Sure, everyone eats and drinks but if you’re the kind of person who also lives, breathes, and reads all things gustatory, you’ll want to make note of the first (and subsequent) summer session of Eating Our Words: A Sustainable Evening with Kevin West and Alejandro Artigas Poet Gabrielle Calvocoressi and gallerist Heather Taylor started the reading series, [...]
WHY Locally sourced foods meet excellent beers at this casual Fairfax café. WHAT A minimalist ode to the joy of pairing craft brews—mostly from the Golden State (that’s California for you newcomers)—with food from the state’s purveyors, including Scoops’ unexpected ice cream flavors (including beer- and wine-inspired tastes), Let’s Be Frank dogs and sausages, and [...]
April 22, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY First-rate short-order cooking served in a classic lunch-counter diner that’s been here for more than 50 years. WHAT With its lunch counter, black-and-white linoleum floor and retro feel, this small coffee shop would seem more suited to the Midwest than West Hollywood. But it’s beloved by locals for just that old-time atmosphere (and service), [...]
April 21, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY New Orleans heaven: gumbo, jambalaya, soft-shell crab, crawfish etouffée and, most of all, the fried chicken. WHAT A landmark on a battered stretch of Jefferson, Harold & Belle’s is home to L.A.’s best Cajun and Creole cooking. This is not the funky dive some people expect given the neighborhood—it’s a nice restaurant with a [...]
April 11, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Mini pies, medium pies, maxi pies…. WHAT A sunny yellow-and-white-striped color scheme complements a case full of pies at this perky café with plenty of room for sit-down diners. Salads, sandwiches (pulled barbecue chicken on pretzel bread), main dish pot pies (chicken curry) and side dishes (roasted brussels sprouts) are more than just excuses [...]
March 25, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Modern Korean barbecue with an emphasis on all things porcine. WHAT Owned by the same folks as the beloved Park’s, Don Dae Gam boasts a modern feel and high-quality meats. Though beef is available, this place is really for pork lovers, with choices like pork belly, pork neck, short ribs and pork diaphragm. The [...]
March 22, 2012 | Posted in
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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 Addictive tabletop-grilled skewers that blur the boundary between Korean and Chinese cooking. WHAT Feng Mao is a hybrid, its kitchen preparing the Korean-Chinese cuisine of China’s Jilin province. Accordingly, you’re as likely to spot platters of the Korean blood sausage soondae here as you are bowls of mapo tofu. But the fusion is at [...]
March 10, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY The Los Angeles County Museum of Art finally gets the high-style bar and restaurant it deserves. WHAT With bright red Saarinen chairs and a display of colorful teacups from the museum’s collection, the bright, airy restaurant complements the recently added Renzo Piano—designed pavilion opposite. On chef Kris Morningstar’s menu, flavorful fare like wild mushrooms, [...]
February 23, 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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