MBK wrote: i've got Daikokuya and Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada from this thread but was wondering if anyone else had additional recommendations.

Also don't miss Ricky's (see upthread) for some al fresco goodness.

http://twitter.com/rickysfishtacos

Kennyz wrote:*sorry Tony, I owed you one.

HAHA! Good grubbing with ya!

Just drove by Renu Nakorn the other day (enroute to Rachada Thai, a rather decent Thai joint). Also, if you enjoy SGV noodle soups, so maybe next time JTYH instead? PIGMON, Sula, ReneG, trixie might have visited, but can't exactly recall:
http://www.laweekly.com/2009-10-08/eat- ... odling-ii/
The lamb noodle soup with hand shaved noodles is rather complex.

MBK wrote:hey is there anyone that would like to offer their recs on fish taco and ramen places in LA or SD? i've got Daikokuya and Best Fish Tacos in Ensenada from this thread but was wondering if anyone else had additional recommendations. Any other must hit destinations, preferably of mexican or of asian of influence, would be greatly appreciated

I really enjoy the newly opened Ton Chan in the SGV. But again, that's the SGV. It's probably SGV's best bowl. The roasted garlic oil alone puts TonChan above Daikokuya, and I share zip codes with a Daikokuya branch. I have a personal edict to not drive 55mi r/t for a bowl of noodles so I'm unfit to comment on Ramen Cali, Mottainai, etc., but I do prefer Ton Chan to Asa.

For fish taco, again, because it's closer to me:
Tacos Baja Ensenada
5385 Whittier Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90022

If you want a tacos dorados de camarones, you can try Marisco el Jato. ErikM wrote about it previously. In additional to the huge shrimp in the coctels, the fried shrimp tacos are... grotesquely good. They also do fish tacos.

Marisco el Jato
2936 E 4th St
Los Angeles, CA 90033

While you're in East Los/Boyle Heights, you might as well stay for a SoCal twofer -- fish tacos from a marisco truck:
Ricos Marisco El Rey del Maz
430 N Indiana St
Los Angeles, CA 90063

wow great recs! thanks Tony, Cilantro, Kenny and leek

Having moved to LA in November, my raman vote goes to Raman Jinya in Studio City. I think it's better than Daikokuya and there's never a wait. If you're anywhere near the Valley, I'd highly recommend a visit.
http://www.jinya-la.com/ramen/

Other favorites of mine would be Animal, Lazy Ox, Tasting Kitchen and Hatfields


Edit: just noticed this thread is months old No biggie. I miss LTH deeply and hopefully can get some more recs from this thread. I absolutely love this city, but Chowhound+Yelp+misc blogs are an abysmal substitute for LTH.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:Other favorites of mine would be Animal, Lazy Ox, Tasting Kitchen and Hatfields

The wife and I have reservations at Animal on Thursday; very excited. Anything in particular you'd recommend?

We're also going to Bazaar on Saturday night, the Jose Andres restaurant in the SLS hotel.

After looking through this thread, I'm trying to figure out how to squeeze Langer's in there somewhere

We had a great meal at Red Medicine this past weekend - really some of the most interesting food in LA right now, particularly at its price point (full dinner with 2 drinks and coffee each came up to $75/person after tax/tip).

I have to say that the Bazaar is very much a "scene" (particularly on a weekend night) and I found the food highly overrated. That being said, it does have a lot of fans and my opinion is clearly the minority.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:I miss LTH deeply and hopefully can get some more recs from this thread. I absolutely love this city, but Chowhound+Yelp+misc blogs are an abysmal substitute for LTH.

Ditto.

Had some good meals in LA. Started on Thursday night at Animal. They take reservations a month out, so didn't have any problem getting a table.

Started with "lettuce, beets, avocado, pita, feta, creamy sumac"




I then went for the chicken liver toast. So rich, but the onions were a nice counterpoint.



We had to get the pork belly sliders; our favorite of the night.
barbeque pork belly sandwiches, slaw



balsamic pork ribs, tomato & cucumber panzanella


flat iron, artichoke hash, truffle parmesan fondue
(forgot to take a pic before taking a bite)


The infamous bacon chocolate bar with salt and pepper ice cream. I loved the ice cream, my wife, not so much.



The entire menu:


We enjoyed our time there, and would definitely go back. We had 7pm reservations on a Thursday and were seated to a half-full restaurant. Within 20 minutes, the place was full, and by 8pm walk-in parties of 4 were being told 10pm.

Followed that up two nights later with dinner at Bazaar. The primary attraction was that it was in our hotel, but we were very happy with the meal we had. I had been expected something of a scene, but when we were seated at 7:15 most of the patrons were older than us (we're both late 30's). We did have dessert in the bar around 9 or 9:30 and there was a much younger crowd there.

