WHY Don’t-miss dishes like salt-and-pepper shrimp, whole steamed fish and crab in black bean sauce. WHAT Vast and glossy, this reliable Cantonese restaurant is chaotic for dim sum and a bit more refined at dinner. The fresh and varied dim sum is served from rolling carts, and the seafood is consistently excellent. A seafood feast [...]
February 25, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Beautiful Mexican seafood in a landmark Boyle Heights setting, with kind service. Try the shrimp gorditas for lunch and a fresh-fish special for dinner. WHAT An L.A. treasure, La Serenata serves carefully prepared, sometimes elegant Mexican seafood dishes to a loving and longtime clientele. It now has two branches on the westside, and they’re [...]
February 20, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Succulent roast pork and Cuban-style roast chicken, and (when it’s available) amazing oxtail, too. WHAT A no-frills, inexpensive L.A. landmark beloved for its garlicky marinated roast chicken, juicy, salty Cuban roast pork, plantains, black beans and rice. Branches on south La Cienega and in Encino and Manhattan Beach. 10319 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.558.3168, [...]
February 18, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Local microbrews, good wine by the glass and tasty, affordable modern pub chow. Try the quick-fried garbanzo beans, the soups, the shrimp bruschetta and the fish ‘n chips. WHAT A high-ceilinged old brick building in gentrifying Highland Park is home to this simple but stylish pub, a pioneer in L.A.’s gastropub movement. Order your [...]
February 11, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY One of the first spruced-up bars of Downtown’s renaissance. Kogi fans take note that the taco truck sometimes parks outside. WHAT The funky name and neon sign date from the bar’s original incarnation, but this modern version is a sleek stop on the Downtown bar circuit, with an outdoor smoking area complete with couches. [...]
February 10, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Pizza dough of perfect flavor and bite, paired with superb toppings; the margherita is simple the way E=MC2 is simple. WHAT Is Mozza’s pizza the second coming of Christ? You’d think so with all the hullabaloo around this pizzeria and its celebrity-chef parents, Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali. But the result is something more [...]
January 31, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Fantastic sandwiches, excellent espresso, lovely patios both front and back, and all sorts of good food to take home and pretend you made. WHAT Nino Linsmayer and his chef mom, Esther, were caterers before opening this café and gourmet-to-go market, so they already knew how to make crowd-pleasing food. They now have a devout [...]
January 25, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Dosas and southern-style curries in a tech-savvy setting complete with Bollywood offerings on plasma screens. WHAT Annapurna showcases classic southern Indian cooking in an urbane setting (complete with WiFi). Try the ultra-thin paper dosa or a curry accompanied by pickles, chutneys and sambars. 10200 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.204.5500, annapurnacuisine.com. L & D daily. [...]
January 24, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY Because sushi masters are judged by their rice. WHAT ‘No cooked stuff’ warns a hand-scribbled notice at this no-frills Tokyo-style sushi restaurant in a generic West L.A. strip mall. They’re not kidding—there’s no edamame, no California rolls, no attitude. Just Hitoshi Kataoka’s glistening, warm sushi rice topped with supremely fresh fish, plus a simple [...]
January 18, 2013 | Posted in
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WHY In winter, sustaining pierogis, stroganoff and heavenly hot dried plums wrapped in bacon; in summer, a table on the pretty patio and a bowl of the best cold borscht you’ve ever had, at least in Southern California. WHAT L.A.’s longstanding center of Polish culinary life continues to thrive in this charming cottage on not-so-charming [...]
January 15, 2013 | Posted in
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