WHY To celebrate the Central Coast’s most cherished fruit. WHAT Going strong for more than a quarter of a century, this is a fine way to celebrate one of California’s greatest products. Music ranges from the Oxnard High Marching Band to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and there’s a strawberry-focused recipe contest, a strawberry tart toss, [...]
WHY Flat, flavorful steak burgers and hickory burgers wrapped in paper, as well as fries and homemade pies, are the mainstays of this landmark counter-only joint. WHAT With more than six decades of cooking burgers and pie in the same charming 1940s diner, with servers of the same vintage, the Apple Pan is always busy, [...]
WHY No-nonsense deli sandwiches stacked high—don’t be afraid to get your hands messy. WHAT This L.A. landmark has been around since 1931 and is open 24 hours. The endless menu boasts breakfast food, soups and salads, but it’s the sandwiches you want, even if they are pricey. It’s not quite Langer’s, but Canter’s serves one [...]
WHY Vibrant classic and modern Korean cooking made with love by do-gooders. WHAT Kimmy Song, founder and CEO of !It Jeans in Vernon, wanted to use her success to give back, and because she loves food, she decided to do it by opening a restaurant. The result is a light-filled café manned by incredibly nice [...]
WHY The Chinese chicken salad. WHAT It’s not the most authentic Chinese food, not by a long shot, but New Moon makes a damn fine Chinese chicken salad and perfectly acceptable won ton soup, fried rice and stir fries—and the won ton strips with a plum dipping sauce are a tasty variation on chips and [...]
WHY For island-style sweet-salty chicken and plantation-style bone-in chicken, both accompanied by potato-macaroni salad and rice. WHAT Local food, Hawaiian style, means Euro-Asian fusion fare, and this place does it well. It’s ultramodern in looks but owned by the family behind the old-school King’s Hawaiian Bakery next door. 18605 S. Western Ave., Torrance, 310.523.3233 L [...]
WHY The chicken, of course—whole bird, combo meal or even in an individual pot pie. WHAT The chicken is justly famous, lightly battered and spectacularly juicy. But there’s more to Honey’s than those golden birds. From the freshly squeezed lemonade to the small fruit pies and buttermilk biscuits, a meal in this cream-and-gold dining room [...]
WHY Buttery, crunchy, chocolatey English toffee that is impossible to stop eating. WHAT Good God, how we love this English toffee, the highlight of our childhood visits to Farmers Market. It’s made fresh throughout the day and sold in hunks or in tidier sticks. Good almond bark and honeycomb, too, but that’s not why you [...]
WHY Abundant, interesting and delicious Persian food at low prices. Try the fesenjon, a sort of Persian mole, rich and complex, with pomegranate and walnuts. WHAT The kindly service can be erratic at this Glendale Persian restaurant, but it’s easy to forgive when you taste the food—and even easier to forgive when you pay the [...]
WHY Vegetarian and vegan meals in a bucolic garden setting. WHAT The board of changing daily specials at this serene, Buddha-filled indoor-outdoor eatery may offer sweet white corn chowder or a nut-strewn salad. House dressings include balsamic-virgin olive oil vinaigrette and sesame-tamari-lemon. And the delicious house favorites, enchiladas and the kamut spaghetti with a rich [...]
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