Dining in L.A.

Welcome - Where Should We Go?

Dave — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:48:18 +0000

Welcome to DiningInLA.com! We've collected our personal notes about the myriad places to sit and absorb the intricacies of this sprawling, stylish, culturally-infused and conflicted city.

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La Fogata Mexican Restaurant

Dave — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:53:24 +0000

La Fogata is reliably in-between, a unique mien that Valley-based Mexican eateries have: a counter-order place with too much decor and booth seating to be a fast food joint. Look over the menu above the counter, then turn about-face and read the other menu on the opposite wall. Color photos cause indecision. I am usually not compelled to explore too deeply here, as if the universe is all right with my taking it easy... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

John O'Groats Grille and Pub

Dave — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:10:01 +0000

I'd often passed this Ventura Blvd. staple by, thinking it either a marmalade-infused, privileged abomination of fennel and foofery or a sportsbarian Valhalla of bros and brewery specials, and I would have been prone to sneer at this big blue oval logo that might have been yanked from a designer suitcase, but it's just not so. It's honest, and friendly... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Asian-Ya

Dave — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 02:37:08 +0000

I urge you to explore beyond your normal limits. The Tako Wasa, for instance. This is wasabi-marinated raw octopus, which, I must tell you before your North American tongue stampedes toward the exits, is rich and fabulous.. -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Pollo el Brasero #3

Dave — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:02:53 +0000

It is a well-known equation: the productivity of a workday after lunch is inversely proportional to the level of Peruvian food involved. There is something about how Peruvian cuisine handles the interaction between chicken and firewood... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Harold & Belle's Creole Restaurant

Dave — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 08:01:49 +0000

I knew the Filé Gumbo was meant to be a collage of ample ingredients, but there is a lot going on here: a single chicken wing, sodden with juice and falling apart. Cylinders of smoked beef sausage, intensely soft and moist, from Pete's Louisiana Hot Links down the street. And crab, soft-shelled and clicky and requiring some dexterity; the crab is less a source of meat than a lender of its essence to the gumbo... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Pinches Tacos

Dave — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:47:17 +0000

As might be expected, the easiest introduction to a place with "tacos" in the title is the Pinche Combination Plate: a trio of tacos, with rice, beans and chips. Each taco embraces the holy duo of small white onion shards and cilantro, huddled together in malleable corn tortillas that are prone to tearing on contact with moisture... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Sidewalk Café

Dave — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 01:12:02 +0000

On the next occasion where it happens to be a perfect Southern California day, and you're moseying along the unpolished lower stretch of Venice, past vendors of jewelry, art, love, and hemp artifacts, past examples of the ripped and the haggard, dodging rollerskates and peeking into freak shows, and you come across the red-and-white awning, take a break and get in line at the door... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Cafe Surfas

Dave — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 19:55:06 +0000

This is pretty much a deli counter tacked on to the Pavlovian-response treasure that is the Surfas Restaurant Supply. After wandering the aisles and telling yourself you do not need restaurant equipment, you dry your eyes and step into the brightly lit interior of the Cafe Surfas deli. It's rather like Porta Via in demeanor, though smaller and without the impulse-buy jars of artisan mustard and wedges of cheese.

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.

Vinh Loi Tofu

Dave — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 07:01:59 +0000

On a recent 108-degree afternoon my brain is braised enough to think that a nice hot bowl of soup is a fine idea. The Curry Duck Soup smells superb, the broth nuanced with a sly coconut twang, pepper-flecked and oil-spotted. It is stunningly balanced, each spoonful of curry broth worthy of contemplation by itself... -

Dining in L.A. is originally scribbled on DiningInLA.com, powered by b2evolution.