Trip to LA

ErinB · April 11, 2006

Coming to LA for a week. I was here before for 3 months a few years ago. I'll be in town for a week, but in Palm Springs area for Coachella for the weekend. I wanted to focus mainly on the ethnic food of LA, but with one or two high end restaurants.

Here's my plan so far:

Dim Sum - San Gabriel Valley - Mission 261 or Sea Harbour

Thai - Jitlada or Sanam Luang?

Korean - Yong Susan

Indian - Udupi Palace or Woodlands.

AOC - my one fancy meal

I've posted a bit in a thread in the china forums, and I'm still figuring out some other places to go, maybe a seafood house, maybe a place for hot pot ...

Let me know any thoughts? anything I'm missing? any new places of interest?

Edited April 12, 2006 by ErinB (log)

Carolyn Tillie · April 11, 2006

You don't indicate where you are visiting from which would tell us what you might not be able to get. I would heartily suggest a jaunt to the little hamlet of Gardena (basically, on the corner of the 110 and 405 freeways). The BEST Japanese food in California is in this town which houses the American corporate offices of Honda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, etc... Since you are obviously looking for an Asian bent, consider dropping one of your Korean meals for a Japanese one?

My favorites in Gardena include Shin-Sen-Gumi for Yakitori and Sen Nari for Sushi.

rjwong · April 12, 2006

ErinB, Have you heard of "New Concept" in Monterey Park? I ate there for dim sum a while back. I'd definitely go back, next time with some friends. The dim sum is a little more "non-traditional", dumplings in various colors ... It's not my father's dim sum ...

There are a couple of good Japanese restaurants over in Little Tokyo in downtown LA, Sushi Gen, R-23, Grill Lyon. Kagaya offers a Japanese hot pot (shabu-shabu). Or do you want more of a Chinese hot pot?

Besides Japanese, have you tried Thai food? Saladang Song in Pasadena is pretty good, along with the myriad of mom-&-pop operations throughout Southern California.

There are various Latin American places you can eat at, if you don't want to focus on Asian only. Just let us know.

FYI A.O.C. is more of a winebar with small plates, if that's what you want. I recommend Grace on Beverly Blvd. , if you haven't tried it yet.

You said you were here in LA before. Presumably, you know your way around Los Angeles. LA can be really spread out for those who aren't used to driving long distances, especially from LAX airport to the San Gabriel Valley!

Anyways, enjoy your time in LA!!

ErinB · April 12, 2006

Thanks for the responses. I'm living in RI right now, but eat a lot in the new york metro area. Japanese is definitely possibility. Another possibility that I haven't mentioned is Mexican.

I do realize how spread out LA is, and have my itinerary planned out, mostly. We're going to be spending most of the week going to galleries in various areas, so we may adjust our meals accordingly depending upon where we are.

Let me know of any Latin American suggestions.

I've been to A.O.C. three times, and it's one of my all time faves -- so I'm definitely going back.

(I need to edit my previous post, Jitlada and Sanam Luang are Thai restaurants)

johnder · April 12, 2006

I know this doesn't qualify as high-end dining or even ethnic food, but you should try to sneak in a In-and-Out stop if you get the chance. I was out in Burbank for a long weekend and had my first Animal Style Double-Double along with a well done fries and a chocolate shake. Man that was tasty.

John

Edited April 12, 2006 by johnder (log)

Chris Cognac · April 12, 2006

Coming to LA for a week. I was here before for 3 months a few years ago. I'll be in town for a week, but in Palm Springs area for Coachella for the weekend. I wanted to focus mainly on the ethnic food of LA, but with one or two high end restaurants.
Here's my plan so far:
Dim Sum - San Gabriel Valley - Mission 261 or Sea Harbour
Thai - Jitlada or Sanam Luang?
Korean - Yong Susan
Indian - Udupi Palace or Woodlands.
AOC - my one fancy meal
I've posted a bit in a thread in the china forums, and I'm still figuring out some other places to go, maybe a seafood house, maybe a place for hot pot ...
Let me know any thoughts? anything I'm missing? any new places of interest?
←

I second the Gardena idea....what a great food town for all things Asian

ErinB · April 12, 2006

Oh also, if anyone has any suggestions for food carts or food at farmers markets that are open during the week, I might be into that as well.

hhlodesign · April 12, 2006

I do realize how spread out LA is, and have my itinerary planned out, mostly. We're going to be spending most of the week going to galleries in various areas, so we may adjust our meals accordingly depending upon where we are.
Let me know of any Latin American suggestions.
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I would try to get to the Getty Center. The art collection isn't great, but the views of the city and architectural setting is fantastic.

