Best Thai, Sushi, Tex-Mex, Steak, etc in L.A.?
Aug 22nd, 2006, 11:00 AM
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Best Thai, Sushi, Tex-Mex, Steak, etc in L.A.?
I have a one day layover before a trip to Fiji, and two days on the other end of the trip in Los Angeles. I seldom make it back to the States, so when I can I try to make sure to eat some of my favorites that I can't find where I am.
I'm looking for recommendations for the best:
Thai Restaurant: (good red, panang or green curry and pad thai) I've heard Palms is great, but are the reviews over the top?
Tex-Mex: Great enchiladas
Sushi: Sashimi and rolls. And real wasabi.
Steak: Ahh, just a decent tender piece of flavorful beef please! (How I miss that!)
BBQ: The best ribs and pulled pork in town.
Pizza: Thin crust, red sauce, gooey cheese.
We have a cumulative total of three nights in LA to and from our long overdue honeymoon, so any romantic restaurants with a great view are also appreciated! We don't care about dining with the stars, or whether it is dirt cheap or expensive, we just want good tasty food.
(Please no Spanish, tapas, or Italian. I can get my fill where I am.)
Thank you!
I'm looking for recommendations for the best:
Thai Restaurant: (good red, panang or green curry and pad thai) I've heard Palms is great, but are the reviews over the top?
Tex-Mex: Great enchiladas
Sushi: Sashimi and rolls. And real wasabi.
Steak: Ahh, just a decent tender piece of flavorful beef please! (How I miss that!)
BBQ: The best ribs and pulled pork in town.
Pizza: Thin crust, red sauce, gooey cheese.
We have a cumulative total of three nights in LA to and from our long overdue honeymoon, so any romantic restaurants with a great view are also appreciated! We don't care about dining with the stars, or whether it is dirt cheap or expensive, we just want good tasty food.
(Please no Spanish, tapas, or Italian. I can get my fill where I am.)
Thank you!
Aug 22nd, 2006, 12:37 PM
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I'll take a shot-although someone who currently lives in LA may know more. But my (2) favorites I can't duplicate anywhere (+ a bonus favorite):
Sushi: Teru Sushi - 11940 Ventura Blvd in Studio City
Thai: Chao Praya -6307 Yucca, Hollywood
Lastly, I don't think you can get this anywhere else - but try Roscoe's for fried chicken and waffles, it is truly unbelievable, a hole in the wall type place, also in Hollywood-1514 N Gower Street (Sunset Blvd).
Sushi: Teru Sushi - 11940 Ventura Blvd in Studio City
Thai: Chao Praya -6307 Yucca, Hollywood
Lastly, I don't think you can get this anywhere else - but try Roscoe's for fried chicken and waffles, it is truly unbelievable, a hole in the wall type place, also in Hollywood-1514 N Gower Street (Sunset Blvd).
Aug 22nd, 2006, 12:45 PM
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And where will you be staying in the greater LA area? And how much do you want to pay?
These things get debated all over chowhound.com, and I personally think the Zagat guide for LA is pretty good. Here are some names to throw out there:
Thai: Palms is vastly overrated. Outside of Thai Town (east Hollywood), maybe Ayara in Westchester, Renu Nakorn in Norwalk, the Wat Thai Temple in Hollywood weekends only. Just about every town has hole-in-the-wall places that can serve acceptable to great Thai (my favorite is Tiny Thai in Long Beach).
Tex-Mex?! Gringo-ized "Mexican" Tex-Mex style food can be found at "fun" places like El Cholo, el Coyote or even Marix Tex-Mex (straight in Santa Monica, gay in West Hollywood), but the food isn't really that good. This region specializes in Cal-Mex and regional Mexican cuisine. The better places that come to my mind: La Guelaguetza (Koreatown and West LA), La Serenata de Garibaldi (Boyle Heights and Santa Monica), Enrique's (Long Beach). Border Grill in Santa Monica is 100% inauthentic, but the food is pretty tasty and the place is fun, once you get past the boiler-factory noise level. This is another cuisine where you can't swing a chile relleno wherever you are in LA and not hit a great place.
Sushi: Urasawa in Beverly Hills has a $250 omakase that sushi lovers hold in highest regard in this sushi-crazed town. Other famous places: Matsuhisa (the first crown jewel in Nobu's US empire), Nobu Malibu, Mori Sushi, etc., etc., etc. Another southern California specialty, but research is key: Go for the freshest fish possible.
Steak: Frankly, not that hard to find. There are good steak houses all over southern CA. Again, where will you be? I had the best New York steak of my life this past Saturday night at Lasher's in Long Beach (I'm serious-- perfect flavor, perfect tenderness), but what are the chances you'll be near there?!
