Bacari in Playa Del Rey for Dine LA

I'm a HUGE fan of Dine LA.  In fact, I budget every year so that I'm able to check out a few new restaurants each time Restaurant Week happens here in Los Angeles (which is twice a year).  I always look forward to eating at some new places as well as some of my favorites like Ruth's Chris or Locanda del Lago.  Dine LA gives you a chance to check out restaurants at a more affordable price while offering a few options for a three-course meal.

My first Dine LA experience this year was at Bacari in Playa Del Rey.  I had never been there before and with a limited schedule due to work and rehearsals I only had a couple hours and wanted to find something that was close for both Kelly and I since she was coming from Hermosa Beach and I had rehearsal in Santa Monica.

Four courses at Bacari in Playa Del Rey

The Dine LA menu for Bacari was really awesome; it's more of a tapas type place so you could get a three-course meal but also with unlimited white or red wine, beer, or sangria, all for $40.  Now that is a steal!  Since I had to get to rehearsal and both Kelly and I had to drive we opted out of Dine LA and just ordered a few things off the menu since it was Happy Hour and that was an even better price than the Dine LA menu since we weren't going to drink more than a glass of wine.

I started with the Caprese salad (always one of my favorites) while Kelly got the Grilled Romaine.  Next up I had the Poached Shrimp which had a sweet chili aioli and Kelly got the Cauliflower.  *They do have plenty of vegetarian options.*  The Shrimp was amazing; I loved the ailoi and was very happy with the portion considering it was $6.  I also ordered the Mac & Cheese which had truffle oil and that was good too, but covered in panko breadcrumbs which I'm not a huge fan of, but the Mac & Cheese was still creamy and very cheesy...yes!  We finished off with the Brown Butter Cookie Dough for dessert which had a banana brulee, candied walnuts, and whipped cream.  It was small but yummy!

Even though we didn't order off the Dine LA menu, that's what got me in the door, so I'm glad it was my first place to check out this Dine LA season.  Next time I go in I really want to try to the Seared Scallops as well as one of their Pizza's; they had a Smoked Mushroom and White Pizza that look awesome.  I'm really excited to go back and try more of their menu and with Happy Hour being such a great deal I'm sure I'll be back soon :)