[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' date=\'Jul 25 2003, 10:53 PM\'] Anyway, having eaten at both the Sony and the NBC troughs, I prefer NBC's, which was brighter and cleaner, and as I recall had a better variety. I'd be very interested in our friend Randy West's take on this question, since chances are he's been to as many of them as anybody. [/quote]
Thanks Matt. Yes, I truly do look like the kind of guy who has eaten liberally all over town! And with Matt contributing to this thread, I guess it's no longer OT. ;-)
Warning, stop reading now if you're hungry. And stop reading now if you think this is all just silly. It IS just silly, but when you're hanging around everyday during a meal break with little else to do on shows that aren't catered, it's suprising how much it starts to matter!
NBC and that SONY cafe are both pretty good. I think the SONY joint has a little wider variety on the hot dishes, and they win over NBC because they have a soup bar in addition to the salad bar. But NBC's salad bar has those tiny shrimp! NBC can do reasonable catering from that facility; to my knowledge SONY just has their menu fare and daily specials. I prefer the food preparation and handling at SONY. But NBC has a side dining room with linen, and real glassware!
SONY also wins on the days when they feature the pasta-to-order deal... pick the pasta and all the goodies, they fry it all up to order. Yummy. That same deal goes on more frequently at SONY's other lot nearby, the historic Culver Studios. Same food concessionaire, but a bigger, nicer facility, plus a linen, real glassware, classy hidden dining room.
But if you're on the SONY lot, ditch that cafe/diner joint and stroll to the front lot. The dining room remains where it's been since Louis Mayer's MGM days, across from the main screening room not far from the main gate. Real food, real service. And Mayer's mandated matzo on the table and daily chicken soup with matzo balls were discontinued not all that long ago. The decor is still cool, and it's like a real restaurant with a host station at the entrance and a Maitre 'd. The SONY gift shop and electronics store are nearby with great discounts on SONY gear if you have an employee ID.
The CBS commissary is more of a simple cafeteria line with less selection. But the food is good. They're just finishing a remodel and possible little expansion, but I don't know if that will affect the food they offer. Some of the best food can be found at CBS when HS is taping, but it's not in the commissary! Damned if I know what's going on at ABC since they sold their historic Prospect lot. As the ABC studios are now adjacent to the Disney lot I assume you can crash that facility - pretty good stuff there.
Then there's FOX. That movie lot always had a KILLER commissary with the coolest dinnerware... the FOX searchlight logo was on everything! That's all now a memory, but the room remains classy and the food good. Plus the adjacent gift shop is logo-riffic!
The Warner lot in Burbank has similar coolness, but I haven't eaten there in years. I also can't speak for the food at Sunset-Gower. Down the street the Tribune/KTLA lot has a cool outdoor patio with palm trees just outside the commissary, but I can't remember much about the food quality.
OK, now I'm hungry! Did I leave anyplace out?
Randy
tvrandywest.com
