Friday Quickies #12: Pie blocked & DineLA plans

Pie Blocked by Bakers Square: Boo! Hiss! As I twittered recently, I went to Bakers Square this past Wednesday for their National Pie Day celebration (with free slices of pies for those who checked their Sunday paper coupons). I arrived at 8:00pm to find the "NO MORE PIES" sign hanging out the front door . . . having already arrived there, I put myself through the ordeal of their bland coffee and their greasy foccacia sandwich with fries (none of which were as good as I remembered from back in college).

DineLA Plans: I've been saving my budget & calories for the next two weeks, which, if you didn't know already, I'm really excited about -- even though some Hounders are disappointed by the list ~ which I understand, but there's still quite a few gems so it's not bad for a debut year. Anyways, for me, the places to hit are Noe at the Omni, Ford's Filling Station, Beacon, Grace and Napa Valley Grille. Only sad note is @ Grace, where my friend and I are waitlisted on Jan. 30. But if it means eating at the bar/lounge just before the kitchen closes... so be it :\

And while Pat's right that you probably aren't getting the authentic experience of the restaurant (given how many of these places will be mass-producing the prix-fixe courses and running hectic trying to turn tables on a completely filled floor), it's still a nice (and cost-effective) way to get an impression of a place, and a good incentive to get people to try places they were previously unsure of.