alexfood's Profile
Lia's Gourmet Kitchen, Van Nuys
I've gotten take-out several times, and it's been great. Mixed kebabs were grilled perfectly & the dumplings were full of meaty juicy goodness. Will try the flat iron next time!
Southwest corner of Woodman & Victory.
How do we feel about Sushi Sushi on Beverly Dr?
If you sit at the bar & do straight omakase, you're going to get a great meal. It's a very different ride than Sasabune or Nozawa, which are street-vendor-style: warm rice, big fish. (Personally, i find Sasabune's fish to be very watery like the slices have been soaking.) Sushi sushi is more likely to give you smaller & more intensely flavored pieces, like toro that the chef sears right in front of you or snapper with sea salt. I'm a fan.
Best Omakase (L.A.)
Nishimura on San Vicente & Melrose. They don't get a lot of love on this board, but I was pretty blown away by a nigiri-omakase dinner there a few weeks back. Every piece was transportive. Not cheap; this is an expense account place.
Kiriko is my go-to reasonably priced omakase. $35 pp for lunch including the salmon they smoke in-house and top with a dollop of caviar, and hon-maguro.
Very honorable mentions to Zo (baby squid!) & Mori & of course Asanebo (most artistic). Mori seemed most overpriced, but the uni was truly memorable.
REVIEW: Puro Sabor, Van Nuys
Thanks! This is right around the corner from me, so excited to try it.
Have you also eaten at Nazca on Victory? It's been a little while since I've been, but I've always had good stuff there. Not a lot of experience with Peruvian, but I'm learning.
Sherman Oaks/ Encino Recs
Go a little further east and try the Artisan Cheese Gallery (Laurel Canyon & Ventura).
Good cheap sushi - Sushi Don Sasabune (Laurel Canyon & Magnolia).
Koraku - Passable Japanese comfort food. Not the best, but not bad.
There's actually quite a few great places if you go just a bit north of Ventura.
Mom's BBQ on Hazeltine & Vanowen. (A little north of Ventura.)
Several Thai places up on Sherman Way - Swan Thai & Krua Thai are probably best.
(This area is actually a much larger Thai community than Thai Town in Hollywood.)
Socorro's - Great handmade tortillas. Up on Victory just west of Van Nuys.
Skaf's - Best kebabs - Laurel Canyon & Oxnard.
Check out the Korean mall surrounding the Greenland Market up on Sherman Way & White Oak.
The Infield
What's with the vitriol? Did you like the hot dogs or not? If an Italian restaurant closes and another opens in the same neighborhood, is that somehow unethical? Is Phillipe's the only place allowed to make French dips? I try not to hate on people in the restaurant biz unless they have bad food or bad service. I went to the Infield last night for the first time, and fortunately, they had neither. I got a chili-cheese dog & a Dr. Brown's root beer, and it was well above-average. Tasty chili, a good Sabrett's dog (steamed). Definitely better than The Stand (another hot dog stand in the Valley within a mile radius of the Weiner Factory for you to boycott, Mar52). My prize still goes to Marty's on Pico; they cook the dogs on the griddle, and the slightly charred taste is a winner for me.
Sushi - What are you ordering?
Omakase at Kiriko for lunch. Great deal -- $35 for some of the highest quality stuff in L.A. My favorites are their salmon (which they smoke themselves and top with a small dollop of caviar), all of their ao-zakana (the blue fish - iwashi, aji, etc.), and their seared toro.
Looking for great Pad Thai
Gotta push the North Hollywood standouts:
- Pad Thai Krua Thai @ Krua Thai - nice spiciness, good firm noodles
- Swan Thai, my favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai place in L.A. Their pad thai is sweet but not too sweet, a bit less orange than most of the stuff you get elsewhere, and they always have high quality chicken & shrimp. While you're there, check out their amazingly cheap small plates ($2.50 each!) and their oxtail soup.
