ZOMG! You guys went to Norm's! Haha! Last time I visited it was due to a pre-labor emergency.

Next time, tell your pal there's a badass diner enroute to LAX. (The historic) Pann's has a fantastic chicken (wing) & waffles (better than Roscoe's), corned beef hash if they have it, patty melts, sausage & biscuit breakfasts, etc.

I take clients who just got off the planes there if they want to experience Americana without the Starbucks.

TonyC wrote:ZOMG! You guys went to Norm's! Haha! Last time I visited it was due to a pre-labor emergency.

Next time, tell your pal there's a badass diner enroute to LAX. (The historic) Pann's has a fantastic chicken (wing) & waffles (better than Roscoe's), corned beef hash if they have it, patty melts, sausage & biscuit breakfasts, etc.

I take clients who just got off the planes there if they want to experience Americana without the Starbucks.

Saw Pann's leaving and returning to LAX, and it certainly fit the bill of what we were looking for. We just weren't in that area when we were wandering aimlessly for a diner. I'll keep that in mind for future visits though.

TonyC wrote:Darabar is of special interest to me. It's like TAC Quik years ago, when he just started. Owner Kevin's mom is from the North and she holds down the kitchen. They will literally cook up any N. Thai dish for you. The som tam pu pla-ra is offered with blue crab or old fashioned salted black crab. This som tam, even 2 day old, was Thai nanny approved. The gaeng som can be doctored up with deep fried seabass into faux gaeng som pae sa. They also have khanom jin nam ngiao, the other signature noodle of Northern Thai cooking (also available at Pailin Thai). And the hostesses are hot. I mean, like.. frilly BOOTIE SHORTS, perfect skin with Thai style make-up hot. Not that it adds to the food, but... the whole package feels like a trendy Bangkok cocktail lounge with stupidly good food. Tasting Table LA has written it up twice, but the menu seems so much deeper. And they put thought into desserts which are just like the Bangkok street carts, similar to Vietnamese che.

Sorry for the rant, I've been meaning to talk about Darabar Thai somewhere, with somebody. But everyone in LA is all... Night+Market/Spice Table blah blah blah blah

Enjoy your visit!

If I hadn't inadvertently eaten that pastrami at Langer's just prior, I would have gone to town at Darabar. They have just about every Northern/Chiang Rai dish you can think of, or at least will whip it up on request. Khanom jin nam ngiaow is spectacularly rich Thai bolognese - deep murky meatsauce cut with a few cherry tomaters to keep yer head in the game. Plate full of noodles and fixins for mixin, this is an incredible bowl of soul. I'da been back for the bootie shorts and lounge renditions of 80s pop hits alone, but it's good to know I'll eat well too.





oops:

TonyC wrote:
Near Hermosa Beach, MB Post will fall right into the G&G/Publican category. Food's lovely; it's loud, rambunctious, multi award winner.

Thanks for the MB Post rec, thought it was excellent food and the exact atmosphere we were looking for on the first night of our trip. Highlights were the mussels in a Thai green curry type sauce with Chinese sausage, Vietnamese pork jowl, and the ribeye (my god the ribeye was good). Everything we ate there was solid and interesting though, only a grilled mahi mahi was less than well received. We had one less adventurous eater in the group, not sure he knew what he was eating at all times, but he enjoyed as well.

Hermosa was an interesting scene to say the least, but we had a good time with it.

tatterdemalion wrote:If I hadn't inadvertently eaten that pastrami at Langer's just prior, I would have gone to town at Darabar. They have just about every Northern/Chiang Rai dish you can think of, or at least will whip it up on request. Khanom jin nam ngiaow is spectacularly rich Thai bolognese - deep murky meatsauce cut with a few cherry tomaters to keep yer head in the game. Plate full of noodles and fixins for mixin, this is an incredible bowl of soul. I'da been back for the bootie shorts and lounge renditions of 80s pop hits alone, but it's good to know I'll eat well too.

Witness a "bottle" of Johnnie black ($60!) and SICK bowl of khao soi (sorry for lousy pix, it was damned dark inside)





If there's a better Northern Thai restaurant in LA, that can get me F'd up as cheaply as Darabar Secret Thai while slurping gelatinous khao soi, please let me know stat.

Bperellis wrote:Thanks for the MB Post rec, thought it was excellent food and the exact atmosphere we were looking for on the first night of our trip. Highlights were the mussels in a Thai green curry type sauce with Chinese sausage, Vietnamese pork jowl, and the ribeye (my god the ribeye was good). Everything we ate there was solid and interesting though, only a grilled mahi mahi was less than well received. We had one less adventurous eater in the group, not sure he knew what he was eating at all times, but he enjoyed as well.

Hermosa was an interesting scene to say the least, but we had a good time with it.

Where else did you guys eat? It's odd MB Post doesn't do fish well considering D. Lefevre came from Water Grill, one of the better upscale seafood restaurants in LA. I've had the pork jowl and ribeye, both tasty. The only other beef dish that I really dug last year was the Imperial Waygu Beef Brisket at Red Medicine.

Bperellis wrote:Thanks for the MB Post rec, thought it was excellent food and the exact atmosphere we were looking for on the first night of our trip. Highlights were the mussels in a Thai green curry type sauce with Chinese sausage, Vietnamese pork jowl, and the ribeye (my god the ribeye was good). Everything we ate there was solid and interesting though, only a grilled mahi mahi was less than well received. We had one less adventurous eater in the group, not sure he knew what he was eating at all times, but he enjoyed as well.

Hermosa was an interesting scene to say the least, but we had a good time with it.

TonyC wrote:Where else did you guys eat? It's odd MB Post doesn't do fish well considering D. Lefevre came from Water Grill, one of the better upscale seafood restaurants in LA. I've had the pork jowl and ribeye, both tasty. The only other beef dish that I really dug last year was the Imperial Waygu Beef Brisket at Red Medicine.

