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Multi
Ethnic Dining Adventures in La La Land
April 10 - 20, 2003
By Adrian Leeds, one-time Angeleno
Dining in "La La Land" is a trip...around the world.
La La Land is what we affectionately call Los Angeles, a.k.a. City of Angels, a.k.a. the city resembling a bowl of cereal… "the land of fruits, nuts and flakes." The reference to food in this old joke is quite appropriate and it's one of the things I love most about this free-spirited, progressive spot on the globe, where one can be anyone he wants to be, do anything he wants to do (except smoke) and nobody seems to care.
It
started with Chin Chin's "Dim Sum and Then Sum ®" and
famous Chinese Chicken Salad, a signature dish which accounts for as
much as 25% of their sales. This is my daughter's favorite dish, so
a table on the sidewalk at Sunset Plaza just doesn't get better for
"cheap and chic" dining and people watching. We saw one starlet
that I was too old to recognize, but the people are the some of the
prettiest and the cars some of the most expensive in this one-block-long
expanse of cafés and boutiques (including Le Petit Four -- very
French).
At the new "The Grove" shopping center (modeled on a European city and looking very Disney surrealistic-like) that was built on what was once the Farmer's Market parking lot, chain Marmalade is a stunning choice for the reasonable price. The menu is extensive, but we opted for a creamy Classic Caesar Salad with Chicken and Grilled Salmon Encrusted in Coconut. No wonder there are seven now and growing strong.
If you want great Greek meze or "Spanaki ke Feta," head down the same trolley tracks at The Grove for Ulysses Voyage . It's not just a few drachmas, but it's pretty close to authentic and the service is very friendly. Pick up a take-out menu, too - or ask them to cater your next big to-do with stuffed "dolmas" or "tsatsiki,
One
of Hollywood's oldest restaurants has one of Hollywood's oldest waitresses,
too...at Miceli's Italian on Las Palmas. They've been serving spaghetti
and linguini since 1949 and I'll bet "Toni Macaroni," our
pink-cheeked, black-haired momma who shuffled from table to table, was
there the day it opened looking just as spry. She worked our way over
to our table from the kitchen carrying a Caesar Salad meant for only
three to share, but big enough for ten and said..."Sorry, I could
have told you if you had asked me. You should have ordered a small.
Everything here is big."
Paolo Equinozio and Salvatore Caredda's Il Balcone Ristorante Italiano in Sherman Oaks isn't as old as Marceli's, but the pasta and pizza is just as authentic. San Fernando Valley-ites have been frequenting this upscale trattoria for years and with good cause. Try the pesto pasta. It's almost as good as Marcella Hazan's.
At Larry Nicola's Nic's Restaurant and Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills on Canon over cocktails (what else?), we saw an actor from Murder One dining all alone and reading a variety of newspapers and magazines with no glasses, but from only inches away from his nose. Martini's and celebrity spotting are their specialties.
What used to be the Jewish district on Fairfax Avenue has given way to "Little Ethiopia," but that doesn't stop the local "mavens" from making a trip to Canter's for kosher for Passover pastries. While white-haired diners of corn beef on rye and borscht, another line forms at the bakery for macaroons and honey cakes. The wrinkled-up four-foot-high "bubby" who waited on me at the bakery treated me to two chocolate and hazel nut cookies as a special thank-you for the large order I carried away for that night's seder.
Thai Dishes is where I first met my future Los Angeles business partner,
Marsha Mazria, who I will always think of as my "twin sister of
different mothers" as we share so synchronisities. Of course, we
returned there for "old time sake" and it was every bit as
delicious as it always was, but updated and redecorated since our last
meal there. The menu was exactly the same; nothing had changed about
it. Our favorite dish: Kai Koow Noodles -- flat noodles sautéed
with squid, chicken, egg and ground peanuts. Yum, especially with a
tall glass of Thai iced tea.
Jodi
Marone's on the Boardwalk at Venice Beach is an institution and a "must
have one" if you're cruising the crazy scene. Polish sausages accompanied
by a variety of toppings and made in an array of spices will put hair
on your chest and fat on your bones. I couldn't resist the Chicken Andouille
- this all-new smoked Cajun style sausage uses chicken and herbs for
an unforgettable taste of New Orleans, my home town. Still, worth a
stop...then be sure to walk it off by going all the way down to Rose
Street and back along the boardwalk taking in the sights...of which
there is no shortage.
At
one point on the boardwalk I came upon a a large crowd watching a small,
tanned muscular man walking barefoot across broken glass while carrying
my own daughter on his shoulders! A homeless woman hearing me gasp calmed
me down by reassuring me that he had done this thousands of times before,
so not to expect to have to take her to the emergency room. I was relieved.