And if you end up on the West side, I'd suggest:

Lares - my favorite carnitas in LA not from a roach coach.

Versailles - Garlic chicken is just this side of heaven

There's an IN-N-Out Burger in Westwood Village

If you go to MOCA, you must get to Olvera street. It is very touristy, but worth checking out. And that puts you right next door to Phillepe's the Original. This is where the French Dip sandwich was invented. A must stop for any LA trip. Make sure you ask for "double dipped"

ErinB · April 12, 2006

Yes, I'm planning on going to the Getty, I didn't get to go the last time I was in LA. MOCA is a possiblity, but mostly we're planning on going to smaller galleries after the Getty.

We'll probably make a trip to the In-and-Out ... I'm very familiar from my last visit. I worked almost right across the street from the one in Westwood. I wish they would come to the east coast.

Carolyn Tillie · April 12, 2006

Oh also, if anyone has any suggestions for food carts or food at farmers markets that are open during the week, I might be into that as well.
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The Farmers Market on Third and Fairfax is open daily and a great place to have lunch. I can't recommend any specific stand as I always made a point to eat at a different one each time I went; everything from Louisiana Gumbo to tacos to fish-n-chips.

JFLinLA · April 15, 2006

Oh also, if anyone has any suggestions for food carts or food at farmers markets that are open during the week, I might be into that as well.
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The Farmers Market on Third and Fairfax is open daily and a great place to have lunch. I can't recommend any specific stand as I always made a point to eat at a different one each time I went; everything from Louisiana Gumbo to tacos to fish-n-chips.
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My absolute fave in Farmer's Market is Monsieur Marcel. They have both a gourmet market and restaurant cafe . . . sort of toward the SE end of the market. Their supposed specialty is the cheese fondue but I'm a complete nut for their mussels. A green salad to start, then bowl of steaming mussels, crusty bread, glass of wine and I'm a happy, happy girl. Just keep asking for more bread to soak up all the yummy mussel broth.

ErinB · April 20, 2006

Some semi-finalized plans:

Friday: Dim Sum, Sea Harbour

Monday: Lunch in San Gabriel Valley

Dinner: Guelaguetza?

Tuesday: AOC

Wednesday: Jitlada or Sushi

Thursday: Udupi Palace

I'm not planning to eat huge or fancy lunches -- in and out is definitely on the list. Farmers market is on the list ...

Some sushi places i'm keeping as options are Sushi Mori, Sushi Nozawa, and Sushi Gen.

Let me know any thoughts on that.

arkestra · April 20, 2006

As between the three sushi places you mentioned, I'd pick Mori Sushi hands down. I think it's the best choice in terms of fish quality/preparation and atmosphere.

hhlodesign · April 20, 2006

Some sushi places i'm keeping as options are Sushi Mori, Sushi Nozawa, and Sushi Gen.
Let me know any thoughts on that.
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I'd go to Sushi Sasabune for sure. It was my favorite place when I lived in LA. It's in a mini j-town like area on Sawtelle. Do the omakase.

The best in LA in my opinion!

sheetz · April 20, 2006

At Farmer's Market I really like Littlejohn's English Toffee. The english toffee is the best I've ever tasted and a great gift item to bring back home.

arkestra · April 20, 2006

Some sushi places i'm keeping as options are Sushi Mori, Sushi Nozawa, and Sushi Gen.
Let me know any thoughts on that.
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I'd go to Sushi Sasabune for sure. It was my favorite place when I lived in LA. It's in a mini j-town like area on Sawtelle. Do the omakase.
The best in LA in my opinion!
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Sasabune has moved. It's located on Wilshire, near Bundy/Centinella, in the old Todai space.

Personally, I think Sasbune USED TO BE very good, many years ago. (I ate their on a regular basis, several times a week.) The quality started to decline as its popularity grew. (Among other things, they started precutting fish.) Of course, one could argue about the best sushi places from now to eternity!

