WHY Jidori chicken, cornmeal pancakes with grilled shrimp and chipotle cream, Mexican Coke, $5 burger night, and bargain wines. WHAT One of the leaders of the Echo Park boom (it’s not evil gentrification, it’s a renaissance!), the Park is stylish in a barren, homespun way, with empty frames on stark walls and a simple patio [...]
May 18, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Delicious updated feel-good food, like sloppy joes, saucy BBQ pork, soups and vegetable lasagne, to feed two people or a crowd. WHAT In addition to being one of L.A.’s more popular caterers, Annie Miler also runs this café, bakery and takeout place. Some dishes, like sandwiches and breakfast items, are served on an individual [...]
May 16, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY For 40 years, Jesse Gomez’s family has been turning out ‘careful-the-plate-is-hot’ Mexican food at El Arco Iris, an old-school hub of Highland Park life. Now Gomez has created a new-school, loft-like place serving regional Mexican dishes, as well as twenty-some tequilas and what may well be the best margarita Downtown. WHAT This is not [...]
May 12, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Warmth, a strong sense of neighborhood and a serious approach to food—and, more importantly, to Mexican chocolate in all its forms. WHAT The name was a poor choice—everyone stumbles over it—but everything else about this richly colorful café/deli/market succeeds. You order at the counter to eat in the café or out on the patio, [...]
May 4, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY WeHo chic in old-money Pasadena. WHAT This glam white-on-white restaurant doesn’t look one bit like Pasadena, and we admire the Langham Huntington for pushing the envelope. (It’s always entertaining to see San Marino men in Brooks Brothers blazers trying to figure out what to do with that precious morsel of lobster that appears to [...]
April 27, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY First-rate short-order cooking served in a classic lunch-counter diner that’s been here for more than 50 years. WHAT With its lunch counter, black-and-white linoleum floor and retro feel, this small coffee shop would seem more suited to the Midwest than West Hollywood. But it’s beloved by locals for just that old-time atmosphere (and service), [...]
April 21, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY New Orleans heaven: gumbo, jambalaya, soft-shell crab, crawfish etouffée and, most of all, the fried chicken. WHAT A landmark on a battered stretch of Jefferson, Harold & Belle’s is home to L.A.’s best Cajun and Creole cooking. This is not the funky dive some people expect given the neighborhood—it’s a nice restaurant with a [...]
April 11, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Superb New York—style pizza, by the slice or the pie. WHAT Is this the best New York—style pizza in town? Many think so, and it’s certainly on our very short list. There’s no seating, just a stand-up counter with room for two to eat a slice or wait for a pie; Cheviot/Palms locals get [...]
April 1, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Downtown-style cocktail chic in a formerly frumpy Pasadena landmark restaurant. WHAT It was a stroke of genius for the owners of the Raymond, a pricey restaurant in a circa-1886 cottage, to turn space over to cocktail guru Aidan Demarest (of Edison and Seven Grand fame). The drinks are terrific, the cozy interior has a [...]
March 30, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Good-value Indian cooking in an area that appreciates it, with free delivery to boot. WHAT Bright and busy, this affordable café has an extensive vegetarian menu, prepared in a separate kitchen, but carnivores are not neglected—the tandoor chicken is savory, and the tikka masala is satisfying. Be warned that the hot dishes are seriously [...]
March 23, 2012 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
RSS Feed
Become a Fan
Follow Us