After an evening of wandering through the Lucien Freud exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Los Angeles, Yang Chow in Chinatown on Broadway was the first thought on my mind. My friend also agreed we weren't to go home without having Dry Sautéed String Beans (with Minced Pork)"" or "Slippery Shrimp," which aren't 'slippery,' just crunchy and a little spicy. It's my favorite and even their credit card receipt says "Best Slippery Shrimp," so it's clear I'm not the only one who thinks so. The food had never been better. The bill was a big bargain.
The whole Brentwood neighborhood centered around San Vicente Boulevard and Barrington Avenue is not for want of great places to eat. In fact, Brentwood wins out for overall best dining neighborhood during this particular sojourn.
The Gaucho Grill has been in Brentwood about 15 years turning out Argentinean steaks smothered in roasted garlic or onions. Go hungry -- the steaks are juicy and tender. The flavors are sensual. It's traditional to go with my Argentinean friends who say it's truly authentic and I don't doubt them for a moment.
Next door to The Gaucho Grill on Bretntwood's Restaurant Row is a tiny Italian trattoria easy to miss, but gaining lots of notoriety for it's great food -- Pizzicotto . Typical Brentwood dressed-down town-and-country types enjoy home-style Italian fare.
The Daily Grill is famous for meat loaf topped with mushroom sauce served with mashed potatoes and broccoli, but the menu is mind-bogglingly-rich with delectable choices. Portions are enormous. Bet you can't eat just one. Brentwood denizens have been keeping this spot at Brentwood Gardens hopping ever since it opened less than 15 years ago.
When
you lunch at the glass-walled "The Main Café" at the
J. Paul Getty Museum atop the Brentwood hills, the choice is soup to
nuts...your cash register receipt may easily read "Salade Niçoise,"
"Tandoori Chicken," "Chips and Salsa." A day at
the Getty is nothing short of delightful. Get your best tan from the
reflection off the soft-white-toned aluminum and stone squares that
signify Richard Meier design while browsing the collections and meandering
through the gardens.
The sushi is fresher in Los Angeles than in Paris as you could imagine,
so sushi landed on the dining agenda on many occasions during the course
of ten days.
Not so inexpensive, but decidedly worth the price is Café Sushi
on Beverly Boulevard, but another one in the Brentwood Town Center at
the corner of 26th and San Vicente Boulevard, is Nagao Sushi .
Of course, Matsuhisa on La Cienega gets my vote for a favorite sushi extravaganza. I've been frequenting Matsuhisa from its first days in 1987 when it was just a small bar and Nobu Matsuhisa wasn't so well-known as a master world-class chef and he didn't have luggage named after him. Inevitably, you will see celebrities here. I heard from the Maître D' who has been there since the onset that Nobu Paris opened in 2001 was possibly closing. What a shame...the original in L.A. was hopping as usual, in spite of the big price tag.
Electric Lotus is an unlikely name for Los Feliz's best and funkiest East Indian. I've never seen a larger, busier one, with mustard colored walls and silky drapes of fabric hanging from the ceiling. That's a good sign you won't be disappointed. And you won't be. The garlic naan is three times too big for the basket it's served in. Feast on the famous tofu curry to piped-in techno-laced sitar music or a DJ spinning on the turntables or. With 80 different Northern Indian entrees on the menu, there is something here for everyone.
On the way to the airport for a flight back to Paris, we stopped for one last hurrah...a big bacon burger piled high with lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise at the Coffee Company . In this area of the city, a desert of dining, this is one oasis...a perfect diner menu of eggs and pancakes, sandwiches and burgers.
The point is, that if you want to go around the world in 80 days, but
in less than 10, do it by eating out in Los Angeles. Just be sure to
pace yourself from the over-sized portions and the lack of exercise
you'll get just stepping on the gas pedal between reservations.
|
The Restaurants, In Order of Mention Chin Chin, 8618 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood,
CA 90069, (310) 652-1818, http://www.chinchin.com/ |
About the Author
Adrian Leeds has been living in Paris nine years. She is the director
of the International
Living Paris office and president of Adrian Leeds Group, LLC, her Internet U.S. based company. She is the author
of the "Insider Paris Guide for Good Value Restaurants" published by International
Living, the result of her insatiable desire for great food at bargain
prices, writes the Parler Paris
email newsletter, and co-hosts her own brainchild, the popular Parler
Parlor French/English Conversation Group in Paris where members
from almost 50 different countries meet to practice speaking French
and English. Email : Info@AdrianLeeds.com
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