Toast has been on my list of places to check out for a couple of years, and a friend put it back on…read moremy radar back in April. Just a couple of weeks ago, my friends and I were considering our options for where to have brunch to celebrate one of our friend's retirement. Toast was one of the names I dropped in the metaphorical hat, and it won the vote of a few. My friends were surprised that I had named a spot I hadn't yet tried since I'm usually the "foodie" of the group. However, another girl in the group who had been here before vouched for it. I'm glad I finally got to try this place this past weekend, and I cannot wait to return! There were so many things on their menu that I wanted to try. A couple of the ladies ordered green chilaquiles, the friend we were celebrating ordered the Spanish Omelet, another woman I'd met that day had the bacon and eggs, another one ordered the Biscuits and grave with a side of bacon that looked perfectly crispy. I wish I had taken pictures of the plates as it all looked so lovely! I didn't even take a picture of my own food haha. I had my eyes on an omelet, one of the Benedicts or the Chicken n Waffle. In the end, the chicken and waffle won. It comes served with a little container of maple syrup with bacon pieces. The chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The waffle was delicious, though I did request for some extra syrup on the side. To drink, a few ladies ordered mimosas, one ordered an iced caramel coffee, and I ordered the Carajillo. I fell in love with this drink last summer in Mexico and do not often see it on the menu. I love the subtle citrus notes the Licor 43 adds to this espresso drink. It is very similar to an espresso martini, and theirs comes topped with a toasted marshmallow. I honestly wanted to try almost every item in their Tipsy Barista section of their drinks. I'll just have to come back that many more times :) Plenty of parking in the mall lot. It does get pretty packed during peak hours. Fortunately I had called ahead to put our group of 6 down. We went in on Saturday around 11:30. It slowed down a bit while we were eating, but started to get busy again after 1. Otherwise, we might have been forced to honor their 90-minute rule. All in all, a great experience from everyone in our group. No complaints on the wait, service or food. That certainly deserves a toast. Great job, Toast!

I was taken here for my birthday brunch, and it turned out to be a great choice! The atmosphere was…read moreamazing--lively, stylish, and perfect for celebrating a special occasion. I ordered the steak and eggs along with a margarita flight, and everything was fantastic. The food was delicious, the drinks were fun to try, and the service was excellent from start to finish. The only thing that caught me off guard was the price--it's definitely on the more expensive side. But if you have the budget and want to treat yourself to a nice brunch, I'd 100% recommend giving this place a try. Great food, great drinks, excellent service, and an awesome brunch atmosphere. Definitely made my birthday feel special!

We came for Dine LA, and this was way above my expectations. I knew it would be a chef-y place,…read morebut I didn't expect to love my meal so much. Dinner was $70 per person and consisted entirely of shared plates. It turned out to be plenty of food. We started with the roasted shishito peppers and the crispy pork belly. That pork belly was the best dish of the night - absolutely delicious. Next came the chickpea fritters, which were also really good. The roasted beet salad was up next. I hate beets. But I still liked this. I wouldn't order it again because, yeah, I really don't like beets. But if you like them even a little, you should get this. I actually ate several bites of this, and it was nice. The Sichuan Chili Bass presented a similar situation as I don't really like fish - but again, I ate this and it was quite tasty. Dessert was a "s'mores" situation - a messy, glorious bowl of chocolate, meringue, graham cracker crunch and strawberries. Service was awesome - perfectly pacing the meal. My friend had a couple of cocktails which were gorgeous. And the room is lovely and light. I don't love the neighborhood and parking can be tough. I definitely would come early unless you're taking a taxi. Genuinely surprised how much I liked this meal. Everything was very well done and clearly made with care without seeming fussy or too precious. Highly recommend and would definitely come back. This is a place to take your out-of-town friends to.

So stoked that I finally got to try this place. It no longer has to be stuck in my "want to go…read moreplaces" bookmarks! We were able to secure a 5:30pm reservation on a Saturday night with outdoor seating. Friends had dined here several times so started off the night with some good recommendations! For a party of four, they recommended about 5-7 dishes to share. I have unique allergies so both the staff and kitchen were extra careful and made sure to let us know if any of the dishes we ordered had any potential cross contamination. To be safe, we didn't order one of their popular dishes (green beans) as it has cashews. We thought about having those to the side but were afraid there could be potential contamination from the pot they make it in. We ordered about 6 dishes to share and ordered a matcha tres leches to share per each couple. We probably could have ordered another main but we left with satisfied bellies. Naan & Dips - $21 Must get! Naan is super flavorful and comes with two dipping sauces. It was a good portion size to share among 4 people Roasted Carrots - $19 Couldn't get the green beans due to my cashew allergy so we opted for the next recommendation given by our waiter! The carrots were so tender and flavorful. Tomato & Stone Fruit Salad - $24 I really enjoyed this one although our friend felt like the Chicago location made this more flavorful. The creamy tofu sauce with chili oil makes a great pairing! A great refreshing way to start off the meal before all the heavy flavors from the mains! Ginger Chili Yum Salmon - $38 Salmon was extremely tender and cooked well. It comes with two pieces of salmon, so it made it easy to share between the two couples. The sauce was okay for me. Sticky Glazed Pork Shank - $48 My absolute favorite from what we ordered. Meat fell off the bone and was seasoned so well! I liked the addition of lettuce and pickled veggies. You can eat as is or make it into a lettuce wrap! Highly recommend, maybe next time I won't share this one haha Pork Belly Noodles - $36 Pork belly was tender, but I don't remember much from it...also the portion size was lacking so maybe that's also a factor. 2 Matcha Tres Leches - $17/each YES to this! This was such a divine way to end our meal. The blackberry frozen jam and matcha whip was such a treat! Loved the addition of matcha white chocolate quinoa crisps!

