beezees's Profile
Pre-theater dinner rec request
My parents are visiting from out of town. Because of the time difference with their country of origin, we're planning to have a pre-theater dinner (5:30-ish). Do you have any recommendations for upscale (but not necessarily elegant) dining Downtown (we're going to the Ahmanson)? We were considering Bottega Louie and Drago Centro, but we have never been to either. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Drago Centro
525 S. Flower St., Suite 120, Los Angeles, CA 90071
Bottega Louie
700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
szechuan peppercorns?
I purchased them at Hawaii Supermarket:
120 E Valley Blvd
San Gabriel, CA 91776
By the way, I tried 99 Ranch (on Valley as well) first, but did not find them. Also, the staff was unable to help, even after we produced photos to explain what it was that we were looking for.
RESULTS: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009: The Top 25 [Post #1 of 2]
Thank you for pointing out that the price point may vary substantially at some of these establishments, depending on what one orders. Thank you, maxzook, for all of your work. I already added a few of these to my list of restaurants to try in 2010! Happy New Year to all.
Looking for good store-bought kimchi
Thank you all for your recommendations. I may try to make it at home some day, but for now, I will go for one of these.
Looking for good store-bought kimchi
I found a recipe for quesadillas that calls for store-bought kimchi. Since I know very little about Asian food, I thought I would solicit your recommendations. Which brand should I get? Would it be available at stores like Mitsuwa or Simpang Asia (i.e., on the Westside)? Thank you for your help!
PLEASE POST YOUR VOTES HERE: Ultimate Los Angeles Restaurants 2009
> $25
Providence
Lucques
Pizzeria Mozza
Spago
Church and State
< $25
Yai Restaurant
Jitlada Thai Restaurant
Park's BBQ
Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi
Rajdhani
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Park's BBQ
955 S. Vermont Ave, Suite G, Los Angeles, CA 90006
Jitlada
5233 1/2 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
Spago
176 North Canon Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Rajdhani
18525 Pioneer Blvd, Artesia, CA 90701
Yai Restaurant
5757 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
Lucques
8474 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069
Pizzeria Mozza
641 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Lunchless in Culver City
Maybe Samosa House or the new Bawarchi for a quick Indian bite? Or Annapurna (for a very decent uthappam)? I have not been to The Point since Mark Peel took it over, but will give it a try very soon. I am not sure what you mean by "wonderful"? Great food? Lovely setting? None of these are pretty.
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Samosa House
11510 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA
Restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner
Craft is serving Thanksgiving dinner (I saw the fixed price menu on our way out, a couple of weeks ago). It sounded delicious. I am pretty sure it was over $50 per person, though. How about Beacon?
http://www.beacon-la.com/menu-special.php
where to eat near Landmark Theatre in Westwood?
How about Gyu-Kaku across the street? Or Alcazar Express on Westwood and Wellworth? Maybe Nook on Santa Monica, a little further away?
AND THE NEW FLAVOR AT FOSSELMAN'S IS........HORCHATA!
Thought it might be of interest to Fosselman's fans (see #9): http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2009/sep/13/best-foods-in-the-world .
Best place for loose leaf tea?
I love Intelligentsia's Osmanthus Silver Needle. Ten Ren has a wide selection. I like their King's Tea, which I purchase at the San Gabriel location. Lupicia can be hit or miss (I like the Jasmin Dragon Pearl), but their packaging is very pretty (if you're looking to make a gift)... One of my favorites is Theodor's Peché Mignon, which you can purchase at Jin Pattisserie in Venice, or at their new location in Century City. Happy sipping!
Best Persian Restaurant in Westwood
It's around the corner from Border's and across the street from the 7-11. I like their patio dining, even during lunch on Fridays, when it is incredibly crowded. I prefer the Ash to the sandwiches, however. Last time I tried one of their sandwiches, the bread was stale. Very disappointing.
Anyone know where I can get shishito peppers?
A friend purchased them at his local (Venice) Whole Foods Market.
Asian Grocery West Side?
I have seen lime leaves (packed in plastic bags) in the refrigerated foods section at the back of the store. Do they store them regularly? I don't know.
At Bangluck Market, in Hollywood, we were told that we would only find them in the summer months. We purchased 6-8 bags, transferred them to Ziploc bags, and keep them in the freezer, ready to use.
best valentines (or any day!) chocolate
I agree! I was going to make the same suggestion, and was surprised to see that ns1 had already beat me to it. I just ordered a Valentine's petite wood box for my husband (he gave me LA Burdick's champagne truffles in a red heart-heart shaped box for V-Day 2008; they were phenomenal!). I often purchase their chocolate mice or penguins as gifts (they are adorable). And I can't live without their dark hot chocolate during the winter (you will never order it out again).
