CulverJack's Profile
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
I just had Pinche's for lunch today and it was really pretty great. Thick chunks of meat and great juicy, beefy flavor. Great tortillas, pillowy and a good contrast to the meat. I don't know that they are using skirt, but it is definitely tender and thick, and it could well be. Or a thicker form of flank, at least, that would approach skirt. It really doesn't matter what it's called - it's good. Agree, BTW, on using expensive cuts for tacos - doesn't make a ton of sense overall given how well the other cuts work with the accompaniments. It's a package, dadburnit.
I go to the one in CC (naturally, yo!) - I recommend the folks that care enough to keep reading this thread give it a try.
Fraiche in Culver City closing?
Haven't been in yet, but I've been by it at night and it was pretty hopping a couple of weeks ago. I think its nicer inside than out from what I saw when I peered in. If they can get people into that location, they must be doing something well.
Fraiche in Culver City closing?
Yes, and I'm sure they'll keep it. What I mean is great house drinks (cocktails, I suppose) that are yummy just reading the combinations. Sotto has this. Akasha too. Comme Ca has for days.
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
I mentioned Tacomiendo in my post - not sure its skirt, I think flank. It's my go to spot all in all, for many reasons. But I wouldn't say its the highest quality meat. Pinche's is a bit thicker/chunkier and moister, for example. But that's just two in my circle of spots within a couple of miles of home. I love 'em both.
Fraiche in Culver City closing?
I agree - I think the Fraiche location is a great one and is better set up for success. Helms is definitely a destination, I think you have that completely right. I think quality/value/consistency will be what works for the Fraiche spot whether it is high end (not likely) or something more pedestrian (more likely given the Daily Grill group that is coming in) and I'm looking forward to being able to go back to the spot - it's been dead to me for at least a year. I hope they have a good bar program, they'll need one to compete. Fraiche did, and it made them compelling when they opened.
Another ripe spot that should be turned to great (someday!) is the Culver Hotel. But that would be another post...
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
I find it good but not great. Their orange (habanero?) salsa, tho, makes anything good. I never find myself thinking of Sanchez as a destination. More like a quick, easy stop if we're by there.
Fraiche in Culver City closing?
I think there's always room for something great and well executed. I loved Fraiche when it began, top to bottom. I'm admittedly not as sensitive to FOH attitude or issues as some, if I have to endure or get past a knucklehead or two to get to my table, I can deal with that. I had as many warm, friendly experiences with their staff at the podium as I did cold or snooty. Mostly I found it amusing - two or three years before, CC was nothing more than a couple of exits off the fwy, one of which brought people to Tito's Tacos! Dark days indeed. Now we had a real restaurant that folks could actually be offended by! Wow!
We went a lot in the beginning, and found it consistently good. But just before the chef left, and definitely after, the consistency was gone and quality went way down from where it was. They definitely didn't meet expectations. We went once for dessert and it was really not good, with bad Muzak on - Toto as I recall. Now that is offensive! And that was the last time for us.
Also, what they were doing well you can find better in so many other places now, as westsidegal points out. Market driven cal med is everywhere - and that's a good thing. If the chef had stayed, maybe they could've stayed fresh, or even Fraiche. I agree this gets tougher as rents rise, but that's part of the biz. Look at FO and now Lukshon. Akasha and Fords are always more full than I'd expect. And that newer sports bar Roccos always has a crowd. It's still very doable, just a bit harder now.
And whatever goes in there, it will be a step up from where Fraiche went. Please though, no Toto.
Anyone tried Coolhaus New Fried Chicken and Waffle Ice Cream Flavor?
It's good - not enough for me to crave, though. I had dirty mint/molten lava cake last week instead. I may be a bad point of reference though since I may be boring when it comes to what I end up ordering. But the shop in Culver City is worth a stop anytime, regardless. Mascarpone Fig is good, too. They seem to always have it.
