Less than two weeks ago, a new restaurant opened in Los Feliz called Tangier Korean BBQ of Tokyo. Even in L.A. -- a city that loves the Korean barbecue taco -- a name like that had people scratching their heads. Was it a fusion restaurant, and if so, would we be introduced to Moroccan sushi? Not so much. The name, it turns out, is as weirdly playful as the restaurant itself. Read more here:
Photo credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
There comes a point in every forward-thinking person's life when it's time to stop worrying about the party and start eating. That's what happened to nightlife impresario David Judaken when he decided to open East Restaurant & Lounge instead of adding another nightclub to his impressive list of Hollywood properties (MyHouse, Opera/Crimson and Mood).
"I've evolved," says Judaken, 39, with cool confidence. "Nightclubs are dysfunctional for me, I no longer hang out in my own facilities. Restaurants will be my focus from here on out."
If Judaken stays true to his word, that could be a good thing for the dining public. East, a sophisticated Asian- inspired retreat in the heart of Hollywood, was built with the same razzle-dazzle sensibility of a club but without the prowling-for-a-hookup scent of desperation.
Designed by Dodd Mitchell (Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Teddy's, Thompson Beverly Hills Hotel), East is an exercise in texture and shadow. A cross between a Tibetan monastery and the Bat Cave, it features sloping walls of white faux-stone; leafy trees beneath a peaked 65-foot industrial skylight; flickering 4-foot cream-colored candles suspended from the ceiling and recessed booths sheltered by stalactite-like drippings.
To read the rest of Jessica Gelt's story, click here.
Photo: Fresh scallops on a half-shell, with a lemon grass sambal, wasabi creme fraiche, shiso dust and cilantro served at East Restaurant & Lounge. Credit: Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times.
It's 3 a.m. You've just danced yourself silly in a sweaty Hollywood nightclub with a heavily cologned person whose name you no longer remember. Maybe it was the Jagerbombs, or maybe it was the bottle of table-service Grey Goose you shared with, well, mainly yourself. Either way, tomorrow is going to be problematic if you don't put some food in your stomach, stat.
Then you see it: a candy-colored vision of a restaurant shimmering like a mirage above the sidewalk stars on Hollywood Boulevard. It's called Sweet Love Hangover, and it specializes in your cure: grease. Tasty, peace-making grease. A fried bologna and jack cheese sandwich with Tabasco mayo will set you straight. You might just top it off with a fried egg for good measure. Still cloudy? A tater tot tower topped with black bean chili, cheddar cheese, chunky guacamole, sour cream and thick slices of fresh jalapeños will clear your vision.
"We used the drunk people to test the food," says food and beverage consultant Triniti Vinokur, who runs the month-old diner (still in soft-open mode) with her husband, Rob. "Because if they don't like it, we know it's really bad."
To read the rest of Jessica Gelt's story, click here.
Photo: "Sweet Love's Sloppy Sliders" with fries. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
When a littleneck clam is unearthed from its sandy abode and placed into a bucket of water that has been sprinkled with cornmeal, its vulnerable body will stretch to great lengths to reach the food. It's a touching sight, the way it strives to eat what will ultimately speed its demise.
Such is the way with the steamers served at Santa Monica's new seafood restaurant, Blue Plate Oysterette. They feed and purge themselves of grit before they are served in a large bowl with a smooth, buttered broth and thick slices of grilled bread, perfect for sopping up that delicious juice. (Apologies to poetically tragic mollusks everywhere.)
BP, as the restaurant is called for short, is owner Jenny Morton's second restaurant (she also owns Blue Plate on Montana Avenue). She says her inspiration for BP was twofold: First, she doesn't eat meat but loves shellfish; and second, she found herself wondering why there isn't a "place in Santa Monica to get informal, small plates of seafood at reasonable prices?"
From the look of the 50-seat restaurant on Ocean Avenue, just a few blocks from the pier, lots of people have been wondering the same thing. BP has been open less than two weeks, but it is already reeling in plenty of customers. On a recent Thursday night, the shotgun-shack-shaped room was packed with diners seated side by side at a long row of horizontal tables, much like gourmet sardines in an attractive, beachy tin.
To read the rest of Jessica Gelt's story (and to see a tasty photo gallery), click here.
Photo: Lobster roll on brioche with homemade sweet potato chips. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times
Writing up an early report on a new restaurant can sometimes be awkward. At just a week or two old, some places are not yet ready for prime time, which is why we generally wait two or three months before publishing a full review of a new restaurant. Tin Roof Bistro in Manhattan Beach falls into that awkward phase -- almost ready but not quite. Read more from Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbila.
