WHY Design-it-yourself one-bowl meals that are a couple of notches above the norm at most low-budget Mongolian barbecue joints. WHAT This style of cooking is neither Mongolian nor barbecue—it’s really a melding of Japanese teppanyaki cooking and Taiwanese flavors. Many of us Angelenos of a certain age remember the late great Col. Lee’s, where hungry [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY An eccentric Jewish-Scottish hipster spot that’s surprisingly affordable given the celebrity status of the chef—the most expensive dish is $15. WHAT Helmed by Top Chef winner Ilan Hall, the Gorbals is anything but flashy—an almost-barren candlelit room tucked into the aging Alexandria Hotel, now used for affordable housing. The small menu draws inspiration from [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For a taste of au courant Thai cooking followed by fine-dining-caliber desserts. WHAT A stylish storefront noodleteria where noodles are just a start. The kap klâem—bar-snack-like small plates—reflect the urban Thai culinary trends inspired by owner Billy Jalanugraha’s visits to his native Bangkok. Don’t miss the house version of larb tod: the fried ground [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY If only to give the yak dishes a try. WHAT Owner Tara Gurund Black traded her classical Nepalese dance career to helm this modest place, which turns out Indo-Chinese food from that mountainous region. The chicken-filled momos resemble Chinese pot stickers and taste vaguely Indian. There are lots of Indianesque vegetable and meat dishes, [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY To savor impeccably fresh sushi and terrific rolls. WHAT A sophisticated hideaway in upscale Toluca Lake, Sushi Yuzu boasts a loyal following of diners who appreciate top-quality seafood and creative flavor combinations. The specials list is a treasure-trove of temptations, from cold and hot appetizers, to nigiri sushi made with warm rice, to exquisitely [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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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
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WHY Because Studio City needs a civilized, elegant spot for lunch and dinner. WHAT Raphael is an intimate bo’te with an eclectic yet traditional menu from chef Adam Horton, formerly of Saddle Peak Lodge. The interior, designed by Terry Raphael, is drop-dead gorgeous, with a comfortable lounge/bar and a warm dining room that has so [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For meticulously cooked tandoori specialties. WHAT It’s not until you take the first bite of flavor-packed free-range tandoori chicken that the virtues of this small, stylish restaurant emerge. Co-owner Tariq Amin, a graduate of cole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland, knows how to cook and source superior stuff—his halal birds, for instance, come from [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY To sup on Indian cooking so good you’ll forget you’re eating vegetarian. WHAT In a former Winchell’s, owners of the original Samosa House dish up their contemporary take on India’s vegetarian cuisine, often eschewing butter-based ghee for olive oil and replacing yogurt with ground nuts in some creamy sauces. The Mumbai-style street foods, such [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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WHY For mantee, of course (it’s an Armenian specialty), along with many other Middle Eastern dishes. WHAT This little place serves all the usual suspects, and very well, too (fattoush salad, made with purslane, is terrific; garlicky labne toom is heavenly; lamb kebabs are tender and juicy). But don’t miss the more unusual specialties, such [...]
October 28, 2011 | Posted in
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