Habibi wrote:So I need to find the names and addresses of these restaurants, which I'll do when I can consult the fiance, who has a better memory than I. I'll update the post then.

So, H., update please. My mother-in-law is in Torrance as well and since she likes to eat out, I'd love to know names and addresses for the next trip west. Thanks.

...continuing on a trip that started in Paso Robles and Yosemite, next stop was LA and Huntington Beach.

Asked our front desk clerk where to get a decent margarita and afternoon snack within walking distance, and she suggested Loteria. There''s a patio area with a window open to Hollywood Blvd, so you can sit back a safe distance and chill as the assorted Wildlings and Thenn's stumble by. These pork tacos were tasty, it was a daily special combining their pibil, chicharron and carnitas delicioso! BTW what is up with every taco in CA being referred to on a menu as a "street" taco? It's just a taco. Fix this, thank you.



Had a fine dinner at Rebublique, tres chic California style bistro. Everything on this menu looked good, so we put ourselves in the servers' hands and she done good. Started with the pictured escargot covered with a puff pastry, which we snarfed up before I could take a picture oh no! Also, they have house made bread with a salted Normandy butter - the butter was just spectacular, worth the price supplement. There was a great asparagus salad, and then we split a fresh pasta special with peas and prosciutto. They made this with freshly shelled peas, which is a major PITA to prepare. I know because I just made this for dinner from peas in my garden, and it takes an eternity to shell enough peas for a dinner with two people. Shows me the restaurant is going the extra mile. Finished with a cheese course, one of them was a fantastic washed rind from France which I'd never had before. Really good meal and excellent service, I thought the price was reasonable too, very good value considering everything was superb quality:



Also had dinner at Bucato, specializing in Cal-Ital. I found out after the fact that I was risking severe chastisement if not banishment, they do not allow photographing of there food here! I can see why, the lighting without flash in this place doesn't do the food justice. The salad of radicchio, apricots and walnuts was delicious and almost too pretty to eat but it looks kind of washed out in the photo. The cheese stuffed zuchini blossoms were excellent too. They're known for their house made fresh pastas, and guess what - more prosciutto and fresh peas! I'm not gonna pass this up if I see it on a menu. Buonissimo! Another very fine meal, I thought this place was also reasonably priced:



Trip ended with three days of doing nothing but nuthin, laying by the pool in Huntington Beach and and hanging out down the OC coast. Food down here nondescript, best meal was an In N Out burger. But the bloodies were pretty tasty cheers!

Fast Eddie wrote:BTW what is up with every taco in CA being referred to on a menu as a "street" taco? It's just a taco. Fix this, thank you.

Per our LA momma, normal "tacos" have a hard shell. Perhaps your "street tacos" in their terminology, as the ones pictured, have soft tortillas.

leek wrote:

Fast Eddie wrote:BTW what is up with every taco in CA being referred to on a menu as a "street" taco? It's just a taco. Fix this, thank you.

Per our LA momma, normal "tacos" have a hard shell. Perhaps your "street tacos" in their terminology, as the ones pictured, have soft tortillas.

No offense to yo momma but wouldn't that imply that you can still find places that serve hard shelled tacos, that they must be fairly ubiquitous, and hence the need to differentiate? This is LA not Fresno, c'mon people!

Apparently so, Fast Eddie

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=ha ... eles%2C+CA
http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/0 ... os-angeles

leek wrote:Apparently so, Fast Eddie

http://www.laweekly.com/squidink/2012/0 ... os-angeles

deep fried tacos dorados is NOT hard-shelled tacos. hard-shelled tacos is the shit served at Taco Bell. tacos dorados is soft shelled tacos stuffed, then fried, not fried, then stuffed. The constitution of the 2 species are completely different.

Street tacos means it's served on the street. no one's going to stop using the term while we're standing on the curb, watching LAPD roll by just to harass the taquerios. Loteria's use is.. I don't know. But it's tasty. And I don't have to stand on the street to eat guisado. And they have decent margies. I'm OK with all those things.