Dine LA Restaurant Week
We had a similar experience at Carousel Restaurant. We made reservations for lunch, and made sure to specify that we would be ordering from the dineLA Restaurant Week menu. Our server seemed unaware of the event. He asked the manager, who handed him the dineLA _dinner_ menu ($26 per person, as opposed to $16). We asked him to, please, provide us with the lunch menu. He informed us that on Sundays only the dinner menu was available, and asked if we would prefer to come back on a different day. At this point, we had already been served pita bread and drinks. We felt very awkward. I would have expected this disclaimer to be posted on the dineLA Restaurant Week web page. He ended up recommending us the tasting menu at $23.95 per person ("Let's forget about dineLA."), as we would "still be saving a few dollars" than if we ordered from the dineLA dinner menu. The food was delicious, but I think we were misled. I have no desire to make any new reservations for dineLA Restaurant Week.
What to order @ renu nakorn?
I really like their salads, particularly the crispy rice and the catfish. I also recommend the crying tiger beef as an appetizer. The nam prik oom was alright (but we like the Spicy BBQ version better). Enjoy!
best thai on the west side?
Before I discovered Thai Town and other great Thai restaurants in Hollywood, Northridge, and Norwalk, I too used to frequent Pam's Place. Now, this IS the sort of the place where you should probably stick to traditional Thai restaurant fare (unlike many others). I liked their noodle stir fries and chicken curries (comfort food!). I also liked that they were open after 10 on weekdays. I agree that service is very slow, but that may be because, as the menu states, the food is "made with love." I always got a kick out of that... In any case, I am curious about Thai Boom, but still have many more new Thai restaurants on my list that I won't mind driving far for.
Anticucheria Danessi - peruvian quick-take
Chicha morada is non-alcoholic. It is made by boiling purple corn with pineapple rinds, cloves, and cinnamon, and adding lime juice and sugar after it has been strained. Chicha de jora, on the other hand, is a fermented (alcoholic) drink. It varies depending on where in Peru you have it. It most often is NOT purple in color.
Have you tried liver anticuchos? I can't stand liver, but my mom and other members of my family swear by them.
The best anticuchos in Lima, Peru are at Tío Mario in Barranco and Anticuchería de Grimanesa, a street cart on the corner of Enrique Palacios and 27 de Noviembre in Miraflores. Doña Julia, which someone mentions above, is also pretty popular. Everybody has high expectations for Gastón Acurio's new anticuchería, scheduled to open in the near future (I, for one, cannot wait to try his new juguería, or juice bar, which just opened). I have yet to try anticuchos in L.A., so thanks for the review.
pumpkin cheesecake
I have been on a pumpkin roll since October (muffins, bars, cookies, and now, cheesecake). I used a recipe from Allysa Torey's _More from Magnolia_. It has a gingersnap crust which really goes beautifully with pumpkin. I baked it in the afternoon and planned to eat it the following night (it needs to be refrigerated for at least 12 hours or overnight). It's been in the fridge since Thursday night, and I have yet to notice any changes. Mine did crack, unfortunately (I may have whipped the cream cheese for too long). It is not very tall (I am not sure if it is supposed to be). It is also creamier than (I suspect) it should be (even though I baked it for an extra 25 minutes than indicated). Nevertheless, it is delicious. I highly recommend it. Good luck! I am also charged with bringing dessert for Thanksgiving this year, so I've been experimenting.
Westside Breakfast: 3 Square Café + Bakery?
My father will be making a stopover in L.A. on an international flight. We will have enough time (about 2.5 hours) to take him to breakfast/brunch. We initially picked Joe's Restaurant, but then found out that it only opens at 11 am for weekend brunch (too late for him to make it back to LAX for his connecting flight). I remember seeing a new restaurant on Abbot Kinney called 3 Square Café + Bakery. Would this be a good breakfast option? We are looking for something casual, but not necessarily a diner. I love pancakes and all kinds of pastries. I am sure my dad will want to have a mimosa. Otherwise, we are pretty open... I have also heard good things about S&W in Culver City. What do you think?
Peruvian Light Green Sauce - Ahi? (Aji?)
Back home in Peru there is always ají amarillo sauce (simply called "ají") on the table. We eat it with every savory food. My grandma will even put some in her soup (which, I think, is a bit excessive). To prepare it, we throw some ajíes in the blender (stem, devein, and boil until soft if you have low tolerance for hot foods) with a little oil. The more oil, the creamier. Add lime juice and salt. The green ají that you find in the US is usually a huacatay-based sauce, which we often eat with pollo a la brasa. Huacatay is the main ingredient for our second most famous sauce (after Huancaína), Ocopa, which we also serve on boiled potatoes and eggs. frankiii (see above) prepared Huancaína sauce using feta cheese. I tried feta too, and found that its sharp taste overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. I have not been able to find Peruvian style queso fresco (so delicious and light!), so have turned to the Mexican version, sold in almost every supermarket in SoCal. The sauce turned out so much better! Of course it is never as good as it is at home...