BBQ: Not a specialty in southern CA. I'm fond of a couple of South Bay/Long Beach places: Lucille's (small local chain out of LBC) and Johnny Reb's (Long Beach). But not everyone agrees. This is one of the hottest debate topics on chowhound.com.
Pizza: Absolutely not an LA specialty, at least in the New York or Chicago thin-crust incarnations. Another hot Chowhound topic. Anyone looking for that same foldable, just-greasy-enough slice of pie that's so good at 2 AM when pub-crawling in Manhattan won't find it in LA. Still, there are neighborhood places all over that serve a damn good 'za of East Coast style; Ecco's in Los Altos (again, a neighborhood in Long Beach) is good. Better to sample those free-association pizzas made famous at California Pizza Kitchens and at Spago.
Great restaurants with a view? One Pico, at Shutters at the Beach in Santa Monica, is a possibility. Splashes, at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach, essentially has you dining on the sands of Laguna, but that's a long drive from LAX. Go for drinks at the Lobster in Santa Monica (at the base of the SM Pier), then walk across the street to Ocean Ave. Seafood; better fin fare overall, although you'll get a good lobster at the Lobster (they say-- I wouldn't know, being allergic to lobster). Sir Winston's on the Queen Mary is quite wonderful, but also quite formal (jackets for men are required).
These things get debated all over chowhound.com, and I personally think the Zagat guide for LA is pretty good. Here are some names to throw out there:
Thai: Palms is vastly overrated. Outside of Thai Town (east Hollywood), maybe Ayara in Westchester, Renu Nakorn in Norwalk, the Wat Thai Temple in Hollywood weekends only. Just about every town has hole-in-the-wall places that can serve acceptable to great Thai (my favorite is Tiny Thai in Long Beach).
Tex-Mex?! Gringo-ized "Mexican" Tex-Mex style food can be found at "fun" places like El Cholo, el Coyote or even Marix Tex-Mex (straight in Santa Monica, gay in West Hollywood), but the food isn't really that good. This region specializes in Cal-Mex and regional Mexican cuisine. The better places that come to my mind: La Guelaguetza (Koreatown and West LA), La Serenata de Garibaldi (Boyle Heights and Santa Monica), Enrique's (Long Beach). Border Grill in Santa Monica is 100% inauthentic, but the food is pretty tasty and the place is fun, once you get past the boiler-factory noise level. This is another cuisine where you can't swing a chile relleno wherever you are in LA and not hit a great place.
Sushi: Urasawa in Beverly Hills has a $250 omakase that sushi lovers hold in highest regard in this sushi-crazed town. Other famous places: Matsuhisa (the first crown jewel in Nobu's US empire), Nobu Malibu, Mori Sushi, etc., etc., etc. Another southern California specialty, but research is key: Go for the freshest fish possible.
Steak: Frankly, not that hard to find. There are good steak houses all over southern CA. Again, where will you be? I had the best New York steak of my life this past Saturday night at Lasher's in Long Beach (I'm serious-- perfect flavor, perfect tenderness), but what are the chances you'll be near there?!
BBQ: Not a specialty in southern CA. I'm fond of a couple of South Bay/Long Beach places: Lucille's (small local chain out of LBC) and Johnny Reb's (Long Beach). But not everyone agrees. This is one of the hottest debate topics on chowhound.com.
Pizza: Absolutely not an LA specialty, at least in the New York or Chicago thin-crust incarnations. Another hot Chowhound topic. Anyone looking for that same foldable, just-greasy-enough slice of pie that's so good at 2 AM when pub-crawling in Manhattan won't find it in LA. Still, there are neighborhood places all over that serve a damn good 'za of East Coast style; Ecco's in Los Altos (again, a neighborhood in Long Beach) is good. Better to sample those free-association pizzas made famous at California Pizza Kitchens and at Spago.
Great restaurants with a view? One Pico, at Shutters at the Beach in Santa Monica, is a possibility. Splashes, at the Surf & Sand in Laguna Beach, essentially has you dining on the sands of Laguna, but that's a long drive from LAX. Go for drinks at the Lobster in Santa Monica (at the base of the SM Pier), then walk across the street to Ocean Ave. Seafood; better fin fare overall, although you'll get a good lobster at the Lobster (they say-- I wouldn't know, being allergic to lobster). Sir Winston's on the Queen Mary is quite wonderful, but also quite formal (jackets for men are required).
Aug 22nd, 2006, 01:09 PM
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Thanks for the feedback so far.
Again, price doens't matter, cheap to expensive, I just care about the food.
And yes, I realize that many of these things are not specialities in LA - but you have to understand that I get to spend on average a week "back home" a year (meaning someplace in the U.S.) This is a bonus for me and I'm trying to find what is "my" comfort food.
