i’d just eat at Eataly rooftop and call it a day
1 Like
The damn bar pizza at Quarter Sheets was amazing. The salad and sides were also very good. The thick pizzas are not my style but were also good.
The current chef at Melody Wine Bar came from Kinkan. Really enjoyed his food.
We had quite the weekend in LA!
1 Like
Apple Pan, Hinoki and Eataly are all solid recs, I’d also throw out Clementine as another option. It’s across the street from Westfield on the north side of Santa Monica Blvd. Small neighborhood cafe, they have a few tables outside. Picture your perfect picnic lunch - sandwich, sides, salad and baked goods for dessert. Always tasty.
2 Likes
There is also a Din Tai Fung in the mall, but I don’t recall if they have outdoor seating.
1 Like
no outdoor seating =( it was my first thought for Michel
1 Like
We have a (pretty decent) Din Tai Fung down here in UTC, they too have no outdoor seating. I think we’ll stick with Hinoki unless something else comes up, thanks for the recs.
1 Like
Got this in a promotional email:
"Tatsu Nation!
Our friends at Leopardo have an amazing intro offer just for you to celebrate our partnership.
Stop by Leopardo and ask for the Tatsu Secret Menu which includes your choice of Caesar Salad or Cali-prese Salad, a Margherita Pizza or Napoletana Pizza, and a cocktail of your choice for $49 (reg. over $100)."
I think it’s more like $10-30 off but nice if those items interest you.
1 Like
cali-prese 2010 (v, vg) $29
napoletana $39
cocktails b/w $20-38
This might finally get me to try the place. thanks for posting.
1 Like
Sunnin Lebanese. Westwood Blvd, just north of Santa Monica Blvd.
Monte Alban Oaxacan, Santa Monica west of Bundy
Neither is fancy; both are good for lunch.
1 Like
Dang. What a deal.
A pizza place with those prices in SF wouldn’t last a week. It would get laughed out of town.
Yeah, there’s a love hate relationship for many. Skenes is the former Angler chef. He’s ingredient and technique obsessed. The opening PR framed the restaurant as a neighborhood joint, which caused a lot of public reaction.
For all of you that loved Kinn
Coming soon to little Tokyo
3 Likes
Who’s heading up Meteora now?
Thanks everyone, we really enjoyed our lunch at Hinoki and the Bird (my son’s hamburger was as big as his head, and my wife’s salmon was perfectly cooked, I wasn’t too hungry so opted for a eggplant sando), and had time to stroll through the Century City mall (our first time there) before heading walking over to the Consulate. Afterwards, we met some local friends Eataly’s rooftop terrace place, Terra, which was surprisingly delicious. The list was pretty well chosen if a tad pricey, so I picked a 2022 Piero Mancini Vermentino from Sardinia that was outstanding with most of our shared dishes.
I’m looking forward to our next visit to LA to explore more of the local scene.
1 Like
Any recs for low-key/casual dinner in La Brea/West Hollywood? Will be going solo, and don’t need to blow it out.
That’s a broad category. If you can narrow down to cuisine and pricing.
A.O.C perhaps.
Republique for more $$
1 Like
After several failed attempts, finally made it to Anajak tonight. For me (and the family), the hype is justified. We ate outside (on the sidewalk). Super casual atmosphere. Warm, helpful service. Very nice pacing (good enough that my 3-year-old was good throughout).
The highlight was the food. Really wonderful, rich flavors, nice level of spice/heat, and high-quality ingredients. I think the Carabinero prawns are a must order, fried chicken is perfectly cooked and comes with really great sauces (especially if you have a nice pradikat Riesling), the noodles were shockingly light (as opposed to dense) but still doughy and just seemed elevated compared to what I normally have, and the crab fried rice was packed with crab.
Enjoyed with a 2001 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Riesling Spätlese Auction, which was excellent. Honestly, it’s one of the best Spatlesen I’ve had.
EDIT to add: Ian also picked a bottle of 2020 Croix & Courbet Côtes du Jura Savagnin Ouillé with no input from us except price, and it was a very good wine and different than what I normally drink, which I appreciated.
Highly recommended for when you want elevated Thai food and don’t mind paying more for it.
4 Likes
Finally went to Dunsmoor with a few friends. Yep, lived up to hype. Every single dish was amazing:
- Albacore starter with crisped onions (although old school Katsu-Ya on Ventura Blvd has had this for decades).
- Pate with butter fried caramelized dates. It was absolutely amazing - the dates are next level.
- Some sort of tacos and birria-type stew. Amazing as well.
- The cornbread with jalapeños smothered in caramelized butter is so indulgent.
- Mushroom encrusted pork. We were blown away. Pink and so flavorful.
- Ribeye on the bone. Another amazing thing and so nice to bypass the “aged beef” spiel, just a perfectly cooked fresh steak. One of the best pieces of beef I’ve had; the char was next level - not sure how they did that.
WINES:
Two real budget bangers (we had Euro guests, so I tried to stay American). Sandlands Cinsault. Always great. But we tried the new Scar Of The Sea Syrah Bassi Vineyard (sorry, cant remember any of the vintages) and this was an amazing wine. Think it was the groups favorite, but both were great. Whole clustery goodness on the Syrah.
4 Likes