Where to eat in LA

[ferdlisky]

Guelaguetza (on Palms/Sepulveda) for to-die-for Oaxacan food. Try the black mole tamales.

For a more upscale vibe and superb food, Josie on Pico, Melisse in Santa Monica

I had a fabulous meal at Joes in Venice recently, I'd forgotten how good the food is--and it's a cool neighborhood. In fact, strolling around Venice and then having dinner at Joes would be a fun thing to do.

Drive up PCH to the Malibu/Ventura county line and have lunch at Neptune's Net. Biker Bar/seafood palace.

AOC definitely--what a fantastic place; Angelini Osteria is also wonderful. I'd skip Spago.

Enjoy the Getty! You don't need reservations on weekends.

Edit: Oh yeah, Sona is great, too.

Edited July 21, 2003 by ferdlisky (log)

[coughy]

Definitely try Chinois. The chinese chicken salad is to die for.

[pim]

Ferdlisky is right on---Guelaguetza is definitely an undiscovered gem. I have never had mole like theirs. Well at least in this country.

I see no one has recommended Thai yet. LA is the best place in the US to find GREAT Thai food. I love Jitlada, on Sunset in Hollywood. Here's the address: 5233 1/2 Sunset Blvd. Tel. (323) 667-9809. I would make a point of going there even if it's out of your way. The food is amazing. Also, try to order from the Thai page on the back side of the front cover of the menu. Insist that someone translate the items for you, and order at least a few things from there.

If you are in the mood for more street food type or noodle dishes, I would go to Sanamluang Cafe, at 5170 Hollywood Blvd, also in Hollywood.

The only thing I miss about living in the LA area is the Thai food--oh and Guelaguetza's mole.

Edited July 23, 2003 by pim (log)

[tommy]

Anyone tried the Hump, the sushi bar in the Santa Monica airport? Great ambience, very good food.

The Hump is overrated.

bah!

quite a scene though, no?

is that thai place still there? that's the first (and only) place that i ever had crickets. and ants too IIRC.

Edited July 22, 2003 by tommy (log)

[hollywood]

Jitlada's not bad but I think there's better Thai on Hollywood Blvd. in Ruen Pair, Kruang Tedd and Palms Thai.

[pim]

Jitlada's not bad but I think there's better Thai on Hollywood Blvd. in Ruen Pair, Kruang Tedd and Palms Thai.

I totally disagree with you, respectively that is. I am Thai, and Jitlada is known among Thais as one of the best kitchen in town. The owner is absolutely serious about food and keeping it as honest and authentic as possible. Perhaps you've just never tried anything on their Thai menu.

They excel at more complicate dishes that I wouldn't even think of ordering somewhere else. Not noodle soups and pad thai, which are really considered snacks or lunch food, but serious dinner dishes, like Namprik relishes and complex salads like crispy catfish (Yum Pla Dook Foo). The green curry and "dragon's eggs" is absolutely delicious, and not on the English menu. The dragon eggs are made of minced fish and salted egg yolks. Or try a Gang Som, a complex coconut-free curry with shrimps and vegetables, which is sour, spicy and delicious.

Edited July 23, 2003 by pim (log)

[tissue]

Anyone tried the Hump, the sushi bar in the Santa Monica airport? Great ambience, very good food.

The Hump is overrated.

bah!

quite a scene though, no?

is that thai place still there? that's the first (and only) place that i ever had crickets. and ants too IIRC.

There are other scenes now, White Lotus, Balboa, Falcon, Dolce...

[DVSDave]

Great selections by everyone, I feel like I left the gate a bit late...

Try Water Grill in downtown. I personally like dining at the bar on a weekday, great selections from the raw bar. I did the tasting menu there recently, and I confirmed that this is one of the best places for seafood in LA.

More casual, try Ita-cho on Beverly for Japanese vittles, Ubon for Nobu at a fraction of the price or even Canters -- after all, it's an LA institution.

