Los Angeles
One of L.A.’s best soup & salad combos
L.A. girls can’t help it; we’re heat-seekers. Perpetually cold, we clutch venti mint teas and cling to bowls of hot soup like it’s our job. It’s all in the name of warmth. Even on sunny spring days the recently re-opened Doughboys in West L.A. is making a business out of serving one of my favorite soup and salad combos in the city: 15 salad selections, 11 soup selections, combined any way for $11.95. Plus, because no one should have to leave his or her sidewalk table without trying the restaurant’s homemade bread, the menu says the S & S combo comes with “our grilled French baguette bread.” Mine didn’t come out with the order, but I borrowed some slices from the side of my friend’s Warm Portabello Mushroom and Pancetta salad with potatoes (pictured) and we were equally happy. Triangles of crusty-on-the-outside bread dipped in my huge bowl of spinach-heavy Stracciatella soup next to a heap of Medditeraneo salad – takes the April chill off. Warms the soul.
Doughboys Café & Bakery Restaurant
8136 West Third Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323.852.1020
Burbank’s Little Secret
Ritchie Valens would be proud . . .
On the corner of Glenoaks and Lamer in Burbank, CA, there is a place that few know about, and few are worthy of. I risk ruining the secret for those who know, but dangit, La Bamba Island Cuisine deserves to be tasted by the world!
Like the Little Train That Could, La Bamba has been chugging along since as long as I can remember (and I would know since I live within walking distance of the place). I remember my childhood when we could come for chicken tacos after school. I remember during high school we would sip on the fruitiest shakes this side of the Caribbean (banana! mango! pineapple!). I remember college when their menu expanded. And now I remember these current days, when finally, after coming here for most of my life, they now serve a wide variety of beer and wine for $4.50!
La Bamba has a little bit of everything Latin. Looking for a slice of Cuba? Check out their Cuban sandwich: Cuban bread, pork, swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and awesomeness.
You want fish tacos? They’ve got it and more! Check out the menu for the best shrimp tacos you’ve ever had, the juiciest lobster tacos you’ve always wanted, and the freshest Mahi Mahi tacos you ever tasted.
Want something bigger? Then order the most popular item on their menu: The St. Thomas Burrito. A giant mixed frenzy of shredded pork, guacamole, jack and cheddar cheese, sour cream, and beans. It’s a challenge but totally worth passing. Don’t forget to order it “wet”: smothered in ranchero sauce and covered in cheese, if you can handle it.
Each meal is served with a side of yummy Caribbean rice and beans or decadent garlic fries. For a little place with only a very inviting patio to eat your meals, La Bamba’s menu and heart is really big. Fajitas, tacos, burritos, lobster and crab salads, Cuban sandwiches, quesadillas, tostadas. If you come to La Bamba, you’ve already made it to paradise.
Oh, did I mention they now serve beer and wine?
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La Bamba Island Cuisine
2600 Glenoaks Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91504
818-846-3358
As Lazy As An Ox, As Hungry As A Hippo
where food soulmates meet
Before having a religious experience at the Air concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall two Sundays ago, I was blessed by the patron saints of food at The Lazy Ox Canteen in the Little Tokyo district of Downtown Los Angeles.
Greeted by a cozy and urban atmosphere and illuminated by architecturally giant-size lightbulbs, The Lazy Ox is for foodies looking for something different and downright existential.
It’s hard to describe the food because it was just the most interesting and experimental combinations I’ve encountered in a really long time. And this is coming from the guy who once ate Fried Bat in San Francisco (it really tastes like chicken!).
In order to just gauge how awesome this place is, I’m just going to tell you what I had. There were four of us, but we ate a feast fit for eight.
Dashi Marinated Yellowtail with Avocado, Hash Browns, and Creme Fraiche:
—We started off the night with this delectable dish. Hands down, the best yellowtail I’ve ever had (sorry, Noshi but still check out my review in the Hungry? City Guide: Los Angeles Handbook!).
Pig Ears with Pickles, Lime, and Horseradish Sauce
—I think my friend’s remark explains it all: “The pig ears were like decadent strips of bacon, I swear!” Pickles, lime, and horseradish sauce? How the hell do these people even think of putting these things together?!