Nowhere overly special - Rok Sushi for dinner one night -- drank too much before, during and after to remember much other than we thought it was really expensive and ordered more of the LA Lakers roll. Dinner after the game was at Pamilla in Hermosa since it was still serving dinner and could get us in, food was fine, more of a scene than anything else. MB Post was certainly the culinary highlight and the mahi mahi was cooked properly, it just lacked flavor, especially in comparison to the other items we were eating.

Apologies to Tony, who I did not call, but while I was in and around LA for the better part of 3 weeks, I spent much of it flitting in and out while staying up north. SB dining report to be posted separately.

And eating very well. A lot of this was from LA Weekly recs, and the odd exploration.

Arrived late afternoon in LAX and headed out for a walk on the beach north of Santa Monica and dinner at the Hungry Cat, so as to miss traffic before driving north. Delicious oysters, exquisite sea urchin, and a lovely fall salad that featured persimmons, which turned out to be a great tip and something I included in a few salads made at home. Aside from the raw bar, the menu did not speak to me much, (would have liked a bowl of soup on a cool evening, but no luck), but everything I had was spot on.

Was very much looking forward to enjoying Pizzeria Mozza as I am a Nancy Silverton fan (a moment of silence for Campanile, please), as well as a fan of the other outposts of the B&B (Batalia and Bastianich) empire I have enjoyed. Unfortunately, this was the biggest disappointment of my trip. Starters included crispy pig ear with anchoiade and a cauliflower/mint preparation. The flavors did not come together for me at all. Pizzas were squash blossom, tomato and burrata, and the Prosciutto/rucola/tomato/mozzarella bianco. Good crust, no question, nice combination of crisp and chew, and the toppings seemed top notch. But no pop, no wow. Maybe it was late in my day and I was tired, or perhaps my expectations were too high, but I left disappointed. Wines by the glass were very nice, as I expect with Bastianich.

On my way to another meal, I was drawn to Spudnut donuts at Venice and Sawtelle, and (this one time - I also stopped at another 4 or 5 doughnut places as I am a great admirer of LA doughnut culture) my instinct was good. Just about perfect.

Yet another detour, because of a power failure at The Tasting Kitchen, took me to M Kitchen, which was so crowded (it was that kind of a day) I ended up at the sister pizzeria, Stella Rossa. The Kale pizza was delicious, everything I had hoped for from Mozza, to my surprise. Margherita was also quite good.

Made a run to Chin Ma Ya in Japantown for the Tan Tan Men (spicy Ramen). Nice lunch special included a choice of dumplings or crispy fried chicken. Nice broth, good noodles, decent heat. Chicken was good. In the end this is authentic, Japanese fast food and it does well at that level. Worth trying and I probably would go back, but not wonderful.

Umami Burger is not new any more, and is a chain, but their different spin on hamburgers obliged me to visit. I had the signature burger, while the bride went with the Cali Burger. We also had some fries with the garlic aoli, and housemade ketchup. I have mixed feelings about this place, but overall I feel they delivered. The burgers were rich, juicy, deep in flavor, the roasted tomatoes and cheeses (melted on hers, a crisp, parmesan round on mine) a good touch. Fries were thin and crispy, ketchup delicious. Something about the whole presentation felt a little too slick for me, and the burgers did not taste beefy in the end, which is the source of my ambivalence. I am not sure it was better, in the end, than excellent beef, ground fresh and grilled, though it was very good.

No misgivings at all about Red Medicine, a place that presents itself as Vietnamese-inspired, I guess, but what the chef is doing is clearly his own spin with lots of different influences. Excellent cocktails to start. Crispy crab spring rolls were big straws, bursting with flavor. Every dish was dressed with perfect micro greens of one sort or another, and this was no exception. Next up were the Lion Peppers which the server inexplicably suggested were spicy. Not at all. Each one was flavored with honey and soy, perfectly roasted and then dusted in powdered almonds, and served with dates and basil leaves. I believe these disappeared before they could hit the table. Next came sweetbreads in a bone marrow vinaigrette that was sinful. Had the bartender make me a cocktail to go with the meat courses and he came through with a very rich Manhattan. I was in heaven. Last meat course was not so great - akaushi beef (sort of a rope of brisket) with tea, pistachio and greens. The Bride loved this, which was fine as it left me cold. The brisket seemed dry and a bit flavorless to me and the dish did not work well. Dessert was exceedingly silly - a large glass bowl with Birch Ice at the bottom, flavored with a red currant preserve, some jasmine tea, then filled with bubbles of orange essence, and topped with a wafer of almond praline that one had to crack into the bowl to enter the dessert. Tasty, light, refreshing.

Went to the theater afterwards at the Rogue Machine Theater, a company I recommend. Not fancy, but they are doing great work. Just an aside.

Finished up at Coni'Seafood (Mariscos Chente on Imperial in Inglewood is how I could find it on Google) on our way to the airport the next day. Started with the Ceviche Marinero (shrimp, mango, cucumber in a bean/citrus vinaigrette with some heat, of course). Very nice. Then the Tacos Gobernador - soft tortillas with a layer of cheese, little shrimp, a bit of roasted peppers, and a mild, fresh habanero salsa on the side. Quite minimal filling and possibly the best tacos I have ever had. On your way to or from LAX, go!!! The Bride finished with the Rancho Seco Shrimp - another light, fresh preparation, this one with a mild tomato, chile, cilantro sauce. Great.

And with that we headed home to the cold.

Hungry Cat 100 West Channel Road Santa Monica, CA 90402
Pizzeria Mozza 641 North Highland Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036
Spudnut Donuts 11285 Venice Boulevard Los Angeles
Stella Rossa Pizza Bar 2000 Main Street Santa Monica, CA 90405
Chin Ma Ya 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (hard to find, it is in a Mall)
Umami Burger - many locations
Red Medicine 8400 Wilshire Boulevard Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Coni'Seafood (Mariscos Chente) 3544 W Imperial Hwy Inglewood, CA 90303

dicksond wrote:Was very much looking forward to enjoying Pizzeria Mozza as I am a Nancy Silverton fan (a moment of silence for Campanile, please), as well as a fan of the other outposts of the B&B (Batalia and Bastianich) empire I have enjoyed. Unfortunately, this was the biggest disappointment of my trip. Starters included crispy pig ear with anchoiade and a cauliflower/mint preparation. The flavors did not come together for me at all. Pizzas were squash blossom, tomato and burrata, and the Prosciutto/rucola/tomato/mozzarella bianco. Good crust, no question, nice combination of crisp and chew, and the toppings seemed top notch. But no pop, no wow. Maybe it was late in my day and I was tired, or perhaps my expectations were too high, but I left disappointed. Wines by the glass were very nice, as I expect with Bastianich.