Sushi in the valley
Went to Asanebo about 2 months ago and they have done quite a bit to add more nigiri to the omakase. We had about 4 or 5 non-sushi dishes, then went straight nigiri for about 10 pieces. A perfect (but pricey) meal.
Need a great restaurant to go for my 40th birthday
Second! This is a unique special occasion dinner that doesn't leave you feeling like you just went to one of many similar-feeling high-end restaurants in L.A.
Dinner tomorrow - Studio City-ish
Mezzo Mondo on Ventura is good easy Italian.
Great sandwiches & salads at Artisan Cheese Gallery.
Moving west, Solley's is decent deli (although it's not in the league of Brent's).
If you go a bit north, you can get great thai at Swan or Krua.
Koraku is also pretty good Japanese.
Ichimi-An/Bamboo Garden - Soba in Torrance
We did a mini-kuidaore (food overindulgence) over the weekend in Torrance, and the star was the soba at Ichimi-An. They make their soba by hand every morning. I got the "inaka" or "country-style" soba with a quail egg, green onions & sticky seaweed. The noodles were thin (you can also order thicker if you want) and light with a great slightly chewy texture. Also great inari-zushi; perfect sweetness. Very friendly service. Highly recommended.
We also got some yakitori from Shin-Sen-Gumi at Marukai. Chicken heart, nankotsu (chicken cartilege), tsukune (chicken meatballs), and pig stomach.
Dessert was nameraka pudding & honey toast from Mammoth Bakery at Marukai. That pudding is the best - incredibly smooth, not too sweet.
Vote for the best Hole-In-The-Wall (Michelin-style)
I know I'm forgetting plenty of places but here's a few...
Three Stars
SoKongDong (Soontofu)
Santouka
Brent's Deli (not exactly a hole-in-the-wall, but far from central L.A.)
Swan Thai
Amandine
Two Stars
Portos
Vito's Pizza
Pazzo Gelato
Soot Bull Jeep
Krua Thai
Jitlada
Koshiji (yakitori-ya in Little Tokyo)
Orochon
Artisan Cheese Gallery (duck confit sandwich!)
Dr. Hogly Woggly's (I know people are divided, but I'm a defender of the brisket)
Kansas City BBQ on Lankershim
Skaf's
NBC Seafood
Soccoro's (Van Nuys) - good handmade tortillas
Phillipe
One Star
Pitfire Pizza Co. (cheap alternative to overhyped Mozza)
Sa Rit Gol
Al Gelato
Sabor a Mexico
Terried Sake House
Apple Pan
Sam Woo (Van Nuys)
AZAMI Sushi on Melrose - A M A Z I N G!
I've gotten out of there for $85 for 2 at lunch, but is has gone higher plenty of times, up to $120 (including tip). I haven't been for a few months because I started work on the westside. This post has got me dying to go back!
Is there any decent Indian food in the Hollywood area?
A little hole in the wall in West Hollywood. A very nice couple has been cooking for about 15 years in this strip mall. Great place for a quick lunch. Nothing fancy.
Bombay Grill,
7306 1/2 SM Blvd.
LA 90046
323-874-3366
Good Cheddar but Bad Service at Artisan Cheese Gallery
Sorry to hear about your traumatic cheese shopping experience. :) I must say we've never had a bad experience at Artisan. A younger guy (Greg?) has helped us a few times, and his enthusiasm for cheese seems to know no bounds. He practically served us a full cheese course just letting us sample things, including adding some honey to an amazing blue. The one time I was helped by the older gentleman, he actually picked amazing cheeses with a lot of depth (although it wasn't with the same pep). Bottom line, I'll keep coming back for the duck confit sandwich, even if they yell at me the whole time I'm eating it.
Japanese-style Pudding
Just tried a nameraka pudding from Mammoth Bakery in the Marukai in Gardena. Wow!
This is Japanese-style pudding like you can get at some specialty shops in Osaka - smooth, not too sweet, easy to eat. All natural ingredients: egg, milk, heavy cream, sugar & vanilla beans. You can also buy them at the Marukai in Little Tokyo, not sure where else. Also available in green tea flavor, but I liked the original/plain better. Definitely worth seeking out, great dessert.
the best SANDWICH in (Los Angeles) period.
