Thanks, we have been to T.Cooks and we loved it but that is too far. We have also been to Tommy Bahamas, but the one up in Kierland. I was surprised at how good our lunch was.

My mom has a reservation at Drexyl, but I am not sure if that is more style over substance.

I am also meeting up with a friend in Old Town, but we can't eat until 2. I have a reservation at SumoMaya. This lunch is open to all price points and cuisine. If anything, my friend prefers more Asian influenced food, hence SumoMaya. We have both been to The Mission and FnB closes at 2, so those are out. Should I keep this reservation or is there some place else I should check out?

Thanks again for any help.

Thanks, I ended up getting my car serviced so my plans changed. You would think that with the added car expenses I would try to offset those extra costs by dialing back my food purchases, but instead I did the following:

While waiting for my car I went to Milo and Olive and had their omelette special of the day. It consisted of avocados, chilies, & fontina cheese. It was simplistic, but very good.

I was told my car would take longer, so I left Santa Monica and headed back to Venice where I met up with a friend at Salt Air. We split a lobster roll and their fried chicken sandwich. The lobster roll was good, but very small. My friend really liked the fried chicken sandwich, but I thought it tasted off. It was also oddly shaped, so it sat in the middle of the bun with lots of bread on either side. Almost like if you have ever run out of hot dog buns and tried to eat a hot dog with a hamburger bun.

Finally my car was done, so my friend drove me back to Santa Monica where we enjoyed celebratory fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and a scallop tostada at Tacos Punta Cabras. TPC was excellent as usual.

Thanks again for the idea, I will have to check The Misfit out in the future.

I just went here for lunch again today. The price to quality ratio is really astounding. I had their turkey burger which consisted of mozzarella cheese, arugula, red pepper spread on brioche with a side bbq sauce and one fish taco. I always add one fish taco. It is not Ricky's, but it is still very good. My bill including tax/tip was $12 and I over tipped. I keep trying to get the word out on this place because not only is the food great, but Diego and his wife are really nice people. The only downside is that the place is really small which is why I always hesitate to submit a write up for fear that it will become too packed, but I really want them to succeed.

Thank you so much for your reply. I just got back from Venice last night and had an amazing time ... Largely due to a lot of your posts. I did not get a chance to hit any of your suggestions above because the premiere started later than expected and the water taxi dropped us off right by the hotel. I was getting ready to make my way up to Bancogiro and I walked passed Quadri and convinced them to keep their kitchen open. I had a great meal and caught the orchestra right as they were playing "My Way" by Frank Sinatra.

In regards to rest of the trip, we went to the following ...

Thursday:

Lunch-Il Ridotto: The highlights were the risotto in a scallop cream sauce and the best tiramisu of the trip. I also really enjoyed their warm salad of fish.

Dinner-Da Fiore: My favorite item was the spider crab gnocchi, but my girlfriend could not stop talking about their shrimp stuffed with bacon cooked in pork fat

Friday:

Lunch-Al Covo: We really enjoyed their fritto misto and their zucchini stuffed with riccoto. I liked their lobster pasta, but it was too strong a flavor for my girlfriend.

Dinner-Al Fontego dei Pescatori: We shared a mixed seafood antipasti, gnocchi primi(My girlfriend absolutely loves gnocchi), and a flounder done for two that was filleted table side. Everything was great and the people could not have been nicer.

Saturday:

Since I was going to the premiere at 5:30, I wanted to eat a lot during the day and I think I accomplished that ...

Lunch- Fiaschetteria Toscana: Turbot grilled simply and filleted table side, alla Vedova: Meatball cicchetti, La Cantina: mixed seafood plate of raw and cooked, al Bomba: cicchetti Baccala Mantecato on polenta, & Do Mori: another meatball cicchetti and a type of eggplant parmesan that had what tasted like an arrabiata sauce. Everything was great, but La Cantina was by far my favorite. Everything was so simple and the people were so nice.

Dinner- Quadri late night: Spaghetti Bolognese and a nice glass of red wine. I know this was not a very venetian order, but it really hit the spot.

Sunday:

Lunch-Osteria la bottega ai promessi sposi: la frittura mista and Fegato alla veneziana. This was one of my favorite places. The waitress read the entire menu to me and was so attentive. I don't like liver and onions and theirs was amazing.

Dinner-Grand Canal restaurant at The Hotel Monaco: we had a table on the terrace so the setting was very nice, but waiter was very rude. We tried to go to Da Pisis, but it was all booked up. My girlfriend was tired of seafood at this point, so we had a salmon and swordfish tartare, ravioli with a tomato and mozzarella cheese filling, canneloni stuffed with spinach, and veal escalopes in a light gorgonzola sauce. Honestly, the ravioli and the canneloni were the best apect of the dinner. I would go back here for lunch, but not for dinner.

We also hit a lot of gelateria's and ate breakfast every day on the Terrace of the Danieli. The terrace is a great place to grab a drink between 3:00 and 6:30 and their tiramisu was phenomenal.

Thanks again for all the prior contributions that really made my trip fantastic.

I think the sandwiches are really good and you are correct, no grocery. I like their signature sandwich(turkey), but The Godfather is more in line with an Italian sub. Also, their bread is very similar to Bay Cities and I very rarely can eat a large by myself.

In addition, next door is M Cafe. If you like veggie burgers, theirs is fantastic.

I also highly recommend Tere's for Mexican on Melrose between Vine and Cahuenga. it is a little more expensive than most, but their pork chile verde burrito is ridiculous.

Lastly, I am not sure if anyone mentioned this but Oaks Gourmet on Franklin and Bronson is pretty good. They have a small market and I liked their short rib french onion dip, but apparently they have a really good cheeseburger also.

I hope that helps.