WHY Warm-hearted tours for people who like to wander, explore and nosh. WHAT Sisters Lisa and Diane Scalia are friendly, energetic and hungry, so it’s no surprise that they’ve gone into the walking-tour business. Their repertoire centers around three three-hour tours: the original, which explores the Original Farmers Market and ventures onto 3rd Street, one [...]
WHY Caramel cake, coconut cake, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, a very fine sea-salt caramel cupcake and a homey apple pie. WHAT This Silver Lake mainstay makes good, reasonably priced cupcakes, special-occasion cakes, cookies (including Mexican wedding cookies), vegan cupcakes and pies. 3337 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, 323.667.2968, larkcakeshop.com. Daily. MC, V. Type: angeles, Bakeries [...]
WHY Don’t-miss dishes like salt-and-pepper shrimp, whole steamed fish and crab in black bean sauce. WHAT Vast and glossy, this reliable Cantonese restaurant is chaotic for dim sum and a bit more refined at dinner. The fresh and varied dim sum is served from rolling carts, and the seafood is consistently excellent. A seafood feast [...]
WHY Old-school hot dogs of every conceivable topping combo, creatively named for celebrities and movies. WHAT These aren’t the best wieners in town, but Pink’s is still a must-stop for visitors and L.A. newbies, just to soak up the atmosphere and watch the tourists from all over the world. There’s always a line, but the [...]
WHY Martinis, atmosphere, flannel cakes, atmosphere, chicken pot pie and atmosphere. WHAT God knows it isn’t the cooking that makes this place an essential L.A. restaurant—it’s the rich blend of traditional architecture and Hollywood history, faded smoke and legendary lies, all aged to an irresistible patina. (Okay, the cocktails are part of the draw, too.) [...]
WHY To worship at the shrine of California cuisine. WHAT Wolfgang Puck still works the room from time to time, when he’s not off overseeing his global empire, but this is really Lee Hefter’s kingdom, and it’s a magical kingdom indeed. Hefter-Puck (with chef de cuisine Tetsu Yahagi) have kept the standards at peak level [...]
WHY Beautiful Mexican seafood in a landmark Boyle Heights setting, with kind service. Try the shrimp gorditas for lunch and a fresh-fish special for dinner. WHAT An L.A. treasure, La Serenata serves carefully prepared, sometimes elegant Mexican seafood dishes to a loving and longtime clientele. It now has two branches on the westside, and they’re [...]
WHY Free backyard fruit, vegetables and herbs from thoughtful urban farmers. WHAT Actress Hynden Walch started this nonprofit co-op, through which residents from Glassell Park, Silver Lake, Los Feliz and Eagle Rock drop off their excess backyard crops at a pre-set time and place, and Walch and volunteers bag up assortments that are then delivered [...]
WHY Succulent roast pork and Cuban-style roast chicken, and (when it’s available) amazing oxtail, too. WHAT A no-frills, inexpensive L.A. landmark beloved for its garlicky marinated roast chicken, juicy, salty Cuban roast pork, plantains, black beans and rice. Branches on south La Cienega and in Encino and Manhattan Beach. 10319 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.558.3168, [...]
WHY Luscious prime rib and a theatrical sense of ‘going out.’ WHAT It’s kinda like the Disneyland of restaurants. Lawry’s has characters (waitresses in uniforms and perky caps and imposing carving men in stiff toques), adventures (salad tossed tableside in a huge spinning bowl, prime rib carved from a silver cart) and tons of Japanese [...]
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