Third Thursday Review-Ladyface Alehouse

Okay, I have to admit, I get a little giddy when I find a restaurant that has potential to feed me like I want to be fed.  Add to that an interesting name and I already have a little bit of a bias.  Ladyface pretty much lived up to the hype! 

As it turns out, this LA County microbrewery  was named for Ladyface mountain that sits nearby.  For info on that little hill, see here.  (Take note, it is a great place for hiking or geocaching!)   When we arrived, a little behind schedule, it was already getting dark and for some reason we opted to sit inside, thereby missing the apparently great views from the patio.  

There were a couple of initial disappointments.  In spite of emailing ahead for a reservation, and receiving confirmation back, they did not have our name down.  This didn’t seem to interfere too much with seating though.  Also, the restaurant’s interior space was pretty loud.  It was hard to hear the people sitting at the same table.  We resorted to texting each other a few times, much to our own amusement.  

Other than that, our group was mostly impressed.  From the seasonal, sustainable and local menu, we ordered beef short ribs, duck confit salad, the Novy Ranch burger- Ladyface style, pork, curried chicken salad, and for appetizers, frites, salmon cakes and these interesting sounding Gruyere popovers.  Oh and dessert...well, though it raised the budget a bit, we all thoroughly enjoyed the creme brulee, the panna cotta and the chocolate torte.

As always, everything else got mixed reviews.   

We all agreed that the short ribs were a winner and that the fries were better with the homemade sauces.  The Novy burger was good, but made so much better with the bleu cheese and fried egg added.  The salads were both quite palatable, and there was actually a pattern to the people who preferred each.  I don't think that anyone at our table would order the popovers again.  We were all a bit disappointed that only the barest hint of the promised Gruyere was present in the light fluffy egg pastry.  I think we all hoped for a little bit of oozing. 

While we discovered that the frites were all fried in a canola mixture, which was chosen specifically for the common patrons' desire to avoid saturated fats, (sigh), we did also learn that nearly everything else was cooked on an applewood grill, even many of the veggies.

And how can we end without talking about the beers that Ladyface is all about?  Only two of us ordered beers and they were as different from each other as night is to day.  One was a light fruity ale, while the other was dark and biting.  Both of us thoroughly enjoyed them while gazing into the hops filled candle holders on the table.  

Bottom Line

Once again, this place was pretty impressive.  Even with a bit of a budget, you should be able to grab a decent bite of something fresh and healthy and WAPF friendly.  While Agoura is still a bit out of the way, on a good traffic day, you can easily make it a date night without overspending on the babysitter.  $$ -with dessert $$$

We gave Ladyface 5 forks.

photo credit

Third Thursday Review- PizzaSalad

Pizza for paleos possible? Perhaps!  Certainly, salads satisfy, say the seven samplers!

Okay, now that I have had my fun:

Never has a restaurant name been more descriptive of what you will find on the menu than PizzaSalad, a truly organic pizza and salad (see?) cafe on a main drag in Thousand Oaks.  Since 2008, this family owned business has focused on USDA certified organic ingredients and environmentally friendly practices, as well as sourcing regional family farms when possible.

To say that our group was excited to try an organic pizza would be a slight understatement.  Our first impressions of the storefront were not incredibly favorable, however.  It was a little challenging to find on the first go 'round without a GPS as it is tucked away in the corner of a strip mall on the curve of the street.  Once there, parking is not immediately obvious if there are more than 2 cars out front, but can be found across the parking lot or up behind the restaurant.  There is ample outdoor seating, but without heaters, the evening was just too cold for our group to use the space.  Instead, we pulled a couple of the slightly sticky tables together in the limited indoor area. 

Ordering is done deli style at the counter and then the food is brought out when ready by the friendly staff.  The choices of what to get are endless!  There are several pizzas and salads on the menu as well as the option to create your own of both.  Crusts were whole wheat, (3 sizes), or Gluten Free, (2 sizes) and ranged in price from $9-$23.  We ordered the personal sized Katzi, Meatlover's and Stani Pizzas on the Gluten Free Crust and the Rahi and Riza pizzas on the Whole Wheat crust.  Our average price was $12.  The salads averaged $7.50 but we only tried two: the All Green and the Tsooka.  (Check out the menu for details on each of these items.)

Once again, the food was received with mixed reviews.  Some of us loved the sauce and the thin, crisp GF crust, while others preferred the WW and the veggie toppings.  Some were impressed with the flavors of both the pizza and the salads, while others felt they needed the burst of flavor from a shake of the Parmesan cheese and the red pepper flakes provided on the tables.  We all agreed that the ranch dressing was not memorable but the sweet balsamic dressing was a treat.  Most of us also agreed that this place was worth a return visit.

Bottom Line:
It is pizza people!  If you aren't up for making it at home, PizzaSalad is a great alternative to those unmentionable places that serve something they call pizza.  You can feel confident that you will be getting a tasty, fresh and fairly nutrient dense meal and it won't break the bank.  $$

We gave PizzaSalad 4 forks.

phot0 credit:http://www.gourmetsettings.com/gourmetsettings/content/25-004-4_full.jpg