WHY To discover the flavors of China’s Yunnan province. WHAT A brightly lit Chinese café like a thousand others in the area, with the brusque service that’s the norm. But the culinary style is more uncommon: the robust, chile-laden food of the mountainous Yunnan province, which fills China’s southwest corner. Try the crossing-the-bridge noodles, cumin [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The menu focuses mainly on updated American classics, and includes a wide selection of artisanal cheeses and charcuterie for sampling with the wines. WHAT Quality live jazz is at the heart of this candlelit bistro, but the surprise is how good the food is, too. Try the Snake River Farms Kobe beef burger with [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Beautiful salads, bowls and sandwiches made from ingredients as fresh, locally sourced and organic as possible, served in a bright, cheerful café. WHAT Handsome young owner Samir Mohajer has brought the same devotion to high-quality ingredients seen at his old home, Rustic Canyon, to this casual, order-at-the-counter café. Salads are generous and perfectly balanced; [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY One of the best Mexican restaurants in Southern California, and superb margaritas, too. WHAT Jimmy Shaw may look like an Irishman, but he cooks like the Mexico City native he is, and after building a rabid following at his little Farmers Market stand, he’s hit the big time with this Hollywood restaurant and his [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Freshly cooked, healthy, flavorful Middle Eastern food, with nothing on the menu costing more than $8.50. WHAT This Middle Eastern mini-café next to Hard Times Pizza in Silver Lake is unusual for its genre because it does not serve rotisserie chicken or falafel. But it does have lots of tasty things for both carnivores [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Meticulously prepared Italian classics in a charming spot near the ocean. WHAT This funky pocket beach neighborhood in Playa del Rey is a well-kept secret, as is its surprisingly upscale Italian restaurant with a silly name (penguins not exactly being associated with SoCal surf towns). There’s a romantic patio, a cozy dining room, attentive [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Fresh pasta, marinated white beans, farro with grilled vegetables, and panna cotta—everything you need to fake-cook an Italian dinner at home. WHAT The folks behind the neighboring trattoria Little Dom’s run this tiny takeout deli, with its winning 1940s look and its small glass case filled with eggplant caponata, delicious roasted brusssels sprouts, cheeses, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Cal-Mexican food that’s a notch above most; try the fresh tableside guac, housemade sopes and tamales, and luscious (if mild) chile verde. WHAT The family that owns the funkier Las Fuentes has done a fine job providing the West Valley with a good all-around full-bar Mexican restaurant. It’s colorful and just kitschy enough, the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Good, honest Argentinean cooking and wines at modest prices. WHAT This friendly Argentinean, with its comfortable booths and tasty, affordable Argentinean wines, serves well-prepared classics at more-than-reasonable prices: empanadas, matambre (rolled meat stuffed with vegetables and herbs), garlic fries, handmade pastas and such hearty entrées as grilled short ribs (great flavor but too chewy), [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Pure, unadulterated Peruvian flavors (puro sabor means ‘pure flavor’) in a sweet Valley spot with modest prices. WHAT This isn’t the most scenic neighborhood in Van Nuys, but inside is a cheerful, spotless café that showcases the accomplished cooking of chef Juana Paz, a bank teller from Peru who succeeded in achieving her twin [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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