WHY Al pastor tacos at midnight. WHAT All the meats that go into the tacos and burritos are good, but the real reason the people line up every night is for the pork al pastor, among the best in taco-truck land. WHO Mexican families and the young and restless, stopping in between clubbing and bar-hopping. [...]
March 18, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A friendly Irish pub in the heart of the Valley, with good beer (Guinness, Harp, Bass, Smithwick’s), well-made burgers and crisp fish ‘n chips. WHAT It’s a bit gloomy at first, but once your eyes adjust you’ll find a handsome room, friendly locals and fresh beer. If the bar’s too crowded, grab a table [...]
March 17, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Echo Park mixes it up with a winning combo of reasonable prices and modern Vietnamese food that incorporates a nod to the neighborhood’s Latin American roots. WHAT Tacos get a burst of rich flavor from pho-style beef, while dishes like Vietnamese crèpes, mi quang (a rice noodle dish with shrimp and pork) and banh [...]
March 9, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY ‘Wine for the people’ (or so says its slogan), in working-people’s Echo Park, with affordable tastings, charcuterie and small plates, as well as fun wine classes. WHAT A groovy wine bar for an increasingly groovy neighborhood, City Sip is part wine bar and part school. Six nights a week, owner Nicole Daddio pours wine [...]
February 25, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Innovative creations from Ricardo Zarate, Food & Wine’s best New Los Angeles chef, 2011. WHAT The new descendant of Zarate’s ultra-modest Mo-Chica is a trend-setting cantina whose robata bar items look Japanese but taste Peruvian (skewered grilled scallops painted with aji amarillo pepper) and whose ceviche bar garnishes flash-marinated fish and sashimi-like tiradito with [...]
February 21, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Perhaps the most beautifully executed Salvadoran food in the city. WHAT The rich golden paint on this corner restaurant on a shabby stretch of Beverly lets you know that the place has ambitions, and boy, does it achieve its ambitions. Inside the even-more-colorful dining room, happy regulars attack plates of expertly made pupusas (try [...]
February 20, 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 Indonesian street food in its natural habitat. WHAT Set up in a parking lot behind a Duarte motel, Pondok Kaki Lima is one of L.A.’s brightest beacons of Indonesian cooking. The weekly food fair is a collection of a handful of vendors, most of which specialize in a single dish, even if they serve [...]
February 3, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A wee, charming spot with good, affordable wines, cheeses and charcuterie—just the place to transition from the work day to the evening. WHAT The smart folks behind one of our favorite wine bars, Bacaro, run this 600-square-foot spot in the heart of Downtown. Where Bacaro’s focus is Italian, here it’s French, with good, affordable [...]
January 29, 2012 | Posted in
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