Cheap eats shown on a map courtesy of Los Angeles Eater: http://la.eater.com/maps/22-cheap-eats- ... pring-2015
-

PIGMON wrote:This double was a glorious sloppy mess and had I known that this thing was big enough to feed the entire neighborhood, I would have opted merely for a single. The commercial fries are as bad as they look so If you make a visit, keep it streamlined and just get the single burger.



Super Burger
458 N Altadena Dr,
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 449-8818

Ha, I now live around the corner from Super Burger and I also made the same mistake of ordering a double the first time!

Fujisan wrote:

PIGMON wrote:This double was a glorious sloppy mess and had I known that this thing was big enough to feed the entire neighborhood, I would have opted merely for a single. The commercial fries are as bad as they look so If you make a visit, keep it streamlined and just get the single burger.



Super Burger
458 N Altadena Dr,
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 449-8818

Ha, I now live around the corner from Super Burger and I also made the same mistake of ordering a double the first time!

Hilarious. I also randomly ended up at Super Burger after a hike last month. I somehow intuitively knew enough to order a single. My companion wasn't so lucky.

gastro gnome wrote:

Fujisan wrote:

PIGMON wrote:This double was a glorious sloppy mess and had I known that this thing was big enough to feed the entire neighborhood, I would have opted merely for a single. The commercial fries are as bad as they look so If you make a visit, keep it streamlined and just get the single burger.



Super Burger
458 N Altadena Dr,
Pasadena, CA 91107
(626) 449-8818

Ha, I now live around the corner from Super Burger and I also made the same mistake of ordering a double the first time!

Hilarious. I also randomly ended up at Super Burger after a hike last month. I somehow intuitively knew enough to order a single. My companion wasn't so lucky.

That burger looks amazing! I am very jealous at the moment

This thread is awfully quiet in 2015.

My wife and I are headed out to Los Angeles for the first time for a little birthday trip this weekend. Haven't had a chance to do a lot of research. Anyone have any updates or just classic can't miss places?

Thanks!

We're still here KevinM,

In fact, there is another LTHforum member in LA as we speak. An LTHforum gent has also opened a poutine joint in the middle of Hollywood.

As far as restaurants: Bestia/Republique/Ody-Penelope are all firing every cylinder right now. I'm about to do a 30-spot long list of "definitive" San Gabriel Valley spots for Eater.com tomorrow or Friday, etc. etc.

LA finally has a LTH-equivalent in the form of FTC, so poke around there a bit and you shall find.

TonyC wrote:We're still here KevinM,

In fact, there is another LTHforum member in LA as we speak. An LTHforum gent has also opened a poutine joint in the middle of Hollywood.

As far as restaurants: Bestia/Republique/Ody-Penelope are all firing every cylinder right now. I'm about to do a 30-spot long list of "definitive" San Gabriel Valley spots for Eater.com tomorrow or Friday, etc. etc.

LA finally has a LTH-equivalent in the form of FTC, so poke around there a bit and you shall find.

That's my poutine joint! Tony's right, FTC has turned into a nice little food board really quickly, lots of good advice on there.

I just assembled a list of where I eat in SGV. Crowd/critic/blogger faves are mostly ignored. I eat where I eat because of my kiddie/waist/$ in my wallet/peculiar palate/location (West SGV).

Posted on Eater.

Nice job, Tony. I recognize a few of those spots and intend to make the acquaintance of some of the others the next time I'm in LA.

Great job Tony! Looks like I won't even leave the 626 this holiday. Some of my favorite/most anticipated as someone who currently lives in Chicago and occasionally visits LA:
2: fancy Hot Pot
3, 6, 32: Any South Asian cuisine (although 3/Borneo Kalimantan was just okay for me)
7, 25: Xiao Long Baos
17 and many others: Taiwanese pastries

Other interesting foods/restaurants:
Dino's chicken - grilled chicken and fries doused in a sauce that's like peri-peri but mindblowing and possibly Greek
Lee's Sandwiches - for their intensely strong coffee
Ensenada Style Fish Tacos
A "hype" restaurant - Animal, Gjusta, etc. The energy and the crowd are enjoyable to some. I had a wonderful meal at Maré, fresh seafood set in a quaint rear patio of a grilled cheese shop.
Stop at a donut shop
Sriracha factory, if you're into that
I've been eyeing Attari Sandwich Shop for a while - Iranian soups/sandwiches

bernard wrote:Other interesting foods/restaurants:
Dino's chicken - grilled chicken and fries doused in a sauce that's like peri-peri but mindblowing and possibly Greek

So, interesting observation: there IS a d'frence between the "OG" Dino's and the 'other' Dino's. The Lincoln Hts branchis just not as good as the Pico-Union one.

