WHY Knowledgeable service and some of the best professional-grade knives in the city. WHAT Knives are the big draw—Wolfgang Puck, the Border Grill gals, Joe Miller and Gino Angelini are all customers. You’ll find everything from $50 starter santokus to $3,000 handmade sushi knives. Anzen, which means safety in Japanese, was founded in Little Tokyo [...]
WHY A low-key, compact market that’s easy to navigate, well priced and doesn’t start until 10 a.m., so you can sleep in. WHAT Less of a scene than the nearby Silver Lake Saturday market, this market (from the same nonprofit that runs the great Hollywood one) has gained fans for produce from the South Central [...]
WHY Generous pours of good, modestly priced wines in a very cool Retro Row shop, with $3 glasses on Thursdays and often-terrific live music. WHAT Almost every afternoon and evening, bartender Evan mans the small, living-room-like wine bar in back of the store, and regulars stop in to ask him what he’s pouring and to [...]
WHY For tender layer cakes and cookies that are the stuff of childhood dreams. WHAT Home-style cakes, cupcakes and mini-cupcakes done to perfection: German chocolate, coconut, red velvet, and of course, vanilla buttercake. You’ll also be tempted by criss-cross peanut butter cookies, bundt cakes and creamy cheesecakes that taste like they were baked in your [...]
WHY A remarkable selection of Thai ingredients, packaged foods, cookware, even furniture. WHAT Part supermarket, part Costco-style warehouse, this shabby place is the go-to destination in town for everything you could possibly need to cook Thai food, all at very low prices (including produce). You may have to buy in huge quantities, so consider sharing [...]
WHY Authentic Cuban café con leche, heavenly mochas, lattes infused with horchata and all-around superb coffee. WHAT This suave and handsome spot, with comfy leather chairs and intoxicating aromas, takes its coffee—and its beans—very seriously, buying them from organic, artisanal roasters and handling them with care. But there’s a sense of whimsy that cancels out [...]
WHY It’s an L.A. pioneer that set the standard for French-Japanese-American cooking that’s inventive but not silly. And it has a great and affordable bar menu. WHAT It’s too easy to forget about this chic bistro near Cedars-Sinai, and indeed we did forget it in our last edition. But we were sorry: It’s a quintessential [...]
WHY A convenient, moderately priced café just south of the Old Town madness—with free parking! WHAT Part of a small local chain that also owns Wild Thyme, this place feels generic, and yet it fits the bill in many ways. The short-rib hash, Thai beef salad, pizzas and brick-flattened chicken are of the moment and [...]
WHY Excellent and affordable cocktails and wine by the glass, a killer burger and farmers’ market produce. WHAT Mike Simms has hit a home run with this indoor-outdoor bistro that rises above its shopping-mall setting. Skip the undercooked pizzas and too-small crab cakes in favor of the terrific curry spinach dip, caramelized brussels sprouts, thick [...]
WHY First-rate Italian sandwiches that would hold their own in New York. WHAT This well-stocked market and deli gets slammed at lunchtime, so consider phoning in your order for a sandwich made on either a hard or soft roll, both made on-site. Locals have been coming here for years and swear by their favorites—some say [...]
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