Chowpatty's Profile
pickled everything in Silverlake?
Atwater Village Farm also carries pickles and jams from several different makers. Any good farmer's market these days should have a pickle maker, I'm sure Santa Monica must.
http://atwatervillagefarm.com/
Any good Mexican food in Silver Lake?
Cacao Mexicatessen in Eagle Rock is excellent, unfortunately no alcohol but terrific duck carnitas tacos, seafood, moles, breakfasts, guacamole, homemade tortillas, etc.
La Cabinita in Montrose is surprisingly still pretty good after all these years.
Guelaguetza isn't far if you feel like Oaxacan.
As another poster said, Mexicali is practically in Echo Park so not far at all.
Yxta downtown is one of the few places with pretty good food and good drinks as well, ditto for Loteria Hollywood.
Any good Mexican food in Silver Lake?
Any votes for Mixto for lunch/casual tacos? I haven't been there enough times to really judge, but it seemed pretty bland. Still, nice to be able to get grass-fed beef.
La Parrilla is closed now. I think "acceptable" might be pushing it for Casita del Campo. But I think we mostly agree?
Any good Mexican food in Silver Lake?
Ricky's Fish Taco is great, but he's only got fish and shrimp tacos. Haven't been to the Taco Zone truck on Alvarado in a while but it's generally quite good. I actually like Alegria, even if not terribly authentic. Unfortunately the service isn't great and they are adamantly anti-BYOB.
Malo is fun, although it's not the most consistent.
Unfortunately it's downhill from there.
While My Za'atar Gently Weeps
Nice title, nice post. I'll make a point of checking it out, I love maneishe.
Paleo friendly restaurants?
Looking for paleo food is basically the same as looking for low-carb food in restaurants -- you just order the meat and vegetables and don't eat the bread, rice and pasta. The best restaurants for this tend to be Middle Eastern, Brazilian BBQ, sashimi, etc. But like any specific diet, it's hard to follow in restaurants and much easier if you're cooking at home.
Raw food places are typically vegan which doesn't really jibe with paleo that well.
Mexican in Highland Park?
We tried Highland Park Kitchen. They do have a full bar, tacos, burger, flatbreads, etc. We tried the shortrib flatbread, the truffle mac n' cheese and a beet salad that appeared to be made with canned beets. The food was unremarkable and the service was kind of overbearing, but they really are trying to please. They also have a kid's menu. It's an ok option for those times when you have a combo of drinkers, kids, dogs, etc., but I'll most likely stick with Maxmiliano's.
Mexican in Highland Park?
I'd have to agree with Will on El Arco Iris. Mediocre and overpriced. You would think there would be good Mexican in Highland Park, but the few good places are modest taco stands and taco tables, all without beer. Best Mexican food in that area is Cacao in Eagle Rock, but again, no beer.
Prael Thai - Fantastic!
Glad to hear it's still good. It's one of the few places south of North Hollywood to serve crispy rice salad, though it's not exactly Lotus of Siam. I remember finding out about it on Chowhound when it opened in 2005.
Recommendations in Filipinotown?
Filipino restaurants are not too popular in that neighborhood, despite the name. I would recommend any place in Echo Park such as Red Hill, Mohawk Bend, Allston Yacht Club or the Park, or Downtown like the Redwood, Blue Cow or Baco Mercat.
Maximiliano is Pretty Darned Good
I agree, the orrecchiette is one of the best dishes and most of the other pastas are good. I'll have to try the pizza again before I decide. I never order chicken in restaurants, but we tried it when they ran out of pork chops and it was really good. Vegetable side dishes are generally good too, but the salad with squid doesn't quite work. Brunch starts this weekend.
Delivery in Silver Lake/ Echo Park area?
I did a delivery guide for the Los Feliz Ledger a while ago, guess it's time for a new one. In the meantime:
Good pizza: Tomato Pie, Nicky D's, Lucifer's, Two Boots, Garage
Good Thai: Mae Ploy, Bulan (vegetarian)
Mexican: I believe Mixto delivers
Here's a link to a more complete CH thread:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/80502
Where to take a "Pizza Virgin" to pop their cherry?
Certainly not Papa John's, unless you want them to never crave pizza again! I'd vote for Vito's, or possibly Casa Bianca. Nothing too foofy, not too thin or thick crust.
Abricott - Pasadena is looking not quite as weak
Thanks for the reminder, haven't been to Musha yet! Though many of the better new places are outlets of small chains like The Counter, Lemonade, Musha, it seems like.
Abricott - Pasadena is looking not quite as weak
Abricott has opened on Lake St. in a former Koo Koo Roo and it's a vast improvement. It's a casual, order at the counter cafe from the owners of Daisy MInt, with similar Asian touches as well as sandwiches and pastries. The decor is sweet and whimsical, with a nicely-decorated private room in the back, a cozy nook where a couple can share a couch, and a roomy patio. We tried a spicy pork belly sandwich and the trout-papaya salad, both flavorful and good, if not mind-blowing. Most people seemed to be ordering the beef pho or chicken curry at lunchtime, but the breakfast menu looks good and is served until 3 pm. With Daisy Mint, Cham Korean Bistro, Slaw Dogs, Intelligentsia, Settebello and a few others, perhaps Pasadena is not quite as weak as before.