As far as the real Mex vs. Cal-Mex vs Tex-Mex: I can get great Mex Mex where I am at, but what I really miss is Tex-Mex (Mexican made to appeal to the average American, slathered in gooey cheese and yummy sauce) instead of a gourmet mole. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm really craving a bit of (what may you may think is the worst) my upbringing.
Again, price doens't matter, cheap to expensive, I just care about the food.
And yes, I realize that many of these things are not specialities in LA - but you have to understand that I get to spend on average a week "back home" a year (meaning someplace in the U.S.) This is a bonus for me and I'm trying to find what is "my" comfort food.
As far as the real Mex vs. Cal-Mex vs Tex-Mex: I can get great Mex Mex where I am at, but what I really miss is Tex-Mex (Mexican made to appeal to the average American, slathered in gooey cheese and yummy sauce) instead of a gourmet mole. I know that sounds crazy, but I'm really craving a bit of (what may you may think is the worst) my upbringing.
Aug 22nd, 2006, 01:23 PM
#5
I don't know what kind of Mex it is, but I've always liked Avila's El Ranchito.
http://www.avilaselranchito.net/Locations.asp.
Nick n Stef's downtown La is good for steak, but you could probably find more convenient steak houses.
Johnny Reb's does pulled pork.
http://www.avilaselranchito.net/Locations.asp.
Nick n Stef's downtown La is good for steak, but you could probably find more convenient steak houses.
Johnny Reb's does pulled pork.
Aug 22nd, 2006, 01:30 PM
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OK, if you want gooey Tex-Mex in LA, head to El Cholo on Western, near downtown LA. It ain't great, but it's fine for what it is, and they don't use Velveeta, near as I can tell.
Boa Steakhouse in Santa Monica is nominally a beef specialist, and it's a lovely little room with views of the ocean. The food is fine there, but I do admit that I've only had lunch there.
The reco for Roscoe's Chicken 'n' Waffles made me chuckle. It's not-bad soul food, although they're chaining it and diluting some of its original flavor (flava?).
But the pizza request really has me drawing a blank. I love Ecco's, but I know it's not "great" 'za. Z Pizzeria is a chain, mostly in Orange County, and the pie is quite tasty, but purists would hurl. I just don't eat it that often-- in a pinch, I end up eating things other than pizza.
Boa Steakhouse in Santa Monica is nominally a beef specialist, and it's a lovely little room with views of the ocean. The food is fine there, but I do admit that I've only had lunch there.
The reco for Roscoe's Chicken 'n' Waffles made me chuckle. It's not-bad soul food, although they're chaining it and diluting some of its original flavor (flava?).
But the pizza request really has me drawing a blank. I love Ecco's, but I know it's not "great" 'za. Z Pizzeria is a chain, mostly in Orange County, and the pie is quite tasty, but purists would hurl. I just don't eat it that often-- in a pinch, I end up eating things other than pizza.
Aug 22nd, 2006, 01:37 PM
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mlgb: Now you've really got me curious. I've seen the signs for Avila's El Ranchito eateries for years, but never gone to one. Now I've gotta try!
As far as what it's offering-- looks like it's kinda all over the map vis-à-vis Mexican cuisine. The Avilas are from Guanajuato-- central Mexico. But the menu looks like it has a little of everything, including Baja-famous fish tacos (yum!!).
As far as what it's offering-- looks like it's kinda all over the map vis-à-vis Mexican cuisine. The Avilas are from Guanajuato-- central Mexico. But the menu looks like it has a little of everything, including Baja-famous fish tacos (yum!!).
Aug 22nd, 2006, 06:09 PM
#8
For pizza, how about Casa Bianca in Eagle Rock? I'm assuming it is still there. I'm not a big NY style pizza fan but I think it gets good reviews for pizza and the bad service is legendary.
I like Z Pizza actually. As long as it's fresh out of the oven. But it's more California style ala CPK.
I like Z Pizza actually. As long as it's fresh out of the oven. But it's more California style ala CPK.
Aug 22nd, 2006, 10:31 PM
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If you are staying near LAX I can offer these suggestions three miles south of the airport.
For Mexican food, Pancho's on Rosecrans in Manhattan Beach, is the best in the South Bay. They have been there a long time.
http://www.panchosrestaurant.com/
For Steak, Flemmings, also on Rosecrans.
http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/menu.htm
For BBQ, I like Houston's, also on Rosecrans, but also like Chicago Ribs and Lucille's in the South Bay.
For Mexican food, Pancho's on Rosecrans in Manhattan Beach, is the best in the South Bay. They have been there a long time.
http://www.panchosrestaurant.com/
For Steak, Flemmings, also on Rosecrans.
http://www.flemingssteakhouse.com/menu.htm
For BBQ, I like Houston's, also on Rosecrans, but also like Chicago Ribs and Lucille's in the South Bay.
Aug 23rd, 2006, 12:41 AM
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I haven't firmed up yet where we are staying. Right now, on the way in we are in Hollywood,
On the way out I was thinking of 2 nights in Beverly Hills.