We began with
Sweet potato chips Yogurt, tamarind, star anise


and Olives, modern and traditional



Tuna ceviche and avocado roll
My wife loved this, I didn't think it was anything special


Japanese taco - Grilled eel, shiso, cucumber, wasabi, chicharron





Not your everyday Caprése - Cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella


"Philly cheesesteak" Air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef
Very, very good, but $8 per "sandwich"



Baby beets - Citrus, pistachio, Sherry dressing


Sautéed wild mushrooms hazelnut praline
One of the few items we ordered from the traditional menu, it was very good



For dessert they move you into a different room, the patisserie. We were seated in an area we didn't care for, so were relocated to the bar for dessert.

I think this was the SLS Tres Mouse; don't remember much about it


These were fun - Chocolate covered pop rocks


Tres leches cake with liquid nitrogen cooled pineapple


Dark chocolate "lollipop" with orange


We really enjoyed this dinner as well (although it was pricey), but if I were to return to one spot in LA, it would be Animal.

wizzy wrote:I think this was the SLS Tres Mouse; don't remember much about it

That's the hot chocolate mousse with hazelnut praline and pear sorbet. Quite yummy.

wizzy wrote:We really enjoyed this dinner as well (although it was pricey), but if I were to return to one spot in LA, it would be Animal.

Curious why you noted the $8 faux philly cheesesteaks but not the $6/ea pulled pork sliders? For me, (only been to both a few times), the annoying room, the hipdouches, the unimpressive ingredients origin and the insidious parking of Animal does not warrant a $6 sandwich that's more brioche than pork.

$8 at Bazaar? Well hell, you're sitting next to Little Wayne (or was it Lil Jon?), and across the room is Ann Paquin. Da heck more can one want? $4 fake philly cheeseteak?

Glad you enjoyed both of your big LA meals. Visit us in the SGV next time?

Something super meta ironic about going to California and buying a fake philly cheesesteak (as in, "but you use real toothpaste") at a place trying to be ironic and "playfully riffing" on a blue collar east coast standard. [I have no doubt that's what they are going for, too.]

TonyC wrote:Glad you enjoyed both of your big LA meals. Visit us in the SGV next time?

SGV? San <something? gabriel?> valley?

Don't make it to the west coast too often, and have to admit I wasn't too fond of LA from my past minimal exposure. That said, we committed that we need to go back to the Getty again; one day just isn't enough. And if we're there for the Getty, why not find some good food?

wizzy wrote:

TonyC wrote:Glad you enjoyed both of your big LA meals. Visit us in the SGV next time?

SGV? San <something? gabriel?> valley?

Don't make it to the west coast too often, and have to admit I wasn't too fond of LA from my past minimal exposure. That said, we committed that we need to go back to the Getty again; one day just isn't enough. And if we're there for the Getty, why not find some good food?

If good food is what you seek, the best move you could make is letting TonyC guide you to some of his (SGV) favorites.

=R=

I've been doing my food homework for a few days in LA coming up and was wondering if the LA pros here could give me some direct feedback on my initials plans.

--> First, I have to be in Santa Monica for part of my visit, and I've noted Copa D'Oro and Sangrita as places for cocktails. Should I eat there, too? If not, is there someplace I can eat nearby? I'm looking for breakfast and dinner recommendations. More specifically, are there any worthwhile breakfasts near Pacific Ave. & Rose?

--> For one night, I'll be staying with a friend who lives in Culver City-ish. Is Chego worth visiting? We'll need a casual dinner.

--> There's a Korean spa I want to visit in, I think, Koreatown. I do know that Guelaguetza and Langer's are nearby, so those are my stops so far. My time around here is limited, but I could probably fit in one more place. Is Daikokuya too far?

--> Another night, the plan is dinner at Animal followed by cocktails at Playa and/or Providence. Is this a terrible idea?

--> I've got relatives who live not far from SGV. I could use some help narrowing this preliminary list. I'll have 24 hours in that area, but my relatives love to eat, and they understand my food problem, so I think at least five stops are within the realm of possibility.

(in random order)
Din Tai Fung
Luscious Dumplings
Golden Deli
Nha Trang
Noodle Boy
And I think the 3 XLB places at 301 W Valley Blvd

--> Are there any markets I should visit? mbh mentioned one that I'm forgetting now.