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
Thanks. I guess I've experienced a ton of burritos, in different styles based on the shop, and I can see virtues in most. I know if you ask someone from no cal, they wouldn't call it a burrito w/o rice, beans and sour cream. Thus the elusive (elusive here in LA, anyway) mission burrito. I've never liked the argument that often ensues based on that combo ("there are no mission burritos outside of SF") - sure there is, just not exactly the same, which you could say about each mission place versus the other. For getting something closer to an SD burrito, I like your point that the difference shouldn't be the meat. There are just 2 more freaking ingredients to nail then, and one is just a flour/water wrapper. Off the top of my head, try Tacomiendo with just asada and guac - maybe you already have. It may do it for you.
How about some of your faves in SD? I have El Gordo on my list now, thanks to mexcellentfood. Next time I'm in SD I'm going to hit a few places in the same day. I have a friend down there and we talked about doing this together soon - I now have the perfect excuse. I'm happy to replace any drunken standby's of his or mine with better spots. This will be a great day, I can feel it already.
When I get burritos, I don't prefer rice or beans in. All meat with guacamole is good for me, and any spot I've gone to here in LA will do it that way if you ask. Or if it is a soupier meat, like barbacoa or a stewy shredded beef, just all meat can be just the ticket for me.
I don't actually order burritos all that often (I'm an asada taco en tortilla de maiz man, I guess), but when I do, I prefer dos equis. Maybe it will be "the most interesting burrito in the world". South of Santa Barbara, anyway.
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
Hmmm, Yelp. I'll leave that one be. It's the tacos I'm more interested it.
But thanks for passing on the spot. I'll go next time I'm in SD, probably in the next 3-4 weeks, and I'll report back. In the meantime, try a few of the other spots when you have the time. El Parian is worth it on many levels.
Carne Asada Burrito or Taco in Los Angeles
Interesting post. I went to school in SD and ate at/from most of the more pedestrian spots like Robertos, Albertos, Rojelios, etc. etc. and smaller taquerias like Don Juan in La Jolla usually more than once a week. My take was that the meat had little/no char, lots of pepper, was often "wet" or steamy (maybe from being chopped or sitting for a while). The burritos were good and maintained a beefy flavor since they would have only guac plus a bit of onion/cilantro inside. Granted, that was all intended as college drinking food and we certainly put those morsels to good use toward the end we envisioned. While it was good for what it was for, I don't miss Albertos.
In LA, we must have a thousand taquerias/other food spots serving asada. That may be a very low estimate. It's hard from where I sit to think you couldn't find something to fill the space nearly as well to what you've left behind. Some of my faves today are driven a lot by convenience and being on my route or close to home or work. Tacomiendo (though the asada can be a little dry sometimes this is such a winning spot it never fails for us overall), El Taurino (killer simple salsas here), Pinches (quality of the meat + the tangy roasted tomatillo salsa), La Taquiza (mostly for pastor but asada is great too and tortillas always amazing) and when it is right which is most of the time El Parian (I have had 1-2 more "off" times for the asada out of maybe every 15 visits, but this is a place where 80% of folks are eating birria, so what do you expect). I think you need to branch out some. I think its safe to say LA lacks very, very little when it comes to Mexican food - regional, street, whatever. Blogs (Bandini's is amazing, also Street Gourmet LA) and J Gold make finding this stuff even easier. You just have to get out and look. And eat.
So - I'm in SD once a month or so now for work - where are your go to spots and why? What is setting the asada apart for you?
Where is THE best Panna Cotta in greater Los Angeles or Orange County?
Chef Isaac, formerly of Cucina Paradiso in Palms, now at Il Sole on Sunset makes what has to be the best panna cotta I have ever shared a table with. Completely stellar - I have no idea how he does it. Angels, maybe.
Any great Thai / Indian restaurants in the Westside?
For Indian I think two of the better spots are Annapurna and Mayura, both in Culver City. I wouldn't call either "using the finest ingredients", though. But these are among the best either my family or Indian friends who are willing to make do on the WS sometimes have found...
You might also try Samosa House - I didn't see that on your list.
Agree Nizam used to be great and fit what you are talking about quite well. I haven't been back in 4-5 years, but I thought it wasn't what it used to be.
Any great Thai / Indian restaurants in the Westside?