Well, as I posted on the previous page from my visit a few months ago, Pizzeria Mozza was a bit of a letdown for me too, at least as far as the pizzas:

BR wrote:We had dinner at Pizzeria Mozza, and oddly, our favorite items there were everything but the pizzas. They have a terrific eggplant caponata - just the right amount of acidity and pine nuts mixed in. It's the third eggplant caponata I've had out in the last month and probably the best, and I liked it much more than the one I had at Next Sicily. We enjoyed it with some terrific house made bread rubbed with garlic oil. And we also shared some smoked cod fritters which were also excellent - flavorful, crisp and delicate, plenty of fish and just beautifully fried. They were served with what appeared to be a lemon aioli. But although the pizza crusts were great (crisp, flavorful, bubby), the toppings not as much. Tomato sauce seemed to be totally lacking seasoning - it tasted of only tomato. And perhaps this was our own fault, but the pizza with guanciale and bagna cauda (among other ingredients) was just too salty (from the guanciale) and the garlic overwhelmed (perhaps the latter could be expected). Torta della Nonna for dessert was just outstanding though, and overall it was a very nice dinner.

dicksond wrote:Arrived late afternoon in LAX and headed out for a walk on the beach north of Santa Monica and dinner at the Hungry Cat, so as to miss traffic before driving north. Delicious oysters, exquisite sea urchin, and a lovely fall salad that featured persimmons, which turned out to be a great tip and something I included in a few salads made at home. Aside from the raw bar, the menu did not speak to me much, (would have liked a bowl of soup on a cool evening, but no luck), but everything I had was spot on.

Loved Hungry Cat in Santa Barbara as I mentioned in that thread. We had both clams and scallops that came in wonderful rich brothes that might as well have been soups. Sopped both plates dry with extra bread.

dicksond wrote:Apologies to Tony, who I did not call, but while I was in and around LA for the better part of 3 weeks, I spent much of it flitting in and out while staying up north. SB dining report to be posted separately.

BOO!

Yet another detour, because of a power failure at The Tasting Kitchen, took me to M Kitchen, which was so crowded (it was that kind of a day) I ended up at the sister pizzeria, Stella Rossa. The Kale pizza was delicious, everything I had hoped for from Mozza, to my surprise. Margherita was also quite good.

Stella Rossa's chef is Jeff Mahin, ex-L2O, FT LEYE employee, and part time Do-Rite Donut chef/owner. You essentially ate at a Chicago pizza shop! I'm a BIG fan of this place, and of his. Quick, simple food done right with Cali ingredients, and a bit of yeast.

Too bad you missed Tasting Kitchen. Really love what they're doing there.

Something about the whole presentation felt a little too slick for me, and the (Umami) burgers did not taste beefy in the end, which is the source of my ambivalence.

And that is why I never went back, ever. Tricky dick of burgers.

Red Medicine is surprisingly good. I stopped calling it "Vietnamese". People need to STOP calling it Vietnamese, especially the Vietnamese, or LA food bloggers. The guy uses fish sauce. That could be Thai, it could be Cambodian. He also uses yuzu and French butter. Does that mean it's also Japanese and French? No. Stupid labels, but fun (and ridiculous) desserts.

Had wonderful ramen at Tsujita LA, which REB mentioned earlier. I don't have a whole lot to compare it to, but we really enjoyed it. They only have the ramen (and tsukemen) at lunch, but it's worth going and waiting in line. They recently opened an annex across the street, but when we asked if we should go over there (no wait) the waitress said "no no, our restaurant but different broth and noodles" so we stayed. And came back the next day, it was that good.

Tsujita LA
http://tsujita-la.com/
2057 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Tel. 310-231-7373

Jonathan Gold's overwrought review
http://www.laweekly.com/2011-12-01/eat- ... ujita-l-a/

I spent a sun drenched, cosmic weekend in Joshua Tree at the beginning of the summer and also spent a few nights hitting up some new-to-me spots in LA on the way in and out of the desert.

We stayed at an Air BnB in trendy Silver Lake and having just arrived off an early am flight, famished, we took our renter's suggestion of a pho shop down the street named Pho Café. At first blush, the sleek design of the space misled me to believe this was going to be over priced and under seasoned, but we were pleasantly surprised. A sweaty morning already, I passed on pho and ordered bun. I was covetous of the soup though, after tasting my bud's rich, star anise inflected broth. The bun was great too with lemongrass beef that was aggressively seasoned and tenderly textured. Pairing well with rounds of Vietnamese beers was the sugarcane shrimp, served piping hot with a piquant nuom choc, fresh herbs, and DIY rice paper and lettuce for wrapping. The skewers had great char and a pleasantly bouncy texture. I enjoyed this meal so much, I nearly returned for a last dinner on the back end of the trip, but we opted to try a new option. This food was considerably more fresh, higher quality, and properly seasoned than nearly any I've had in Chicago.

For our first dinner, I chose Northern Thai at Spicy BBQ further up Sunset which had been hyperbolically tweeted about by the Hungry Hound. The place was cute as a button, a well cared for hole in the wall with maybe three two tops and an equal amount of four tops. Everything about this place resonated with love from the adorably attentive service to the handmade quality of the food. I was with a posse of 5 dudes and we were well on our way to inebriation, so appetites were ravenous and photo snapping was tenuous at best. The first dish– a round of fried catfish was inhaled. The very crispy fish was served straight up and the marinade had a hint of fish sauce, but for the most part was dead simple.


Northern style sausage was as good as most versions I've had, coarse ground and garlicky with bright notes of ginger and kaffir lime leaf. It was just a shade dry, but enjoyable.


