WHY Starry Kitchen spices up the Downtown lunch scene with a modern, irreverent approach to Vietnamese-influenced cooking. WHAT California Plaza is a little less corporate with the success of freewheeling Starry Kitchen, which started as an underground restaurant in the owner’s apartment. You pick a protein (free-range lemongrass chicken, the famed crispy tofu balls, spicy [...]
April 29, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Locally sourced foods meet excellent beers at this casual Fairfax café. WHAT A minimalist ode to the joy of pairing craft brews—mostly from the Golden State (that’s California for you newcomers)—with food from the state’s purveyors, including Scoops’ unexpected ice cream flavors (including beer- and wine-inspired tastes), Let’s Be Frank dogs and sausages, and [...]
April 22, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A multi-purpose, festive Mexican spot with killer tequila selections in Downtown’s cocktail gulch. The downstairs rec room is fab for private parties. WHAT Silver Lake favorite Malo has spawned a bigger Downtown sister location in a cavernous and often deafeningly loud historic jewelry store. Hide out in the ’70s flashback basement lounge, or sip [...]
April 19, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY All manner of fresh and fragrant exotic spices and a tea annex, too. WHAT Hidden down a Sunset Junction passageway, Spice Station is filled with spices and dried herbs from around the world. With dozens of salts (ghost pepper salt!), chiles and colorful flavored sugars, the shop offers many ways to make cooking exciting, [...]
April 6, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Well-selected beers from small breweries in a location that’s a bit hard to find, but worth the search. WHAT Choose from two rooms and a beer garden with picnic tables for sampling rare Belgian and California craft brews at this hidden hot spot. There’s a full bar, wine and special cask-beer nights, but no [...]
April 2, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Mini pies, medium pies, maxi pies…. WHAT A sunny yellow-and-white-striped color scheme complements a case full of pies at this perky café with plenty of room for sit-down diners. Salads, sandwiches (pulled barbecue chicken on pretzel bread), main dish pot pies (chicken curry) and side dishes (roasted brussels sprouts) are more than just excuses [...]
March 25, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Modern Korean barbecue with an emphasis on all things porcine. WHAT Owned by the same folks as the beloved Park’s, Don Dae Gam boasts a modern feel and high-quality meats. Though beef is available, this place is really for pork lovers, with choices like pork belly, pork neck, short ribs and pork diaphragm. The [...]
March 22, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Echo Park mixes it up with a winning combo of reasonable prices and modern Vietnamese food that incorporates a nod to the neighborhood’s Latin American roots. WHAT Tacos get a burst of rich flavor from pho-style beef, while dishes like Vietnamese crèpes, mi quang (a rice noodle dish with shrimp and pork) and banh [...]
March 9, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY La Grande Orange’s casual sibling is a busy pizza specialist in the same historic Pasadena train station. WHAT Gourmet toppings like fig and blue cheese or sausage with shaved fennel top chewy sourdough crusts from a wood-burning oven. Crab legs, salads like the Green Day and a few other appetizers complete the menu; plenty [...]
March 7, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The Los Angeles County Museum of Art finally gets the high-style bar and restaurant it deserves. WHAT With bright red Saarinen chairs and a display of colorful teacups from the museum’s collection, the bright, airy restaurant complements the recently added Renzo Piano—designed pavilion opposite. On chef Kris Morningstar’s menu, flavorful fare like wild mushrooms, [...]
February 23, 2012 | Posted in
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