#lalasgrill

[peeshepig]

#tangodancers #tango #LaLasGrill (at Lala's Grill)

[sgudrdott-blog-blog]

Birthday Celebrations!

Last night I joined some friends for celebratory birthday dinners. Notice how at this age we no longer "party" but go to dinner and then grab a few drinks to "catch up and hang out". Where has the time gone!? We met at a place called Lala's Argentine Grill on Melrose Ave. There are actually two locations, one on Melrose Ave. in Hollywood and the other on Ventura Blvd in Studio City, but Melrose was closer for the lot of us.

                            First off, let's talk about parking. It's horrendous. But you could of guessed that from the moment I mention the words Melrose and Hollywood. Lala's Grill does have its own valet parking (open to the public as well), which isn't at all expensive if you plan on eating dinner there since they provide you with validation which lessens the price. I initially tried valet parking first, but no one approached me or even looked at me. Was my car dirty? Too old? So I just drove out and luckily found a spot on the street close by. The only debate I had about this were the signs, "2 Hour Parking from 8AM to 8PM", and above that "No Parking 8PM to 6AM". My question was, if I get here at 730PM, do I get 2 hours from the time I parked or immediately at 8PM, am I in violation? I decided to chance it because I think I could easily argue against it. I can happily say I didn't receive a ticket, however, the birds in the tree above must of frowned upon that and decided to leave me with a few presents on my hood. 

                      When we arrived, we had 2 tables. We were celebrating two of my friends birthdays - their birthdays fall back to back April 3rd and April 4th. It was nice to see old friends, a lot of the people present I hadn't seen since the last time we celebrated my friends' birthday last year. Plus, it's always nice to meet new people. The atmosphere was nice, but a little dark. You could still easily see the people around you, but trying to read the small menu print was a bit difficult. I ordered the Suprema Napolitana, which was a boneless chicken breast breaded and lightly fried, topped with basil tomato sauce & melted cheese. Almost similar to a chicken parmesean but different flavoring. It was served with Lala's special mashed potatoes, which was a mixture of mashed potatoes and carrots. The portions were huge! Definitely worth the price. Menu items varied from $10 -  $25 and the Suprema Napolitana fell in the middle. Needless to say, it was delicious, and I'm looking forward to finishing my leftovers for lunch today. 

As a table we split 3 pitchers of Sangria. There was a Red and a White one. We opted for 2 Red Sangria's first due to our waiters description of it as "stronger" because you can add as much wine and vodka to it as you want. It was indeed strong, but personally it tasted just like a glass of red wine until you reached the bottom of the pitcher where all the pulp from whatever fruits were involved were. That part did not taste good. We then decided to try the White Sangria. This one was definitely sweeter and you could actually see whole fruits in it! Either way we were enjoying ourselves.

       At the end of the night we took group photos, of course. Most of them were headed to Edison to continue the night, but I had to get home and continue working on my Interview Preparation for my Vet Med School Applications. All in all, I enjoyed myself. It's always nice to get out and enjoy good friends' company and let loose every once in awhile. So if you ever have the chance, I would highly recommend Lala's Argentine Grill. Get the Empanadas and definitely try both Sangrias!