YEE: BLD Tasting At Comoncy

A little late on the review, but have to give a major shout to my very first YEE! Linked up with fellow Unilocalers for a delicious 9-​course tasting menu that was just right for this seasoned eater. Commoncy is a charming piece of real estate primely located on Ventura Blvd and with its bright electric lights and cool, mirrored walls, it’s a cute place to pop in for a bite.
The meal got off to a strong start with the Cultivated Mushroom Soup. Topped with micro greens and some vegetable purée, the soup was hearty and very comforting. It had a really rich body and flavor was on point — would definitely order again!
Now, I’m not one to order salads when I dine out (that makes it sound like I eat salads when I dine in, which is also not the case), BUT I was hugely impressed with both the Kale Salad and the Thai Salad. I am guilty at scoffing at any mention of kale, but this kale salad is fantastic! Sour/​bitter notes from the kale and lemon vinaigrette are met with sweet/​nutty flavors from sliced almonds and golden raisins. Shaved parmesan brings everything together in a toasty flavor-​hug and I wanted more as soon as I finished. The Thai salad is more vibrant in terms of flavor and acidity — bold flavors burst from fresh basil, peppadew peppers and chopped ginger and it all makes for a refreshingly hearty salad.
Moved from salads into heartier territory with the Mac N Cheese, made with orecchiette, aged cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, and a generous sprinkling of garlic bread crumbs… Cheese? Garlic bread crumbs? Who’s complaining? Nobody.
The Brown Rice Bowl and Salmon entrée were good but not as memorable as the aforementioned dishes. The rice bowl was a pretty generic stir-​fry that I felt I could have whipped up at home, which is a nail in the coffin judgment for me. The best part of the salmon dish was the salmon itself — a beautiful cut imported from Vancouver’s Skuna Bay, the fish was tender, flaky, and buttery on the tongue. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a huge fan of the yogurt tzatziki and quinoa tabbouleh it came with — just not the flavor profile I prefer with my salmon.
Rounded out the meal with the Chocolate Bread Pudding, which was eggy and spongy in mostly the right ways. Citrus hints lended brightness to the dessert, but I wouldn’t come back to Commoncy for the bread pudding. My return visit will be reserved for both the salads — a sentiment that very rarely sprouts from this brain.
Overall, I had such a fun time at my first YEE. It was great to catch up with Tiffany H. and I finally met my first Unilocal friend in the flesh (shoutout to Jeff B. and all our Glendale haunts). A huge thanks to Katie B., who is just as sweet as I always imagined her to be, and the entire Commoncy staff for a delightful evening that will always hold a place in my memory!

I was lucky enough to make the event at the very last minute. As all YEE this one was superb!
An evening with great people sharing some well prepared food. What else can one ask for?
The initial three salads were very well made and had a great diversity of flavor even if one of them was a tad under seasons and another a bit overdressed. An interesting take on the Mac & Cheese and a Salmon Dish which I enjoyed despite the soggy skin. Just imagine how great it would have been with crispy salmon bacon. Mmmm… Bacon.
The space is bright and wonderfully welcoming with a chef and staff who truly care about the ingredients and their origin.
Thank you all for a great time and a wonderful send off with a breakfast pastry. Or in my case a prosciutto sandwich on a mini baguette.