Agree with nosh and Servorg - in my search the best WS Thai is at Thai Boom and Ekkamai. If you think Natalee is OK you should really like both of these, I'm betting. Be up front about how you want your food served (how spicy, which sort of rice, etc.), both should be great for you.
REVIEW w/pics: The Best Counter Dining I Ever Had Was at Chef Gary Menes' Le Comptoir
Mmm... Jingo! I love Jingo! How do they prepare it here? Roasted? Seared? :-)
Seriously, the pop up and the personal nature of it does clearly influence the experience. In my opinion, hugely. But there is definitely value in that, more for some than others. How much of the meal cost is "worth" that portion of the experience? YMMV.
I also think the personal experience in the pop up is what makes loyalists out of what would be simply diners or that random 4 top in any other setting. We spend $$, sometimes $$$$. I love getting more than great food for that. It's amazing to me how a pop up can generate these champions.
Best hot dogs & onion rings on the Westside?
We were just at Fat Sal's in Westwood for the first time over the weekend (for sub sandwiches and onion rings). Wings were good, thick batter and tasted just like they smelled as they were cooking. Saw dogs on the menu, didn't try, but maybe someone else on the board has.
Super nice and friendly staff, and a cool outdoor high stool/wrap around counter facing the street to eat at. Very much a stand experience.
Coney dog also really, really great (high quality stuff here, including craft beers) with great staff and food, but more of a sit down experience than a stand.
Try a few and report back, with all of the new joints popping up, you'll get your fix for sure.
Unique Burger and Great Brisket Sandwich -- Victor's Deli
Just to weigh in briefly - this is a take out counter - there are no seats and nowhere to eat onsite. They sell sandwiches and a few cooked items (rotisserie chicken, ribs, brisket) which I've seen people that seem like regulars from the neighborhood come in for. I've had the chicken and its good. Thanks to nosh for words on the other stuff - definitely a good option in the area to take and go.
Taste of Chong Qing, anyone?
Wow! Went for lunch yesterday and from my experience I would say this is tops for Sichuan right now. The fellow who seated us said he was sorry we had to go back to work afterwards (so were we!).
Had excellent fried chicken with dried chile, fully ma la, where even the individual chicken pieces were spicier than the red chile bodies by a long shot. Totally invigorating dish, I thought one of my friends was going to burst into flames right there at the table.
Really great beef with pickled chile also, good counterpart to the fried chicken with sauce and lots of celery. Finally, stir fried lamb with hot chiles was exactly that, good quality ingredients and lots of chiles to keep everything honest and interesting. I love these dishes. Definitely my idea of comfort food in the spiked out endorphin region of my brain.
Nice folks too, service was good and we felt very welcome. We truly enjoyed the experience, and felt completely "done" in full ma la coma at the end. What more could one want? Don't answer that....
Pastries at Short Cakes???
Yes, they are good. Chocolate Bread Pudding, not too sweet. Very good. Mmmmm. Had a couple of others too, also good, but can't remember the details. Worth a visit, but bring your $$$.
Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate
Yes - Sweet Rose in Brentwood, and Coolhaus in Culver City (with other interesting flavors too, and fantastic hot chocolate).
800° Degrees Pizza is now officially open for business - YAY!
I agree. It's pretty darn Neapolitan. You can quible about crust flavor, or overall crispy preference (like Mozza, not so classic Naopolitan, but certainly yummy), but 800 degrees is def great for what it is. Maybe 80-90% as good IMO as something costing twice as much.
CDub, I loved the sopresatta and red chile paste too. Great pie, no question I'll return. Ultralate hours a big plus, also.
Fox Hills Branch of 101 Noodle Express Re-Tools
Yep, I've been too, and beef rolls are still great. Also, they have the "green sauce", which is the cilantro/sesame oil/chili mixture that is so good. You have to ask for it, but they gave me as much as I want. Service is really nice and they have been very accomodating and willing to please each time I've been.
We did get a bit of the minced chicken, and I found it OK but my son liked it a lot, so as ipse points out, its clearly for westside (aka 7 year old) tastes.
Dan Dan Mian, though, is gone. I never even tried it, though others found it wanting.