This larb dish was fantastic. It had both cracklins and crunchy chips of fried liver. This was perhaps not as complexly offal-funky as Aroy's larb khun, though it made up for this deficit with its textural intrigue.

The rest of my photos of the meal were sh#t, so to recap: the papaya salad with grilled shrimp was very unique and had a rougher chopped, rustic style than I am used to. Also odd was the heavy presence of shredded carrot mixed with the papaya, which did not actually detract much. The shrimp were succulent and sweet, rounding out an enjoyable dish. The hands down favorite of our table was a spicy jackfruit dish that was cooked down thick and rich with ground pork, almost like a Thai style Bolognese, unexpectedly awesome. The dishes at Spicy BBQ, though familiar to Northern Thai menus here in Chicago, had a more rustic quality, a welcomed twist on a cuisine that I very much love.

Bleary eyed lunch the next day was at a spot all East side my buddies frequent for lunch, Guisados. We hit up the newer, trendier Echo Park location because we were starving and out-of-town drivers– we opted for ease over authenticity. The space was cool, with a counter to order fronting the exposed kitchen with a breezy dining area off to the side and a really laid back back patio where we chose to enjoy our lunch. The women patting out hand-made tortillas next to the counter seemed a good omen. Ceviche tostadas were on special:


No complaints here, though the factory produced tostada shell paled in comparison to the hand made tortillas.


Speaking of their tortillas, they really stole the show. My order of tacos, clockwise from front: chicharron, cochinta pibil, hongos. One gimmick I was not a fan of was ordering your tacos on a hotness scale. They basically would pre-dress the tacos with more or less salsa depending on your answer, though orders at a 9 or a 10 were loaded up with grilled jalapeño. I think I went with 7, though totally wished I'd had my own agency of the amount of salsa used. I don't like taco joints that do not put out table salsa, which to me seems paradoxical to the wonderful garnish bars featured on most LA taco trucks. But back to the tacos, the gooey chicharron was my fave. The mushrooms were just fine, simple, needed more salsa. The cochinita was of an unusual sauced variety and totally shredded. The sauce was not the typical habanero salsa, which was served atop, but a kind of vaguely chile based BBQ style sauce. Not my favorite. But those tortillas, among the best. In general I like LA tortillas a bit more than ours here, they are smaller, a bit chewier, and much moister than Chicago made tortillas (not complaining about our fine tortillas scene here). They are closer related to street tortillas I've had in Mexico. Guisados are among the best of the bunch.

Our final dinner was chosen by my bud, a native Angelino. It being a Thai food obsessed recent past, we went Thai again, this time heading to Korea town to his new favorite spot, Isaan Station. On the surface, the place appears to be a overly-designed, youth-centric strip mall joint, though one quick glimpse into their behind glass semi-exposed kitchen revealed grandma going to town on a mortar and pestle on some pounded salad goods. I let the pro do the ordering and it was 40% knock out, 40% really good and the one miss was just my own preferences at play. The best dishes had huge flavors, no skimping on the chilies.

I snapped all dishes except, oddly, the two chicken dishes. The first of the chicken dishes was from the grilled section of the menu, turmeric marinated chicken, which was succulent and aromatic, real good. The second was a classic, fish sauce marinated fried chicken wings, which were fried well though could have had a deeper salty funk.


This being Isaan Station, we had to order the Isaan sausage. A great version, cut into coins from a longer link rather than small nugget links that we typically see around the Chi. The flavor profile was slightly understated, though not in a bad way, than the other versions I've had, with a lighter ferment and somewhat less greasy profile.


Grilled pork neck, similarly to the chicken wings, were under seasoned, though expertly grilled and had a nice smokiness. That dipping sauce brought the business though, unfiltered fish sauce- based with heavy-duty bird's eye action.


This salad of shredded bamboo shoots took no prisoners. Full on crazy bamboo shoot funk spiked with chilies, fish sauce, and aromatics.


Som dtum with salted egg was the one dish that didn't agree with me. Something about hard-cooked eggs in a cold citrusy dressing just isn't my thing.


This salad of cockles was the one. I've only had cockles served to me in a styrofoam cup in English pubs before which always had the texture of an eraser. These guys were plump, briny, and had a pleasant crunch. The dressing was assertively fishy, hot, and sour. Probably my favorite dish of the whole trip.

Like I mentioned earlier, I think we are pretty spoiled with Thai options in Chicago, but even amongst regional styles, approaches vary kitchen to kitchen and it was truly awesome trying out some different renditions of my favorites and some completely new-to-me dishes.

LA never disappoints!

Pho Café
2841 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 413-0888

Spicy BBQ
5101 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 663-4211

Guisados
1261 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
(213) 250-7600

Isaan Station
125 N Western Ave, Los Angeles 90004
(323) 380-5126

I'm going to be spending the next two weeks in Culver City and I want to eat, eat, eat, eat! Although, my ordering power is limited since I will be dining alone every meal. I’ve read up on this thread and didn’t know how much isn't still relevant or if there is anything that’s new and can’t be missed. It's time to lean on the LTH Community to fill in any blanks that I’ve overlooked and put their two cents in if I've set myself up for any misses.

I have tentative places I want to visit, definite eating endeavors, and need as many suggestions for ‘can’t miss’ places as I can get. I am looking to keep it relatively cheap (an almost oxymoron of a challenge for LA.) I usually like to take advantage of normally moderate-higher priced restaurants but with a work around; i.e. lunch, prix fixe, happy hour, etc. A good of example is the Amaro Bar menu at Osteria Mozza( $42 for Mozzarella Bar selection, Pasta, Dessert, Glass of House Wine.)

