WHY Unusual and very good pizza made with a cornmeal crust that’s almost like a good hush puppy, crunching with each bite. Try the one with pancetta and red onions. WHAT A tiny, cheerful café flagged with market umbrellas and small outdoor tables, serving unusual and delicious pizza by the slice or whole, to eat [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Profoundly addictive crisp-skinned chicken, one of the most delicious in town, marinated in citrus juice, garlic and chiles and spit-roasted over a wood fire. WHAT A friendly Peruvian café with amazing roast chicken and fries, as well as good seafood dishes, including ceviches. Make sure to try the Peruvian chile sauce with your chicken. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Intensely aromatic rotisserie chicken, the skin soaked just right with salt and seasonings. WHAT The spits never stop spinning at Zankou, which turns out hundreds of richly flavorful chickens a day, either to eat here or take home. Once the chicken drops below the finger-melting temperature (which takes a while), you tear it up [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Cheeseburgers and banana cream pie. WHAT This no-frills diner with a long counter and even longer lines serves fantastic burgers, very good short-order breakfasts and house-made pies that are famous enough to draw folks from around Southern California. In fact, just about every food group on the wall-mounted menu has its passionate devotees, including [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The Kobe burger, made with American Kobe beef, smoked mozzarella, caramelized onion, tomato, mixed greens and herb mayo on a ciabatta bun, attracts burger buffs from as far away as Woodland Hills. WHAT This born-in-1952 fast-food institution has been spiffed up for a new era, with gleaming tile and shiny tables. The food is [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A chance to live the California dream without actually checking in. WHAT Ah, the good life: lunch at an umbrella-shaded table overlooking the pool of this grande dame hotel, iced tea or Chardonnay in hand. Order a flawless chicken Caesar, a gorgeous Cobb or a rich turkey pesto panini and watch the world’s troubles [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Although it’s a taqueria swank enough that you could take Nancy Reagan there, Doña Rosa is not phony, as evidenced by its excellent huevos con chorizo, hearty pozole and, most of all, its acclaimed pan dulce of every type. WHAT How the food can be so good here and so, well, less than good [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY One word: duck. WHAT There are lots of good things to order (scallion pancakes, beef with garlic, the mountain yam jelly called konnyaku) but it’s really all about the three-course duck dinner, a great feast to share with friends. It starts with a platter of crisp, salty-sweet skin and moist meat to wrap in [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Great setting in a lively neighborhood, steps from the Gold Line station that inspired its name. WHAT This lovely red-walled space features a traditional French bistro menu and charm galore. Service can be slapdash and the kitchen uneven but the crowds of spirited locals packing the small bar and dining rooms don’t seem to [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Great Oaxacan food from a serious and attentive chef. WHAT It looks like a dive from the outside, but inside it’s inviting and charming—the perfect setting for owner/chef Roberto Berrelleza’s outstanding regional Mexican cooking with an Oaxacan focus. The standouts include seriously good Yucatecan cochinita pibil, filet mignon with pimiento-mint sauce, and habañero-blazed camarones [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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