WHY To give your taste buds a jolt with ramen that comes in nine levels of spiciness. WHAT The ramen is tasty and the soup is flavorful, but what Orochon is famous for is its spicy challenge. The levels range from seven (no spice) to one (extremely hot), then moves up to ‘special number’ one [...]
June 25, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The best of both coasts: Portuguese dishes alongside classic Greek fare. WHAT Alexis Kavvadias’s decades-old restaurant evolved when his Portuguese-born wife, Fatima, came on board. The candlelit dining room is more elegant, and the wine list and menu more diverse. Greek country-style specialties like braised lamb with artichoke hearts in lemon sauce already made [...]
June 21, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY An affordable version of Tom Colicchio’s terrific (and adjacent) Craft restaurant, a sleek brother to the New York original. WHAT Everything on the menu in the front lounge and patio at Craft is $5 to $12 and just as interesting: seafood pie, flatbread with goat cheese and cherry tomatoes, short-rib raviolis. WHO Junior ICM [...]
June 19, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Classic cocktails and sandwiches in an old-timey setting in the heart of Downtown. And the speakeasy-like Varnish Bar in the back is one of the coolest watering holes in L.A. WHAT Vintage L.A. meets the modern cocktail culture at this renovated landmark. It’s appropriate that for a tavern that claims to be the city’s [...]
June 18, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The best dim sum in town, and a superb Cantonese dinner menu, too. WHAT The San Gabriel Valley’s reigning dim sum house eschews the rolling carts in favor of a large menu of beautiful dumplings and small dishes: deep-fried peanut and sesame cake, flawless sui mai, Macau roasted pork, Macau egg custard pies and [...]
June 17, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY It’s everything a modern taquería should be in Los Angeles—adaptive and inventive yet traditional and classic. WHAT Guisados was born from the minds behind Cook’s Tortas, and here they channel the creativity of Cook’s into homey stews and braises swaddled in sturdy, rough-hewn tortillas. The menu is forever changing, but keep an eye peeled [...]
June 13, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Vietnamese fusion restaurants have exploded in recent years, but Red Medicine is no ordinary pho-taco joint. WHAT Jordan Kahn’s painterly riffs on Vietnamese flavors are under the radar—he’s doing some of the city’s most creative cooking right now. The chic, industrial polished-concrete space makes a neutral backdrop for eye-popping compositions. Unusual ingredients—rose marmalade, smoked [...]
June 13, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Beautiful salads, Stumptown coffee and the best chocolate-chip cookie in town. WHAT A little bit of San Francisco and Portland in Old Pasadena, the Market on Holly is the creation of two longtime locals, composer Marty Davich and caterer Mary Pat Brandmeyer. There’s a small market (fancy pastas, oils, local organic milk), a swell [...]
June 12, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A French-accented restaurant, wine bar and deli that’s good for brunch, lunch, tapas or drinks. WHAT Chef Thierry Perez chose a large industrial space for his latest Culver City venture, which combines a wine shop, gourmet-to-go and a full-service menu offering everything from crèpes to polenta with veal brains. The tapas happy hour runs [...]
June 11, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Seal Beach’s legendary smokehouse and beer bar has finally crossed county lines. WHAT Many consider Beachwood to be the region’s top beer bar, a place where the craft movement gained legs and hopheads were born. Now there’s even more Beachwood to go around with its new downtown Long Beach location. The menu remains the [...]
June 9, 2012 | Posted in
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