by Tina Marsh » Sun Sep 30, 2007 6:43 pm
I lived in Los Angeles for many years and I have several favorite restaurants to recommend.
If you're looking for something casual for lunch, you really ought to try Joan's on Third on Third Street near the Beverly Center. I think it's technically still Los Angeles there, but it's on the edge of West Hollywood. It offers an array of freshly made salads, pastas, sandwiches, soups and desserts that you choose from at the counter, and then take to your table to eat. Warning - it is packed at the standard 12:30 - 1 p.m. L.A. lunchtime so get there early. 11:45 is early enough to get a table. The cupcakes are killer. Get one. Or two.
If you want something ethnic, venture over to West L.A. and try out the original location of Versailles on Venice Blvd. They pronounce it Ver-sai, the French way, not the way they pronounce the city in Kentucky. It's cuban food and it's delicious. Order the ropa vieja or the roast chicken. They come smothered in an out-of-this-world garlic sauce that will leave your breath smelling potent, but your belly happy. The plates are paired with white rice, black beans and the best plantains ever. Oh, and raw onions sliced on top of everything. Yum. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. It's cheap, too. I think prices went up a little, but it's still something like $8.95 for a huge plate of chicken and all the go-withs. Sangria is good there, too. It's $1.25 a glass. Whadda deal!
Let's see...where else...gosh, there are so many incredible restaurants in Los Angeles. For Thai food, I always loved Natalie Thai, at either the Venice Blvd. location or the one on Robertson. Everything on the menu is great.
Another good lunch spot is Doughboys on Third Street. Great salads, incredible bread made at the site.
For Chinese, go down to Chinatown. There are so many great restaurants there. You can't go wrong. If you don't want to go all the way to Chinatown for Chinese food, try Hu's Szechwan on National Blvd.in West L.A. It's great, too. Slippery shrimp and Chinese green beans...delicious. If you crave dim sum, go to CBS in Chinatown. I think it's on Spring St. If you're willing to drive a few more miles, just east of downtown L.A. is a haven of dim sum restaurants. Ocean Star is a well-known spot in the San Gabriel Valley in Monterey Park. It's always crowded and for a good reason. But don't try to make that drive on a weekday. Way too much traffic. Weekend mornings are better. But get there early, by 10 a.m., or the wait can get long.
If you're craving a great Chinese chicken salad and you're in Westwood, don't miss Feast from the East. It's on Westwood Blvd. between Olympic and Santa Monica boulevards. I think it's won lots of local magazine awards for best Chinese chicken salad in town. It's light and delicious and really, really good. Did I mention it was good? Their fried wings are great, too.
For Italian, there is a little place on Third Street, just off of Robertson, that is a secret place I took lots of friends and no one was ever disappointed. It's not expensive but the food is authentic. A few friends from Milan introduced me to it years ago and the food is just as good as ever. It's called Cafe Angelino. The calamari in tomato sauce is so good and you'll use the french bread to get to every last drop of their perfect sauce. The margarita pizza is cracker-crust thin with fresh toppings and it's heaven.
If you're wanting to go somewhere on the beach, my favorite restaurants are actually in Orange County. Are you going to be in Newport Beach or Laguna Beach? If you're only in L.A. county, try James at the Beach. It's in Venice. Or is it Marina del Rey right there...I forget...the lines cross. Anyway, the bar scene is something else and the food is good, too. There isn't a beach view, but it sits right next to the sand so you can go for a walk afterward.
Up in Topanga Canyon, Inn of the Seventh Ray is a famous hippie-vibe spot with good food and a super romantic setting.
And if you love vegetarian food, or if you're willing to eat it and you're not a vegetarian, you will fall in love with Real Food Daily. Everything is so good there. It's actually organic vegan, not just vegetarian. There is one spot on La Cienega near Beverly Center and another in Santa Monica.