Pig Ears with Pickles and Lime and Horseradish Sauce
Khlili (Moroccan-Style Beef Jerky) Served Over a Fried Egg on Toast, Topped with Red Pepper Sauce
—Holy $#!& this was good. The Khlili is sprinkled on top of the fried egg, and it’ all doused in a sultry sauce. It is true: the best breakfasts are for dinner.
Khlili over fried egg
Lengua Ravioli
—To be honest, I wasn’t really a fan of this. The texture was weird, and I didn’t think the combination worked. However, I still appreciated the risk of it.
Lengua Ravioli
Lamb Cheek
—Lamb anything is good. Lamb cheek at Lazy Ox is perfection. Soft, tender, and jam packed with flavor.
Pork Shoulder
—An excellent companion to the lamb cheek. Who knew meat anatomy was so delectable? It came with an insane barbeque sauce.
Pork Shoulder
Butter Biscuit with Strawberries and a Scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream
—I really don’t know how we managed to make room for dessert, but it was just too delicious to pass up. The strawberries were sandwiched between two warm and insatiable butter biscuits. After you take a bite of that, you have some vanilla ice cream, and your mouth just screams in delight. It was a pure Ratatouille moment. You know, in the movie when Remy The Rat pairs two foods together and sees hallucinogenic colors. It’s exactly like that.
Strawberry & Butter Biscuit
Tapioca Brulee with Pineapple Sauce
—After all we ate, how could we only order one dessert? A very sweet but very awesome tapioca with a sugar-crispy outer shell that felt so good to bite into, it was all a happy surprise. Complemented with a bottomless pineapple sauce, you have to wonder why these two items have never met before on any other menu.
Tapioca Brulee
Combined with an eclectic mix of imported and domestic beers (St. Bernardus and Flying Dog “Raging Bitch” IPA are big winners here) and rich, flavorful wines, our meal reached near perfection. The cool thing about this place is that like Downtown, the menu is constantly changing every week with innovation and casual elegance. After our meal, ”Captain” Vincent Cummings came over to ask us how the meal was. He then gave us a 10% discount for being downtown natives!
Love is in the air at The Lazy Ox because not only do they pair foods really well together, they find their soul mates.
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The Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S. San Pedro St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-626-5299
***all photos courtesy of fellow Yelpers (www.yelp.com)
Brunch in Pasadena
Ambience and Great Food
I love L.A. I love it so much, if you say anything bad about it, I will kick your butt. That being said, sometimes we all need a break from the “hustle and bustle” – and by “hustle and bustle” I mean traffic, attitude, and restaurant/lounge identity crises.
Enter Pasadena, the calm, classy city 20 minutes away. And, if you’re looking for the calmest classiest place in Pasadena, then I suggest the Sunday Champagne Buffet Brunch at the Huntington Langham hotel.
Formerly the Pasadena Ritz-Carlton, this hotel has been around since 1865. It has beautiful architecture, a rich history and most importantly of all, delicious food.
The Sunday buffet brunch is like something out of a dream. It is served at “The Terrace” dining room, which has an indoor portion and a section actually on the terrace overlooking the pool and cabanas. Picture tables of innumerable delights. The seafood table: smoked salmon, shrimp cocktail, oysters (I hate oysters, but apparently they are extremely popular), smoked scallop salad… The dessert table: tiny chocolate cakes topped with gold leaf, parfait stacked with fresh berries. The Asian table: perfect steamed dumplings with chili sauce, fried pork dumplings, shiu mai.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention there’s a huge chocolate fountain, right when you walk in. You can pick what you want and cover it in chocolate (cake, strawberries, melon, even rice krispie treats). I wanted to just open my mouth and put my head under, but my parents said I would be asked to leave (just kidding people, I wasn’t REALLY going to do that).
They have all kinds of small plates, everything from fois gras to spicy tuna roll. They also have eggs benedict, made to order pasta, imported meats… and because it’s a buffet you can try it all. I can’t even explain it. You just have to see it. See, taste, and believe. And you will believe, I garuntee it.
I only had one complaint: the melon broth with caviar. It was so strange, I thought it must be good. Not the case.