Would normally go for the Santa Monica beach view, but since we will be coming from Fiji that's not really key for this trip.
Thanks so much for all of these helpful replies, most of these aren't in any of the guidebooks so it's very much appreciated.
On the way out I was thinking of 2 nights in Beverly Hills.
Would normally go for the Santa Monica beach view, but since we will be coming from Fiji that's not really key for this trip.
Thanks so much for all of these helpful replies, most of these aren't in any of the guidebooks so it's very much appreciated.
Aug 23rd, 2006, 08:04 AM
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I've heard that Casa Bianca is really good. It's another joint that elicits fiery opinions on Chowhound.... But given that its members tend to be food fetishists, what can you expect?
And RE: Z Pizza: Totally agree, mlgb.
And RE: Z Pizza: Totally agree, mlgb.
Aug 23rd, 2006, 11:55 AM
#12
Don't spend a lot of time on the Westside anymore, but...
There were (are?) a couple of NY style pizza places in Westwood, LaMonica's and another, DAmore's I think. I used to have the former when they briefly had a branch at the Carson Mall. It was okay.
There was a good Mexican place in Venice on Rose, make their own tortilla's by hand. La Cabana, I think!
Also used to eat at Gilbert's El Indio on Pico, when I lived in the hood. That actually was really good.
There were (are?) a couple of NY style pizza places in Westwood, LaMonica's and another, DAmore's I think. I used to have the former when they briefly had a branch at the Carson Mall. It was okay.
There was a good Mexican place in Venice on Rose, make their own tortilla's by hand. La Cabana, I think!
Also used to eat at Gilbert's El Indio on Pico, when I lived in the hood. That actually was really good.
Aug 24th, 2006, 10:14 AM
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Jonathan Gold's Top 100 list is a very reliable source that can be found in glove compartments of at least half the cars in LA. I'm sure you realize how spread out everything is in L.A. and that driving is very time consuming and unpleasant. I like staying anywhere near the k-town/chinatown/echo park/silverlake area for access to great food. Some call it the hood but seeing your willingness to stay in Hollywood, you shouldn't have a problem.
Versailles (several locations) -- for their incredible garlic chicken and plantains -- should not be missed. Or Zancoun Chicken (again for that garlic sauce) is always a stop for me in LA.
Versailles (several locations) -- for their incredible garlic chicken and plantains -- should not be missed. Or Zancoun Chicken (again for that garlic sauce) is always a stop for me in LA.
Aug 25th, 2006, 10:35 AM
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Thanks for the info about Jonathon Gold's Top 100. I found his LA's Essential 99 list from 2005 on LAWeekly:
http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/di...staurants/507/
It's a great resource.
http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/di...staurants/507/
It's a great resource.
Aug 25th, 2006, 01:52 PM
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El Ranchito, I go there once a month for the pozole (it's better than my moms)! I'm glad to see it mentioned here. Great enchiladas too. The margaritas were excellent last time i was there. I go to the one in Huntington Park, but I think there are a few others around so cal. For BBQ, I love Woody's BBQ in Inglewood. I worked with someone from Thailand, and Yai's was the ONLY Thai place we'd go to for lunch.
For sushi, I like 'WA' in West Hollywood, corner of LaCienega/Holloway close to Barney's Beanery, & right above the 7/11.
For sushi, I like 'WA' in West Hollywood, corner of LaCienega/Holloway close to Barney's Beanery, & right above the 7/11.
Aug 25th, 2006, 03:52 PM
#18
Gilbert's El Indio, Santa Monica
http://www.gilbertselindio.com/index.html
http://www.gilbertselindio.com/index.html
Aug 25th, 2006, 06:02 PM
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On the Westside:
Tex-Mex: I would go for El Cholo on Wilshire in Santa Monica
Sushi: Hide on Sawtelle in West LA. Kind of a hole inthe wall but great! No fancy rools, just good sushi.
Steak: Either The Palm or Ruth Chris both in Beverly Hills. There are a few new places (Sterling, the Lodge)....but the food doesn't live up to the hype.
BBQ: Not the best here and not on the Westside!
Pizza: Johnnie's on Santa Monica in West LA
With a view: The Lobster on the Santa Monica Pier
Tex-Mex: I would go for El Cholo on Wilshire in Santa Monica
Sushi: Hide on Sawtelle in West LA. Kind of a hole inthe wall but great! No fancy rools, just good sushi.
Steak: Either The Palm or Ruth Chris both in Beverly Hills. There are a few new places (Sterling, the Lodge)....but the food doesn't live up to the hype.
BBQ: Not the best here and not on the Westside!
Pizza: Johnnie's on Santa Monica in West LA
With a view: The Lobster on the Santa Monica Pier
