A second trip to this Arcadian shrine to all things dumpling and noodle turned out to be just as good. I’ve compiled this all together such that it covers at least half the menu. A pretty amazing amount of incredibly cheap incredibly tasty Chinese!
For my birthday I organized an epic fifteen course Italian tasting at Il Grano matched to twelve handpicked wines from my cellar. Chef/Owner Sal Marino really delivered with one of the best modern Italian meals I’ve had…
The day I took my Italian Wine Specialization exam a bunch of us went to lunch. One of the instructors, Diego, took us to Obika Mozzarella bar in the Century City mall. I usually loathe mall restaurants, and I detest the parking at CC for sure, but this place turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
We drove 45 minutes to visit this hole in the wall because it was rumored they offered the best Peking Duck in the Los Angeles area…
Tar & Roses is a new American tapas-style place in Santa Monica, loosely in the vein of Rustic Canyon or Gjelina. Despite the relative crowding of this market, it’s a welcome addition in my book…
I’ve wanted to go to chef Michael Voltaggio’s Ink since I first heard of it last fall. One glance at a few photos of the food told me it was the kind of place I like. The interplay of textures and flavors — not to mention the “dust and ball” style plating — is highly innovative.
UMAMIcatessen is a rather peculiar concept (albeit one that works). Grafting Umami Burger, The Cure (high end deli) and P!GG (pork oriented charcuterie) together under one roof. Not to mention E&O donuts!
This outing to Vegas was highlighted by a meal at Guy Savoy. Guy himself is one of the few and proud Parisian Michelin 3-star chefs and this is a serious restaurant for serious foodies.
Cut is is Wolfgang Puck’s take on redefining the American Steak House. In this, it succeeds very well. While it adheres to the Steak House basics: slabs of beef served plain on the plate, Cut upgrades things in a number of ways…
On my way back from the Maldives we stopped for a day in Singapore. I’d been told this pretty and modern city has some of the best eating in Asia. This lead us on a quest to find the famous black pepper and chili crab!
This is the most complex and ambitious “meal” I’ve yet had. It combines location, music, story, food, and even my wine pairings. Truly an epic dining experience.
We head back to Cocoa Island (and its single restaurant) to cover the second meal of the day. This includes not only a superlative menu but a totally decadent seafood BBQ.
We head back to Cocoa Island to cover the second meal of the day. It’s pretty amazing that a restaurant can do this breath of styles with such excellent execution, but they did.
One of my oldest and best friend’s wedding brought us literally across the world to Cocoa Island in the Maldives. One day I spent nine hours (no exaggeration) at the table. Not only was the food continuous and great, but so was the ever changing parade of dining companions. Truly, the ultimate endless breakfast.
LA is a sushi town. I eat a lot of sushi (just take a look at my LA Sushi review page!). People say Zo is the best in town.
This is the kind of reinvented American pizza that came out of New York 7-8 years ago. Fusing Cal pizza back with Neapolitan influences.
Despite the large number of Mexican places in LA I don’t know any that use ingredients this fresh or bring to bear such a modern and sophisticated palette as this trendy — and hence crowded — little spot in San Fran.
While in San Francisco, we check out Michael Mina’s new casual bistro.
About a year ago I came across online a chef named Roberto Cortez who hosts periodic themed modernist dinners. It was instantly obvious that his visual style and presentation were out of this world. But what you can’t tell from pictures is how does it taste! Still, I was dying to find out…
Something tells you nothing on the Westside of Los Angeles is decent regular Chinese food. While in the Bay Area I try to take advantage of the bounty provided by Northern California’s Chinese-American population.
