I was more conservative when picking my dish and ended up getting some kind of garlic chicken alfredo! My boyfriend likes to experiment, so he got the roasted rabbit with peanuts! With garlic, of course. His dish was really, really good, and even though I felt sorry for the poor little rabbit, I couldn't help tasting it. Mmmmm, delicious!

The menu was very large, and it had a lot of choices: chicken, veal, pork, and fish, of course, with garlic!

The best part about this was the desert. You have to understand if felt a little skeptical when they recommended the garlic ice cream. We weren't gonna let this pass us by, so we did try it. It was actually kind of tasty. So, if you are ever in the neighborhood of Los Angeles, you have to try this place!!!

The Stinking Rose is a restaurant completely devoted to garlic, much like the Gilroy Garlic Festival. I can see why there were not that many people were there for lunch. Who wants to go back to work stinking of garlic? Since we were not working that day, it was perfect. The restaurant was fairly empty. There were only a few people there. We were seated right away. We sat in a table enclosed by curtains. There was a Mediterranean feel to the place, almost Middle Eastern. Each table had a different décor to it. We sat under a light with a feather-rimmed shade. The table next to us has a chandelier with teardrop-shaped crystals hanging from it. The mood was dark and mysterious. It’s a good place to bring a date if you don’t mind stinking of garlic.

Our waiter was very attentive. Of course, it’s hard not to be attentive with the few people that were there. We were given garlic-encrusted bread. You have the option to spread butter on it or dip it in olive oil. It’s delicious either way. We both ordered iced teas, and I was delighted to find that they were herbal teas instead of the general black iced tea. My friend ordered the Giant Salt-Roasted Tiger Prawns with a garlic-parsley glaze. I ordered the Porterhouse Pork Chops, which are pan-roasted with garlic relish and came with caramelized apple slices and garlic mashed potatoes. We tried each other’s dishes. I actually loved how her dish tasted! I definitely recommend it. Mine was fine, but I found the garlic overpowering the dish. I loved the garlic in the mashed potatoes and liked the garlic taste on the pork chops, but it was too much on the caramelized apples.

We then ordered dessert. We found the Gilroy's Famous Garlic Ice Cream intriguing, but I wasn’t adventurous enough to order it. Neither was my friend. My friend ordered the Irish Coffee Chocolate Brownie Mousse, and I ordered the Tiramisu. I found my tiramisu dry and unappealing. I tasted her dessert and found it pedestrian. I should have gone with the garlic ice cream since it’s a Gilroy specialty. Oh, well, there’s always the next time.

Our bill came out to about $60 for the two of us, including tip. They have a web site with menus and even garlic-related merchandise.

We started off with garlic bread, which is an understatement. There were the biggest chunks of garlic on it that I've ever seen! I had lasagna (with garlic) and for dessert I had vanilla ice cream (with garlic, no less). It actually tasted fantastic.

Sitting at the next table was Kevin James, the star of "The King of Queens." We had gone to the taping of his show the night before. My coworker started talking to him (to my embarrassment). He was extremely nice and friendly. He's from Long Island (Smithtown) and so are we, so I don't know if that was a reason or if he is genuinely nice.

So if you want to meet TV stars and eat garlic, this is the place to go. I don't know if you should bring a date with all the garlic though.

The only thing I don't like about L.A. is that you are charged to park your car, even if you are eating at that restaurant. The parking fee was $6.00. It was a business expense, but it still irks me!