On an unrelated note, back when I was a student we used to go to this Thai place across from PCC all the time (before Saladang and Saladang Song opened). Years later I finally decided to visit it again, this time through a CH-lens and I was pretty mortified. Luckily, Saladang (and Song) are both still excellent.

Rivera would be my pick in the immediate vicinity of Staples Center.

Going slightly farther afield are Bar+Kitchen, Drago Centro, Bottega Louie, and The Parish. I keep hearing great things about Alma but haven't been yet.

Rivera does a soft shell crab arepa that's quite good.

I think your best bets will be somewhere in Chinatown, Little Tokyo, or the Grand Central Market. Beyond that, something like Mas Malo on 7th could fit a party that large with that budget.

I've been debating getting a membership (I'm eligible as an alum) but really I enjoy the Rathskeller more than the Ath itself.

As mentioned in previous replies, the food is much better than you might expect, but it's still far short of revelatory. It's comfortable and despite the confines of the dining room, I think the food at the Ath is appropriate for its members. You may read into that however you like.

I prefer Sushi Kimagure over Mori anyway.

I got nothing wrong with the top 20, though I'd switch Jitlada for Bestia and Rivera for Night+Market.

I'd go for Drago Centro as well.

Lows FEE-liz.
Laws ANN-jill-ous
San PEE-dro

I've always called it Tex, for similar reasons.

This is a great list for the Silver Lake / Los Feliz / Atwater Village area, and I'm especially fond of Forage, Canele, L&E Oyster Bar and Bar Covell. I'd also add Village Bakery on Los Feliz, and I love the cocktails at Big Bar.

In Downtown, I like going to Hank's, Bar 107, and Tony's.

The loss of King Eddy's is an important one, as many morning drinkers would arrive there for first call... at 6am. With Eddy's closed for renovations, those morning drinkers aren't all of a sudden going to stop drinking.

In the LA area, omakase at Sushi Kimagure. Overall, probably dinner at Raku in Las Vegas.

At the moment for me, my top burger is still Comme Ça, followed by Spice Table and The Eveleigh as 2a and 2b.

Does that instantly make it the best Chinese restaurant in the Las Vegas area?

In the W Hotel, there's Wood & Vine as well as Delphine.

I'd be curious about Bosc, the restaurant in the old Lou space.

The Parish is the best restaurant in Downtown at the moment, in my opinion. Newly opened Bestia is fantastic too. Haven't been to Mo-Chica yet (I know, I know...) but I've heard great things.

Great find. I'll have to swing by some time.

Half of me is skeptical. The other half is excited. Skepticited.

Don't forget to check out the huge Japanese beer selection at Far Bar, down an alleyway near Daikokuya.

I was a biiig fan of their boneless fried chicken.

Yeah, I just finally started watching The Layover and I started getting the same hankering after seeing the Singapore episode.

November commemorates 7 years of me posting on Chowhound. While I was much more active in my 20s, I thought I'd relate as to how my life has changed for the better, and it's all thanks to this message board. Let me explain.

I had been stuck in a cubicle job in an LA suburb, and decided to take a pro-level cooking class as a hobby. There, I met lots of like-minded cooks, got the chance to more fully explore the city of Los Angeles, and most importantly, became fascinated with food writing. Jonathan Gold and Michael Ruhlman gave me inspiration.

An article in the NYTimes talked about Portland, Oregon, as an up and coming food destination. I decided to throw caution to the wind and quit my job and moved up there to pursue a career in food.

At around this time, a poster by the name of ErikM translated the menu of Jitlada. Erik and I became fast friends, as his brash attitude and my calm demeanor seemed to translate to fun times exploring food throughout LA.

Now, back to Portland. I had no friends, no family, no job even. But I had some savings so I figured I could endure it while I looked. Erik gave me one contact, another user on Chowhound by the name of ExtraMSG. I arrived in Portland, exchanged a few emails and met up with him.

ExtraMSG ran a local food message board (remember way back when CH didn't have a Portland section?) and through that message board, I made some of the best friends in the world. I became a food writer for the local alt weekly and was exactly all I imagined Portland to be. For two years I called Portland home, and I was happy with my new life. I became more involved with the bar and liquor scene, moreso than the restaurant and food scene, and befriended bartenders not only from Portland but from across the country.

I'm back in LA now, I have a different cubicle job, but I now have this rich and fulfilling hobby and wonderful new circle of friends thanks to this message board and the tiny online acquaintances that turned into deep real life friends.

I remember the weekend market at the Wat Thai temple.
I remember the taco stand at Cooper Tires on the corner of Fletcher and Larga.
I remember what a revelation it was to try Santouka, and meeting foodnerds like Rameniac and EatDrinkBeMerry and OishiiEats (back before they were married)
I remember being the first one at Jitlada after Erik's translation.
I remember visiting Little Saigon for the first time, and Koreatown for the first time and Torrance and the outer edges of the San Gabriel Valley
I remember wondering who would win a food fight among Brookhurst St, Pico Blvd, Sunset Blvd and Valley Blvd
I remember having drinks at the Hungry Cat when Matty was bartending there (before he went on to open The Varnish)
I remember being sheepishly embarassed to take photos of food, at a time when nobody did it.

I'm no longer writing professionally, but I do love tweeting and I certainly love exploring the city for the next hole in the wall. I bemoan how PR companies have perverted the foodie subculture into hype machines, but the fantastic part is that a city like Los Angeles is so big and so vast that there are still large pockets of the city untouched and unexplored, and if you do just a bit of extra travelling, LA is still quite a fun place to go Chowhounding.

This message board has gone through a lot of stylistic changes over the years but the LA board has always maintained a critical mass of knowledgable locals. That accumulated wisdom spans not only pages of text but also miles of travel for anything to go into plate or bowl or open hand. Chowhound made me really understand the importance of sharing this knowledge with strangers, but most of all, the importance of exploring and finding your own way. Thanks, CH.

Forage (using Blue Bottle) would be my pick.

Under $25
Pa Ord Noodle
La Estrella Tacos
JTYH Noodle
Santouka Ramen
Golden State

Over $25
Lazy Ox Canteen
Tasting Kitchen
Osteria Mozza
Lou Wine Bar
Cut

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Santouka Ramen
21515 S Western Ave, Torrance, CA 90501

Ord Noodles
5401 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036

La Estrella Restaurant
940 S Lorena St, Los Angeles, CA 90023

Lazy Ox Canteen
241 S San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Osteria Mozza
6602 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

JTYH Restaurant
9425 Valley Blvd, Rosemead, CA 91770

Scrambled eggs from McD's "Big Breakfast"

If someone is gonna mention Beverly Soon Tofu, then I gotta mention Sokongdong right across the street.

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Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant
2717 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90006

I had some amazing al pastor tacos at the taco stand on Fletcher and Larga last night, setting me back $1 a piece.

Also, the huaraches at Azteca on York are only $2.50 each.

Green curry ("kaeng khiaw-wan")

I actually think the khua kling and the green curry go great together, as the sweetness of the soupy curry helps take the edge off, while the heat of the dry curry helps bolster the soup. But yeah, that green curry is the bees knees.

I concur. Moreover, I also recommend people order their food maybe one level spicier than their normal tolerance level, all the while knowing that a Southern Thai person would have gotten it even spicier.

Where is the rice salad on the menu? It's one of my favorites too but when I looked at the menu yesterday I swear it wasn't there.

I've never understood why the mussels get so much love. I mean, they're fine, but other dishes on the specials menu shine much brighter like the green curry with fishball and salted yolk and the turmeric fish.