Finally, is any part of LA walkable or bike-able? I'm having a lot of anxiety about the traffic situation. Looking at a map, some places look relatively close together, but I think my friends have been gently trying to tell me that I'll need a car for everything. I'll have a driver in SGV and when I'm near Culver City. Santa Monica, I was hoping to stay on foot. I can drive, but I'm generally only willing to do so when I can drive fast and with no traffic.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

Sharon

I dunno if it fits your needs, but there's a Father's Office in Culver City, and the burger is phenomenal. Good beer list, too. Very casual, good place to have a long eating/drinking session. Can be busy, though.

Plenty of LA is walkable, but it's mostly not done unless you are in spandex walking up in the hills. I find the Thai Town/Little Armenia/Los Feliz/Silver Lake continuum very walkable/bikeable and if you are going to be near downtown (ie, Koreatown) you should. SM near the beach is super walkable. Thus the Promenade. You should walk away from it toward Father's Office. LA proper markets in order of enjoyment (by me): Hollywood (on Ivars, Sunday only); SM (Wed and Sat); Fairfax (permanent). Pay attention to PIGMON's ramen posts. Torrence isn't far (driving) from LAX. I'd drop Mexican if you're looking for space, and NB for planning, Langer's is "nowhere" (unless you are also buying fake watches and discount wigs) but a worthy destination.

JeffB wrote:...I find the Thai Town/Little Armenia/Los Feliz/Silver Lake continuum very walkable/bikeable and if you are going to be near downtown (ie, Koreatown) you should. SM near the beach is super walkable. Thus the Promenade. You should walk away from it toward Father's Office. LA proper markets in order of enjoyment (by me): Hollywood (on Ivars, Sunday only); SM (Wed and Sat); Fairfax (permanent). Pay attention to PIGMON's ramen posts. Torrence isn't far (driving) from LAX. I'd drop Mexican if you're looking for space, and NB for planning, Langer's is "nowhere" (unless you are also buying fake watches and discount wigs) but a worthy destination.

Thank you. I'll definitely do the walk toward Father's Office. And I don't mind that Langer's is in the middle of nowhere. I'm going to be chasing some architectural landmarks toward the end of my stay; it looks like plenty of those are in the middle nowheres, too. I'm in town for a yoga thing; the markets will be handy since I'll need to brown bag my meals for a few days. More substantial eating will commence after that.

The Promenade... <shudder>. The farmers' market's pretty good, though.

If you're in Arcadia anyway, you may as well go a little further to Glendora and see the Donut Man.

The recently/currently being restored theatre district downtown, hard by Skid Row, is an architectural highlight and puts you very near French dippers Cole's (good place to sit in darkness and drink cocktails) and Phillipe's. The former is completely renovated and "retro" after years as a fading dive, the latter is unchanged and a vibrant LA analogue to Manny's or Katz's (more so than Langer's which has less buzz and no tourists). Also nearby are Chinatown and Japan Town, neither of which stand up well to the Valley and other places in the Southland, but as long as you're there...

PS, I thought I saw you were into Tiki drinks/stuff at some point. At the bottom or Los Feliz near Thai Town/Little Armenia, Tiki Ti and Good Luck Bar are a short distance from each other. Worth a stop.

cilantro wrote:If you're in Arcadia anyway, you may as well go a little further to Glendora and see the Donut Man.

OK, I'll see if my relatives will stop for donuts.

JeffB wrote:The recently/currently being restored theatre district downtown, hard by Skid Row, is an architectural highlight and puts you very near French dippers Cole's (good place to sit in darkness and drink cocktails) and Phillipe's. Also nearby are Chinatown and Japan Town, neither of which stand up well to the Valley and other places in the Southland, but as long as you're there...

So, this to me looks walkable. I have several Skid Row area buildings on my list. For example, Google is telling me it's a little less than 3/4 of a mile from Inner City Arts to Cole's. Then, from Cole's, it's less than 1 mile if I want to eat at Daikokuya. Unless LA has no sidewalks, I think I can do this.

JeffB wrote:PS, I thought I saw you were into Tiki drinks/stuff at some point. At the bottom or Los Feliz near Thai Town/Little Armenia, Tiki Ti and Good Luck Bar are a short distance from each other. Worth a stop.

Me? I don't think I've ever had a Tiki phase, but Tiki Ti and Good Luck Bar seem like reasons to start. They look a little farther out from my other map points, but one of my drivers might be able to take me if I also get a ride north to buildings I want to see near Griffith Park. Thank you.

Griffith Park is essentially above Thai Town. You should go there.

in griffith park is also the old la zoo, which is a nice and creepy place to kill 30-60 minutes.