Definite eating endeavors:
Rivera’s Bienvenido Francisco Menu
Tsujita-LA for Tsukemen (1st time eating it; any etiquette faux pas that I should avoid?)
In-N-Out Burger
LA Times The Taste Labor Day Block Party at Paramount Studios http://events.latimes.com/taste/labor-day-picnic
Bay Cities Italian Deli – Godmother Sandwich
Langer’s - Pastrami Sandwich
Mariscos Jalisco – Shrimp Taco, ceviche, aquachiles

Tentative places I want to visit(in order of preference):
Dim Sum: Definitely going to do dim sum but just don’t know where…Din Tai Fung looks wonderful for XLB but I’m solo so don’t need the quantity. I’m leaning towards Sea Harbour, as of right now. Who does the best / cheapest dim sum at the current moment? I’ll be going during the week, don’t prefer carts or paper menu as long as the dim sum is hot, and don’t speak Chinese but have eaten enough Chicago Dim Sum to know the names of items I enjoy.

Mexican Food(definitely going to squeeze in as many places as I can to compare to Chicago's taco scene): From Daily Meal's US Top 35 Individual Tacos #1) Ricky’s Fish Tacos Chinatown Weekends-Ricky Pina, #4 Tito’s Taco Culver City – Titos Taco with Cheese, #17 Tacomiendo Culver City Potato Taco Dorado, #35 Guisados – Cochinita Pibil

Sunny Spot in Venice for Meatball Shop Takeover Sept 7
Chego
Ink.Sack – Jose Andres, Cold Fried Chicken Sandwiches, Maryland Crab Chips
Fishing with Dynamite
Bucato
Lukshon
Grand Central Market
626 Night Asian Market at Santa Anita Racetrack (timing may prove to be an issue)
Trois Mec – Would have loved to go but missed the two week advance Friday ticketing system.

What am I missing?
What are the hip hop happening joints that shouldn't be skipped? Any specifics such as standout menu items or prices would be greatly helpful. I can go anywhere in the extended Los Angeles area in search of standout eats.
Although I’m dining solo, if anyone is interested in meeting up for a meal or enjoying their favorite hidden gem with me, please pm me. I can definitely use more ordering power when it comes to dim sum!

Thanks in advance!

You're missing Versailles on Venice Blvd. Their roasted chix is my benchmark. Tropical shakes are also great. Johnnies Pastrami used to be very good as well (next to Tito's)

mkess, I approve of many of your choices. Particularly:

mkess wrote:Dim Sum: Definitely going to do dim sum but just don’t know where…Din Tai Fung looks wonderful for XLB but I’m solo so don’t need the quantity.

The XLB at DTF are pretty small. One order plus an appetizer makes for a great lunch. I would not miss this. You should also check out some of the many other worthy noodle/dumpling places in SGV, the kind we lack so badly here.

mkess wrote: #1) Ricky’s Fish Tacos Chinatown

For sure. Be sure to check Twitter for hours and location.

mkess wrote:626 Night Asian Market at Santa Anita Racetrack (timing may prove to be an issue)

Hell, yes. Try to get there early, as the lines start to get insane after 6. Don't miss the stinky tofu.

mkess wrote:What am I missing?

Thai Town, ramen/Japanese in general (Marugame Monzo makes fresh udon, and it's awesome; Sasabune has a generous weekday sushi lunch special that will definitely fit your budget), Chinese/Taiwanese.

Some great Japanese places in my neck of the woods in Torrance, many of which are in the same strip mall (also includes a branch of Mitsuwa) Most of these places are busy because the North American HQ of Toyota is here.

Torehei - Yakitori and Oden (an unusual combination, but a nice complement to each other)

1757 West Carson Street, Ste. A
Torrance, CA 90501
Phone: 310-781-9407

Musha - Izakaya

1725 W Carson St
Ste B
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 787-7344

mkess wrote:I'm going to be spending the next two weeks in Culver City... I am looking to keep it relatively cheap (an almost oxymoron of a challenge)

Highly dependent, I think. L.A. may be the undisputed king of cheap ethnic eats in America; my lunch yesterday was a $4.25 banh mi + cafe phe sua da from a fantastic place. Family meal Sunday was 2+ pounds of mariscos for $20. Bowl of Thai boat noodles run $6. Taiwanese breakfast buns are $0.85. Street tacos are still no more than $1.25/ea.

Rivera’s Bienvenido Francisco Menu

waste of time/$. Rivera hasn't been relevant in LA since.. a year after opening. Nouveux Mexican in Chicago is cheaper, better. You should've seen the stoic face PIGMON made when he tasted one of Riv's "mixology" cocktails.

Tsujita-LA for Tsukemen (1st time eating it; any etiquette faux pas that I should avoid?)

pick, dip, slurp. no decorum.

LA Times The Taste Labor Day Block Party at Paramount Studios http://events.latimes.com/taste/labor-day-picnic

No. 1 rule of partaking in LA summer food festival: do NOT pick the day time event. It's 90+ right now with heat index of 95. You'll be drinking in the backlot of tarred movie studio. Monday should be cooler, but man, why do this to yourself. Protip: this festival, compared LAFW, seeks donations from ALL restaurants. The quantity/quality of bites here reflect as such.

Bay Cities Italian Deli – Godmother Sandwich

nowhere as good as even the most ho-hum CHI Italian sando. Westside fraud.

Mariscos Jalisco – Shrimp Taco, ceviche, aquachiles

this is the populist choice, but I far prefer El Sarape if you want non-mass produced food served in a backyard BYO patio. They do a Nayarit-style fish ceviche with carrots and cilantro. It's, for a lack of a better word, yummy.

Tentative places I want to visit(in order of preference):
Dim Sum: Definitely going to do dim sum but just don’t know where…Din Tai Fung looks wonderful for XLB but I’m solo so don’t need the quantity. I’m leaning towards Sea Harbour

DTF doesn't serve "dim sum" per se, but of course you knew that. Any of the popular dimsum joints will be fine -- Elite/Sea Harbor/King Hua/Lunasia. For a slice of true SGV zeitgeist, try New Capital Monterey Park at 10:00 A.M. on a weekday. Bring your index finger.

