WHY Good, honest Argentinean cooking and wines at modest prices. WHAT This offshoot of the successful Pasadena original has the same affordable Argentinean wines, an equally nice staff, and the same menu of well-prepared classics: empanadas, matambre (rolled meat stuffed with vegetables and herbs), garlic fries, handmade pastas and such hearty entrées as grilled short [...]
WHY For posh prepared foods and high-end groceries, delivered for westsiders. WHAT Mindy Weiss, a high-end event planner, has turned this little market into a sort of foodie boutique. Besides some basic grocery-store staples, you’ll find naturally raised Angus beef from Montana Legend, prepared foods from Pasadena’s Kitchen for Exploring Foods, desserts from the Cake [...]
WHY Intensely flavorful, stick-to-your-ribs Oaxacan food served in a sunny yellow room by nice people. The branch on Olympic has live marimba music most nights. WHAT Only loosely affiliated with the better Guelaguetza in Palms (they’re owned by siblings, but the restaurants themselves aren’t related), this one (and its nearby actual sibling: 3014 W. Olympic [...]
WHY The dosa are among the biggest—and lightest—in Little India. WHAT Maybe you can’t spell it, but you should definitely order the kancheepuram idli. The ginger-and-cashew dumplings are a specialty at this restaurant, which is named for a temple city in India’s Karnataka state. Also check out the kadi fritters in coconut curry and the [...]
WHY Quick, authentic and California-inspired tapas, including jamón serrano, served until midnight. WHAT This New York shotgun-style bar has tapas lined up behind a counter up front, a sidewalk ‘counter’ and a half dozen bar tables in back for a delicious-though pricey-snack and glass of vino. WHO Fans of chef/owner Joe Miller who don’t want [...]
WHY One of the first spruced-up bars of Downtown’s renaissance. Kogi fans take note that the taco truck sometimes parks outside. WHAT The funky name and neon sign date from the bar’s original incarnation, but the new version is a sleek stop on the Downtown bar-hopping itinerary, with an outdoor smoking area complete with couches. [...]
WHY ‘Humpday’ dinners, a complete family meal for four for $37 to $44. WHAT Katie Trevino brings her business savvy, gregarious personality and network of Hancock Park friends to this gourmet takeout place in a handsome restored bungalow, and partner Michael Beglinger brings his decade of cooking experience, including the demanding job as executive chef [...]
WHY Low prices, good service, impeccable housekeeping and an unusual combination of mainstream American supermarket goods and a dazzling array of international foods. WHAT In 1993, the Fermanian family opened an unusual supermarket in Anaheim and over time found great success, and they’ve expanded to L.A. with markets in Eagle Rock and Altadena. You’ll find [...]
WHY For the duck confit sandwich, made with Breadbar’s ciabatta, Le Marechal cheese and a fig spread. People drive across town for this sandwich. WHAT Call ahead or stop by to order cheese platters for a party or one of the superb sandwiches-the duck confit is most famous, but we’re also terribly fond of the [...]
WHY Except for low prices, this place has everything that’s missing from Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne’s other restaurants with similar farmers’-market-friendly Cal-French cuisine: breakfast, brunch, kids’ menus, cocktail bar, even a takeout counter. WHAT This glammed-up addition to the Lucques/AOC family is light-filled by day and romantic by night, with a takeout-friendly café as [...]