Amazing experience. My wife and I decided to celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary at Sampa. Peter…read moreand his staff were super gracious and friendly hosts for the evening. The food was incredible too. The duck and crab rice blew us away. They take a lot of pride in their craft cocktails which also stole the show. Ube clarified drink was 1 of a kind. 10/10 must try!

It's modern Filipino food with portions that are on the smaller side but still didn't leave me…read morehungry afterwards . Started with a mocktail for me. This place is pretty dark they did have these little lamps on the table. Ube horchata was delicious, not too sweet. Love that the clove and vanilla did not over power the ube. Wish it had less ice but this way I will order another. Well played! Of course I ordered another. Ordered the Crab fat rice and the uni kaluga caviar served on sky flakes crackers, fun presentation even if the caviar just slid off right when it was brought to us. It was good l, I'm glad I tried this place.

Went on a Thursday night with friends. Ambience and service were great. Staff were always prompt…read moreand checked on us quite frequently. There was ample seating and overall great vibe. The food was delicious and quite filling. Food presentation and flavors were great. We ordered a bunch of appetizers and 3 entrees. We left with take out boxes. Would definitely dine here again and would like to try brunch. Appetizers: - Biscuits with a side ham and whipped butter 5/5 - Shrimp Aguachiles 5/5 - Albacore spread 5/5 -Pork toro 4/5 Salad: - Persimmon and carrot salad with chili oil 4/5 Entree -Heirloom Chicken 5/5 -Roasted Duck 4/5 -Pork Chop 5/5 Dessert: -chocolate basque cheesecake 3/5... too thick for my preference - raspberry ice cream 3/5

Brought my wife for her birthday, we absolutely loved it! Our server Nathan was so friendly and…read moreattentive, the rest of the staff that helped around were also great! My wife had the half chicken, I tried the squid and sausage, both were soo delicious. We also enjoyed the cast iron cornbread, okra, and baby lettuce salad. Atmosphere was gorgeous as well, main reason I wanted to bring my wife was the plants added such a relaxed surrounding. Will definitely be returning and recommending Manuela to friends and family!

I've been coming to Bar Louie for years, but I'll be honest I only love to come when Jewels is in…read more She's the absolute best, especially during mimosa time in the morning. From the second you sit down, her friendliness and amazing attitude make you feel right at home. She's incredibly attentive, checks in at just the right moments without hovering, and brings that warm, genuine energy that makes the whole experience feel special. Jewels delivers top-notch customer service every time always quick to help, super welcoming, and genuinely cares about making sure everything runs smoothly even when it's busy. Her positive vibe is contagious, and it's clear she loves what she does. If you're at Bar Louie for brunch, ask for Jewels. She's the reason I keep coming back. Seriously, give this woman a raise, a promotion, or just make her president already she deserves it.

Came to Bar Louie with some friends to kick off the football season and we had such a fun time!…read moreArianna was our server and she was amazing, super friendly and made our experience so much more fun. We'll definitely be coming back! Also go Rams!!

My girlfriend and I came to the Redbird last night after the Vibiana concert. We sat in the lounge…read morearea since the kitchen was going to be closing soon. The lounge was very cozy but we also came when it was winding down. We both ordered the burger. The waitress came back and asked if we wanted to order something different since they were out of buns. We thought about it and ask do you think the Chef could just make it without the bun. She went and asked and they could. That burger protein style wrapped in the lettuce was SO GOOD. I woke up thinking about it. Thank you again Chef for accommodating that. Also we had the roasted figs, mmmm really enjoy them as well. Thank you again for ending our night with a lovely bite to eat.

We were supposed to go to a baby shower here, but we arrived a little bit too late and the…read morerestaurant wouldn't give us any food so the only option we had was to go inside and order our own food and eat there. The pancakes were moist and not too sweet. I wish they had more blueberries since there were only like 5 in the whole thing. The maple syrup was watery but had a real maple flavor though very light. I'd get the pancakes again. The frittata was a miss. Eggs weren't seasoned at all and it was overcooked with a rubbery texture and hard edges. This was a big disappointment considering how easy it is to make a good frittata. Biscuits were super moist and crispy, would get these again. Ambiance is nice but a bit closed in without windows really.

