[starkiller4299]

Hey all--

Me and a co-worker are headed out to the Irvine/LA area in a few weeks on company business.  Could anyone give a few suggestions on some decent, not-outrageously-pricey restaurants?  We're budgeted about $40 for each dinner, so we're thinking of keeping it a bit cheaper and then splurging a bit on one meal somewhere.

I would like to hit a few microbreweries, but I need to keep in mind that my coworker isn't really a beer drinker, so having a good menu/atmosphere is kinda important.  So any restaurants, pubs, and brewpubs you can recommend with these in mind would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance .

[narcout]

I don't know much about Irvine, but there's a few good places here in LA.  Father's Office is probably the best known, there's also a decent bar (at the end of my street actually) called The Village Idiot that might be worth checking into (they often have Pliny the Elder if you're into that) though it doesn't really have a fantastic selection.  It's kind of a beer wasteland here (San Diego is a whole different story if you can make it down there).  Both places have good food (Father's Office is known as having excellent burgers).

If you go to any Whole Foods here, they have a pretty amazing beer selection.  I don't know where you're from, but I know they carry a lot of beers that aren't readily available in some parts of the country.  There's also a beverage warehouse called BevMo that carries a good selection if you're looking for things to take back with you.

If you make it out to Silverlake, there's a microbrewery/restaurant there called Good which I like.

A quick google search should help you locate any of these places. 

[sparkleberry]

tony's darts away in Burbank.
eagle rock brewery in eagle rock.
blue palms brewhouse in Hollywood.
verdugo bar in eagle rock.

[sparkleberry]

and the surly goat in west hollywood

[californiapete]

Also in west LA, rather than Irvine/OC, is Steingarten on Pico http://www.steingartenla.com/, which is great if you're in the mood for sausages. A bit closer (Long Beach / Seal Beach) is Beachwood BBQ http://www.beachwoodbbq.com/. My favorite place in the immediate surroundings of Irvine is the Tustin Brewing Company http://www.tustinbrewery.com/—very good beer, although nothing particularly exciting about the food.

[californiapete]

P.S. From Irvine, I'd actually be inclined to head south to Pizza Port http://www.pizzaport.com/. I've never been to the San Clemente location, but that would be the closest. (Pizza Port Carlsbad should be on every homebrewer's bucket list.)

[narcout]

and the surly goat in west hollywood

Man, I totally forgot about the surly goat and eagle rock brewing, but I thought of two other interesting places.

The stuffed sandwich (hands down the best beer selection of any place I've been out here): http://www.stuffedsandwich.com

Also, if you make it downtown, Wurstkuche is pretty awesome: http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/

[1vertical]

Follow Zimmern's travels...

I think Wolfgang Puck's place worthy of a visit....

http://www.tv.com/bizarre-foods-with-andrew-zimmern/los-angeles/episode/1234083/recap.html?tag=episode_recap;recap

[pyrite]

It's in Alhambra:
http://38degreesalhambra.com/   .......  

If you make it to http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/ in downtown L.A. you could walk around the corner and hit- up http://www.angelcitybrewing.com/

Beer in the L.A. area article.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dailydish/2011/07/eagle-rock-brewery.html

[narcout]

If you make it to http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/ in downtown L.A. you could walk around the corner and hit- up http://www.angelcitybrewing.com/

Is Angel City Brewing still in commission? I have never seen one of their beers for sale.

[starkiller4299]

Thanks for all of the recommendations, fellas!  I was a bit worried there when the thread went a few days without posts--glad I checked in again!

Between the training group getting dinner together and these recommendations, looks like we'll be in pretty good shape for the week . 

[rjharper]

I like Quadrupel in Pasadena.  They've got a great bottled Belgian beer selection, some interesting drafts as well, and a really good bistro menu.

[gordonstrong]

Drew's house

[pyrite]

If you make it to http://www.wurstkucherestaurant.com/ in downtown L.A. you could walk around the corner and hit- up http://www.angelcitybrewing.com/

Is Angel City Brewing still in commission? I have never seen one of their beers for sale.

Yes, they are up and running.  The beers are about 4-5 bucks a pop, and better priced than Wurstkuche.  They've filled their brewery with art work, seeing that they're in the art district.  I sometimes ride my bike down their, get a buzz and grub in Japan town.   

[narcout]

Yes, they are up and running.  The beers are about 4-5 bucks a pop, and better priced than Wurstkuche.  They've filled their brewery with art work, seeing that they're in the art district.  I sometimes ride my bike down their, get a buzz and grub in Japan town.   

Yeah, the beer at Wurstkuche is pretty expensive, that place must be making money hand over fist - there's a line outside the door pretty much everytime I go there.

Good to know about Angel City Brewing though; I'll have to check them out sometime.