Cali Express made big news in LA when it opened a fast-food restaurant where the preparation of burgers and fries was wholly automated using AI and robotic technology. More recently, Tigawok, a Chinese fast-food restaurant that uses automated cooking machines, caught notice when it opened on the Westside. Tigawok’s commercial cooking machines resemble front-loading washers….
West LA
ixlb Dim Sum Eats Adds Dim Sum To-Go in West LA
In the late 1980s, Chinatown’s Empress Pavillion was a top LA restaurant for dim sum. Since then, the San Gabriel Valley has become the de facto standard for Chinese food, including LA’s best dim sum eateries. Empress Pavilion was known for its wide selection of dim sum served by Chinese women pushing carts throughout the…
Tenkatori adds Best of Class Karaage Chicken to West LA
Fried chicken has been trending for quite some time in LA. One of the first to get recognition was Gus’ Fried Chicken. Soon after, we started seeing many variations such as hot fried chicken from Hotville Fried Chicken, Honey Dress (Korean), and Tokyo Fried Chicken. Tenkatori is an award-winning Japanese karaage restaurant open on Sawtelle Blvd in Japan Town. …
John O’Groats Celebrates its 40th Anniversary
This year, John O’Groats will celebrate its 40th anniversary on Sat. Feb 26. Since its inception, this West LA restaurant has been owned and managed by the Jacoby/Tyler Family and cited by many as serving “The Best Breakfast in LA.” To celebrate this milestone, John O’Groats will give each of the first 40 parties to…
Menya Tigre Introduces Delicious Curry Ramen to LA
My mom lives in West LA, and I periodically drop by with Japanese food from her area. We both enjoy Japanese curry, and throughout the years, we have enjoyed curry dishes from restaurants in West LA that no longer exist. I was happy to learn about Menya Tigre, a restaurant serving curry ramen. Menya Tigre…
Kaz the Soba Place Prepares Unique Soba Dishes
While Japanese ramen and udon noodles are well known, soba remains a favorite to those who are familiar with Japanese food. Ramen and udon are made with wheat noodles. Conversely, soba noodles are made from buckwheat. I recently visited Kaz the Soba Place, a restaurant that specializes in soba. Kaz the Soba Place is just…
Anzu Gourmet Scores with Japanese Fusion in Sawtelle Japantown
A ¾-mile stretch of Sawtelle Ave in West LA has an amazing collection of Japanese eateries. Named Sawtelle Japantown, you can find restaurants specializing in sushi, ramen, tsukemen, udon, Japanese curry, yakitori, and bento. One of the more recent restaurants to open is Anzu Gourmet, a place specializing in karaage fried chicken. Karaage is a…
Dan Modern Chinese Offers Delicious Soup Dumplings
LA foodies immediately took notice when Din Tai Fung opened its doors in Arcadia, Suddenly soup dumplings were the rage of LA and lines quickly formed around Din Tai Fung. Since that time others such as Dan Modern Chinese have entered the competitive LA market. Dan Modern Chinese is located in Japantown, a busy ¾…
Taste of Tehran Thrives in Busy Tehrangeles
Anthony Bourdain, the late host of CNN’s Part’s Unknown, still resurfaces in my memory or appears in my on-line research. One of his visits to LA was recorded in a Part’s Unknown episode and featured Taste of Tehran, a small Persian restaurant on Westwood in Tehrangeles. Chef / Owner Saghar Fanisalek grew up in Iran….
Week 11 – Coronavirus Dining in LA
On May 29, Mayor Eric Garcetti said that Los Angeles restaurants can reopen at 60% of their capacity and apply for outdoor dining permits, under social distancing guidelines. This caused many restaurants to scramble and figure out how to re-establish a new norm. In the meantime, many have elected to continue operating as “to go”…