This was my first time visiting Lazy Dog in Downey, and Angie made such a great first impression!…read moreFrom the moment we sat down, she was friendly, welcoming, and very attentive. She checked on us throughout our meal without being overwhelming and made sure everything was exactly how we wanted it. Angie was also very knowledgeable about the menu and gave us great recommendations. You can really tell when someone genuinely cares about providing good service, and Angie definitely does. She made our experience feel comfortable and enjoyable from start to finish. The food was great, but the service is what really stood out to me. I'll definitely be coming back to Lazy Dog, and hopefully we get Angie again! She deserves recognition for being such a wonderful server. Highly recommend asking for her!

This place is more like a performance than a mere meal. The place is huge, like a mountain lodge on…read moresteroids. They have an organized seating system with teams of people with headsets scurrying around. Our server was a little green in terms of his interpersonal skills but we tried to tease the recticence out of him...semi-successfully! Our meal, which was more like a snack since we were in town for a late night performance and needed a place to light, was the perfect meal. Somehow word got out that it was our first visit to this Lazy Dog, and one of the line cooks appeared at our table to welcome us. He was very impressive and welcoming; we were a bit taken aback by the proactive hospitality. He said he'd like to welcome us with a complimetary bowl of their Tangy BBQ chips that came with some delicious dipping sauce. We were delighted. And those chips -- OMG, not your typical homemade chip. Next, we ordered the Brussels sprouts which were awesome and delicious. Then the Seared Ahi Tuna Salad that comes with greens, carrots, radish, avocado, pickled cucumbers, peanut ponzu vinaigrette and soy dipping sauce on the side . So delicious! The tuna was fresh and perfectly cooked with lovely a seasoned crust and pink ahi filet. We still had time before we were due at our date, so ordered coffee, then refills...and more refills, LOL! ( No wonder our performance was so wired) The staff was happy to have us linger. We did not feel rushed, and there was no pressue to vacate our table. We salivated over other menu items, and have talked about going back to try a few. We don't need an excuse to drive to Downey but we'll be looking for one! Loved this unexpected experience! Would give more stars for the braintrust behind the customer experience here ;-)

My friend and I had dinner here after an event at USC. I ordered ceviche and the calamari, while my…read moreguest ordered the branzino as his dinner entrée. The ceviche was wonderful, but we had barely started enjoying this when the server brought the branzino and the calamari. The calamari was mediocre at best, with very few large pieces of squid and multiple, small pieces of batter only. The calamari was accompanied by a tasteless sauce. I don't know why the server was rushing us with our selections. The restaurant was not full. The view from this rooftop restaurant is nice, but the food and service need a lot of work.

We came on a very hot day, which definitely didn't help the rooftop ambiance. Even though we were…read morebasically sweating our butts off, we still enjoyed the view! Hubby ordered the hamburger and fries, and I ordered a salad and pizza. We also tried the ceviche. Everything was good, but most of the food needed more flavor. The ceviche was delicious and packed with flavor, but sadly, nothing else matched its energy. My biggest issue was the drinks. It was extremely hot, the glasses were tiny, and we had to keep asking for refills. Also, the price of tacos without rice and beans was a little crazy! We probably wouldn't go back, but we're still happy we gave it a try.

This was my first time at Stephen steak and seafood last night,…read more and I'm surprised that I never have been here since it has been here over seven decade. I came here to celebrate my aunt Retirement with her coworkers and family and we had a splendid time. I love how they have jazz and entertainment for their customers. They have a nice bar that you can sit at and chill and listen to the live performances and enjoy yourself. The ambience is very nice. It's pretty dark inside so it does give romantic vibes, but it is definitely good for date night our a big party celebration. For my food, I got the chicken breast with salad and baked potato, and it was definitely good. My baked potato was very hot and freshly made and my chicken breast was tender. Also, the complementary bread was off the hook. Though I did give up on bread cause I am trying to watch my figure. I had to try a small bite and it was very delicious. My meal came with a complementary spaghetti so I was very happy about that. The service was decent. I felt like our server. Maria was going pretty fast, but she did too good with getting all our orders right. Also, the managers were very nice and attentive. They do a lot of performances here and events. I would definitely come back here when they have a performer that I like perform. They also do parties here. They have a very nice banquet hall and they do packages literally for everything birthdays, weddings, funerals, and so much more. This place is very popular in a staple in the city of commerce. I highly do recommend coming here to have a very nice time with elite entertainment and food with reasonable prices. Furthermore, they have so much variety of food for everyone. It's plenty of parking on the street and in the back of the restaurant and also they do complementary valet. -Marshay D.

Great spot for a Friday night dinner! They always have…read moredeals. The steak was delicious, the Friday dinner specials were a great value, and the atmosphere was lively without being overwhelming. After dinner, there's a dancing area that makes it easy to keep the night going. Great food, good energy, and a perfect place for a Friday night out. Parking can be a bit tough.