Lee's Sandwiches - for their intensely strong coffee

Lee's ca phe sua da are all pre-made at a central commissary now. Try Ba Le or Saigon's Sandwich.

Ensenada Style Fish Tacos

if i had any gumption, I'd post up 6 Baja style fish tacos that I've crawled through in the last 4 months. Fish taco trucks are HUGE in LA right now, and no one's really talking about the new carts.

I've been eyeing Attari Sandwich Shop for a while - Iranian soups/sandwiches

big fan of Attari, may I also suggest Souk, a new M.E. shwarma joint that has coal fired meats.

Thanks for all the great tips Tony C. If you were going to eat at one or maybe two fish taco spots which would you choose? I had Ricky's, Mariscos Jaliscos, El Chato, Tacos Baja Ensenada among others on the list.

Also, Leo's for Pastor? Or Chiqui's or Tamix?

Have you tried Tire Shop Taqueria for carne asada tacos?

Last one, I read about the pescado zarandeado at Coni's, but saw on your LA site that the chef and his Snook recipe may have moved to a place in Long Beach. Any intel? That whole grilled fish looked amazing.

Thank you so much for the LA info.

My fave fish taco "truck" right now is Mariscos el Bigoton. Mostly because they're not trying to race towards the bottom with $1.5 fish tacos. It's large fish-n-chip sized filet taco is $3, and it's good enough for lunch. Also, they offer ostiones preparados, which is oysters dressed with pico de gallo and... a shrimp. Across the street is Tacos Baja Ensenada, in case it's too cold outside. I can't stand the offering at Mariscos Jaliscos. Just disgusting grease bombs.

I like Tamix over Leo's because 1) proximity 2) lack of line 3) there are more of 'em.

Have not done Tire Shop Taq. My local truck (East Los Adjacent) has al carbon carne asada that is tremendous, and I don't believe in burning extra fossil fuel for something that's perhaps only a "little better".

Coni's is a media darling but the cooking NEVER held up to El Coraloense. There's nothing at Coni does that matches El Coraloense. Not ceviche, not the zarandeodo (which is available as at LEAST 3 variety of fish on a daily basis), not the tacos toreando, nothing.

Enjoy your trip!

There is tonkatsu…and there is tonkatsu. A reasonably accurate description for those who have never encountered it before is a deep-fried breaded pork cutlet. And sadly for me, all of the tonkatsu I’d ever had before was fair to middling quality that fit that description accurately. Then there is Kagura, a Torrance izakaya that serves what has to count as among the best tonkatsu in Los Angeles. Don’t take my word for it. As I discovered after we ate there, Jonathan Gold agrees. Just this past April he wrote that “The best place to get Japanese tonkatsu in the Los Angeles area at the moment is probably Kagura, a dark, sprawling izakaya — food-oriented Japanese pub in Torrance.” (You can find his review here.) Just down Carson from the Lovely Dining Companion’s alma mater, Torrance High, in the old part of town, Kagura is not a fancy place by any means but if you want to understand what glory this classic can achieve, you owe it to yourself to get there.


Chawanmushi

We were each given a small cabbage salad with miso dressing and a bowl of chawanmushi to start, one of those simple dishes that’s hard to bring off. What an amuse: Absolutely terrific. Light as a cloud, smooth, delicately flavored…hard to imagine better.

In general, however the pork is prepared initially, it is eventually covered in panko, deep-fried, and then served with its obligatory sauce (a sort-of thick, sweetish sauce not unlike Worcestershire sauce with the consistency of ketchup) and a bit of sharp mustard. The sauce will often hide a mediocre tonkatsu and, having had plenty of “acceptable” offerings, I chose to bypass it at Kagura. Here, it seems a shame to put anything on this gem.


