WHY For the wait staff, the history and the breakfasts, served 24/7. WHAT Do we love the Pantry? Yes. Is the food really good? No. Well, former mayor Dick Riordan loved it so much he bought the place, but he likes plain, filling chow, and that’s what the Pantry has delivered, 24 hours a day, [...]
November 16, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Because there’s so much more to the Mexican sandwich than carne asada—filled rolls. WHAT Seventy variations of the DF-style torta is an idea that might seem as gimmicky as popcorn-flavored ice cream. But each torta here is as precisely constructed as anything from a four-star kitchen. Choosing the best one is impossible, but the [...]
November 7, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The best old-school stand burger in the Valley. WHAT 84-year-old Bill Elwell has been making burgers on his vintage grill in this dumpy part of Van Nuys for decades, and something about the seasoning of the grill and Bill’s technique makes for the perfect fast-food burger, complete with orange cheese and a grilled white [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY It’s business in the front and party in the back at this industrial=chic café that’s equal parts coffee shrine and performance space. WHAT This small, subdued place serves impeccable brews by Intelligentsia and Ecco along with sweet and savory treats from Auntie Em’s and Breadbar. On the mezzanine level, a shop stocked with Moroccan [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY A loungey little restaurant that’s upscale enough to impress a date but casual enough to pop into with friends. WHAT The ambience is intimate and friendly. Happy hour is the best time to come: $2 off all wines by the glass and half-off crisp flatbreads, like the one topped with burrata, cippolini onions and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For excellent Taiwanese breakfasts and snack foods. WHAT For a couple of decades Yi Mei Bakery, which had a few tables pushed into a corner, was the place to go for morning bowls of soy milk, Chinese crullers and savory buns. Now they’ve opened a real restaurant serving the same great stuff—and more. Of [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Chinatown restaurants can seem all too similar, but JR stands out for hot pots, lobster specials and well-prepared standards. ; WHAT The same owners’ JR Restaurant was one of the westside’s top Chinese restaurants, and faithful customers will find many of the same favorites at this slightly slicker updated spot with white tablecloths, beer [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The perfect place for a Downtown dinner date, where modern Vietnamese food meets seldom-seen Singaporean specialties in the middle of Little Tokyo. WHAT A vintage brick building has been transformed into two rooms of rustic style, with filament bulbs in Vietnamese birdcages in the dining room and a buzzing bar scene up front. The [...]
October 28, 2011 | 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 [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Truly behemoth burgers that value quality as much as quantity. WHAT Hawkins House of Burgers is perhaps best known for its man-versus-food portions, particularly the Hawkins Special: three beef patties, cheese, bacon, chili, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, a fried egg, pastrami and a hot link. But the burger stand-cum-convenience store is just as renowned for [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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