WHY Hip and friendly, with a sangria and tapas menu on Thursdays, when the bustling local farmers’ market comes to life outside its door. WHAT This tented bistro is bright by day and romantic at night, with an always-interesting and usually wonderful menu of multiethnic offerings, from red chile vegetable egg rolls to warm spinach [...]
April 7, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Buttery, crunchy, chocolatey English toffee that is impossible to stop eating. WHAT Good God, how we love this English toffee, the highlight of our childhood visits to Farmers Market. It’s made fresh throughout the day and sold in hunks or in tidier sticks. Good almond bark and honeycomb, too, but that’s not why you [...]
April 6, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Abundant, interesting and delicious Persian food at low prices. Try the fesenjon, a sort of Persian mole, rich and complex, with pomegranate and walnuts. WHAT The kindly service can be erratic at this Glendale Persian restaurant, but it’s easy to forgive when you taste the food—and even easier to forgive when you pay the [...]
April 5, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Free delivery, online ordering and easy takeout of such good things as Cobb salad, grilled artichokes, mac ‘n cheese with broccoli, chic pizzas and grilled half chicken with a warm arugula salad. WHAT This shabby-chic San Francisco transplant delivers its reasonably priced, modern-American comfort food in the Miracle Mile area, and it also does [...]
April 2, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY The excellent ‘game night’ picnic boxes were designed for nearby Dodger Stadium, but they’re available in all seasons and also work great for the Bowl, office meetings or even a take-home supper. WHAT One of the leaders of the Echo Park boom (it’s not evil gentrification, it’s a renaissance!), this starkly stylish café offers [...]
March 30, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY The best takeout coffee in the area and, if you have time to sit down and eat, very good food, too. WHAT This is not really a place to sit with just a cup of coffee and linger—the people waiting for a table for breakfast or lunch will look daggers at you—but it’s a [...]
March 28, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY A vibrant range of prepared dishes, salads and baked goods to take out. WHAT This flagship of the Marmalade mini-empire doesn’t have the seating of its siblings but has loads of tempting choices for takeout. Salads range from herb chicken ravioli in pesto to roasted beets with oranges and candied walnuts in rosemary vinaigrette; [...]
March 25, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Exemplary wine list; creative and confident cooking. WHAT This is certainly a contender for the title of “Best Upscale Restaurant” in the San Gabriel Valley. The patio’s the place for lunch; for dinner, the suavely modern dining rooms beckon. Standouts include the superb bouillabaisse and the grilled beef tenderloin. There’s usually a bread pudding [...]
March 24, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY A 24/7 godsend for insomniacs, students and night-shifters. WHAT The food’s fine, but the real value of this ’70s-woodsy coffee shop is that it’s open 24 hours a day, a rarity for a large, full-service restaurant anywhere in L.A., let alone a beach town. Regulars get the muffins, crab cake Benedict, burgers and egg [...]
March 23, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Great bacon-chili-cheeseburgers, classic burgers sparked with fresh jalapeños and slightly healthier turkey burgers (which we fatten up with bacon). WHAT In a parking lot next to the 170 Freeway is the best burger stand in the Valley, home to fresh, quality hamburgers, crispy skinny fries, good onion rings and tasty chili. 11375 Riverside Dr., [...]
March 21, 2013 | Posted in
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