WHY One of L.A.’s better chicken tikka masalas. WHAT An offshoot of the more elegant Suriya on Third Street, Holy Cow serves lightened up Indian dishes that are still full of flavor. There are a few tables in the mini-mall storefront, and they also deliver in the area. 8474 W. 3rd St., Beverly/Third, 323.852.8900 L [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Well-prepared modern American comfort food—mac ‘n cheese, Caesar salad, flat-iron steak with blue-cheese fries—at fair prices in a swell old building. WHAT High ceilings, old tile floors and burnished wooden tables give Pete’s a look usually more associated with San Francisco or New York. This is a fine place for a weekend lunch after [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Superb lunchtime sushi bento boxes ($12.95) and excellent happy-hour deals. WHAT A pleasant and modest sushi bar, Katsu bears no relation to the über-trendy Katsu-ya chain. Very good, reasonably priced sashimi, sushi, spicy tuna and tempura are served in a modest lime-green dining room just a roll’s throw from the ocean. WHO Locals who [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Organic eggs are used in breakfast dishes like poached eggs with goat cheese and smoked bacon. There are plenty of vegetarian choices, and lunches include grass-fed beef burgers and free-range chicken and apple salad. WHAT This zippy, modern café on an up-and-coming stretch of Pico draws neighborhood faithfuls for breakfasts with a healthy touch. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A lengthy menu of carefully prepared boxed lunches from a sparkling kitchen. WHAT When you don’t want to pony up big bucks for the omakase at your favorite sushi bar, this place is a bargain alternative. They offer great variety: 20 options of made-to-order bento, including many sushi roll combinations. WHO Harried parents and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Fresh beer, tasty English pub fare and a gregarious and interesting crowd. WHAT L.A.’s best-known pub has grown over the decades, now boasting two pub rooms and a dining room stretching between the Promenade and the shore. It’s touristy as hell, but it’s saved by the quality of food and the 20-some beers on [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Skillet-fried chicken and other Southern comfort dishes served in an atmospheric old home. WHAT Everyone loves the charm of the restored Craftsman house, but opinion is divided on Larkin Mackey’s Southern cooking. Portions are small by soul-food standards, waits for tables can be painful (no reservations), and service is typically lax. But the chicken [...]
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WHY Nostalgic charm for natives, and decent coffee-shop fare at 3 a.m. WHAT L.A.’s original Du-par’s still has the red Naugahyde booths but is brighter and prettier after an overhaul a few years back. Seen-it-all waitresses in gingham-trimmed uniforms and tiny white caps deliver huge (if overcooked) omelets, good (if not as good as in [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Savory, straightforward Greek classics at very low prices. WHAT Founded as a market in 1948 by Sam Chrys, this funky, rambling place is run by Sam’s son, Chrys Chrys, who grew it into a restaurant in the early ’90s, in time to cash in on the My Big Fat Greek Wedding phenomenon. You order [...]
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WHY Cheap and tasty moles, goat tacos, and chicken soup with rice and avocado. WHAT To understand why Southern California is such a great place to live, head to El Texate in Santa Monica. Here you are, just a few blocks from the Pacific, eating a Oaxacan meal for less than $12, and it tastes [...]
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