Mexican Food(definitely going to squeeze in as many places as I can to compare to Chicago's taco scene): From Daily Meal's US Top 35 Individual Tacos #1) Ricky’s Fish Tacos Chinatown Weekends-Ricky Pina, #4 Tito’s Taco Culver City – Titos Taco with Cheese, #17 Tacomiendo Culver City Potato Taco Dorado, #35 Guisados – Cochinita Pibil

Quoting Daily Meal for taco recs is a bit masochistic. Ricky's and Guisado are great, but the rest of us are eating al pastor at Tamix, Leo's, Chiqui's, etc. The mole tacos at Rocio's are wondrous. We also have a ton of mariscos trucks. And we have a mariscos truck permanently parked at a converted truck stop. Could it be only one in the whole damn country?

Sunny Spot in Venice for Meatball Shop Takeover Sept 7

Venice has far better restaurants -- Tasting Kitchen, Superba, etc. If going only for Meatball shop, why not wait for NYC trip? Instead, buy Choi's book when it comes out, and support an awesome co-writer.

Chego

hipster branded bro-food trap for philistines.

Grand Central Market

go see my boys at Sticky Rice. Horse Thief has good-for-LA brisket. There's 1 great espresso stand, and 1 of the better gelatos on the West Coast also has a cart. That's it. It's not Ferry Building; it's not ready for tourists yet.

What am I missing?

Burmese, Vietnamese, Thai, Little Persia, Korean. Sushi. Sushi. Sushi. LA has banging omakase deals. That's the city's iteration of the Jean George/EMP lunch prix fixe.

What are the hip hop happening joints that shouldn't be skipped?

That's just a bit too cool for this old gal. Refer to Eater LA heatmap. From that list, I've tried and mostly enjoyed: Bestia, new AOC, "new" Spago, and lovely brunches at Goldie's. None have deals, though Spago has an oddball discount bar menu. Plan Check is one of the hottest joint with bro-pub grub in Culver City adjacent. Hart & The Hunter is still lighting it up in WeHo.

Of note: don't know how often you visit L.A., but the geographic regions you're covering may be overwhelming since you'll be doing 100% of the driving. Venice to Culver to Downtown and East LA during/pre/post rush hour may make you throw up in disgust. And don't bother taking public transpo unless you're Erik M.

I was going to suggest Korean, but thought that dining alone might rule out some of the best places. Any particular recommendations?

mkess wrote:Tsujita-LA for Tsukemen (1st time eating it; any etiquette faux pas that I should avoid?)

When you get there you go and find the clipboard (at what might be a host stand, if they had a host) and put your name on it.
As a singleton you can eat at the bar inside. I am not sure if that's first come or if they have to seat you there, but there seemed to be a lot of open seats at the bar when there were long waits for tables. You should ask, it will cut the wait if you can sit there.

The menu has a section that tells you how to eat Tsukemen, AKA "Dip Ramen", but you can ask the server, too.

cilantro wrote:I was going to suggest Korean, but thought that dining alone might rule out some of the best places. Any particular recommendations?

Besides KBBQ (AYCE or otherwise), nothing in Ktown is off the table. Whatever garbage thrown into bibimbap @ Jeon Ju, soon doo bu @ Seongbukdong, yuk-hwe @ OO-Kook, KFC @ Kyochon, dumplings @ Cho Man Won, jokpal bokeum @ Jang Choong Dong, black goat stew @ Don Day, and the truly only edible place in Ktown: Soban, are all solo-dining friendly.

Most of my solo dining seems happen in Thai Town though. Iunno why -- Darabar, Pailin, Yai, LAX-C (Chinatown, but obviously super Thai), Ganda, etc.

1 stop in Ktown + 1 stop in SGV will negate both Lukshon & Chego while saving OP 50%.

Very useful list, Tony, thank you. Of those, I'm only familiar with Pailin (so damn good...) I confess that when in Ktown it's really hard to resist the twin siren calls of Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong and Park's, but after this summer's shameful orgy that was followed by almost no food for the the next 24 hrs and no meat for 48, I think I should try to diversify.

Thanks for all the suggestions / confirmations / and differences of opinion. I landed last night and have eaten the following since landing last night...
Rivera
Pulled a couple dishes from the Bienvenido Francisco Menu, meant to celebrate Pope Francis I and Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Horacio Garcia. Off that menu, my brother and I shared an appetizer of Crab Chorizo with Patagonian Rose Wine Sauce and an entree of Empanadas of Pulled Beef with Habenero Chimichurri. They were served on specially created plates, which were beautiful. The Crab Chorizo was almost akin to three mini crab cakes. The Empanadas were tasty but luke warm, like they were mass prepared ahead of time and just being held under a warmer. This was the only only issue with an off temperature that we encountered. Off the regular menu, we shared shrimp ceviche, which consisted of orange(not detectable,) fresno chiles, avocado, cucumber, onion, and cilantro. This was very refreshing and a tasty, well balanced version of a ceviche. Another appetizer ordered off of the regular menu was Venezuelan Arepas with Softshell Crab in the style of Cartagena, Columbia. The Softshell crab was perfectly cooked and that was the only thing that stood out on this dish. We also ordered the Tortillas Florales, which were housemade Nixtamal Tortillas served with Indian Butter. The tortillas were gorgeous with the pressed flower embedded in the tortillas and the spicy avocado spread("Indian Butter") had some great heat. The only entree from the regular menu that we partook in was the Duck Enfrijolada consisting of blue corn tortillas, black bean puree, chevre, and red wine chile sauce. My brother remarked that it reminded him of a loco moco and the manager said that they put an egg on it for the lunch portion, which made it sound even more like a loco moco. The Shrimp Ceviche was the winner of the night.

Rivera Restaurant
1050 S. Flower St. #102
Los Angeles, CA 90015
P 213 749 1460
http://www.riverarestaurant.com/index.php?welcome


I hit up Ricky's Tacos in Chinatown for lunch today around noon. They were as good as promised. Prior to ordering, I had a nice conversation with Ricky and he couldn't be nicer. This despite being shorthanded since he had double booked catering jobs. I ordered one fish and one shrimp taco($3 each). All and all, it took about 10 minutes to get my food and there was even a chair open! The cabbage and pico de gallo was added before the tacos were served but the squeeze bottles of three different salsas and sour cream sauce was to be applied at will. I went with the medium salsa and sour cream sauce and finished the last quarter of each taco with the hottest salsa to compare and contrast. The hot salsa gave both tacos a nice kick. He didn't have any lobster tacos($8) today so that is all the motivation I need to try to make a return visit next weekend. BTW-He recently moved to this new location, which can be easily overlooked since it is just a few tents. He plans on getting a food truck in the near future.

