Have you ever driven by an interesting-looking restaurant on a regular basis and never frequented it? For me, I’m embarrassed to say that experience is Gabi James in the Riviera Village area of Redondo Beach. My wife and I recently dined there for dinner for the first time. Gabi James is named after the owners,…
Archives for 2020
Churriño Gourmet Desserts for Brazilian-style Churros
Street vendors used to be the sole place where you find Mexican churros. Nowadays, you are starting to see churros as an option on many LA restaurant dessert menus. A Latin Churro shop named Churriño recently opened on the Promenade in Long Beach. Mexican churros are typically foot-long fried pastries that are rolled in a…
Delicious Danish Sandwiches at Open Face Food Shop
LA’s West Adams area continues to produce restaurants that are filling interesting niches in LA’s food scene. The latest is Open Face Food Shop, a sandwich shop focused on serving modern Danish open-face sandwiches. They are located on the corner of Adams and S. Marvin Ave. Driving east on Adams Blvd, you see a number…
Soom Soom Delivers Fresh Mediterranean Food
Editor’s Note: The El Segundo location has closed. They have locations on 3rd Street, Brentwood and Westlake Village. If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier, Mediterranean food is worth exploring. It is one of the healthy eating plans recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to promote health and prevent chronic…
Otafuku Restaurant, Where Soba Noodle Reigns King
Otafuku is a Japanese soba noodle house in Gardena that has been around for approximately 20 years. Despite their longevity, they are relatively unknown. I happened to find them while performing a Yelp search when I had a hankering for Japanese noodles. While Otafuku has a sign in front of the building, the blinds are…
Celebrating Lunar New Year at A-1 Chinese BBQ
Lunar New Year is a Chinese festival that celebrates the beginning of a new year on the traditional Chinese calendar. It is a major holiday in China and Taiwan and is also celebrated worldwide in regions and countries with a significant Chinese population. I invited my friend Dean to try a relatively unknown South Bay…
After 37 Successful Years, Chez Melange Will Close
Right on the heels of Chez Melange celebrating its 37th anniversary, Chez Melange recently announced that they will close. It’s a sad time for their numerous Chez Melange fans as they have been accustomed to relying on Chez Melange for their delicious creations, fun wine dinners and Michael Frank’s warm, friendly service. To make sure…
Burmese / Malay Cuisine at Mutiara Food and Market
While I am familiar with many Asian foods, I am not as familiar with southeast Asian cuisine. I enjoy Indonesian restaurants such as Simpang Asia and Stop Bye Cafe and made a goal to explore more of this region. I recently visited Mutiara Food and Market, a restaurant specializing in Burmese and Malaysian food. Mutiara…
Mizlala Delivers Solid Israeli Cuisine in West Adams
Simon’s Café was a longtime popular Moroccan mainstay in Sherman Oaks. In 2016, the owner’s son, chef Daniel Elmaleh and his wife Justine took over and renamed the restaurant Mizlala. It quickly became popular and they leveraged this opportunity to open another restaurant named Mizlala in LA’s West Adams area. I recently visited them with…
Jamaica Bay Inn Offers Beachside Happy Hour
I enjoy going to happy hours because it is a way to unwind from a crazy day at the office. It’s also a way to spend time having a few laughs and to enjoy some good food and drink. Because I haven’t been to Marina Del Rey in a while, I decided upon the Jamaica…