I enjoy living in the LA area because there is an enormous number of ethnic eateries. Included in this group are bakeries, and while I prefer savory over sweet, I enjoy partaking in items such as empanadas, croissants, pastries, and fresh-baked bread for sandwiches. Through social media, I recently stumbled upon Lonzo’s Restaurant in Culver…
Enjoying Fat Tuesday at Harold and Belle’s
Fat Tuesday is the last day of Carnival and the day before for Ash Wednesday. It is the intertwining of a period of festivals and feasts that lead to a time of fasting and reflection. To celebrate Fat Tuesday, my wife suggested that we order food from Harold and Belle’s, a long-time standing Creole restaurant…
Most Valuable Playa Serves Taiwanese Goodness
I find it interesting when a restaurant owner decides to close and immediately reopen with another type of cuisine. This strategy could backfire with customers that enjoy the original theme, but sometimes it works. An example of this is this is the Humble Potato; they closed and reopened as The Most Valuable Playa or MVP…
Rice Box – Flavorful Cantonese BBQ in DTLA
A growing trend taking place is the number of second and third generation immigrants that are following in the footsteps of their parents’ restaurant livelihood. The generation raised here is influenced by modern cooking techniques exhibited by many LA restaurants. An example of this is Rice Box, a modern Cantonese BBQ restaurant located in downtown…
Kotosh – Japanese Peruvian Done Well
Kotosh originally opened with the name of Kotosh at Kamiyama and is a Japanese Peruvian fusion restaurant. Knowing how important restaurant naming is, I wondered about having a long name that isn’t easy to remember. Fortunately, they are thriving 15 years later. Today, they are simply known as “Kotosh”. Kotosh is located in a strip…
Pizzana – Signature Slow Dough Artisan Pizzas
With many restaurants serving pizza in LA, you may wonder what makes one rise above the top of LA’s best pizzas? Focusing on quality and creating a crisp and savory crust is why Pizzana continues to be popular. It also helps that the late LA Times Food Critic, Jonathan Gold, willingly waited in line for…
Perro 110 Delights with Tacos Perrónes Sabrosos
Tijuana-style tacos are attracting crowds across LA. While this type of taco varies widely, most have incredibly fresh tortillas, frijoles de olla, marinated meat, and a large dollop of fresh guacamole. A relatively new entrant to the sidewalks of LA is Perro 110 and they only prepare Tacos Perrónes. You may be asking, what is…
The 10 Days of Take Out in the South Bay
According to Bloomberg, more than 110,000 restaurants have closed permanently or long-term across the country as the industry grapples with the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the South Bay, the situation is the same; many restaurants are temporarily closed or operating with only a small fraction of their normal business. South Bay restaurants…
Yess Aquatic Delivers Innovative Japanese Seafood
Editor’s note: Yess Aquatic ceased its food truck operation in Oct 2021. Owner Yamasaki is working on opening a brick and mortar in that same location. Date TBD. Despite the pandemic taking place, some LA restaurants are taking steps to prepare for their opening. One such restaurant is located in downtown LA’s Art District. Since…
Gamboge – Bold Cambodian Flavors in East LA
Ethnic enclaves exist in many US cities primarily because they become a cultural oasis. Because LA is home to many immigrants, LA has quite a few ethnic neighborhoods. One of them is the Cambodian community in Long Beach. When owners Hak Lonh and Jane Oh decided on a location for Gamboge, they decided to buck…