(Attended 10÷28÷15 W @ 7:00pm): Come and see as we sampled food that covered «B», «L», and «D»!
Figuratively speaking, I ate all day long at this YEE: BLD Tasting At Comoncy event as we enjoyed offerings suited for morning, noon, and night. Were nine courses enough for me to explore other bites (prices shown for full menu servings)!?:
Swag: Drink koozie, ice cube tray, portable charger.
Cultivated Mushroom Soup ($ 5.00): This warm and creamy soup topped with what I believed to be pureed avocado and greens was a lovely opener. However, I couldn’t find any bits of mushroom.
Finca La Malena 2013 Malbec ($?): This Argentinean offering (
) was slightly-​sweet with a rich color, faint nose, and clean finish; I considered a bottle at $ 12.00!
Kale Salad ($ 11.00): A refreshing salad with a light lemon vinaigrette, this was a nice cleanser… but watch for stuck leaves in your teeth!
Thai Salad ($ 12.00): Lots of chicken breast pieces and toasted peanuts with a Mae Ploy vinaigrette, this was hearty!
Quinoa Salad ($ 11.00) and Finca La Malena 2013 Torrontes: Not a huge quinoa fan so this was my least favorite salad as healthy as it was. The Torrontes was crisp with a fruity palate and clean finish.
Mac N Cheese ($ 10.00): «Just give me the whole pan with extra garlic bread crumbs, please; this was da’ bomb!
Brown Rice Bowl ($ 12.00): I was less-​enthused about this as it seemed to lack creativity compared to the previous dishes (I’ve made something similar at home).
Salmon & Quinoa ($??): A moist lightly-​seasoned slab of salmon topped with a creamy white dill-​like sauce. Personally, I preferred if this were on a bed of greens of brown rice.
Chocolate Bread Pudding ($?): This thick bread square swam in a puddle of creamy white goodness which I ate and slurped up! Presentation wasn’t all that, but it sure went down quick!
Bacon Cheddar Scone ($?): Did someone say «bacon»!? Stuffed by the time this came out (last), I enjoyed it the next day for what else — breakfast.
Service — From the easy check-​in process, being greeted by two friendly gentlemen from Finca La Malena with a cup of wine, the ever-​revolving plates of food with a quick intro of each, which all culminated with the introduction of the entire staff, I felt everything ran smoothly. High-​fives to everyone!
Parking (Free to varies) — 90-​minutes free with validation in an attached underground structure. Meters were abundant along the main drag of Ventura Blvd. and surrounding side streets (valid until 8:00pm). I parked on a residential street about two blocks away and speed-​walked it from there.
Atmosphere, décor, ambience — A sterile electric brightly-​lit quaint corner shop
walled by massive windows that allowed for plenty of natural lighting, with a simple layout that consisted of the dining area filled with round wooden tables and chairs as you walked in, backed by the order counter
for easy walk-​up service. I didn’t notice any TVs nor background music.
Attire — It was totally casual, so I would normally be in a t-​shirt, boardshorts, and flip-​flops. It was the evening, so I dressed it up a bit with a pair of jeans instead.
Overall, praise to LA East CM Katie B. and the entire restaurant and wine staff for a wonderful evening at the YEE: BLD Tasting At Comoncy. This intimate affair was professionally managed, and the never-​ending morsels and unlimited pours were greatly appreciated! I finally met Unilocal friend, Jane K., and reacquainted myself with Sean M. and Ailyne H. I found total value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (total paid experience was around $ 5.00; tip only). Although not needed, my credit card of choice was accepted… AMEX! 5.0 STARS

I don’t often find myself out in Studio City but I’ll always make an exception when Katie sends an invite!
This night she hosted an intimate, culinary extravaganza. Every course was amazing and I appreciated the warning after the 2^nd salad. that there were 4 more courses to go! Some great wine from South America and of course good company.
It was good catching up with old friends and saying hi to some new ones.

Fun tasting event!
Intimate crowd so got to meet new Unilocalmigos: Mickey H., Kevin P. and Vadim P. I also got to catch with Jeff B. and introduce myself to Sean M. in ‘the real world’. As per the ushe of past YEE, we got to bask among the camaraderie of food-​lovers in the room and the vibe was electric! Thanks Kevin P. for capturing so many candid photos :)
Throughout the night we were treated to an assortment of plated goodies, including: a variety of salads, soup, mac & cheese, salmon + quinoa, rice bowl, bread pudding. A breakfast pastry was the happy ending to this foodie affair and in between the wine kept flowing. Not once did I find myself parched at any point in the evening as the gents of Comoncy kept my glass filled with the lovely (and affordable!) notes of their Finca La Malena Malbec 2013. At the end of it all, my favorites were cultivated mushroom soup, mac & cheese, and it was effortless tie between the kale salad and Thai salad. I also purchased a bottle of the malbec to take home.
The service was impeccable and the ambiance was cool and trendy, I loved the orange + white décor throughout the venue. I’ll definitely be back to enjoy another bowl of their soup as well as check out their sandwiches and hot breakfast items — photos of their eggs Benedict are singing to me!
Before heading out, I got a cup of coffee to go and it was tasty and perfect for the drive back home.
Leave it to Katie B. to host another stellar event. Keep ‘em coming Katie, I don’t think we’ll ever say ‘uncle’!
P. S. Outdoor seating for when the weather is just right!

