WHY For handmade pasta made by a real Italian mamma. WHAT When Filippo Cortiva split with his partner at nearby Osteria La Buca to open his own place, he brought his mother, Loredana, with him, and now she’s a partner and chef. When she’s not making fresh pasta, she cruises the relaxed, high-ceilinged trattoria to [...]
February 16, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The perfect middle-of-L.A. spot to meet friends from across town for lunch, with a menu that has something for everyone. WHAT The quintessential L.A. café, Buddha’s Belly has a bright, bamboo-lined indoor-outdoor space, an appealing and affordable pan-Asian menu and good service, and we find it handy when needing a central spot to meet [...]
February 13, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The best Mexican food in the Valley—with margaritas, to boot. WHAT Chef Jimmy Shaw of the original Lotería Grill in the Farmers Market and its successful spinoff in Hollywood now rules the second floor of the strip mall at Ventura and Laurel Canyon. In an airy space decorated with blowups of vintage lotería cards, [...]
February 8, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY For earthy Lebanese classics with an edge of sophistication, served all day long. WHAT Some may remember owner Em Tony’s handiwork from the luxe Al Amir opposite LACMA, where she cooked in the ’80s. Now she reigns over a sparkling open kitchen in a big, buzzing space, where you can often watch her turning [...]
February 7, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Pizzas as good as Mozza’s, only less expensive and with less hoopla surrounding them. WHAT Bradford Kent is an obsessive fellow, prone to toss out dough that he feels isn’t just right, and refusing to serve a pizza that is the slightest bit overcooked. Given the tendency toward overly blackened crusts these days, that [...]
February 7, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Carefully sourced meats, poultry and fish, smoked and cured by hand. WHAT Salt’s Cure does its own thing. In fact, it does virtually everything: smoking its own fish, curing its meats without nitrates, and pickling a vast array of vegetables. Chefs Chris Phelps and Zak Walters preside over the tiny, tall dining room from [...]
February 6, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY High-quality Chiu Chow dim sum, and lots of it. Don’t miss the taro and the exceptionally juicy sui mai. WHAT This vast and grand restaurant is famed for the incredible range of its dim sum—60 choices most weekdays and 80 on weekends—and its Chiu Chow expertise also extends to dishes like the whole perch [...]
February 5, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The kitchen knows when to take a fish off the grill and how to bring out the best in each dish—without overcomplicating it. The setting and the food combine to make this the perfect California restaurant. WHAT This lively (i.e. noisy) Abbot Kinney hot spot has a ’70s open-air Big Sur vibe but a [...]
February 1, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY L.A.’s best-kept-secret French bistro. WHAT Almost hidden in a corner of the Farmers Market is a café as authentically French as any in Lyon. It’s part of the adjacent Mr. Marcel market, home of French cheeses, olives, wines, table linens and an array of gourmet foods. Unlike most Farmers Market eateries, which are order-at-the-counter [...]
January 30, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY For the little-known Muslim fare of Xinjiang, China’s autonomous far western region. WHAT The food at this homey café, a mesh of Chinese elements and central Asian nomad cooking, likely bears little resemblance to anything you’ve eaten in L.A. Sure, Xinjiang lamb kebabs are well known, but owner Munire Omar brings out zhuafan, a [...]
January 27, 2012 | Posted in
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