[Elissa]

Anyone like Patina?

[hollywood]

They excel at more complicate dishes that I wouldn't even think of ordering somewhere else.  Not noodle soups and pad thai, which are really considered snacks or lunch food, but serious dinner dishes, like Namprik relishes and complex salads like crispy catfish (Yum Pla Dook Foo).  The green curry and "dragon's eggs" is absolutely delicious, and not on the English menu.  The dragon eggs are made of minced fish and salted egg yolks.  Or try a Gang Som, a complex coconut-free curry with shrimps and vegetables, which is sour, spicy and delicious.

Thanks for the specific suggestions. Have you tried the other places?

[hollywood]

Anyone like Patina?

Coincidentally, I drove by Patina yesterday and noticed it has one of those Relais and Chateau plaques imbedded in the wall. Not sure if this is a good thing or not.

[MHesse]

If you want a romantic outdoor setting, consider The Inn of the Seventh Ray, which is on one of the canyon roads heading east from Malibu. they have a website. (just picking a canyon road, driving a few miles east, and then going north is a neat experience - very un-LA like - do it during daylight).

Other good places in Venice, just north of MDR, include Chaya Venice (on Main?) and Lily's (on Abbot Kinney).

--mh

[JFLinLA]

Anyone like Patina?

Coincidentally, I drove by Patina yesterday and noticed it has one of those Relais and Chateau plaques imbedded in the wall. Not sure if this is a good thing or not.

Cafe Pinot (part of the Patina chain) is one of my favorites downtown, not that I eat there very often.

[hollywood]

Cafe Pinot (part of the Patina chain) is one of my favorites downtown, not that I eat there very often.

Agreed. Problem is they overbook at lunch time resulting in v-e-r-y slow service in the 12:00-1:30 window.

[JFLinLA]

If you want a romantic outdoor setting

If you're going for settings, someone already mentioned Geoffrey's in Malibu -- go in time to watch the sun set. Other spots are the Four Oaks in Beverly Glen or the Hotel Bel Air -- this last one especially for lunch, afternoon tea or Sunday brunch -- good for celebrity spotting since someone's always staying there.

[russ parsons]

if i were looking for a pretty spot for a splurge meal, i'd much rather spend my money at bastide. i've had lunch there twice and both were pretty terrific. and sidney poitier was at the next table for one of them. as for thai, i'm afraid i must have been mis-ordering at jitlada. it was the place EVERYONE went in the '80s and early '90s. today i prefer renu nakorn in norwalk (now there's a quintessential la day ... lunch at bastide, freeway to norwalk for dinner!), or palms thai, which has very good food plus/despite having the thai elvis on friday and saturday nights.

[hollywood]

palms thai, which has very good food plus/despite having the thai elvis on friday and saturday nights.

Thai Elvis is one of those Devil or Angel things, I guess.

[Jolie Laide]

I'm an east-side girl (won't go west of La Cienega).

There are a dearth of good Mexican restaurants in LA (shocking, I know). Most are of the "hot plate" variety.

Guelaguetza's branch in Korea Town (on Olympic) is very good. The squash blossom and/or corn fungi quesadilla are both excellent.

For Indian, Electric Lotus on Vermont has great decor, but India's Oven on Beverly has far better curry (try the korma).

Messob on Fairfax is the best Ethiopian on that strip.

Everyone loves Mario's for Peruvian, but Don Felix on Virgil (by Fountain) is much tastier.

Musso and Frank's is great for old Hollywood glam dining/drinking.

Campanile (as mentioned previously) is terrific. Their produce comes from Chino Farms.

[pim]

Thanks for the specific suggestions.  Have you tried the other places?

I used to know the Thai restaurant scene there extremely well. Most of them were opened by people who had money to invest, who perhaps didn't particularly care about food. All they had to do was put an ad on a Thai newspaper and instantly they would find a cook. Most Thai cooks in the area rotate around restaurants in this manner. That is the reason why Thai food in LA taste pretty much the same (overly sweet) way everywhere.