Black pork loin/mille-feuille tonkatsu

Kagura chefs prepare the meat—black pork (otherwise unidentified)—in a less-common style: they shave the loin very thin and then layer it together to create a mille-feuille (French for “thousand leaves”). This is then shaped, covered in panko, and deep-fried. Extraordinary. Juicy, almost velvety, fried to perfection. A crust that is neither too thick nor too thin, light, and crispy-crunchy. The traditional sauce and mustard are offered as is a tiny mortar and pestle with fresh, toasted white sesame seeds. You grind them and add them to the sauce. The heavens part, a shaft of light appears. Now you understand why, in Gold’s words, tonkatsu “can be [but rarely is] one of the glories of the Japanese table.” (My parenthetical.)


Black cod/gindara saikoyoyaki

Which is why, of course, I chose to order the black cod, marinated in white miso (aka saikyo miso, hence the Japanese name of the dish). In fairness, the cod was also remarkable and had a deep oily richness not ordinarily associated with cod that made it a joy. But I had avoided the tonkatsu because of my previous history of fair to middling stuff. LDC made me taste hers and…I felt like an idiot. You can do what I did – or you have the best tonkatsu of your life.

Kagura
1652 Cabrillo Ave., Torrance
(310) 787-0227
Website
11:30 am - 1:30 pm; 5:30 pm to 10 pm

Thank God for simple things. Remember the impossible quixotic Albany Park kaiseki restaurant Matsumoto? Me either, really. In a shabby stripmall on Beverly near LaCienega is another Matsumoto run by a master of the same name. I looked at the menu and said - "I like mackerel. Can you make me a meal of all the mackerel?" Eight fish later, I'm in love with gizzard shad. Also, besides the fish, fried zucchini flowers stuffed with shrimp and mushrooms. The price for this level of fish and skill is a steal. Looks like any corner random sushi spot. Don't be fooled.

Matsumoto
8385 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
http://www.matsumoto-restaurant.com/

I just got the word that I'm being sent on a quick (2-3 day) business trip to LA next month. My business is in Santa Monica, and I'll probably airbnb close to there for convenience's sake. I have no real conception of LA geography, but would like to work in some meals. I won't have a car, but am fine with Uber rides of reasonable length and using public transit. Recommendations, especially for stuff where LA shines above the Bay Area. Japanese? Persian? Taco trucks?

There used to be a Tommy's with nice outdoor seating not far from the beach in Santa Monica, not sure if it is still around. To me, a chili cheese burger at Tommy's* is an unmatched treat that doesn't get mentioned often enough in the pantheon of great LA food.

*If the sign says Tommie's, walk the fuck out after telling them that they are bad people

Couple of thoughts:

1) Guerilla Tacos is usually on the west side during the early week part of the week. http://www.guerrillatacos.com/

2) Destroyer, in Culver City, is overly precious and "so" LA; it's also doing really thoughtful and delicious food (sort of the modernist version of Cellar Door Provisions. Sort of.)

3) There are a number of farm-to-table spots in the area--Rustic Canyon, Gjelina--that carry on the SF ethos in LA, but they may not be what you are looking for. Cassia, in Santa Monica, puts a southeast Asian spin on it: very good, but may be more formal than you're looking for.

4) Not far from the airport--though in the opposite direction of where you'll be--is Coni' Seafood, which is Jonathan Gold approved and serves about the best Baja-style whole fish you can find outside of the Baja.

If you have the time and patience, I'd recommend making a pilgrimage to central LA: lots of really exciting things happening there. I'd single out Baroo, Shibumi, and Here's Looking at You as highlights; I'd skip Salazar, which has topped multiple "Best New Restaurant" lists this year.

chezbrad wrote:3) There are a number of farm-to-table spots in the area--Rustic Canyon, Gjelina--that carry on the SF ethos in LA, but they may not be what you are looking for. Cassia, in Santa Monica, puts a southeast Asian spin on it: very good, but may be more formal than you're looking for.

