ROBBY’S

Readers and followers always ask me for more of my patented restaurant reviews, which I’ve sort-of gotten a bit away from with all the theatre and movie reviews along with all the sporting and other events I have to cover.  But a gal can only do so much, unless she’s a twenty-something bon vivette, as I was when I reviewed restaurants on TV every week while also being feted at every soiree in town!

But when someone recently told me about a new eatery, Robby’s, in West Hollywood, my friends Roz and Marc and I ran right over there to check it out.

And let me tell you—the place is beautiful! And has the best waitress, sweet and pretty Rocio. And we found some delicious dishes. So we decided to tell you about it all.

The menu is the same for lunch and dinner, with a wonderful deal on drinks and appetizers, (which we loved,) during Happy Hour.

But let’s get to the ambiance first. Marc, who knows a lot about interior design, noted that the “Hermes-orange napkins, which actually go with the design of the carpet, are cheerful.” He also loved the booths, and told me, “It’s hard to make such a large space warm, but Robby’s did just that.”

As we tasted each dish, Marc exclaimed that it was “comfort food.” So that seemed to be the theme of the menu, but with Robby’s own twist on it.

We started out with a trio of appetizers. The most popular one was the Artichoke Spinach Bake, of which Roz had the winning comment of the day, by saying, “I want to go to this party!”  I have basic versions of that dish just about everywhere that has it, and let me tell you—this is the best one ever! Marc explained that he’s “not a dipper,” in general, and even he loved it. (By the way—we did not dip—it came with little toasts that we spooned the mixture onto.)

Vegetarian Roz appreciated the hummus, as did Marc, who said it’s “very smooth and creamy,” and it came with something that surprised us all. It looked like there were French fries to dip into the hummus, but, since it appears that I had read the menu with the keenest eye, I knew that they were…little crispy sticks of flavorful Indian naan bread! They seriously did look just like fries, which would have been hard to dip into hummus.  (Roz quipped that they were “non-fries,” a play on “naan fries.” Next time Robby revamps the menu, he should hire her!)

My favorite item of everything we tried was the Bacon Apple Turnover appetizer, which is a puffed pastry stuffed with smoked cheddar, bacon, grilled onions, and little pieces of chopped green apple. Man, was that ever delicious!

We wanted to try a salad, so we agreed on the one labeled Grilled Shrimp and Herb Goat Cheese Bits. Rocio was very accommodating in our nutty request to have all the shrimp come on a separate plate so that it wouldn’t touch the rest of the salad, so that Roz could try it. Another diner there that day also suggested to us to get the dressing on the side, so Rocio did that for us, as well. She said everything was absolutely no problem. The salad itself was pretty basic except for three generous dollops of herb cheese. But the most generous of all was six full pieces of large shrimp, which were very delicious. That’s what made the salad special.

Even though Marc and I are far from vegetarians, all of our favorite entree was the creative Veggie Lasagna. The piece looked small-ish at first, but let me tell you—it was very filling! We all agreed that it was a great choice for vegetarians. Roz kept saying that there was a special flavor in there, and then Robby shared the secret with us—it’s nutmeg. Roz said, “It’s such a good touch, and added so much flavor.”

Each entrée comes with a side, or you can order them separately. We shared the three main sides, and enjoyed them all. Marc said that Fresh-cut French Fries were fabulous, rustic, and hearty, and I’m telling you to order them well-done. The Seasonal Veggies mix of green beans and carrots was light and appreciated, and the Fried Brussels Sprouts were caramelized and very garlicky.

The desserts were all a hit with our sweets-centric trio. Roz and Marc went especially nuts over the Crème Brûlée Cheesecake, and when we spoke with Robby later, he explained how he whips-up the caramelized sugar sauce fresh, which is what makes the cheesecake special. Marc said it was “outstanding,” and insisted that Robby’s cheesecake is better than any he’s ever had at the Cheesecake Factory!

Roz loved the Quadruple Chocolate Mousse Pie, labeling it “a darling chocoholic dessert,” while Marc declared it to be “light, fluffy, and not too sweet.”

Marc and I are bread pudding people, and he said it best for both of us, “If, as Karen and I do, you love bread pudding, you definitely won’t be disappointed with this flavorful and delicious one.” It comes on a lovely and mysterious sauce that the menu says is whiskey buttercream but we thought was vanilla, so ask them when you order it. It comes with a scoop of vanilla ice cream which tops it off perfectly.

On an auxiliary note, the friend who recommended Robby’s to me in the first place told me her fave dishes are the lamb, shrimp curry, steak, and tofu flatbread, none of which I eat, so I can’t vouch for any of them, but I’m mentioning them in case you’d also like a fourth opinion of what to order there.

Robby’s features a pretty big beverage menu, but I can’t tell you much about it; two of us don’t drink at all, and Marc just had a Prosecco, which he was very happy with.

If you celebrate your birthday there, let Robby know, and he will play the song for you on his saxophone! And his husband Gabriel will sing along.  Marc’s big b-day is coming up pretty soon, so we were treated to that musical interlude, with the bonus of Rocio’s teen daughter, (who happened to be there that day,) on clarinet.

Lastly, Roz reminded me to let you know this “useful info”: There is ninety-minute free parking right under the building. And if you go over that time, there’s just a very nominal fee. Good food in a pretty place with free parking—now that’s a combo we all need right now.

And speaking of reminding, please remember to follow me on Twitter now, (if you don’t already) because I will be live-tweeting at least some of the Oscars on Sunday, beginning with the arrivals. On that platform, I’m @MajorCelebrity. Let the snark observations begin!

Robby’s
7100 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood
323-645-7301  www.robbyswesthollywood.com