For breakfast, Blueberry in Santa Monica is a favorite. Busy, but so delicious. Oh, and a second location of the aforementioned Real Food Daily is next door to it. Very handy!
If you want to see celebrities, you're likely to see them just about anywhere. I just saw a photo of Kirsten Dunst taken at Joan's on Third, for instance. You never know where you'll run into someone. I was eating at Le Pain Quotidien on Melrose Avenue last year the day before Mother's Day and Jake Gyllenhaal was there with what looked to be his own mother. It's a good brunch spot. They have their own bakery.
And yeah, there are celebrities at The Ivy, but it is super expensive. But if you go, their corn chowder and warm chopped salad are the way to go. Best food there by far. Anything else is iffy. Although one friend loves the crab cakes. But be forewarned, you'll be spending about $35 on a salad. Although it is darn good. Ashley Judd used to be a waitress there before she became famous. The servers are pretty rude. But you'll get used to that in L.A. Most of the servers are preoccupied with themselves, not good service. It's not an L.A. myth that most waiters are actor-wanna-bes. It's very true. Make sure you go to The Ivy on Robertson if you're celebrity-hunting, not the one at the beach in Santa Monica. Although I like the atmosphere better at the one in Santa Monica.
The Lobster in Santa Monica has a great ocean view and people always talk about it. I've personally never eaten there.
Barney Greengrass is a must-eat place if you like to shop, eat and see celebs. It's on the top floor of Barney's New York, which is THE place to shop if Gucci, Prada and Dior are some of your favorite names. It's often used as a backdrop in movies and TV shows. And last time I ate there I saw Ellen DeGeneres and a few other famous people I can't even remember. It's a popular celeb spot. Great for brunch and lunch. It's on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.
Gyu-Kaku is lots of fun if you like Korean BBQ do-it-yourself style. You order lots of little bits of food that comes in foil packets on raw on the plate and you cook it over a bbq grill in the center of your table. They even have s'mores for dessert. But be forewarned, it's not cheap. About $40 a person or more if you're really hungry. Not counting drinks.
Sushi Roku, again, nearly Beverly Center, is a great sushi spot. It's also a celebrity-heavy haunt. Lots of creative rolls and sushi choices and a beautiful, serene setting.
If you want a gorgeous view of the city, lots of celebrity spotting, and a super romantic restaurant setting, go to Asia de Cuba on Sunset Blvd. at the Mondrian in West Hollywood and ask to sit outside. The food is really interesting and delicious and the setting is outstanding. And if you want a tattoo later, Sunset Strip Tattoo is just down the street.
For Mexican food, it's fun to go to Tito's Tacos on Washington Blvd. in West L.A., right next to Culver City. It's a landmark and it's super cheap and the tacos are the best ever. I crave them just thinking about them. Again, you never know where you'll see celebrities. My friend saw Kid Rock back in the Pam Anderson days pulling out of Tito's Tacos in a bright yellow expensive Italian sportscar of some sort. (Can you tell we're more interested in the food than the cars?!) Also good is Paco's Taco's in Culver City. Great salsa.
You are sure to see celebs at Spago's in Beverly Hills. Spago's is pretty delicious, too, so at least you'll get good food and pretty scenery for your bucks. I forget the name of the dessert, but it's the chocolate one that is a cake with a molten center. It's the best thing ever. And I have always seen at least one celebrity there during all of my visits. (Okay, I've only been there four times. But saw a celeb or two or three every visit.)
Remember, wherever you go in Los Angeles, parking is going to be a pain. It's not like Louisville. You're going to be stuck using valet parking much of the time, or parking on the street and hiking to the restaurant, or parking in these teensy pay lots adajacent to the restaurant where a mysterious-looking guy will take your car keys and you'll be left to wonder if he really works for the lot or if you'll never see your car again.
Whew. That's quite a post for a first one, eh? But Los Angeles food is something I know well and love to share info on!
So my recommendations would be useless.