The La Brea tar pits are worth a visit. If you need breakfast and you're already @ the beach (Pacific and Rose) walk a blk north and one blk west to the corner of Paloma and the boardwalk. Don't remember the name but as I lived a blk away for 7 yrs, it did me quite well. There's also excellent sausage on the boardwalk a bit farther south by muscle beach called Jody Maroni's. Hot Doug has nothing on this. And they sample. The Weds farmers mkt in Santa Monica is one of the definitive markets in America and puts ours to shame. Once you've been spoiled it's hard to accept lesser's and be happy.

In case you haven't heard "nobody walks in LA" a bike is a different story, although since it's so spread out like an unwieldily amoeba a car is prob the way to go.

gleam wrote:in griffith park is also the old la zoo, which is a nice and creepy place to kill 30-60 minutes.

Yeah, that is creepy...though I run through LP Zoo occasionally, which can feel similarly abandoned depending on the time of day/year.

Jazzfood wrote:If you need breakfast and you're already @ the beach (Pacific and Rose) walk a blk north and one blk west to the corner of Paloma and the boardwalk. Don't remember the name but as I lived a blk away for 7 yrs, it did me quite well. There's also excellent sausage on the boardwalk a bit farther south by muscle beach called Jody Maroni's.

This is very helpful. I may not get to the sausage, but the breakfast stop is a real possibility. What kind of food is it?

What else? California. Good home fries, omelets, fresh fruit etc. You asked for breakfast. This was yrs ago mind you. The Rose Cafe isn't bad either on the other side of Main and Rose, just past the drag queen ballerina w/5 o clock shadow and leg kicking on the side of a building on the corner. You can't miss it. For me, eating @ the beach trumps all. Also has the distinction of being around the corner (Paloma Ave) from where Jim Morrison used to live and a well placed drug rehab that's been there forever.

There's also a very special art gallery complex in Santa Monica called Bergamot Station. http://bergamotstation.com/.

happy_stomach wrote:--> First, I have to be in Santa Monica for part of my visit, and I've noted Copa D'Oro and Sangrita as places for cocktails. Should I eat there, too? If not, is there someplace I can eat nearby? I'm looking for breakfast and dinner recommendations. More specifically, are there any worthwhile breakfasts near Pacific Ave. & Rose?

With Vincenzo gone, Copa D'Oro is already past its heyday. At Pacific Ave/Rose, which is border SaMo/Venice, the hip breakfasts would be: Gjelina Take Away (we mock it as "GTA") and Huckleberry. For dinner, I'd hit Fig Restaurant (SaMo) between 5-6pm, 50% off everything, excellent chef, thoughful fruity/herbal cocktails, La Quercia ham program. Barring that, for dinner in Venice, Tasting Kitchen is where it's all at right now (also with an edgy cocktail program). I find Gjelina (for dinner sit-down) rather insufferable.

happy_stomach wrote:--> For one night, I'll be staying with a friend who lives in Culver City-ish. Is Chego worth visiting? We'll need a casual dinner.

Culver is casual French central (L'epicerie / Meet being our faves, Le Saint Armor being the one with the famous visiting chef). Chego is glorified terriyaki bowl, topped with kimchi. I can make that isht at home. If you really want to be surprised by Asian food (being cooked by a gringo), I'd do MoKo: http://sinosoul.com/tag/moko . For fantastic charcuterie program, Waterloo & City is just tops. Super neighborly, HH, helmed by Brit chef, actually serving gastropubby food.

happy_stomach wrote:--> There's a Korean spa I want to visit in, I think, Koreatown. I do know that Guelaguetza and Langer's are nearby, so those are my stops so far. My time around here is limited, but I could probably fit in one more place. Is Daikokuya too far?

No, DK isn't far, but we drive. Guelaguetza is a farce compared to the haute Bayless prodigee Mexican what-not available in Chicago. I mean, really, fried crickets? That's the headline dish? If in Ktown, I'd at least grab a box of Kyochon to-go and munch while you're "walking" to Langer's.

happy_stomach wrote:--> Another night, the plan is dinner at Animal followed by cocktails at Playa and/or Providence. Is this a terrible idea?

No. But realize Providence is a bit uptight. I don't know too many people who go to Providence to "chillax" at the bar. However, I did have a fantastic muddled "blueberry" cocktail at Sotto last week. Quite a few people are in love with Kate @ the bar. I just like her cuz she wears the same brand of jeans. Just don't fall prey to their lavash-pizza bastard child).

happy_stomach wrote:--> I've got relatives who live not far from SGV. I could use some help narrowing this preliminary list. I'll have 24 hours in that area, but my relatives love to eat, and they understand my food problem, so I think at least five stops are within the realm of possibility.