Ricky's Tacos
1100 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://twitter.com/RickysFishTacos
Usually open only weekends 11:30-4:00pm
Free Parking in lot.

My dinner plans fell through so I ended up at In-N-Out. I went with a Double Double Animal Style Medium Rare and an order of Fries. While they can successfully cook the burgers Medium Rare, I don't think it tastes that different from their norm. However, it does get your order out a little quicker when crowded(always when I've gone) and that alone is worth it in my book. I also learned that they have animal sauce in to go packets which is referred to as 'spread.' It was the classic, consistent In-N-Out experience so it's not even worth it to list the contact info...

mkess wrote:I hit up Ricky's Tacos in Chinatown for lunch today around noon. They were as good as promised.

(LAX-C Market)
1100 N. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
https://twitter.com/RickysFishTacos
Usually open only weekends 11:30-4:00pm
Free Parking in lot.

But did you try the banging bargain that is LAX-C Express' steam table Thai? AFAIC, that is the single "b"est take-out/steam table/turo-turo food in all of Los Angeles. 2 curries + rice for $7, Hainan chicken rice for $6. Ricky's is nice, but LAX-C Express is of the Gods.

TonyC wrote:But did you try the banging bargain that is LAX-C Express' steam table Thai?

No, I was completely full from Ricky's Tacos.

Sun Night – Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken- I ordered a 4 pc($8.50) off the ‘plan your own meal’ section of the menu(should be ½ chicken) and added a biscuit(.95). I wasn’t complaining when I received a 4 pc dinner(2 Breasts, Thigh, Leg), Fries, 2 biscuits, and bread and butter pickles(which had a nice horseradish kick.) They also had pump dispensers for hot sauce and honey on the counter. I filled a couple small containers of hot sauce and honey, both which complimented the chicken well. All pieces of the chicken were extremely juicy and had perfectly crispy, crunchy breading. This was some damned good fried chicken and would belong in the “Best Fried Chicken in Chicagoland?” thread if it were in Chicago or any of the collar counties. I thanked the cashier, expressed my appreciation for the perfectly fried chicken and complimented the pickles. I requested to purchase some more pickles as a side dish, and received a few extra sides to go at no charge. While finishing my meal, I noticed their tag line and thought it was appropriate, “A New, Old Fashioned Restaurant.”
Honey’s Kettle Fried Chicken
9537 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
310-202-8063
http://www.honeyskettle.com
2 hours free parking west of restaurant on Cardiff, north of Culver in parking garage.

Mon Lunch – Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle, I ordered Tsukemen($9.95) with Spicy Tuna Don add on($3.99). The Tsukemen Broth had small pieces of char siu, bamboo shoots, and green onions. The noodles were served cold with lime and a piece of nori. I also ordered a refill of noodles ($1.50), which they then also topped off the broth and brought extra lime wedges upon request. As a Tsukemen virgin, I immediately noticed that the broth was more concentrated than ramen broth while the noodles were thinner than udon but thicker than ramen noodles and were cooked hard (their phrase). I’ve seen it referred to elsewhere on the interwebs but I think it’s pretty accurate; the texture and taste seemed to evolve as the noodles quickly disappeared. The Spicy Tuna Don was a good portion with green onions on slivers of nori and a bed of rice. The ingredients provided a good texture contrast and the spicy tuna wasn’t all mashed up but consisted of quality, recognizable minced pieces without any connective tissue. Big thanks to Leek for mentioning The Clipboard of Order. It would have taken me a little to figure out how to get my name down for a table. When my table was almost ready, they had me order prior to being seated. For some reason, even though I was solo, bar seating would’ve taken an additional 20 minute wait.
Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle (not to be confused with Tsujita Annex across street – diff’t recipe)
2057 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-231-7373
http://tsujita-la.com

Mon Dinner – Leo’s Taco Truck – I ordered five Al Pastor Tacos to go @ $1 each. The slightly charred Al Pastor was cut straight off the trompo with thin slices of caramelized pineapple expertly flung from spit to each taco. The man behind the trompo had some serious knife skills. I’ve never seen any type of meat cut thinner off of a spit with a kitchen knife. They had a DIY condiment bar that included radishes, peppers, pico de gallo, onions, cilantro, pickled onions(?), avocado cream sauce, salsa verde, and salsa roja. I made a few to-go bags of cilantro, onions, and limes along with containers of pico de gallo, avocado cream sauce, and salsa verde. FYI- Some may have difficulty ordering since language may be a barrier if you can’t speak any Spanish or point to what you want to eat off the menu.
Leo’s Taco Truck
1515 S. La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(Northwest corner of La Brea & Washington in 76 Gas Station)
http://leostacotruck.com

What I don't get about LA is that they have some great ethnic places, but native Agelinos seem to prefer overhyped and overpriced "California" style crap. Whenever I visit, I am the one trying to persuade my friends to go to one of the many "hidden" ethnic gems, while they want to go to the latest place to see and be seen. Here in Chicago, we are more adventurous and willing to support our immigrant cultures. It isn't fair.

Or maybe you just associate with better people here in Chi

d4v3 wrote:What I don't get about LA is [snip] native Agelinos seem to prefer overhyped and overpriced "California" style crap. [snip]...they want to go to the latest place to see and be seen.

Welcome to LA.