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Daisy Mint
1218 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA
The Slaw Dogs
720 N Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91104
Abricott
238 S Lake Ave, Pasadena, CA 91101
Palm Springs - 5 Dinners/4 Lunches...Happy Hours
There used to be tons of super-cheap happy hours at hotels and along Palm Canyon in Rancho Mirage, etc., not sure which ones are still going on, maybe check the print edition of the Desert Sun.
We usually stick with Matchbox Pizza (happy hour prices only until 5:30 this time of year) and The Falls next door (happy hour all day every day, half price bar menu).
Korean food to go in Koreatown?
Thanks Saucequeen, that was actually the one I was thinking of trying first!
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Mapo Kkak Doo Gee
3611 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90020
What's the best place to take your picky mom for her birthday?
How about Mike and Anne's in South Pasadena, or maybe Vertical Wine Bistro?
Korean food to go in Koreatown?
Is there such a thing as a good Korean takeout restaurant? I'm used to Korean food being a lengthy affair of grilling meat and making stir-fried kimchi rice and such, but since I drive through Koreatown on the way home every night it would be great to pick up a nicely-packaged bibimbap, or some kalbi and panchan. I wouldn't know where to start with a restaurant that has good quality Korean food to go. Easy parking would be good too.
Lunch spot for Route 66 tour group between San Bernadino and Pasadena?
I think Clifton's or Philippe would be well worth it for their historical ambiance. Both will accomodate a large group and both are cheap. Clifton's would be more vegetarian-friendly but the sandwiches at Clifton's are probably better than anything at Clifton's. Clifton's is in the process of being remodeled, but if you call ahead, they will let you know if that would pose a problem.
pickled everything in Silverlake?
There's also Squirl which offers some preserving classes and sells jam and other preserved things at Proof Bakery in Atwater.
http://sqirlla.com/
YXTA closed on Sundays: Need other Mexican recs (btwn downtown & WeHo)!
I would have recommended Playa or Rivera but you said reasonable prices, so...no.
La Parilla probably has the best food of the three you mentioned, not sure if they have a full liquor license though. Food at Barragan's can be ok, it's worth a try. Of the three I would fear El Conquistador the most. Same goes for El Chavo and El Compadre.
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El Chavo
4441 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027
El Conquistador Restaurant Bar
665 Glendora Ave, La Puente, CA 91744
YXTA closed on Sundays: Need other Mexican recs (btwn downtown & WeHo)!
Try Mas Malo Downtown or Malo in Silver Lake or Loteria in Hollywood. But yeah, strangely it's still not that easy to find edible Mexican food and good margaritas in the same place.
Or for something a little different, maybe Guelaguetza and the new mescal bar? Don't know if it's open on Sunday though.
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Malo
4326 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029
Mas Malo
515 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014
Babita-like
What about Lazy Ox or Spice Table downtown?
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The Spice Table
114 S. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Echo Park dinner?
The food at Taix hasn't been good for 50 years, if it ever was. Allston is a good choice, also The Park, which now has beer and wine. People seem to like Masa, though it can be slow. If you're going early, Mohawk Bend might not be too crowded yet and certainly has the best beer list in Echo Park and beyond.
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Mohawk Bend
2141 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026
Dinner mit beer twixt Santa Monica and Hollywood?
Definitely Golden State. Their menu isn't large, but the veggie sandwich, salads, and sometimes fish 'n chips specials are all good, plus you'll be fairly close to the theater. Also, Village Idiot would be walking distance. I kind of like their menu designations of "No face" "No legs" "Two legs" and "Four legs." It gets crowded later but is fine around sixish. Haven't been to Steingarten yet.
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Village Idiot
7383 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036
looking for killer bar food
I concur on Beer Belly. They achieve an amazing crust on the fried catfish and fried chicken, not to mention the oreos of course. It's not a huge menu, but most of the sauces are made with beer and the food is all extremely beer-friendly. And the rotating beer selection is top-notch.
LAPPERT'S
Reviving an old thread -- other than the actual Lappert's stores, who has Lappert's in Los Angeles? Does the place in Little Tokyo mentioned below still have it? I just read about somewhere that did and instantly forgot it.
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Little Tokyo Restaurant
150 E Bonita Ave, San Dimas, CA 91773
Saturday cheap casual suppers, near Pasadena?
Maybe Gus's BBQ? (full bar)
Pie 'n Burger
Cham Korean Bistro (beer and wine, too!)
I hate to say, but this thread just makes me think "Pasadena is weak." I do like Vietnam restaurant and Daisy Mint, but reading these recs just makes me realize why I drive to Boyle Heights, Downtown, Eagle Rock and Silver Lake for dinner (as well as numerous other Chinese and Vietnamese places in SGV of course.)
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Pie 'n Burger
913 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106
Daisy Mint
1218 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA
*You* eat the Uncrustables, Wolfgang Puck, or some thoughts on the substandard dining options at LA's cultural institutions
I like how your post linked to the Tar Pit bar! That is absolutely not where you want to take the kids. :)
Anyway, have you been to the Gene Autry? I seem to remember their cafeteria as being somewhat better, as is the Getty, which someone else noted. In addition to the Counter at LACMA/Tar Pits/Page, there's Baja Fresh and Mixt Greens and on weekdays, numerous food trucks. The cafeteria at LACMA is a little pricey but the food isn't bad at all.