FoodZealot · April 22, 2006

Some sushi places i'm keeping as options are Sushi Mori, Sushi Nozawa, and Sushi Gen.
Let me know any thoughts on that.
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These three are all quite different from each other. Mori is excellent, in a modern, cleanly designed room, and the price can vary a lot depending on how you order. The last time I was there, I had omakase which was about $175 plus tax and tip.

Nozawa is very focused on food, rather than on atmosphere. It's located in a small shop in a mini-mall. If you sit at the bar, the first part of the meal is omakase, but it's semi-standardized, and everyone gets the same things. Then if you're still hungry, you can make requests. This usually runs about $65 per person, plus drinks, tax, and tip. If you sit at a table, you can order as you wish. The quality is excellent, but I personally find the rice to be distractingly vinegar-ey.

Gen is a bit more traditional in atmosphere, has a reputation for being a good value, and can be very busy at times. I think they take names for the list via phone if you are on your way in, but not reservations per se.

As far as the best in LA, IMHO that is Urasawa, but it's very expensive.

I hope that helps. There are others that are very good as well. If you are looking for a certain kind of sushi meal, we might be able to suggest others or help you choose from these.

ErinB · April 23, 2006

Re: Sushi.

After some thought, I've realized I want the best sushi experience I can get in terms of the food, that's not going to break the bank. I would say $65 pp for omakase (which I will probably do) would be as high as I want to go.

Also. going to sushi for lunch may be an option for me as well.

arkestra · April 23, 2006

Re: Sushi.
After some thought, I've realized I want the best sushi experience I can get in terms of the food, that's not going to break the bank. I would say $65 pp for omakase (which I will probably do) would be as high as I want to go.
Also. going to sushi for lunch may be an option for me as well.
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Going for lunch is a great idea. If you're willing to to get one of the fixed sushi selections (not all sushi places offer them), you can get a real deal. Mori sushi has 2 or 3 fixed lunch specials and they're priced in the teens. Even at dinner, I think you can do omakase and get out for $65, but I would let the suchi chef serving you know up front what your budget is.

ayana · April 25, 2006

In the Farmer's Market, don't miss Loteria.... Mexico-City-style gourmetish taco stand. When I lived in the area (until 2 weeks ago) I went there at least once a week. Get the shredded beef tacos, the chicken enchiladas in tomatillo sauce (ask for them with green rice), the plantains, the tortilla soup, the huevos rancheros with potatoes & rajas. Omigod I'm getting so hungry.

ErinB · April 25, 2006

Thanks, I've heard about Loteria and think I will definitely stop by there.

I've narrowed sushi down to two places, Kiriko and Sushi Gen. Although Kiriko is in West LA, so it may end up being Sushi Gen just because of location.

rjwong · April 25, 2006

I think you'll like Sushi Gen.

Mind you, beware about weekday lunch time. A co-worker & I were going to have lunch there and there was a waiting list of 16. :blink:

Sushi Gen just recently re-opened for lunch because they were expanding/renovating their kitchen. I haven't eaten at the sushi bar ... yet. I usually order the combination of tonkatsu & sashimi for under $20 (dinner).

ErinB · April 29, 2006

Day 1

Sea Harbour - Dim Sum

Amazing meal at Sea Harbour This was my second time here, although the first time I went I was a dim sum novice, so I had a totally different experience. So many interesting and unique things here compared to what's available at my small, but good dim sum place I go to in Providence, RI.

We had a beef meatball and dried scallop congee that was great. Shrimp and pea shoot dumplings and juicy pork dumplings. The shrimp and pea shoot dumpling was amazing, great flavors. Sticky rice and chicken ball, water spinach?, taro and coconut pudding.

The highlight was the bitter melon ball with black sesame paste, it was something I had last time and is possibly one of my all time favorite dishes I've had in my life.

For dinner we had In-and-Out burger, always a pleasure, I really wish we had these on the east coast as well.

Now we're at Coachella for the weekend, so no real food experiences, although we did go to a little tiny mexican place in Cathedral City for breakfast that was pretty good.

hzrt8w · April 29, 2006

[...]
We had a beef meatball and dried scallop congee that was great. Shrimp and pea shoot dumplings and juicy pork dumplings. The shrimp and pea shoot dumpling was amazing, great flavors. Sticky rice and chicken ball, water spinach?, taro and coconut pudding.
[...]
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I suspect what you had was Shrimp and Chinese chive dumplings ("Gou Choy Gow"). :biggrin: