WHY The Ciao Bella—roasted veggies with pesto on hemp bread. WHAT Chef/owner Ann Gentry serves enticing meat-free and dairy-free fare in her casual café. The faux Reuben and mock club try too hard to mimic their meat counterparts, so try instead the seasonal vegetables in a wasabi vinaigrette, the Yin Yang veggie salad with peanut-sesame [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Superb salads (try the Humble Salad, a romaine wedge with bacon, goat cheese and roma tomatoes, or the ‘The’ salad, said to induce labor in pregnant women) and Caioti’s rightly famed individual pizza; don’t forget to order some garlic rolls, too. WHAT Ed LaDou may have shuffled off this mortal coil, but the California [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The perfect and characteristic char on the bottom crust of each exquisitely baked pizza. The margherita is simple, sauceless and spectacular. WHAT Alas, Antica lost its lease just as we went to press, but we are keeping it in the book because we have faith that it will have a new home by the [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The mulita, a sort of taco-quesadilla hybrid made with two fresh corn tortillas encasing meat, cheese, guacamole and salsa—the L.A. sandwich of your dreams. WHAT Tortillas are made fresh here all day, and the al pastor is slow-roasted on a vertical spit… clearly this is more than your typical strip-mall Mexican dive. Everyone gets [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The Cobb and Caesar salads, and the chance to sit in the same room with the people who greenlit the movie your kids saw last weekend. WHAT This clubby institution offers an old-school menu (shrimp cocktail, chicken pot pie, meatloaf) to its power-lunching Hollywood faithful. Even though some of the lunch-hour heat has migrated [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For an omakase meal of astonishing complexity, diversity and luxury. WHAT If you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it—so we can’t afford it. L.A.’s most expensive sushi restaurant (and that’s really saying something) requires an outlay of what would be a month’s rent in some parts of the country. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The exuberant Greek flavors go down well so close to the ocean. WHAT Don’t expect plate-smashing hokum at this modern Greek bistro, just very good food: feta bruschetta, grilled octopus, shrimp saganaki with tomato, basil and feta, grilled pita with a dip of olives and sun-dried tomatoes, lovely fresh-fish entrées, a hearty lamb pasta [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY The warmth of owner Aimee Mizrahi, the heartwarming French bistro cooking and the modest prices. WHAT Homey beyond its strip-mall setting, Aimee’s is beloved by locals for its great service and fine food: bouillabaisse, scallops with foie gras, coq au vin and crème brûlée. Tables are tightly packed, so don’t plan on gossiping much. [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY Inventive, flavorful, beach-friendly Cal-Asian fusion cooking is served in a ten-table bo’te closely overseen by the friendly owner/chef, who doubles as sommelier and keeps a close watch over the dining room. Great happy-hour menu at the tiny bar. WHAT Lately this nachos-friendly beach neighborhood is drawing a more food-serious crowd with wine bars and [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY It’s a gem among the mediocre Italian restaurants littering Old Pasadena. WHAT This romantic little cottage on Green Street features a dining room decorated like someone’s (tasteful) home, a kind Italian staff and often-extraordinary seafood-focused dishes from Venice, Friuli and the rest of northeastern Italy. Bring your Gold Card, and savor a superb caprese [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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