El Cid Restaurant

Horrible drinks & food

by Quantum1

Went twice… once for the so-called "Indie Film Night" & once for the "Web TV" night. The food and drinks were disgusting. Also, the rather arrogant, self-important host / M.C. seemed to think his absolutely pedestrian taste in digital media was somehow “on the mark” and shared by “cool” people in the professional world. Thank god for filmmaking it is not. This made for two unpleasant evenings that assaulted both the stomach and the soul.

Disappointment with Flamenco Traditional Show

by Dancers

August 17, 2011

Open Letter to El Cid Management:

In Los Angeles there is a wonderful historic and cultural landmark visited by thousands of people from all over southern California, El Cid restaurant. El Cid was built in 1900 as Hollywood's first sound stage movie studio by D.W. Griffith, and continues to characterize the ambience of an authentic tablao of old Spain. The architecture is unique and once you enter and walk down the cement steps you know you are in for a special experience. Synonymous with the reputation of El Cid is the quality of Flamenco Shows. For over 20 years Angelita and Company have presented authentic and professional productions of Flamenco dance. People come to El Cid expecting the quality of music and dance and the exhilarating presentations of Angelita and Company.

For those of us who are regular patrons of El Cid and who celebrate their special family events at El Cid, we are deeply troubled to learn that the Angelita and Company will no longer be performing. It is almost impossible to imagine El Cid without Angelita. El Cid’s managers and owners have changed over the years but one thing has remained constant and served as the icon for El Cid and that has been the Flamenco Shows performed and choreographed by Angelita.

It makes no sense to change the music genre, bring in contemporary music similar to the many nightclubs in the community and present Flamenco without the high quality and authenticity of Angelita and Company. We cannot imagine driving by or visiting El Cid and not hearing Angelita and Company’s music and dance that typifies the tradition of Spain.

We the undersigned on this letter are asking that El Cid continue their tradition of authentic flamenco dance and music and bring back Angelita and Company. To do less would not only diminish the entire El Cid experience but also discourage our and others continued support.

Sincerely,

Shelly Spiegel-Coleman, Long Beach

Carla Herrera, Cerritos

Carol C. Lew, Claremont

Antonio Nozar – Glendale

Sylvia Lizarraga, Brea

Madeleine Gilinsky, Santa Monica

Yolanda Lain, Huntington Beach

Veronika Darbin -Glendale

Janice Guerrero, Rancho Dominguez

Karl Grossman – Hermosa Beach

Ruben Sargsyan - Glendale

Carmen Torres, Whittier

Eduardo S. Fuentes

Anahid Keshishian, Highland Park

Bella Dadivanian, Glendale

Lucia Villareal, Los Angeles

M. Schindler-Ehrens – Silver Lake

Irina Mnatsakanyan

Ara MelKonyan – San Fernando Valley

Yva Adalyan

Suzy Hovannisyan

Natalie Sonyka – Hollywood

Jessica Jordan – Santa Monica

Sofya Dorbinyan – Glendale

Marc Coleman – Long Beach

Izabella Shakhmuradova – Glendale

Carmen Castillo, Fontana

Angela Casstillo, Moreno Valley

Lucy Diaz, West Covina

Lilia Stapleton, Yorba Linda

Janice Gustafson Correa, San Bernardino

Alice Campos, Garden Grove

Walter Rejon, Garden Grove

Olivia Coleman, Silver Lake

Trudy Arguelles, Los Angeles

David Herrera II, Pomona

Carina L. Herrera, Cerritos

John Romano, Dana Point

Aaron Coleman, San Diego

Jesica Oratowski – San Diego

Martha Hernandez, Oxnard

Raquel Mireles, Downey

Miriam Blum, Moreno Valley

Laurie Nesrala, San Diego

El Cid Restaurant

by ickovics

Just went to El Cids. Do yourself a favor and spend your money someplace else. For diner go to Norms or In and Out, much better food and the service is better for sure. The music is good but everything else is a big waste of money. We are still waiting for our salads.

Terrible service & terrible food!!!

by sandy beaches

This was my first time here, we had reservations for the second show and we were told to get there 45 minutes prior to our reservation time. So we get there early (we were the first people there for the second show), we were sitted at the patio in the meantime. We were not notified that people were being sitted, so I went up to the hostess and told her we got there at 6:30pm and we had been waiting an hour, to which she told us to get in line to be seated. I went up to another hostess and asked her how their system worked, I explained my situation and her response was (with an attitude) "I think you should go back and talk to her because I don't know how she is handling this, I'm not the one handling the seating!"....talk about team support! So then I asked her if I could speak to the manager and she said "he's right there" (she was not pointing to anyone), I turn behind me (the bar was behind) and I I saw three bartenders and when I asked her which one it was, she didn't bother to point him out, she just said "him". So I had to ask the three men who was the manager, turns out it was the guys serving us drinks when we got there (I thought it was the bar tender), he did not have a manager appereance at all. Anyway, I explain the situation, he did not seem to be interested in my complaint and all he said "I'm sorry about that" and just went about his bussiness. So finally we got seated after 8pm (show was supposed to start at 7:15pm), when we got to the table, it was not cleaned , we sat down, then table was being cleaned, we had to move from one side to another so the guy can clean it. We got our food 45 minutes after orfering, the bread rolls we got were hard and what I ordered tasted terrible! The flamenco show did not impress me, it was mostly foot stomp and the "dancers" did not seem to know how to really engage people. AND their make up was horrible! The manager came by again, apologized and asked if I wanted something else to eat, "no thanks", so he didn't charge us for drinks. He blamed the hostess and said she was new, to which I responded "that means YOU need to work on her training or you just hired the wrong person" (that was not totally her fault)...again, talk about teamwork, geez!

Anyway, it was a terrible experience, don't waste your money or your time going there, NOT WORTH IT!

Great tapas, good entres

by Carlita

Facilities:

I went with a couple of friends to see the Flamenco show. The facilities are interesting. You come down several flies of stairs that have the air of an old house that's been well kept. Then you see a patio that seems like a great place to spend the evening during a warm summer night.

The restaurant has a court-like vibe. Mostly reds and browns, and then, the stage, which is small but enough to hold 3 musicians and 3 dancers. I must say I liked it.

The show:

The guitarist and drummer were great, the singer was ok and the dancers.... well... not bad but not great either. They seemed to be having a great time, it just did not translate into the audience. It was more like a campfire where people seat in a circle and take turns to dace, all on a stage -and without fire-. Not much effort in the dressing or in having a coordinated choreography.

The food:

Great tapas. I loved the pesto with the fried Manchego and the seared beef. We ordered paella and were happy with it. It was a really good paella, but I can see how a Spanish customer would still be critical -see other reviews-. I'm also a foreigner and have learned not to expect to find the same flavors as home when I'm overseas. The amount of seafood, veggies, and the texture of the rice were just right. One of my friends ordered short ribs and cleaned up his plate.

Service:

The host was attentive and effective, on top of the details. Our server was fast and very good at communicating our options and prices. It seems they've been criticized about their pricing so they make sure you know what you are getting into before you order.