Hollywood Bowl picnics: Clementine wins

All hail the cardboard box. It's the best solution for picnics at the Hollywood Bowl (and for that matter, Griffith Park and Cinespia movies at Hollywood Forever cemetery). Click through that too-small image on the left and you'll see a full breakdown of picnics from five restaurants and gourmet delis.

Yes, the Patina Group holds sway at the Bowl and it's several cuts above and beyond Dodger dogs, a once-respectable nosh that's now a $5 ticket to hell. However, with all due respect to Joachim Splichal, you can do better than buying supper at the Bowl. (The pizzas' crusts have the same mass-produced look as the ones my mom bought for me in Safeway's refrigerated section.) You can order a full dinner if you've got box seats, but you might not want to pay $50 minimum per person for overkill.

(ADDENDUM: How embarassing. I completely overlooked Granita's demise. I compiled this list for an article I wrote at Variety Weekend. I thought it was last summer; now I realize it was two. Age sucks. However, the Bowl visit was this week.)