WHY Fresh tofu made on-site, as well as some vegan grocery essentials, including soy milk, tofu pudding and packaged vegan foods. WHAT Kevin Tran is L.A.’s king of fresh tofu. Come here to buy the good stuff, and allow time to eat in his amazing vegan Vietnamese café while you’re there. WHO A steady stream [...]
December 12, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
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
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY The best ice cream soda in L.A., if not the world. WHAT Set inside a pharmacy that sells a Cronenbergian array of medical devices, this retro-style soda counter serves a fantastic array of ice creams: Lappert’s, Cascade and Fosselman’s (including our fave, chocolate-dipped strawberry). But what we love most is how they use that [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY To savor top-quality Vietnamese and Thai cooking. WHAT Owner-chef Dan Nguyen, who seems omnipresent in this small, stylish café in Warner Center Shopping Plaza, has created a neighborhood gem offering Vietnamese and Thai specialties, including pad thai, sates, salads, curries and stir-fries. Don’t miss the wonderful pho and other noodle soups, the succulent, porky [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY To watch your order of sangak, a floppy, chewy, yard-long sesame-encrusted flatbread, pulled from the oven in front of you. WHAT Co-owner Reza Abdollahi once owned a flour mill back in Iran, and this expertise is no doubt why legions of fans willingly take a number and line up. The kebab menu looks familiar, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY To travel back in time in the heart of the Valley. WHAT Swiss-trained chef Ueli Huegli has transformed a tired Italian restaurant, with a menu pulled largely from the late, lamented Matterhorn Chef, where he used to cook. The extensive menu includes Italian pastas (handmade gnocchi is a specialty) as well as hearty Swiss-German [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Because there’s nothing like it in Tarzana: an upscale but casual spot serving the kind of food we like to eat. WHAT A couple of smart restaurateurs (they own 22 places around the country) opened Bleecker Street late in 2009, in affluent but restaurant-challenged Tarzana, and it took off like a rocket. The two-story, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY The best of both coasts: Portuguese dishes alongside classic Greek fare. WHAT Alexis Kavvadias’s 37-year-old restaurant evolved when his Portuguese-born wife, Fatima, came on board. The candlelit dining room is more elegant, and the wine list and menu more diverse. Greek country-style specialties like braised lamb with artichoke hearts in lemon sauce already made [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY Upscale Italian food and service of a higher caliber than you’d expect from such a modest-looking place, at prices that are more than fair. WHAT A real find in the west Valley, Adagio is all about comfort: a cozy but not too fancy setting, solicitous but not too formal service, and well-prepared Italian food [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
WHY First-rate Italian sandwiches that would hold their own in New York. WHAT This well-stocked market and deli gets slammed at lunchtime, so consider phoning in your order for a sandwich made on either a hard or soft roll, both made on-site. Locals have been coming here for years and swear by their favorites—some say [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
Discoveries |
Read More »
RSS Feed
Become a Fan
Follow Us
