- La Piccoletta. This tiny restaurant (pictured above) is literally off the beaten track, hidden in an alley, but that just means you'll feel much more hip for finding it. They serve one type of pasta each night with your choice of up to four sauces. You'll need a reservation, but it's so worth it.
- The Press. The sourdough rolls, the nachos, the panoply of vegetarian/vegan options, the atmosphere . . . this one of my all-time favorites. And if you're into the live music scene, the Press is your best bet.
- Claremont Juice Company. This is really a lunch place, but if you're from a cold-weather part of the world, you'll definitely want to take your parents here so you can showcase the fantabulousness of California weather (in February, no less). The sandwiches and smoothies are classic California cuisine, and the back patio is the perfect place to bask in the sun. There's no website, unfortunately, so you'll just have to take my word for how relaxing it is.
- Le Pain Quotidien. I know I already mentioned this in a previous post, but this is a definite must, particularly for breakfast. I took my own parents here recently and they were just as head-over-heels as me -- the bread basket completely made their day.
- If you feel like an adventure and you have access to a motor vehicle, then Din Tai Fung in Arcadia is the ultimate California experience. Shanghai soup dumplings are hard to find and these are considered the best in the world. Come really, really hungry, because you will want to eat as much as humanly possible.
And if these options don't suit you, who knows? Your parents might just love In-N-Out.
Photo via lapiccoletta.com.
look temptingly delicious. if i'll be at claremont, i won't miss any chance to miss any of them.(btw, i gotta first find 'someone else to pay')
ReplyDeleteManu, the secret is to come work in the admission office -- we (or at least I) enjoy taking students out to lunch! So do professors, for that matter. The Leonard fund even pays for professor/student meals off campus -- so it's not too difficult to find someone to treat you to a gourmet meal with real plates and glasses.
ReplyDeletewhat? really? woooooohooooo......so all will be set....yuppppyyyy......
ReplyDeletenow 2nd condition satisfied, 1st remains, "if i'll be at Claremont"! I am dying to hear from you, the diligent folks!
Um, I don't really like the picture you're painting with "Even 'dates' tend to be more along the lines of "let's go to Taco Tuesday at the dining hall."
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, no one actually does that. Yes, I would go to other dining halls with just my former boyfriend. But we never called it a date, because that would be super lame. We did it because eating at the Hoch for every meal is boring, and one's boy/girlfriend is basically the easiest person to ask to go to another dining hall with you. (Yes, I know some Mudd students eat with just their significant other at the Hoch. Which is lame. But I still highly doubt that they would say they were on a date if you asked them)
So, yeah. Claremont students aren't so lame that they think a dining hall is a date. Granted, the majority of the "dates" that I went on during that short frosh year relationship *were* on campus - visiting the botanical gardens (back when they were free), going to watch the light show at the fountain at Pomona, various concerts, wandering through the fruit trees at Pitzer and Scripps. But I think that there's some level of quality there, and we lacked the money and car to get anywhere too glamorous anyway. And definitely not just visiting a dining hall. Yeesh.