The brunch is a little pricey so bring your wallet- or your parents (hee hee hee) – because it is totally worth it.
1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue,
Pasadena, California 91106,
T 1 (626) 568 3900
F 1 (626) 568 3700
Brunch Served from 10:00am to 3:00pm Sundays
Border Grill Taco Truck
I am spending the week in LA for a business trip. The sunshine is a nice diversion from the Chicago fickle weather. A meal of tacos from a cart was high on my list of options, but wanted to find some serious Mexican eats. The Border Grill ladies, Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, also own Ciudad but have a much more casual way of reaching customers: a rovering taco truck with locations known to Twitter followers (@bordergrill).
The truck was parked in front of an office building and had a short line gathered along the side. A very friendly lady took our orders; it took a while to decide what to select as the smells of steak, red onions, and green chilies were wafting through the air.
I ordered the potato & rajas (roasted onion & peppers) taco, a carne asada taco with guacamole, and roasted poblano quesadilla. All three of these items were well prepared, highly seasoned, flavorful, and worth the trouble of finding the location. I recommend taking the time to search for the truck and enjoy this casual meal.
Luscious Dumplings
Luscious Dumplings in San Gabriel is one of the best, cheapest and most filling dumpling houses in the area. Almost literally a hole-in-the-wall, this tiny restaurant is always packed during lunch and dinner and on the weekends. Because some of their food requires pre-prep, they even run out of certain things so it’s always wise to arrive early.
The dumplings can come either steamed or pan-fried. They offer the traditional soup dumpling as well as their own specialty dumplings. The pan-fried white fish and Napa cabbage is particularly delicious, as well as the green onion with pork dumpling. The crust on the pan-fried dumplings is crunchy and flavorful, as well as very hot, with every bite. I am not a big fan of pan-fried dumplings like gyoza but the dumplings at Luscious Dumplings are amazing.
They also have a nice selection of soup noodles. My favorite is the pork belly with noodles. The pork is marinated in this savory soy sauce concoction and then slow cooked until it is so tender it melts in your mouth.
The food is so cheap that I did not feel guilty ordering so much food. We all got a bowl of soup noodles, an order of seasonal vegetables, marinated tofu and a small order of dumplings for everyone. (Luscious Dumplings offer combo meals of noodles and dumplings for a discount price.) For my family of five, the bill came out to be less than $50.
A very satisfying restaurant with prompt service, this little dumpling house definitely lives up to its name.
704 W Las Tunas Dr
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 282-8695
Hours:
Tue-Sun 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Tue-Sat 5 p.m. – 8 p.m.
AOC is A-OK!
Market fish (Greek white fish) with artichokes and braised bacon
First, let me say that I think the “small plates” trend is a bit of a scam. Small plates, an evolution of the Spanish tapas style, is really just a smaller re-plating of an entree… except the marked down price is not directly proportional to the scaled down size of the plate. And it only seems so cool and hip simply because it’s trendy.
That said, AOC takes the concept and produces exquisitely delicious dishes – small plates that pack big flavor.
Seafood is well-executed here: we orgasmed on wild bass, smoked black cod and a Greek white fish in addition to squid (beautifully mixed into a black rice risotto with saffron aioli). Not to snub the land animals, we also feasted on lamb and duck.
Lamb skewers with artichokes and almond salsa verde
For dessert? Cream-filled profiteroles with carmelized banana and a chocolate “French toast” with coffee ice cream and caramel sauce.
Everything was terrific, including the three wines I took an opportunity to sample (theirs is an impressive and generous wine list.)
And despite how I feel about the trend, the upside to small plates is that it’s one smart way to enjoy different dishes without a hefty price tag.
AOC is not cheap, by any means, but it’s great value for the money, and most of all, it’s a night well spent with good friends and great food.
AOC
8022 West 3rd Street
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4307
(323) 653-6359
Mon 6pm-10pm; Tue-Fri 6pm-11pm; Sat 5:30pm-11pm; Sun 5:30pm-10pm
Easter at L.A.’s Royal/T
Costumes? Check. Egg art? You know it. Delicious brunch? Of course. Springy greens? Covered in ‘em (literally). Kids’ activities? Naturally.