(in random order)
Din Tai Fung
Luscious Dumplings
Golden Deli
Nha Trang
Noodle Boy
And I think the 3 XLB places at 301 W Valley Blvd

Someone been reading JGold! DTF is great, but isn't close to the other 4. For a hole-in-the-wall XLB experience, I'd do Dean Sin World. Golden Deli is packed with gwailo. Far better pho in SGV (Pho Filet, Noodle Guy -- not the same as Noodle Boy, Pho Huynh). I've only had 1 bowl of noodle at Nha Trang (mi quang) as I'm a bit of a mi quang fiend. It was just "OK". Fun little shoebox, but beware they always shut down in the late afternoons. Noodle Boy's Chiu Chao noodles are absolutely bores. Find some kickass Hunan/Sichuan Chinese food instead. Heck, SGV even has 2 solid ramen offerings - Daikokuya & TonChan: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/18/los-angeles-top-ramen_n_901722.html#s310895&title=TonChan_Ramen. Given 24 hrs, you should really do an Asian brekkie. Either Hoy-Ka for dutch eggs, or Huge Tree Pastry for Taiwanese sticky rice burritos with roasted rice drink.

happy_stomach wrote:--> Are there any markets I should visit? mbh mentioned one that I'm forgetting now.

Wednesday Santa Monica Farmers Market (so you can chef-gaze), Grand Central Market in DTLA, and for some crazy Asian shopping: 168 (which is right next door to Noodle Guy).

happy_stomach wrote:Finally, is any part of LA walkable or bike-able?

No. This household has 3 cars, 1 motorcycle, 1 scooter to prove the city as such. If foreigners visiting from Thailand and Hong Kong can drive in LA, any Chicagoan can drive in LA. You do NOT want to walk the mile from Cole's to Daikokuya after business hours. You really, really REALLY do not.

LA is also going through a huge Coffee "wave" at the moment. Check both LAW & LAT recent articles. DTLA has coffeebar, Spring Street Coffee, Cafe Dulce. Demitasse may even open by the time you arrive. A little above Little Tokyo is Chimney Coffee in Chinatown. Ktown has IOTA which is a rather fantastic space (and just grand opened last weekend)

PM if you need more tips.

Holy shit. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm going to reconfigure my plans and talk to my driver and/or try to find my driver's license.

Oookay.

So, for quick background, I grew up in downstate IL, lived in Chicago proper for 6 (carless), and have lived in Los Angeles 10+. For the last four years, my husband and I have shared a car, and each worked 40/wk jobs, at separate companies. This is to say, yes Virginia, there is viable public transportation in Los Angeles. It might not be the most timely thing when you're on vacation, but it can be very easy, very cheap, and very timely. I'm female, in my 30s, and 95% of the time I'm on the bus or train I'm travelling by myself. I do usually only travel during the rush hours--after work it's very easy for me to meet my husband somewhere, for a bite, etc. and then just ride home (in the car) with him. During normal business hours, most of the mta map is very accessible. Again, putting something like Google maps on your smart phone will change the way you approach a city.

An aside about why I love LA--it seems to me, when I lived in Chicago and I would look around I could play the 6 degrees game with friends. You know, oh, he went to Kenwood Academy, and so and so worked with him in the Loop, and that's why we're all here at the ball game together. But in Los Angeles, when you're out, you look to your left, and you look to your right--and you're surrounded by people who have life stories and back grounds that are nothing like yours. I find this invigorating. Other people, not so much. In the midst of stomping around our concrete jungle, try to pay attention to the bougainvillea, the night blooming jasmine, and the mishmash of humanity.

When you say you're going to visit a spa in KTown, without getting too internet creepy, where in KTown? Because KoreaTown is huge, and you might not be as close to either Daikokuya or Kyochon as you're assuming. If you've got a thing about ramen, if you're flying in or out of LAX I humbly recommend Ramen Mottainai. It's in Gardena, and has some fantastic ramen offerings. Really, they're doing something more there...

Langer's is fantastic, Guelaguetza is good, not great. Maybe for drinks if you're in the LA Live/Staples Center area you could make a trip up to the top of the Ritz Carlton and enjoy a drink and an appy at WP24. My friends swear by The Roger Room (on La Cienega) for drinks, maybe that with Mozza? Or if you'd want to check out whatever's playing at Largo that night?

The restaurant of the moment I'd like to try is Spice Table, and that's in Little Tokyo. It's down the street from MOCA's "Art in the Street" giant street art exhibtion. If you end up at Grand Central Market, you should walk the half block over to the Bradbury building. The outside isn't that spectacular, the inside is gorgeous, and well-known from Blade Runner, 500 Days of Summer, and lots of other productions.