Figured I’d be the only newbie that evening. But to my surprise, I wasn’t nor was I the only one worried about the «no +1» deal. That worry was quickly squashed thanks to a couple of new faces.
FOOD/​SERVICE: Such a warm staff found here at Comoncy. That alone will have customers coming back. We were intro’d to the multiple salads, the mushroom soup, the mac & cheese, & salmon w/​quinoa entrée they will be/​are offering! Missed the breakfast portion but was alternated with any pastry of our choosing. All the dishes were very healthy tasting and fresh that my excitement switched into not having the need to burn off our 9-​course on the treadmill the following morning! A little too healthy for me really (one too many salads perhaps). But Comoncy provides savory clean eats that should be tried out & enjoyed. So please do!
EVENT: The events are worth the effort you put in! By the end of the night, I was glad that this was my break-​in Unilocal elite event. Meeting individuals who are fluent in the conversation of food & the act of food photography is a great thing.
Many regards to Katie B., the staff at Comoncy, & the awesome wine providers that is Finca La Malena! Way to bring out some life and enjoyment on a Wednesday.
Keep an eye out for this one, coffee-​lovers!

Thank you Katie B., Comoncy, and Finca La Melena Wines for an extremely fun tasting event!
Since everyone has pretty much said what there is to say, here some some highlights from that night:
–Super friendly staff! They really seemed to enjoy and take pride in what they do and that’s awesome.
–The Thai salad was my favorite. It had chicken breast, Napa cabbage, local organic greens, toasted peanuts, heirloom carrot, peppadew peppers, jicama, cripsy ginger, basil, Mae Ploy vinaigrette.
–I also really enjoyed the mushroom soup and I can see myself ordering it in the future.
–Their coffee is SO good. It made the coffee-​loving me very happy.
–Being able to take home a pastry as our «breakfast.» I choose the Vanilla Banana muffin and it definitely made for a great breakfast the next day.
–Meeting new Unilocalers who shared the same common interests as me was the best part of the event. I love fellow elites because they don’t judge me for taking a picture of everything I eat! Haha. In a way, I am glad that we weren’t able to bring a plus one, because it forced us to get out of our comfort zones.
Parking (that has nothing to do with the event or restaurant): don’t park in the structure in the back. The guy handling the valet was EXTREMELY rude. When I gave him my ticket to pick up the car, he just pointed at it and I was shocked at what I saw. My keys were out in the open on the hood on my car and my windows were down. My car totally could’ve been stolen! He told me valet was closed but then I saw him drive other people’s cars to the front. I recommend street parking if you ever come to this plaza.

I am always up for YEE tastings because… well, I like eating food! This one had a twist I didn’t realize when I rsvp’d: Healthy foods… healthy foods that are beautifully presented and delicious.
Walking into the restaurant I liked the look, feel, and size of the place. It reminds me a lot of the new style of cafes you find in Europe. Great location too, on Ventura and close to a lot of shopping so it’s a great alternative for breakfast/​lunch if you want to stay on the healthy side of things. Due to the smaller nature of the event (which I always like the smaller, more intimate events) it didn’t take too long to make some new friends and talk food.
The evening started out with wine from Finca La Melena WInes and then we started a serious journey down several items off of Comoncy’s menu. Looks like we did Dinner, Lunch, Breakfast instead of Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. 2^nd twist of the night. I was hoping to have tried some of their amazing breakfast options as they told us about their really great oven that makes sandwiches that are unbelievable, and then we were given pastries to go. So I knocked a star off for that reason.
Always thankful for Katie B. and her knack for exploring dining options out in the area and always enjoy meeting some of my fellow Unilocalers and getting good recommendations from them! Thanks Comoncy for hosting us Elites in our culinary adventures!

Stellar time with my favorite people… You, you fabulous Unilocal elite family! LOL Always a little unsure when going to an event by myself but when you’re surrounded by like-​minded people then it’s all good. Shout out to my table-mates…John G, Jeffrey T, Morgan, & Jahcobie! LOL Making new Unilocal friends is always the icing on the cake.
The event turned really intimate fast (because a bunch of elites cancelled last minute — n (o bueno) but it was nice to chat it up with Katie B for once without having to share her. We had her all to ourselves for a good while. LOL
Food:
— Mushroom soup (soo yummy! I want more.)
— Kale salad (fave salad of the night)
— Thai salad (I really loved the flavors. I would’ve just loved a little bit more spicy kick.)
— Quinoa Salad (barely any quinoa but I loved the Mediterranean taste to it.)
— Mac and Cheese (it wasn’t anything that stood out but it was still good. I still finished all of it.)
— Brown rice & chicken (I wanted more chicken in mine. LOL Not bad.)
— Grilled Salmon with Spinach & Quinoa (Salmon was yummy! Nice and most… loved the spinach on the side.)
— Bread pudding (Mmm…warm fluffy goodness. I want more.)
— Fogasse (Savory pastry for breakfast (to-​go) but it didn’t make it. LOL Buttery and tasty but I’m not a fan of olives.)
Also, I got to double fist it with wine all night. LOL Red was very full bodied for me (too heavy)…this time white wins.
Thank you, Comoncy for being a gracious host, and Katie B. for throwing another great shindig. On to the next event… SYOY! :)

