WHY Except for low prices, this place has everything that’s missing from Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s other restaurants with similar farmers’-market-friendly Cal-French cuisine: breakfast, brunch, kids’ menus, cocktail bar, even a takeout counter. WHAT This glammed-up addition to the Lucques/AOC family is light-filled by day and romantic by night, with a takeout-friendly café as [...]
April 16, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Excellent and authentic Argentinean classics: empanadas, milanesa, white fish, huge platters of sizzling meat, mashed potatoes and bread pudding, all at more than reasonable prices. WHAT At this quirky café in the middle of a deli and meat market, patrons cheer their soccer team on TV or simply kibitz while munching on sandwiches slathered [...]
April 15, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A near-perfect pairing of yakitori and oden. WHAT Torihei splits its kitchen equally between yakitori and oden, a relatively rare but harmonious coupling. The yakitori is made from tender, flavorful Jidori chicken.Oden is the more unusual of the specialties, a homey dish that’s typically prepared as a one-pot stew. Here, however, items are parceled [...]
April 14, 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 Because Malibu has long needed a sophisticated, ingredient-driven dinner house. WHAT Chef Paul Shoemaker, who’s cooked at Bastide and the Water Grill, refines American comfort foods (smoky clam chowder, Jidori chicken pot pie, house-baked breads) with a seasonal menu based on produce that’s often sourced from nearby farms. His straightforward preparations elevate but don’t [...]
April 10, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Classic Javanese cooking and crisp fried chicken. WHAT The history of Merry Istiowati’s namesake restaurant traces back to her culinary academy in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Here in a West Covina strip mall, her cooking is indebted to that past. There is, of course, ayam goreng kremesan, Indonesian fried chicken covered in crunchy [...]
April 7, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY A place for chileheads to give their palate a thrill ride. WHAT Light years beyond kung pao, the Sichuan fare at this nicely designed little storefront is the winning contender for capsicum artistry in a city filled with peppery stir fries and incendiary noodles. The fresh fish hot pot has a fan club, but [...]
March 31, 2012 | Posted in
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WHY Good-value Indian cooking in an area that appreciates it, with free delivery to boot. WHAT Bright and busy, this affordable café has an extensive vegetarian menu, prepared in a separate kitchen, but carnivores are not neglected—the tandoor chicken is savory, and the tikka masala is satisfying. Be warned that the hot dishes are seriously [...]
March 23, 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 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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