Going to be in LA LA land next week
Any must hit spots? I'm interested in the whole gamut, from your favorite churros sold by a Mexican granny out of her push cart on the street, to the fine dining palaces, and everything in between, including farmers' and ethnic markets and specialty shops.
Also, if you know anything about Santa Barbara wineries and can recommend a few that would be worth driving out to for a visit, that would be fantastic.
Thanks!
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10 Comments:
la la land is such a tasty place. have fun! eat some artichokes.
pooch at 2:57PM on 04/10/09
I absolutely adore the hollywood farmer's market (sundays, 10-1-ish?). There's a food vendor there selling some wonderful pupusas, and this fruit salad punch like beverage. so good!
i've been dying to go to LA Mill and/or Intelligentsia for ages (both in silverlake).
Also, the kogi taco truck (korean bbq + tacos) - again, on my list but I haven't been. It has a huge following, and they tweet their location! Be prepared for a long line there, but it seems to be worth it.
Chameau (French moroccan) is pretty good, but the service was jaw-droppingly slow (though, it did seem that the service for our table was the slowest, so maybe we were in some sort of slow-service-vortex).
Bazaar is also supposed to be super rad.
Oh, and Jitlada in Thai town is a definite must if you like thai food. be sure to order off the back of the menu, and be aware that they are not shy with the capsaicin. Their thai toast is rather odd, but I recall a wonderful tumeric-pinapple-shrimp curry that made me want to cry (because it was too hot and i wanted to eat more but couldn't), and some sort of rice salad thing that was really good (the latter is mentioned in their review in gourmet, helpfully placed prominently throughout the restaurant)
tguidici at 3:25PM on 04/10/09
I don't have much experience with LA, but had a fantastic dinner at Lucques when I was there in the fall, and I highly recommend it.
jlbrach at 3:56PM on 04/10/09
my favorite winery in the santa barbara area is demetria -- you have to make an appt to go there but it's in a gorgeous villa and they have great syrahs and pinots.
megannesta at 4:30PM on 04/10/09
My fave? The Original Pantry Cafe on Figueroa about a half mile north of the Staples Center. Open 24/7 since 1924, sit down and you'll get a dish of their incredible handmade cole slaw before you even order. It's a hell of a place with great food.
LunaPierCook at 5:15PM on 04/10/09
I live in L.A. so I think the novelty of the food scene here has kind of worn off over the years. I too would strongly reccomend that Hollywood Famer's Market, that place is amazing- especially during this time of year. I personally stay away from the high-end places around Los Angeles/Hollywood, I think you're better off popping into any hole-in-the-wall and discovering something amazing. Also, the taco stand on Olvera Street has killer bean and cheese burritos and mango margaritas.
PumpkinBear at 5:46PM on 04/10/09
Park's BBQ for Korean BBQ and I also bookmarked this:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/03/guide-to-taco-meats-and-taco-stands-los-angeles-california.html
recently. I'm using it to plan a taco crawl next time I go down to LA :)
Did you read the recent writeup "I ate L.A." on Serious Eats? That seemed to cover a lot of ground. Also Jonathan Gold's reviews in LA Weekly are pretty helpful.
caroliiine at 6:08PM on 04/10/09
If you can get to the Kogi truck while you are here, it's really special.
Sharkky9 at 9:21PM on 04/10/09
If you make it to Lucky City, a Chinese restaurant in Monterey Park, during a weekday they may be running a 2 for 1 lobster or crab special. It's something like $8.99. GET IT! They fry it in a wok with piles and piles of garlic.
I love Lemongrass in Eagle Rock for its pho and the banh mi are good.
Chosun Galbi for a really nice atmosphere and delicious Korean BBQ. They butter the grill! (Service can be slow. It's also expensive, but the quality of the meat makes up for it.)
The Kitchen for delicious, new American-style food. I remember loving the mac n' cheese there.
As for markets: I second the recommendations for Hollywood Farmers Markert, and for ethnic markets, you should hit up: Super King on San Fernando (Armenian/Latin), Seafood City in Eagle Rock (Filipino) and 99 Ranch in Monterey Park (Chinese).
toastykitten at 10:08AM on 04/11/09
If you hit Pasadena for any reason, Lebanese Kitchen has seriously delicious food that they practically give away. If you're lucky Violet will be taking care of the front - she's a force of nature. Then you can go next door to Janet Jarvits' collection of used cookbooks, another natural wonder though I wouldn't want to be there during an earthquake!
http://www.cookbkjj.com/
islandexile at 1:36PM on 04/11/09