I still think that nearly everybody walking by has no idea what the restaurant is doing or offering. It is only the "noodle" in the name which even stops them and gets them to look at the menu. I think its a tough problem, IMO overcome only with sampling and that old fashioned art of "busking"...
But this remains the place I eat whenever I'm in the mall, and happily so.
Milo and Olive Open and Menu posted Online
Was there over the weekend, had a great lunch!! Really excellent salad of arugula/radicchio with an anchovy/garlic dressing, light and lemony and refreshing. My son loved the bonconccini with anchovies and olives, and I saved the pickled peppers (freshly picked by Peter, I'm sure) for the pizza margherita. Pizza was great, with a deep, hearty sauce that is different than most, much less acidic and a nice change IMO. I think we now have so much "zaa" in our fair city that I appreciate a little differentiation. Crust great, not as crisp, rustic or charred (in a good way) as you might get at P Mozza but more so that Antica was doing. It did have a little of the sogginess issue in the center "mid pizza", but we just waited a bit for the cheese to firm up some and all was good. I wouldn't even call it a knock. Excellent pear tart dessert, too, custardy, rich though not too much so, and not oversweetened.
Very nice folks and they took great care of us. Owner Zoe and chef from Rustic Canyon were there making sure all was running OK, so they definitely care and are delivering, in my opinion! Not a ton of space inside for seating - maybe 8 seats at the bar and 2 big communal tables. This is a great spot, well worth a visit. I'd recommend off hours for an easier time getting seated (but would say the same about P Mozza).
Wine Bars
Cool, thanks perk, I like it. I do need to get to some of the newer places and see what's what. I owe it to myself ( :-) )
Wine Bars
There are definitely a slew of spots to go to, and sad to say I haven't made it yet to many which have opened in the past year. I don't love the places with machines, though. While you definitely can get those tiny pours, I like the personal side of the experience where you can talk to someone about the vino you're about to taste, and after you've tasted it, without messing with a card. Most good bars will let you have a taste of anything they have open before you commit to a glass, anyway. Here are a few:
Bottlerock - Downtown and CC - very good in that they'll open any wine they have in the shop as long as you commit to 2 glasses. And you can get single glasses from any bottle they've opened already. Good selection, OK pricing. Great range to high end, too.
Corkbar - Downtown - they only offer CA wines, so this is a good place to focus on that. Good food, nice people, very friendly and an easy hang. Pricing also OK.
Vinoteque - Melrose - great list, both world and CA, and great pricing. You can do very well buying by the bottle here, which is easy if you get a group together, or just drink a lot. Good range, affordable to high end.
Lou - Hollywood - great spot all around, and good food, but probably more world than CA. Selections here are generally NOT pricey or high end, always good value. And definitely off the main path. If you were to go to 2 bars, you should include this one for sure. If you go to one and want a lot of CA, this is probably not the place, I'd say.
Holsteins burgers in The Cosmopolitan
Was just there over the weekend, a great stop. Excellent burger, great O rings, really nice service and a fantastic beer selection, a gazillion of good ones on draft and a server who let us try whatever sounded interesting before diving in. All good!
Babita-like
This is one you may not have on your radar, but the subject line Babita brought it to mind. Latin, honest, fantastic food and good folks in charge - La Casita Mexicana is a major winner. It's in a far flung location, but worth it.
They are here -
http://casitamex.com/
-----
La Casita Mexicana
4030 Gage Ave, Bell, CA 90201
Babita-like
I like Barbrix a lot - great food, really nice folks all around. And some great wine too.
Antica Pizzeria
I'm thinking of starting a California themed Anti-Pizza restaurant called Anti-CA Pizza. I think this idea has legs!
Any news on when Antica (which we liked a lot for over a decade in MDR) will be re-opening?
Lasagna at Bay Cities in Santa Monica
I agree with Tracy S - when you add several loaves of their bread its a no brainer.
Also, we've gotten their stuffed shells (they are big - stuffed w/ricotta) which was great as a veggie option for larger parties.
Both kept really well as frozen leftovers, too.