Don't know if it's a "best" but just had the french dip at the new Lawry's in the Century City food court. They slice it right in front of you. Kind of a sodium bomb, but very tasty. Will return...
L'Artiste Patisserie, Encino - Closed
Went to Encino hoping for great coffee, croissants & french macaroon cookies, and found a new place called Whisper Cafe in the place of L'Artiste Patisserie. Shock & horror. Anyone know if they relocated?
What's your most recent WOW! Moment at an LA restaurant?
Kiriko's salmon - they smoke it themselves.
Also an uni handroll at Asanebo. I mean...wow.
Valley Sushi Bar Question?
Thanks for the advice on Chiba Sushi. I'll check it out...
To give you background on my sushi opinion, my favorites are Kiriko, Asanebo (if I can afford it), and Sushi Zo.
Here's what I said about Yagumo on a different thread about "best sushi in L.A." a while back:
Special mention to Yagumo on Vanowen & Van Nuys Blvd. in the Valley. Cheap, fun, and surprisingly good fish. The owner/chef is Indian, but speaks fluent Japanese and has a very Japanese attitude about his restaurant. Kiriko it ain't, but even my Japanese wife has a great time there.
Thai in Valley?
Best food for me is at Swann Thai on Sherman Way & Coldwater.
Best pineapple fried rice, best beef boat noodles. Super-friendly staff. Great little tasting menu with about 10 dishes at $3 each. Highly recommend.
Craving Cuban Sandwich
To be a bit more specific about the Porto's recommendation, I would go for the Media Noche con Preparada. This is on a sweeter roll w/ added potato balls. Much better than the straight Cuban sandwich. Every time I eat one, I feel like I could order two more.
Angelini Osteria?
Just went for the first time a few weeks ago, and it was great. The whole branzino was perfectly moist, the lasagna verde was one of the best I've had, and the special roast pork leg was amazingly juicy. Will return.
Hokkaido food at Mitsuwa (moved from LA)
Did anyone else get to the Mitsuwa Market this weekend for the Hokkaido Food Fair? They brought over a ton of stuff from the northern island of Japan and were selling it all weekend. The miso ramen was delicious with great al dente curly-style noodles and thick miso broth. The bento boxes with crab & salmon eggs over rice were tasty & just a little vinegar-y. Curry bread filled with thick & spicy curry & potato chunks were freshly baked goodness. One big surprise was the soft-serve ice cream made with organic milk from Hokkaido cows; I've never tasted soft-serve like this...it was like drinking a chilled glass of sweet farm-fresh whole milk. Anyhow, this was a great foodie field trip. Can't wait til next year...
Enoteca Drago - downhill?
Thanks for the responses. Maybe I just caught them on busy/bad days the last couple of times. I really want to keep eating there.
My favorite Little Saigon Pho
I'm by no means an expert on Little Saigon, but we just had Pho Tau Bay on 1st Street, and it was truly the best pho we've had outside of Viet Nam.
Enoteca Drago - downhill?
Anyone else think that Enoteca Drago is slipping? The last 3 times I've been there, we've had problems:
- Ordered La Bomba (pizza with black truffles), and they forgot to put in the truffles.
- Service was extremely slow during 2 business lunches.
- Ordered a small plate appetizer, pistacchio-encrusted goat cheese with honey, and they forgot to bring the honey until we were pretty much done.
- Even the famous carbonara wasn't as good; last time, they burned the pancetta, and the whole dish tasted like overcooked bacon.
I know I'm complaining about a really good kitchen, but the first ten times I went were so much better than how it's been lately that I wanted to ask the board if it's just me or if they're having trouble.
First trip to Little Saigon
Pho Tau Bay was on 1st Street. It was a little hard to find, being in a strip mall obscured by some kind of convenience store. Enjoy...
