have been novel (as in with Guinness, or with bacon, or with whatever ingredient someone had the "bright" idea of making into ice cream) but, the flavors were definitely very good. We polished off all the ice cream.
THE SERVICE
THE PRICE
It was not cheap. But, it was to be expected given that the seafood dishes we ate all tasted fresh and were obviously of top quality. With a bottle of wine and a cocktail (less the comped dish), we paid $175 plus tax and tip. I thought it was well worth the price and would not begrudge them a penny.
HOW TO GET A TABLE
For a midweek evening meal, I was able to get a table easily through OpenTable within less than a week before our dinner. However, if you prefer to call, you may do so at (323) 848-2722.
The verdict? We loved it! Mr. SR and I have already discussed going back in the near future despite the lack of easy freeway access and the more-often-than-not gridlock on Los Angeles city streets.
Have you dined at Connie and Ted's? If so, please let us know your experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment