WHY For delicious, expensive steaks, satisfying, expensive breakfasts, 1920s elegance and food served 24 hours a day. Great for serious business meetings and gleeful middle-of-the-night splurges. WHAT Dating to 1921, this added-upon former railroad dining car on the fringes of downtown is as beloved as Musso & Frank and even more—but the food’s a lot [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Excellent kebabs (try the koubideh, a ground-beef blend), particularly good rice and refreshing yogurt drinks. And they deliver throughout Downtown. WHAT This very good Iranian businessman’s lunch place in an historic part of Downtown has a far more fashionable décor than you’d suspect from the outside. It’s open on weekdays only and is packed [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY The kebabs and Middle Eastern classics are good, but live a little and try some of the seasonal Persian specialties, like the chicken stewed with cherries. WHAT This fine old-timer is good for Persian classics; a specialty is fish pilaf, a traditional dish for the Iranian New Year. But most regulars return for the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY A fun and affordable choice for Westwood Village dining. Just don’t fill up on that amazing bread. WHAT The only restaurant around that serves you hot flatbread straight from the tandoor-style oven, Shaherzad is a good place for kebabs, fluffy Persian rice, beef barg and traditional stews. WHO Middle Eastern UCLA students and Iranian [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY This 35-year-old institution turns out Southern California’s most refined birria. WHAT Unlike most birrierías specializing in Guadalajara’s famous roasted kid specialty, birria, this place doesn’t hedge its bets by serving combination plates or other entrées. The drill is simple: You pile soft shreds of the sweet roasted meat onto a fresh tortilla and moisten [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Very good, close-to-the-earth country-style meals you might expect at a ryokan, or Japanese country inn. WHAT Locavores will love the ingredients—organic vegetables, local free-range chicken and eggs, Santa Barbara prawns, grass-fed beef—that chef Tetsuya Harikawa sources for his simply cooked meals. For rice connoisseurs, the star of the show is the early-crop rice cooked [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY A pretty place to explore the cuisine of South America. WHAT This dramatically enhanced sibling to William Velasco’s revered 25-year-old restaurant has the mood of a gracious old hacienda, and the food is less Ecuatoriano and more contemporary pan-South American. The libations match luscious tropical fruits with appropriately flavored alcohol: bright citrusy naranjilla (fruitier [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY For exquisitely made tempura and high-caliber izakaya-style little dishes. WHAT If there were a Tempura Olympics, chef Hiroshi Komatsu would surely get the gold. He plucks your tempura from his proprietary blend of scalding oil and serves the lacy, crackle-crusted fish and vegetables one piece at a time so they never cool and wilt. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Well-executed versions of South Africa’s culinary hits: curries, chile sauces, meaty barbecues, a subtly spicy Naidoo’s Durban curry, and tasty kebabs called sosaties. WHAT Because this is L.A.’s only South African restaurant, you might envision a modest, family-owned spot where you could sample a few of those wonderful South African wines and explore a [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY It brings the spirit of washoku—the revival of traditional Japanese flavors and methods updated with today’s artisanal ingredients—from Japan to California. WHAT The two bars, a wine bar, an open robata-style kitchen, tatami rooms and outdoor seating add up to a luxe, sexy environment to indulge in some elegant and traditional Japanese fare: sashimi [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
RSS Feed
Become a Fan
Follow Us
