The Knife

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.)

Public Service Announcement: My Darling Clementine

This is a picture* of a mandarin orange, otherwise known as a clementine. It has no other association with this post besides the obvious name connection. That is because I have a new job at Variety and it's Friday, leaving me too tired to find more relevant art. Enjoy.
*Art courtesy the fine London food blog Jamfaced.

Ending CAA week on a high note: Clementine is in the neighborhood. And it rocks, as long as you don't intend to stay.

This is what you can expect to find: Excellent tuna and chicken salads. Warm brisket sandwich came with horseradish creme fraiche and real au jus (too many places serve brown salty water). I love the cauliflower salad with anchovy dressing (that may be just me); they also have roasted beets, soba noodles, Chinese broccoli with shiitakes, etc. Real soup. It's the city's best picnic resource, with solid, sensible takeout containers that are big enough to contain a full portion (I hate it when containers are chintzy), stack and don't leak.

Clementine is also a closet.