WHY For a short, delicious menu of Brazilian dishes, including a fabulous (and massive) chicken pot pie made with hearts of palm, corn, roasted potatoes and olives. WHAT The bright, minimalist space in the heart of the Fashion District is warmed with yellow flowers, the rich flavors of Brazil and the presence of the owner/chef, [...]
WHY A New Orleans native, the owner/chef knows how to cook Cajun-Creole food to perfection. Sit at the counter to enjoy some easygoing repartee while the cooks make mounds of red beans and rice, jumping jambalaya and hush puppies. WHAT This busy, narrow, corner café reminiscent of Louisiana’s shotgun houses serves the finest catfish you’ll [...]
WHY For good, inexpensive Japanese comfort food, especially udon, served late into the night. WHAT A Little Tokyo icon, Suehiro is a simple, affordable café that serves satisfying udon noodle soups, cold soba noodle dishes, bento-box meals and katsudon bowls. Extras include friendly service and a library of Japanese fashion magazines and manga. WHO City [...]
Go Go’ers, enhance your art and music experiences at these weekend events that promise more participation than mere passive eyeballing and ear-worming. Messiahs, Utopias & the Ends of the Earth Photographer/video artist Jonas N.T. Becker’s compelling show Zol Zayn//What If? at the ocean-adjacent Shulamit Gallery in Venice is an immersive, meditative experience about community, utopia, and isolation. [...]
WHY A spirited scene, plus lots to choose from on the long menu. WHAT One of the San Gabriel Valley’s many Hong Kong—style coffee shops, Café Spot stands out for the quality of its food. This is the place to go for dishes like Grand Mom’s braised pork belly and the Hong Kong—style waffle. 500 [...]
WHY Excellent espresso, properly foamed cappuccinos, free WiFi and a stylishly studious vibe. WHAT The hub of life in the Broadway Corridor neighborhood, Portfolio wraps around the corner of 4th and Junipero near some fun vintage shops. The back room is filled with headphone-wearing people on laptops; the front room is chattier and has PCs [...]
WHY Fantastic roast chicken or the traditional saltado de pollo. Add the famed cilantro sauce and an order of plantains and you’ll be in heaven. WHAT The name may imply a competitor to El Pollo Loco, but this is actually a very sweet little sit-down restaurant with seductive and inexpensive Peruvian food, most notably the [...]
Horse racing meets wine tasting as the Sunshine Millions California Cup hosts the California Wine Festival on Saturday, January 25th. Sample food and fine wine from the following California vineyards: Zaca Mesa Winery & Vineyards Layer Cake Garnet Vineyards Clos Pegase Cartlidge & Browne Crimson Wine Group Cline Toad Hollow Vineyards Steelhead Vineyards Smashberry J [...]
WHY Beautiful salads, Stumptown coffee and the best chocolate-chip cookie in town. WHAT A little bit of San Francisco and Portland in Old Pasadena, the Market on Holly is the creation of two longtime locals, composer Marty Davich and caterer Mary Pat Brandmeyer. There’s a small market (fancy pastas, oils, local organic milk), a swell [...]
It’s that time of year again: Dine LA Restaurant Week, the 12-day dining extravaganza, kicks off on January 20 and will include over 300 restaurants around Los Angeles, each offering specially-priced prix fixe menus for lunch ($15 – $25) and/or dinner ($25 – $85). No tickets or passes are required; just eat out at a [...]