Had a lovely time! It was so great to meet some new Unilocal elites! Shoutout to Morgan, Nancy M, John G, Jeffrey T! As usual it was fabulous to see the queen of it all Katie B! Also, king of the camera Kevin P!
Heres the run down of the food (In no particular order):
Mac N Cheese– 2.5÷5 star: This was a major just okay thing. I felt that it needed more body in the sauce however did like the use of noodles instead of elbows
Kale Salad (4.5÷5) — This was my favorite salad. I loved the different texture and felt this was the most complete bodied salad out of all that I tried.
Brown Rice bowl with Chicken and Salsa (³⁄₅): I think its hard to mess up a simple dish like this and they did a wonderful job of keep it simple. Love the crunchiness of the green onions.
Quinoa Salad: This was my least favorite salad and honestly just a side salad with some quinoa thrown on it. I think it’d be a great side salad to a meal but not for a meal itself.
Mushroom Soup (⁵⁄₅) This soup was the
! Loved everything about it and really thing
Bread Pudding
Thai Salad (⁴⁄₅): It was a well balanced salad. I really like it. Had too many peanuts for my liking but nonetheless was still good.
Salmon with quinoa and spinach (⁵⁄₅): Honestly, I barley ate any of the quinoa and spinach. This salmon was absolutely delicious. I didn’t need any of the cucumber type sauce that came on top because the salmon was cooked to perfection. I would come back for this alone.
I love Finca La Melena Wines and really was happy to hear there journey to the west coast. The Malbec will go really good with some steak! Loved this event.

The tasting event was well coordinated — good food and great company. Katie B put together one heck of an event. It’s felt warm and inviting for such a small event. Friendly staff all around. Best thing was getting a chance to meet the other cool Unilocalers who otherwise would be ships passing through the night. Thanks Katie for making my first event very memorable! :-)
Food wise, favorites were the mac n cheese and mushroom soup. The other starches such as the quinoa and brown rice were all a little under — some of us suspected this was done on purpose, though it still felt unusual to me.
I’ve already promised my SO that i’d be back here for the delish mac and cheese… Here we go!

This was my first event and I loved it! Thanks Katie B and Comoncy for treating us so well. The food was relish!
Here are my favorites in order…
Adult Mac N Cheese (of course)
Kale Salad
Brown Rice bowl with Chicken and Salsa
Quinoa Salad
Mushroom Soup
Bread Pudding
Thai Salad
Salmon (this was great quality, I only put it last because I am not a Salmon lover)
I will be back for brunch!

This was my first Unilocal event and I had so much fun meeting fellow Unilocalers and checking out a new restaurant in Studio City!
For food alone I would give this restaurant a 3, but good company, a friendly staff, and a well-​structured event brings my rating up to a high 4! I never thought I could have such an incredible time meeting other Unilocalers who share the same values I do — AKA taking pictures of every single thing the restaurant has to offer — but this event proved to be a great end to my hump day!
Now, a quick review of the food:
Mushroom soup: Yum! This soup was a great start to the meal and was topped with some sort of sauce that complimented it well.
Thai salad: This salad was good for me who hates anything too spicy, but my fellow Unilocalers noted that this salad wasn’t very «Thai». The restaurant was kind enough to prepare a version of this without chicken for me!
Quinoa salad: This salad was lacking in quinoa, which I expected more of given the name. I was disappointed by this salad, but the restaurant did note that there is more quinoa in a single serving of this dish, but when it’s served to so many people, the quinoa gets spread.
Kale salad: This was definitely my favorite salad. The vinaigrette perfectly complimented the abundance of toppings on this salad. All us Unilocalers agree: get the Kale!
Mac n Cheese: The Mac n Cheese was good, but nothing special. To me the pasta tasted a bit undercooked and so hard to chew.
Salmon: I’m very picky about my salmon, but this salmon was perfectly cooked and the yogurt sauce perfectly complimented it. The salmon wasn’t too hot or too cold and it wasn’t over cooked — my favorite. I would definitely eat this again!

