{"id":515,"date":"2015-06-18T09:08:01","date_gmt":"2015-06-18T16:08:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=515"},"modified":"2015-06-18T09:08:01","modified_gmt":"2015-06-18T16:08:01","slug":"bar-review-the-grill-on-the-alley-westlake-village-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=515","title":{"rendered":"Bar Review:  The Grill on the Alley, Westlake Village, CA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Grill on the Alley is located hidden in the back of a shopping complex.\u00a0 You have to drive past several other beckoning restaurants.\u00a0 But don&#8217;t be distracted, the Grill is where you want to be.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve been here a few times and the food it always superb, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is friendly and open.\u00a0\u00a0 The roast beef was particularly noteworthy.\u00a0\u00a0 Definitely worth a visit for that alone.<\/p>\n<p>But I&#8217;m here for the Martini.\u00a0 And, as you&#8217;ve seen in past reviews, the food isn&#8217;t necessarily an indication of the Martini.<\/p>\n<p>But today it is.\u00a0 They serve a great martini, really excellent.\u00a0 The stem was wonderfully frozen, the Martini very dry, well shaken, and served promptly before the stem started to warm up.\u00a0 Matthew was engaging while staying professional.<\/p>\n<p>B+ for selection: Citadelle, Nolet&#8217;s, Tanqueray, Tanqueray Ten, Bombay, Bombay Sapphire, Boodles, Hendrick&#8217;s, Beefeater.\u00a0 I think just a few more selections, including something a bit &#8216;unusual&#8217; or rare, would push this into the &#8220;A&#8221; category.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"69\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?attachment_id=69\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=50%2C75\" data-orig-size=\"50,75\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Martini Glass Upsidedown\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=201%2C300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=50%2C75\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-69\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1.jpg?resize=20%2C30\" alt=\"Martini Glass Upright\" width=\"20\" height=\"30\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1.jpg\"><img data-attachment-id=\"69\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?attachment_id=69\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=50%2C75\" data-orig-size=\"50,75\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Martini Glass Upsidedown\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=201%2C300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1-e1517969886521.jpg?fit=50%2C75\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-69\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/Martini-Glass-Upright1.jpg?resize=20%2C30\" alt=\"Martini Glass Upright\" width=\"20\" height=\"30\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">*****\u00a0\u00a0 <a title=\"Martini Reviews \u2013 Ratings\" href=\"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=76\">Rating Definitions<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 ****<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Grill on the Alley is located hidden in the back of a shopping complex.\u00a0 You have to drive past several other beckoning restaurants.\u00a0 But don&#8217;t be distracted, the Grill is where you want to be. I&#8217;ve been here a &hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=515\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0},"categories":[37,12],"tags":[3,4,5,51,2,38,13],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":321,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=321","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":0},"title":"Bar Review:  Mr. V&#8217;s Bar and Grill, La Mirada, CA","author":"wlmoon58","date":"May 12, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently was in the neighborhood of Mr. V's Bar and Grill.\u00a0 I had been in this bar many times in the pre-blog past.\u00a0 But my recent travels had not brought me in the vicinity.\u00a0 So this time I looked forward taking notes on their Martini. First I should mention\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Martini&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Martini","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":436,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=436","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":1},"title":"Bar Review: Bonefish Grill, Langhorne, PA","author":"wlmoon58","date":"June 10, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I normally wouldn't review a chain restaurant but Bonefish Grill doesn't 'feel' like a chain.\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, when I first walked in I thought it was a local establishment and didn't realize it wasn't until I looked online for the correct spelling of \"Langhorne\".\u00a0\u00a0 Turns out there are quite a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Restaurant&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Restaurant","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1293,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1293","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":2},"title":"Bar Review:  Joe&#8217;s, Fullerton, CA","author":"wlmoon58","date":"January 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Have you ever had that hankering for a good old rattlesnake sausage to go with your Martini?\u00a0 Yes?\u00a0 Well I have the place for you; Joe's No Limits Bar & Grill in Fullerton. If you follow my blog you know that I favor Steakhouses and Seafood Restaurants.\u00a0 Joe's doesn't quite\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Restaurant&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Restaurant","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/Rattlesnake.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":200,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=200","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":3},"title":"Bar Review: R2L, Philadelphia","author":"wlmoon58","date":"April 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Not long ago I was at R2L in Philadelphia for an after dinner drink.\u00a0 R2L is on the 37 floor of Two Liberty Place and has absolutely stunning views to the north and west of Philadelphia.\u00a0 Its incredible at sunset or during a thunderstorm.\u00a0 The food is excellent and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Martini&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Martini","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":135,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=135","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":4},"title":"Bar Review: Mastro&#8217;s Thousand Oaks","author":"wlmoon58","date":"March 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Not to long ago I was in Thousand Oaks and stopped in at Mastro's.\u00a0 I've been there several times, but never to specifically review their Martini. Mastro's is known for their steaks and excellent service.\u00a0 But that doesn't necessarily correlate to excellent Martinis. But they are.\u00a0\u00a0 The Martini was exceptional.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Martini&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Martini","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1546,"url":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?p=1546","url_meta":{"origin":515,"position":5},"title":"Bar Review:  Moshulu, Philadelphia, PA","author":"wlmoon58","date":"June 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Or When is a Martini Stem not a martini Stem? That is my Martini on my most recent visit to Moshulu! First let me explain a bit about Moshulu.\u00a0 She is a four-masted steel barque built\u00a0 in Scotland in 1904 and is the largest remaining original \"windjammer\".\u00a0\u00a0 Her first runs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Restaurant&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Restaurant","link":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/shakennotstirred.us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Mishulu-Deck-Martini-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=515"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":531,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/515\/revisions\/531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/shakennotstirred.us\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}