In the same family of restaurants, we had a great dinner at Milo + Olive on Wilshire a few years ago. We also grabbed a slice of pistachio cake to-go and ate that on the beach near the pier.

miloandolive.com
2723 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403

Some good lunch spots in Santa Monica include:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/bay-cities-ita ... nta-monica

https://www.yelp.com/biz/wexlers-deli-santa-monica

Last February I had dinner at The Mar Vista and really enjoyed it! It would be a very reasonable trip by Uber:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-mar-vista-los-angeles

Father's Office is a great spot for a burger and a beer:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/fathers-office-santa-monica

Would also second the Baroo rec above if you're able to make it into Hollywood.

Wow, that was fast, thanks for all the recs. Farm to table and fancier stuff I usually reserve for dates or social gatherings--when I'm on my own I'm all about the dives. I'll probably have one nicer dinner out with the locals, but I assume they'll pick.

Worth noting that I'll be arriving and departing by Amtrak, so downtown LA options are appreciated as well. Definitely hitting Langers.

Santa Monica is really close to Sawtelle Blvd., a relatively recent hub of affordable Japanese (and lately, Korean, Taiwanese, etc.) restaurants. Foremost among them is still Tsujita, whose ramen and tsukemen are still unmatched, I think. Across the street, Sushi Tsujita has great sushi -- come early on a weekday to score one of their $18 chirashi lunch bowls (only 15 available each day). A ridiculous price for a large variety of immaculately fresh fish.

Also in the neighborhood, Balconi makes excellent coffee, although truth be told, I'm addicted to their almond lattes (and I generally abhor flavored coffee drinks). Next door, Artelice Patisserie makes desserts that are truly delicious in addition to being Instagram bait.

There's lots of other good stuff in the neighborhood (e.g., The Korean Mkt.'s "KBBQ Dip" is a good sandwich that would be a great sandwich if they left off the tons of mayo) -- definitely bears investigating, if you have time.

More Japanese: Although West Hollywood is a bit farther from Santa Monica, Aburiya Raku is not to be missed. Everything we had there (including the famous homemade tofu) was kind of mind-blowing.

Taco trucks: Guerilla Tacos, for sure. Check the website for the weekly menu. Not cheap, but this is basically high-end dining, albeit sitting on a curb. Try Kogi too, if you haven't. Hell, try it if you have, too. It holds up.

You didn't ask about Thai. Thai Town is even farther than WeHo, but you really should try to get there. Definitely one of the region's strong suits. Ask if you want specific recs.

Venice is just south of Santa Monica; depending on where you are, you may even be able to walk there. Gjelina is great, but it's hard to get into and a bit of a scene. Instead, why not try one of Gjusta's damn tasty sandwiches or smoked fish platters? I'm particularly fond of the shaved prime rib sandwich; my gf proclaimed the tuna conserva the best tuna sandwich she's ever had, and it's hard to argue with her. (No, seriously, arguing with her is pretty rough. She tends to go for the jugular right away. ) The house-smoked fish is also terrific, as are the salads, baked goods, and entrees. These guys can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned.

Right, downtown. Kill all the birds with one stone by going to the Grand Central Market. Walk up to Villa Moreliana for a free sample of one of their awesome carnitas tacos; you will then be seized by an overpowering meatlust that will impel you to buy many carnitas tacos, with many different cuts of meat. Resist it and only get one, or you will not be able to eat anything else for a while -- these suckers are huge.

Other things to try at the market: Belcampo for great burgers; DTLA Cheese for cheesy sandwiches (grilled and otherwise); Wexler's for traditional Jewish deli specialties; Eggslut for eggy things. Probably forgetting a ton of worthy stuff. Explore.

cilantro wrote:Other things to try at the market: Belcampo for great burgers; DTLA Cheese for cheesy sandwiches (grilled and otherwise); Wexler's for traditional Jewish deli specialties; Eggslut for eggy things. Probably forgetting a ton of worthy stuff. Explore.

Pro tip: Skip the dry, underseasoned pastrami at Wexler's (especially if you're going to Langer's) in favor of the lox or other fish items.

Didn't know that, Steve -- thanks. The fish is good, though (as are the bagels).