I had so much fun at this event! It was my first legit YEE since becoming part of the squad and I loved meeting new peeps who also are guilty of making their friends wait so they can grab a great photo. Initially the no +1 thing was a little intimidating, but only for approximately 30 seconds because I realized there would be so many more opportunities to meet new people, which I love :)
We started off with a little wine tasting — which never hurt anyone — after being greeted by Amber, who was so friendly and welcoming. We also added in coffee for good measure, because why not? (Many regrets later that night trying to sleep but it’s okay, worth it)
Our first dish — a delicious mushroom soup! Not sure what the green stuff was, but I’m not complaining. To be honest, I’m not a huge mushroom person (I promise I’m not that picky, but I have a few things I avoid like Julienne D. and her cilantro!) but I thought the CoM soup was really flavorful and definitely worth a try when visiting.
The second course came rolling out — a Kale Caesar Salad. Not too shabby, but then again it didn’t blow my socks off. Then again, I’m not a gigantic salad lover, but we all need clean eats once in a while right? :) The next two dishes were additional salads — a Quinoa (only for decoration) Feta salad and a Thai Salad. Pretty good, but I’m not sure if I would re-​order those in a return visit.
My favorite dish of the night — the Adult Mac & Cheese — was pretty flavorful and al dente, which I loved. It had a great garlic bread crumb topping to add a little crunch, and it’s definitely something I would order on my own :)
The brown rice bowl and the chocolate bread pudding came out next to round off the night. The brown rice bowl was pretty unmemorable — it kind of tasted like something I would make on my own at home, and I’m honestly not a very great chef. The chocolate bread pudding had yummy Tcho inside of it, and I really enjoyed this one.
I would agree with a previous reviewer that the food warranted about a 3 star rating but I think the event and the company and staff really pushed it up to a 4.
This doesn’t have anything to do with the restaurant, but a few of us were yelled at by the parking lot attendant after the event for «staying there for three hours» (not even close…) so he overcharged us. It was an unfortunate ending for an otherwise great event, so that doesn’t factor into the review at all. Just a heads up — that guy seriously needs a lesson in customer service.
Thank you Katie B. and Comoncy for a great night!

Thank you Katie B. & everyone at Comoncy + Finca La Melena WInes!
It’s been a minute since I’ve attended a YEE and this one was perfect because works places me much closer to Studio City now!
Upon entering, Amber greeted everyone & made sure we had wine/​water/​coffee/​whatever we needed immediately (amazing!)
This tasting was more like a full-​blown meal! I’m not complaining but I’m so glad Katie B. came around to tell us to pace ourselves :)
Everything was really good (we sampled 1 soup, 3 salads, 3 hot dishes, 1 dessert)! My favorite is definitely the cream of mushroom soup. It’s hard to come by a good CoM soup! Haha
Super fresh & Comoncy only uses TOP notch ingredients. The head chef explained that they only use the best — examples being Tcho Chocolate in their pastries (DAMMMN, that’s so premium stuff) & the best Salmon shipped in from Canada!
Comoncy’s concept infuses aspects of fine dining into a more casual eatery. I can get down with it! DIdn’t even know they had a location in Beverly Hills but I’ll definitely be back. I saw a sticker that for delivery via Postmates as well!

How can any Unilocaler stay thin when given the opportunity to eat so many yummy eats? Last night was awesome! Thank you Katie B, Comoncy and Finca La Melena Wines for giving me the opportunity to sample a galore of deliciousness in one sitting.
I love YEE because it gives everyone an opportunity to mingle with people who share one common interest — FOOD!
The décor/​ambience of the vicinity was cute but small. This is a perfect place to have lunch, especially since I’m literally 4 – 5 miles away from this spot. We sampled a variety of things — 1 soup, 3 types of salads, 3 hot dishes, 1 dessert and 1 take-​away pastry. My all-​time favorite dishes were —the cultivated mushroom soup, thai salad and the brown rice bowl. I was indifferent with their Mac N’ Cheese and bread pudding dessert. I’m just not a fan of mac n’ cheese nor desserts that are too sugary for my palette.
I did wish we were able to sample some of their sandwiches but I can always come back during my own time for that.
Oh and I can’ forget about the wine and brewed coffee… the Malbec was greeeatt and their coffee was soo good! I even took a cup of coffee to go on the way home =D

Fun tasting event!!!
My favorites were the cultivated mushroom soup, the Thai salad, and the bread pudding.
The service was great and everyone was really nice.
I loved the Malbec wine too!
The place itself is cute and it has outdoor seating as well, which would be nice on a summer night or a cool day. Do we have those anymore? :-) I think it’d be a great spot for Sunday brunch or a quick work day lunch or even a run in and grab something to take out.
The only reason I gave it 4 stars v. 5 stars is I was really looking forward to breakfast. We did get a pastry to take home, which I intend eat tomorrow for breakfast, but I was looking forward to some of the breakfast options they had on their menu. That said, I’ll just have to come for breakfast on my own to check it out! :-)
Thank you Katie and Comoncy for another great event! I can’t wait for the next!