David: Just outside the walls of LA’s newest and grandest contemporary art museum, the Broad, sits Otium, one of LA’s newest and grandest contemporary restaurants. Opening his first solo project, Chef Timothy Hollingsworth, who recently departed the French Laundry, has designed a restaurant and menu that are equally inspired. Whether you visit day (they are now serving…
Broken Spanish, DTLA
David: I really love Mexican food. And Los Angeles has some of the best. We have great taco trucks and an abundance of solid old school spots (Paco’s, Casablanca, El Coyote, etc.) for a classic carne asada steak, fresh tortillas and a strong margarita. But recently some pretty exceptional, and fairly pricey, high-end Mexican fare have…
A Moment for Chicken
Jen: If I’ve never regaled you with my story for why I have a no-chicken policy, ask me next time you see me (it involves Costco, housesitting, hormone-injected chicken breasts and overgrown, monstrous cats, ew). Recently, however, I’ve been having a lot of chicken moments, including Roast Chicken with Honey and Hazelnuts, ChocoChicken and Dinah’s…
Clusi Batusi, Sawtelle (Little Osaka, West Los Angeles)
David: The first 4 or 5 times we walked by Clusi Batusi, all we could think was: “what is this random pizza place doing here on Sawtelle?” It was the only non-Asian eatery on the strip of Sawtelle Blvd. labeled “Little Osaka,” a destination for sushi, pho, soup dumplings, boba and more. After hearing several friends…
NBC Seafood, Monterey Park
Jen: Chinese food in the U.S.A. has a peculiar relationship to the letters of the alphabet. There are the meaningless restaurant names, such as NYC Seafood, CBS Seafood, JJ Cafe… and then the LA County restaurant ratings, wherein, for those in the know, “A” means Americanized and “C” is for Chinese. A couple of weekends…
Earl’s Gourmet Grub, Mar Vista
David: Riding bikes to the Mar Vista Farmer’s Market is a pretty regular activity for a westside Sunday. Like most farmer’s markets, there are a ton of on-site eating options, including the amazing Larry’s Tacos, but I just wasn’t in the mood for the paper plate fare. I suggested we check out a new spot…
Crossroads, West Hollywood
Jen: Vegan, farm-to-table, “plant-based” fine dining amidst luxe Melrose Avenue shopping is certainly fodder for “Portlandia” sketches and I-hate-LA rants, but if you actually take the time (and money $$$$) to make a reservation and sit down for dinner at Crossroads, you will find inventive small plates in an upscale but comfortable setting. Most of the…
Nate n’ Al, Beverly Hills
David: As our blog namesake suggests, I’m the corned beef of this operation. Unfortunately, I have yet to find anything here in LA that compares to the deli fare (what we call simply, “deli”) I grew up on in Detroit. It makes me sad. Last weekend, we ended up at Nate ‘n Al, a Los…
Cooks County, West Hollywood
Jen: I started going to Cooks County last year, when I was working at an art gallery a couple blocks down the street. It’s on the awkward stretch of Beverly Boulevard across from the awful 24-hour Swingers diner, and light on foot traffic. Every time I went—twice for brunch, and once each for lunch and dinner, it was…
Mo-Chica, Downtown
Jen: After a beach day in Malibu full of sun, sand and naps (but lacking in snacks because we forgot to pack any) we were looking for a good meal. We settled on Mo-Chica, a restaurant we’ve been to before, but in its original location (Zorn will tell more about that—it involves a decrepit 80s…
Phorage, Culver City
Jen: Our friend Marisa who turned us onto Top Round strikes and scores once again—she alerted us that a hip new pho place (Phorage) serving OX TAIL PHO had opened in the old Chego space on Overland/Palms. It was strangely chilly in LA this weekend, and so I had a perfectly timed craving for soup noodles….
Copenhagen Pastry, Culver City
Jen: Copenhagen Pastry creates some of the finest baked goods in Los Angeles—their recipes boast a delicate, light dough with subtle but satisfying flavors. This contemporary bake shop truly brings a slice of Copenhagen to Culver City, as the proprietors, owner Karen Hansen and consultant Henrik Gram, are both of Danish heritage. I am not a fan of…
he eats, she eats... 