Because Torrance and Gardena are neighborhoods close to my house, I have many great choices for Japanese food. Consequently, I am less motivated to frequent Little Tokyo because it is 45 minutes away from home (with no traffic). Recently, I spent a long weekend in Little Tokyo to see what I have missed. Sushi Gen…
Downtown
Ditroit – A Fast Casual Taqueria from Enrique Olvera
LA has become the hottest place to set up a kitchen, and many established chefs flock here. Examples of this include James Beard award winner Dave Beran who relocated from Chicago to open Pasjoi. Michelin starred chef Curtis Stone made a move from London and opened Maude. One of the more recent chefs is Enrique…
Wax Paper Honors NPR with Creative Sandwiches
Not long ago, I visited Katsu Sando, a Japanese restaurant located in Chinatown. While I waited for my order to be prepared, I noticed Wax Paper, a restaurant featuring eclectic sandwiches. I made a note of it and planned a return visit. Like my small startups, the husband and wife combo of Peter and Lauren…
Bridgetown Roti Delivers Tasty Caribbean Street Food
Rashida Holmes is one of the most talked-about chefs in LA right now. She hails from Bridgetown, Barbados, and made her way to LA via Pittsburgh seven years ago. Holmes has spent time in notable kitchens such as Ray’s and Starks Bar, Terrine, Rustic Canyon, and Botanica. She recently went on her own and opened…
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…
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…
Tsurumaru Udon Honpo – DIY Udon Kit
Toshikoshi is a celebration for the New Year in Japan, which means to cut from the old year to the new year. They do this by eating Toshikoshi soba, a “year-crossing noodle” to cut from the old year to the new year. To aid in the celebration, Tsurumaru Udon Honpo created DIY Nabeyaki Udon kits. …
Broken Mouth – a Korean Hawaiian Food Adventure
Broke da mouth is Hawaiian Pidgin for something so delicious it broke your mouth. With a restaurant named Broken Mouth, I immediately took notice. For a Hawaiian restaurant, it is located in an unusual location; the fashion district in downtown LA. Broken Mouth is the brainchild of local Hawai’i boy, Tim Lee. Born on the…
Factory Kitchen – Truly Amazing Italian Cuisine
Editor’s Note: This visit took place prior to the coronavirus outbreak. Due to the severity of the pandemic, Factory Kitchen was forced to temporarily close. When a search result comes back with “249 Best Italian Restaurants in Los Angeles” from OpenTable, that is amazing. And that is only the Italian restaurants that take OpenTable reservations….
El Tejano Packs a Punch with Tex Mex Eatery in DTLA
Tex Mex is trending with the addition of a number of new Tex Mex establishments across LA. One such business, El Tejano, doubled down opening two additional locations, one in West Hollywood and one in DTLA. I recently paid a visit to their DTLA location. El Tejano is located one block north of FIDM on…