what's all the hype really for?

I spent this past weekend in Beverly Hills, Ca with a bunch of my girlfriends for a bachelorette soirée and had a blast!  We walked around Rodeo drive, danced on the street with a crazy street performer,  took a pole dancing class(which was loads of fun and now my body is in pain) and we went to several restaurants, among them the famous Ivy on Robertson (apparently all the celebs go there... whatever) the food was ok... however the service was excellent and the setting is beautiful.  So what is all the hype?  This "hot spot" cannot be so popular just because the service is good... the food would have to be superb... right?.... The meal was nothing get excited about.  The scallops in the seafood risotto were way overcooked, the "homemade" tortillas were not, a T.V. dinner version of the mushroom pasta would have been more flavorful... so why is this place so damn popular... ?

I was very impressed(perhaps because the service in San Diego is less than stellar) by the overall service of the hospitality industry during our stay in Beverly Hills.  Everyone was very accommodating, friendly, polite, ... everything one would expect when being provided a service.