Rate-A-Restaurant #199: Palate

Restaurant: Palate Food + Wine

Location: 933 S. Brand (Glendale)

Type of restaurant: New American/Wine Bar



We stipulated: For a rare night on the town -- Evan's preschool had a "parents night out" event, allowing us to have a date night -- we decided to nonetheless keep things local.


Pork Belly

They stipulated: Sample from the multi-course menu, especially first-time patrons. That includes a mason jar; something pickled; and a few regular-sized plates. Also, in a nod to budget-minded diners, no entree is over $20.



What we ordered: Fall caponata ($5). Potted poulet rillette (mason jar; $5). Pickled root vegetables ($3). Winter lettuce ($10), Gnocchi ($10); Scallops ($13); Pork Belly ($17).



High point: The gnocchi was incredible, while the richness of the potted poulet was nice. We also liked the under-$20 ethos, and enjoyed quite friendly service. Also, the caponata had a nice flavor.

Low point: A lot has been said about the pork belly at Palate... but, at least the night we were there, it was just OK. Also, the pickled veggies selection was tiny... and it felt a bit like they were rushing us.



Overall impression: When we moved to Glendale five (!) years ago, I was struck by the lack of any decent choices. The whole dining revolution appeared to have passed over Glendale -- but lately, the tide is turning, thanks to spots like Palate and Bashan. Palate is a nice addition to the Glendale scene -- and the wine shop/wine bar in the back is an excellent use of space. (The Palate building, once upon a time a storage building, is now a massive wine vault.)


Scallops

Chance we'll go back: That under $20 rule still adds up over time, making it quite a pricy endeavor. But for special occasions, or even just to check out the wine bar, we will return.

Rate-A-Restaurant #198: Blue Fish Sushi

Restaurant: Blue Fish

Location:2261 Honolulu Ave (Montrose)

Type of restaurant: Sushi



We stipulated: It was an overcast day, and we were looking to get out of the house -- but not stray too far from Franklin Avenue HQ. Glendale's Montrose district -- particularly Honolulu Ave., which has been dubbed Glendale's "Old Town," is a nice stroll on a lazy afternoon. There's bakeries, a kids' bookstore, a good old fashioned toy store, coffee shops, etc. And restaurants. Maria had a craving for shrimp tempura -- and we hadn't done sushi in a while. Montrose has several low-cost sushi joints; Blue Fish is a tad pricier than those, but the ambience was probably worth a few extra bucks.



They stipulated: Blue Fish is semi-kid friendly, offering up two non-sushi alternatives for picky kids.



What we ordered: Shrimp tempura roll ($9.95); Dynamite (Baked scallops, lobster, mushrooms and onion on a California roll, $11.95); Spicy tuna rolls ($5.95); California roll ($5.95); Chicken teriyaki bowl for kids ($5.95)



High point: We liked the nice space, and appreciated the price, given the amount of food we received. And let's face it, any sushi joint that's also kid-friendly is OK by me. We're not overly adventurous sushi orderers, since we're (ahem) cheap -- so we usually judge by the spicy tuna roll. And this one was pretty good.

Low point: We ordered way too much, as there was no guidance on the menu. And the Dynamite was way too goopy, unfortunately.



Overall impression: It's strange that we keep over-ordering lately. We seem to always be assuming that we haven't chosen enough food -- and then we overcompensate. The waitress at Blue Fish didn't help: When we were finished with our initial, and very large order, she asked us "Is that it?" -- in a tone that made it sound like we hadn't ordered nearly enough.



Chance we'll go back: It could be a good, quickie way to get sushi when we're feeling lazy but want to go out to a restaurant. But I don't see it become one of our regular rotations.