In contrast, Jitlada's owner is the head cook. That's why I doubt that the food changed in the years that I lived in the LA area. I remember Krueng Tedd to be peculiarly more concerned with the entertainment, cute Thai girls belching out pop tunes from the 80's, than the food.

I've been to Palm Thai a few times, and consider the Thai Elvis just another gimmick to attract patrons and divert the attention away from the actual food.

Renu Nakorn on the other hand, enjoys a pretty good reputation, especially on Southern dishes. I haven't been there in years so I couldn't really give any comment though.

I would go to Sanam Luang if I were in the mood for street food/quick noodle dishes, and to Jitlada if I were in the mood for serious Thai cuisine.

[pim]

And to get away from just talking about Thai food.

Has anyone been to a tiny Yakitori place on Sawtelle and Olympic? It's on the outside of a small (mainly Japanese) mini mall on the second floor of which is that famous Japanese noodle place (whateverthenameis). It's on the west side of Sawtelle, almost at Olympic.

That Yakitori place, if it's still around, was great. Authentic japanese grilled yakitori, where you can get every part of a chicken on sticks. The Liver was velvety and the heart (which was not on the menu--ask for it) was so tasty. They also have a great Japanese beer and sake list. I remember rerely seeing a non-asian patron there.

Also the Shabu Shabu place in Japan Town. I know where it is but not well enough to explain it here. But there's got to be an LA eGulletteer who knows about these two places.

Edited July 24, 2003 by pim (log)

[jgbanker]

Drive up PCH to the Malibu/Ventura county line and have lunch at Neptune's Net. Biker Bar/seafood palace.

We are definitely going to take a drive up the coast (or down??) Neptune's Net sounds like a good lunch spot.

[hollywood]

And to get away from just talking about Thai food.

But wait, we haven't even gotten into the pork at Yai. And you didn't mention Ruen Pair.

[pim]

And to get away from just talking about Thai food.

But wait, we haven't even gotten into the pork at Yai. And you didn't mention Ruen Pair.

If you insist.

Ruen Pair was pretty good at Isaan (northeastern) dishes if my memory served me correctly. I wouldn't put their curry over Jitlada's. Somtum and Laab, perhaps.

Have you been to those japanese places I was talking about?

Edited July 24, 2003 by pim (log)

[hollywood]

Have you been to those japanese places I was talking about?

Not yet, Pim.

[SWoodyWhite]

Just to prove that I've got way too much spare time, I went through the listed above restaurants to see if I could find some websites for them.

To start off, Wolfgang Puck's Spago, Chinois on Main, and Granita can be found at his site at http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/

Gladstones: http://www.gladstones.com/

(Both of the above sites are also quite generous with recipes.)

Josie: http://www.josierestaurant.com/

Mori Sushi: http://www.morisushi.com/

Lucques: http://www.lucques.com/

Campanile: http://www.campanilerestaurant.com/#

Valentino: http://www.welovewine.com/

Philippe's: http://www.philippes.com/

Geoffrey's: http://www.gmalibu.com/

Melisse: http://www.melisse.com/

Neptune's Net: http://www.neptunesnet.itgo.com/

Angelini Osteria: http://www.angeliniosteria.com/

Palm's Thai (have to love a place that includes a "Wild Things" page on their site): http://www.palmsthai.com/frame.html

Patina Group (Patina, Cafe Pinot): http://www.patinagroup.com/

Inn of the Seventh Ray: http://www.innoftheseventhray.com/

And, two places with laughable websites:

Mr. Chow: http://www.mrchow.com/

and Eurochow: http://www.eurochow.com/

Neither site includes even a sample menu, and Mr. Chow is in Barbie pink!

My appologies to any restaurants mentioned in this thread if I was unable to locate their website.