Tues Lunch Part A.) – Pizzeria Mozza – Fried Squash Blossoms with Ricotta Filling. Delicate, elegant, simple, delicious. I have had these on prior occasions and they have been nothing but stellar. Four Squash Blossoms for $12 while their website listed as $9. While this discrepancy would normally peeve me, it didn’t bother me since I knew what I was getting and felt that it was worth the $12. FYI- They currently have a bar promo M-Th 12-5pm & Sun–Thurs 10-12 where $20 gets you Pizza, Wine, and Dessert.
Pizzeria Mozza
641 North Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
323-297-0101
http://www.pizzeriamozza.com/LA/home.cfm

Tues Lunch Part B.) – Cho Man Won – Upon sitting down, I was presented with a half carafe of ice water and a metal cup, which was more than welcoming on this hot day. I couldn’t resist over-ordering Steamed Beef & Pork Dumplings ($3.99 for 10) and Pan Fried Pork Mandu ($4.99 for 10) although I knew that I would be taking half of the food home. I was also served Banchan of Kimchi & Yellow Pickled Daikon(?) I really enjoyed the Steamed Beef & Pork Dumplings. The pan fried pork mandu seemed deep fried rather than pan fried. The waitress was nice enough to mix up the dipping sauce, which I was completely clueless to preparing myself. The steamed dumplings were perfect to dip in the sauce, which had a good kick of heat. Thanks for the rec Tony C. I wouldn’t have found this place since the sign isn’t in English.
Cho Man Won
2881 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90006
213-249-9900

Culver City Farmer’s Market – My purchases were each from different vendors. I bought 3 pints strawberries: $5, 2/3 lb Emerald Beaut Plums: $2. I went back at closing and scored 2 ½ lbs heirloom tomatoes for $4.

Tues Early Evening Snack – I caught Happy Hour(http://www.publicschool310.com/wp-conte ... nu-3.1.pdf) and ordered the $5 Fiery Calamari which was seasoned with Togarashi and served with Ginger Aioli. It was a little bit overdone but well seasoned and was a good portion for the price.
Public School 310
9411 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.publicschool310.com

d4v3 wrote:What I don't get about LA is that they have some great ethnic places, but native Angelinos seem to prefer overhyped and overpriced "California" style crap. Whenever I visit, I am the one trying to persuade my friends to go to one of the many "hidden" ethnic gems

The key to above dilemma is certainly a new set of LA grub friends. It goes without saying, there are those who chase the cool no matter the city. Chicago is certainly no different.

Just look at this CH thread with 202 replies on Chengdu Taste, Alhambra. And this Serious Eats report on LA ceviche (including the beloved El Coraloense). Let's not be so myopic from a distance. After all, if "native" Angelinos aren't eating the ethnic gems, they'd all be out of biz.

One of the many wonderful things about visiting my mother-in-law is that she lives in Torrance. And she likes to eat out. We hit a few noteworthy places on our visit but, without thinking, I neglected to bring a real camera, so I apologize in advance for the shots. Some were simply unusable to post and some of these are probably better off not posted but in the interest of bringing these places to the fore again, I figured one mediocre picture is still worth more a few words. And so, we begin at Torihei. We were the first in the door at 5:30; within 15 minutes the place was full. It’s also one of the only places I can ever recall telling us when we would be finished. “You have to be out by 7:30. Okay?” Um, sure.

(By the way, you’ll notice some dishes labelled “oden.” That’s a separate menu here and it’s a hot pot dish of sorts, generally a winter dish as well. Often soy sauce-based but not always; I guess you could say it’s really just soup at heart. It usually includes vegetables or sometimes fish and I’ve seen it called stew, though that seems to me to place the emphasis on the add-ins, not the broth, which is usually the star in oden.)


Yakitori with wasabi and with ume
For a yakitori place, we were more than a little surprised to have to send it back at first: it wasn’t completely cooked. The wasabi was strong, the ume stronger (with a lot of shiso in it).


Tsukune
If you don’t order these when you visit, shame on you.


Sweet potato fries with mayonnaise and honey


Shrimp


Shiitake


“Chicken ball” (Oden)


Gobo (“Fried burdock root”) (Oden)


Daikon (Oden)
Surprisingly flavorful, wonderful texture; altogether an unexpectedly great dish.


Cucumber salad special


Chicken wings
I don’t like chicken wings. Next visit, we’ll double the order. Extraordinary stuff. Meaty, more flavor than you could possibly imagine, smoky, grilled to perfection.


Chicken tail
Meatier and more flavorful than I expected.


Chicken skin


Beef heart
Truth be told, a bit disappointing. Lacking that strong beefy flavor that I have always gotten from this dish. Tender enough (for what it is), grilled well, but I’m not certain I would have noticed it was heart if I had not known. Too bad.

We hit Mottainai for lunch but I could only shoot the spicy miso ramen ‘cause that’s what the table ordered.


Spicy miso ramen
I didn't grab a pic of the gyoza; we had two orders and I will say simply: the best I've ever had. Anywhere. Pigmon (and others) have sung the praises of this place enough for me to add only one word: GO!


Then, my mother-in-law picked a place she’d been hearing a lot about: Sanuki no Sato. The entryway is plastered with literally hundreds of photos of famous people eating there (famous in the Japanese community, that is). The only one I that the Lovely Dining Companion and I recognized was the actor Ken Watanabe. As was the case most places, the clientele was almost exclusively Japanese, no tourists, no other white boys like me (well, okay, one other). Clearly a well-known restaurant in the community and highly regarded. And with very good reason.

I felt awkward intruding on my mother-in-law's dinner to photograph it (a shame, she ordered the “Ladies’ Omakase” and I would loved to have had pix of it). Instead, I just took some bad shots of my dinner.


Gobo appetizer
Our first hint: far better than we had a right to expect.


Tempura portion of tempura set
Everything that tempura should be, light, crispy, flavorful. And lots of large shrimp!


Soba
You sort of expect good soba in general but this was extraordinary. Even my mother-in-law commented on how surprisingly excellent it was.


Other parts of tempura set: chawanmushi, tsukemono (pickles), tako (octopus)
Absolutely excellent chawanmushi.


Torihei
1757 W Carson St, Ste A
Torrance, CA 90501
(310) 781-9407
torihei-usa.com

Mottainai Ramen
1630 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Ste 9
Gardena, CA 90247
(310) 538-3233
mottainairamen.com

Sanuki No Sato
18206 S Western Ave
Gardena, CA 90248
(310) 324-9184
sanukinosato.com