Photo: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times
Saucing is a science at Silver Lake's new Gobi Mongolian BBQ House. Modeled after a restaurant that co-owner Mike Buch went to as a child in Hollywood, Gobi has taken the low-rent, MSG-addled Americanized Mongolian barbecue concept and given it a sunny, Facebook-generation makeover. A big part of that is a selection of 11 house-made sauces, including several that certainly weren't found in your parents' friendly neighborhood Mongolian BBQ hut, including lemon-mint, Asian pesto and smoked oyster.
The concept of Mongolian barbecue is simple: Grab a bowl, add vegetables, meat, noodles or rice, throw some sauce over it all and hand it to the man behind the giant flat grill and watch him cook it up with flair. Sounds easy, but at Gobi, the trick to creating what is essentially a perfect bowl of glorified stir fry is in the execution of your sauce selection.
"Most people just jump right in there," Buch says. "They'll progress nicely through the buffet and then they'll get to the sauces and they'll stand there for two or three minutes doing nothing." That's when Buch will intervene and make a suggestion. With 11 choices, the combinations are many, and there are a few handy guides posted that lay out mixtures that the owners like.
To read more about Gobi Mongolian BBQ House, click here for the article that ran in today's Calendar section.
-- Jessica Gelt
Photo: Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times
Open since last year, Allston Yacht Club in Echo Park has been diligently working on a formula for success. Owners Charles Kelly and Bill DiDonna have heeded customer advice to create a menu of food and drink that offers a little something for everyone. The result is a global grab bag of small plates, including a variety of savory skewers, pork belly, calamari and duck confit that go nicely with a list of fresh and tasty cocktails, and a small but thoughtful wine list.
The restaurant was confident enough about the final result that it held its official grand opening party last week.
One of the best features of AYC is its low-key bar, which is situated at the back of the dining room and always staffed by friendly bartenders from the area who know how to keep a good conversation going and enjoy introducing patrons to one another. In many ways, it's an ideal place to end up for an after-work drink. You can have a cocktail or two and satiate your belly with a a few small bites and still be ready to go out for a longer night of drinking and dining.
Find out more about the menu and the owners by reading the story that ran in today's Calendar section. There's also a lovely photo gallery to gawk at.
-- Jessica Gelt
Photo: Vietnamese-style chicken skewers. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times
Although it has been open for only about two weeks, Barbrix in Silver Lake is packed nearly every night. Owned by Claudio and Adria Blotta, the wine bar and restaurant is located in a former residence on Hyperion. When the couple took the space over, it was a preschool, so they spent a significant amount of time renovating. Getting the correct permits in order was yet another hurdle; all told, it took nearly three years to open a place that Claudio had hoped would take eight months from start to finish.
Still, the wait has been worth it. Chef Don Dickman (formerly of Rocca) has put together an intriguing menu of Mediterranean-inspired small plates, and Claudio (who was formerly a managing partner at Campanile and opened La Terza with Gino Angelini) has culled an inventive international wine list. The best part? Nothing on the menu exceeds $12.
For more on Barbrix, click here for the Scene Setter story that ran in Monday's Calendar section.
-- Jessica Gelt
Photo: The Niman Ranch pork belly with salsa verde at Barbrix. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Los Angeles Times
Last week I got the chance to have dinner at the new Domenico Ristorante in Silver Lake. I was pleased that another Italian restaurant had opened its doors there after Michelangelo relocated to nearby Rowena Avenue. The spot is picture-perfect for sidewalk dining, and with LA Mill across the street and Reservoir cater-corner, the area is beginning to feel a little like Larchmont by the Lake.
We can go back and forth on whether that's a good thing or not, but I've given up lamenting the fact that Silver Lake isn't what it once was in terms of affordability. Progress and starving artists march on. (In this case to Mount Washington, Eagle Rock and Lincoln and Boyle heights.) Meanwhile, Silver Lake is still, for my money, one of L.A.'s most gorgeous neighborhoods and a fine place to enjoy a tasty plate of housemade pasta.
For more on the owner, Domenico Frasca and his chef Michael Young, click here to check out the story (and see a delicious photo gallery).
-- Jessica Gelt
Photo: Domenico Ristorante. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times.
In keeping with the Daily Dish's fine tradition of giving you all the news that's fit to eat (and drink), I'm taking it upon myself to link to two restaurant stories that recently ran in Calendar. The first is a nightlife review of Westside Tavern, which is placing an equal emphasis on fine cocktails and Cal-centric tavern fare.
Next up, we've got a Scene Setter piece that takes a closer look at Good Girl Dinette in Highland Park, which is already packing in weekend crowds with its unique blend of Vietnamese comfort food and American diner vibe. The must-try dish on the menu is the curry chicken pot pie topped with a homemade biscuit.
Read all about it! (And enjoy the photo galleries as well.)
-- Jessica Gelt
Photos, left, Alice Y Hom, friend of Good Girl Dinette owner Diep Tran, was on hand to serve the guests during a busy Saturday night. Right, a blackberry julep at Westside Tavern.
Credit: Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times.
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