Playful Royal/T in Culver City scores on all accounts for Easter this year. Their April 4, 2010 brunch will include egg scrambles, sandwiches, Peter Rabbit’s Carrot Ginger Soup, and the royally appealing Easter High Tea: quiche, egg salad sandwich, smoked salmon canap, tuna tartar, colorful macaroons, carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting, mixed berries, Easter themed treats and your choice of tea for $25.
royal-t.org
The spacious café/art space will feature a Kids’ Craft Garden and a viewing of Lyman Sebastian Tilleringer’s Ukrainian-inspired Easter egg art from noon to 3pm.
Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 559-6300
café@royal-t.org
www.royal-t.org
Cafe 10am-5pm daily
Shop & Space 10am-6pm daily
Ma’Kai: Restaurant, Lounge
Ma'Kai: Patio dining area and fire pit
Ma’Kai is located in the best part of Santa Monica; on Ocean Avenue, facing the beach, nestled among all the other upscale fusions beach restaurants (think BOA, Sushi Roku, etc.)
Though it claims to be a restaurant, Ma’Kai… also claims to be a lounge. AND when I first arrived (at 9:30 on a Saturday) I was definitely getting lounge vibes. There was a bouncer at the door, and I found myself thinking “There better not be a guest list, becuase I’m going to be mad I’m not on it.” There was no guest list, but they did card us at the door.
I wanted a definitive answer on the lounge vs. restaurant status, so I called the next day and asked. Apparently, Thursday through Sundays, after 9 pm, Ma’Kai is 21 and up (they still seat at the dinner tables and serve food). During the rest of the week it’s a regular restaurant, and open to all ages. Even babies… I assume.
The ambience was nice, but more towards the lounge end of the spectrum; people standing around holding drinks, those little tiny lounge tables, and a legit DJ, no joke. The patio had a really nice dining area, and some of the tables even had fire pits (not sure if they were for cooking or decoration…)
Now lets get to the food, because after all, if we wanted to know about cocktails and who was spinning, we would be reading… Kesha’s blog or something.
The food was good. Lots of appetizers and small plates, all in the asian (ish) direction. Avocado and mango salad, sea bass with ginger sauce, etc. They have spicy tuna on crispy rice (which seems to be popping up all over this city) and as someone who has eaten this pretty much anywhere it is served, I can say that Ma’Kai’s was definitely in the “Good” to “Great” range. The cucumber sunomono salad was also delicious, although intensely sour… in a good way. And of course, the Kobe beef strip steak with mushrooms was so good I almost forgot how jealous I was that our table didn’t have a fire pit. It was just… covered in delicious mushroom sauce.
Aside from Ma’Kai’s identity crisis that made me feel like I was eating in a club, I was impressed. Nice décor, great food, amazing location. The whole club/lounge fiasco probably wont bother most people, and if it does, it can probably be solved by arriving at normal human dinner time.
Ma’Kai Restaurant and Lounge
101 Broadway Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 434-1511
info@makailounge.com
www.makailounge.com
Tue-Wed: 12pm-10pm
Thu-Fri: 12pm-11pm
Sat-Sun: 10am-11pm
Sake it to me!
It’s a pretty well known fact that if its authentic Japanese cuisine that you’re looking for, Little Tokyo is the place to go. With all the sushi and sake food spots in the area, and believe me there are quite a few, there’s one that is a definite must. There’s a place where creativity flows in and around you with every bite you take. Where you’ll be sure to find a sake that you love no matter what your taste might be. Not to mention that the decor makes you feel like you’ve died and gone to Tokyo heaven. It’s a place where bliss is a serious understatement.
That place is Joy Mart Restaurant, known for their creative sushi and extensive sake bar, located in the Japanese Village Plaza. So whether you’re into trying new and excited foods like their Caterpillar Roll (made up of sliced avocado over water eel and cucumber) or just in the mood for a “too big for your chopsticks” California Roll, Joy Mart is the place for you. Oh and did I mention the Tempura Ice Cream? What a better way to top off a night of sushi and sake then with deliciously sweet Tempura Ice Cream?
For more information or to check out their full menu, visit their website below.
Sake Bar & Creative Sushi
137 Japanese Village Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90012
