WHY For the little-known Muslim fare of Xinjiang, China’s autonomous far western region. WHAT The food at this homey café, a mesh of Chinese elements and central Asian nomad cooking, likely bears little resemblance to anything you’ve eaten in L.A. Sure, Xinjiang lamb kebabs are well known, but owner Munire Omar brings out zhuafan, a [...]
January 27, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY To break the hummus-and-kebab stalemate of most L.A. Middle Eastern places, in a handsome, hardwood-floor bistro setting. Also for the late-night menu, which includes half-price wines. WHAT A farmers’-market sensibility permeates the small and large plates made by Craft alum Micah Wexler: pizza-like flatbreads topped with trendy produce, veal mantee (baby tortellini), quail in [...]
January 24, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Because there’s more to Korean food than barbecue. WHAT Mimicking a Korean tavern with its charming faux country-style décor, Kobawoo serves dishes that best accompany frosty beers or soju. Its tremendous lineup of savory pancakes includes a pizza-size, seafood-stuffed one called haemul pajun. A color-drenched salad of clear acorn noodles, jangban gooksoo, comes tossed [...]
January 7, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY For an unexpected taste of Latin America. WHAT A graceful dining room inside an old California bungalow serves Guatemala’s national turkey dish, kakik de pavo, a mole-like thick soup, and pollo en crema, rich and sharp with the tang of buttery cultured cream. Enchiladas topped with a tower of shredded beef, beet salad, and [...]
December 9, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY To check out SoCal’s first Vietnamese-American gastropub. WHAT Happy-hour specials and a half-dozen brews on tap pair with beer-friendly food that mirrors the everyday flavors most Vietnamese-American kids grow up eating—with a slightly creative twist. Good examples include the grilled mini skewers of curry-marinated chicken or beef and the sliders on Hawaiian buns (pulled [...]
November 17, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because there’s so much more to the Mexican sandwich than carne asada—filled rolls. WHAT Seventy variations of the DF-style torta is an idea that might seem as gimmicky as popcorn-flavored ice cream. But each torta here is as precisely constructed as anything from a four-star kitchen. Choosing the best one is impossible, but the [...]
November 7, 2011 | Posted in
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The westside’s “Little Osaka,” along a three-block stretch of Sawtelle west of the 405, throbs with nightlife and the sort of restaurants you’re likely to see in modern Tokyo. This enclave between Olympic and Santa Monica boulevards was once farmland for immigrants and later drew Japanese-Americans returning from internment camps. Today, apart from a few extant bonsai nurseries, Sawtelle is all [...]
Even in the ‘70s, when korean businesses began to put down roots near Vermont and Olympic, you could smell garlicky broiling meat wafting down the streets after dusk. Today the aroma is even more intense. About 700 restaurants and markets cluster along Olympic, Wilshire, 8th and 6th from Crenshaw to Alvarado. Every kind of Korean specialty is represented, from noodle [...]
Alive with the color of brilliant silk saris, the aroma of a hundred curries and the rhythms of Bhangra-inspired folk hits pouring out of music shops: This is Pioneer Boulevard, the heart of Little India. It sits in the middle of Artesia, a suburb north of Long Beach just off the 91 Freeway—which, conveniently for the widely dispersed Indian community [...]
WHY To sit in front of a row of siphons, sip coffee and talk to the owner about the body, flavor and other qualities of every coffee he offers. Try the latte flavored with crushed almonds. WHAT Why would a coffeehouse not open until 10 a.m.? Owner Ray Sato says because in the early morning, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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