Tusquella's for shrimp salad in a mango, oyster po'boys at The Gumbo Pot, apple fritters at Bob's Donuts - all at the Farmer's Market Fairfax and Third.

But how did he end up dining at Cliff's Edge if it had been taken off his list of places to dine?

Perhaps he found himself a little peckish while wandering around Silver Lake.

...or we were invited to dine there by another couple...

Until some other people dine out again, here are 31 restaurants in L.A. and Orange County (one in San Francisco) that I have done little reviews on (with photos). By the way, Dine Out L.A. is coming in mid-July. Quadruple Brassiere (that I reviewed in 2010) in Pasadena is no longer.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.com/Tom_...ng_Out%22.html

Wow, Wow and Wow! This thread was the best find!!! Thank you all! My husband and I are taking our 2 sons 9 & 12 to LA for a family wedding. We always prefer to find local hangs with the least touristy and crowd factor. That said, a few events geared towards the boys is necessary (i.e. Universal Studios). We're staying 3 nights in Hollywood Hills directly north of N La Brea Ave, 2 nights on Catalina Island, 3 nights in Newport Beach and 1 (last) night on Venice Beach.
After flying into LAX, we're planning on driving straight to Santa Monica Pier, but stopping for lunch at Umami. For dinner, since we'll be totally fried from travel, I thought we could get take out from Tender Greens and head back to the rental house.
A friend suggested Gjelina & 3 Square Café + Bakery in Venice. Based on your comments, I booked Tavern for Sunday brunch.
I'm also thinking doing lunch on Saturday at the Farmer's Market would be perfect after hiking at Griffith Park to the Observatory and seeing the Tar Pits. Any thoughts on favorite food stalls?? We all eat pretty much ANYTHING - literally. (I'm lucky to have adventurous kids!).
Thanks again for all of the great advice!!

Loteria at the Farmers Market.

Might want to reconsider Gjelina, they are one of those places that are loud, trendy, & full of westside douchebags. Good food but service not so much. However it is a very "LA" kind of experience.

Thanks mlgb. I think we can pass on that kind of "LA" experience (I can find the same here in NYC). Any recommendations for Venice Beach that are a bit less trendy but amazing food?

Maybe I should not weigh in here since it is many years, but we did like Gjelina very much, altho it was ~5 or 6 years ago. Not a place though, that I would think of as esp ideal for kids 9 and 12.

Places we like near Venice are Library Ale House, altho it can be a VERY long wait except at non-peak hours, and we love Lula's (Mexican food, my profile pic shows the patio)---both of these are on Main Street in SM, quite close to Venice.In Venice on Abbot Kinney, we really like Hal's which takes Open Table reservations. Great LA vibe at Hal's in the most positive of ways! All 3 of these spots would be fine for kids, but we regularly frequent them as adults only.....

We had a terrific meal last week at Central Park Restaurant in Pasadena (219 South Fair Oaks Avenue...afew blocks south of Colorado Blvd.). Sand Dabs, Brick Chicken and Short Ribs were all great. Here is a little write up I did on it (with some photos).

http://www.travelswithmaitaitom.com/...1_Entry_1.html

Really good breakfast at Créme De La Crépe in Pasadena. The French Toast Grand Marnier
with brioche, strawberry couli & fresh fruit was spectacular!
36 West Colorado Boulevard

Sad to see this thread die. Looks like no one on this thread is going out to dinner in L.A. anymore (except us). It's amazing all the restaurants are so crowded that we visit, yet no Fodorites to be found.

Perhaps the thread is not dying, Tom, just dormant, maybe? I have seen it spring back to life after months of a resting phase.

Soon we will be living there--we arrive on November 15th and I promise to add a spot soon thereafter.

Try out an Asian Lobster/Seafood restaurant in San Gabriel.
It is in the former Marie Calendar property on Las Tunas near
Santa Anita. Now I have only been here with Asians who order in their language, on and off the menu and the meals are delicious. It is not the typical Americanized Chinese restaurant experience, it's lively with great dishes.

It is mainly Asian clientele and there can be long waits on weekends. The staff is attentive and patient with non Asian diners, I've noticed. Really excellent seafood entrees and my family loves the meat dishes too.

Newport Tan Can
http://newportseafood.com/

We go to the other Newport Seafood location all the time and it's excellent. Always get the house lobster.

We had visiting teenagers with us last week. One day for lunch we went to Pizza Rev, a fast-food concept that started last year in L.A. I think they're up to 6 locations now, mostly in the S.F. Valley.

Similar to Chipotle, you build your individual pizza as you move through the assembly line. Pick your sauce, protein, veggies, cheese. Gluten free crust and vegan cheese available, as well as salads and a "dessert" pizza. Some items (spicy chorizo, anchovies, fennel seed) make for interesting possibilities, and no matter what and how much you pick the pizza is $8.00. The crust is very thin and surprisingly good in a fast-food setting. Only a few minutes after paying your bill, the pizza is ready.

The teens loved the "make it your way" idea, and the adults appreciated a fairly inexpensive way to fill those bottomless pits.

http://www.pizzarev.com/

Now that you mention Newport, for many years we have loved The Crab Cooker there. Very simple place, paper plates, and huge crowds. Excellent homemade chowder, amazing grilled lobster tails with cole slaw and a sort of twice-baked potatoes. Very reasonably priced.

A few of my teenage daughter's favorite places: 800 Degrees pizza and Diddy Reese in Westwood. Long lines at both, but good pizza and very reasonably priced ice cream and ice-cream sandwiches and there is a lovely walk through UCLA to be had before or after. Also Lemonade at the corner of Venice Blvd. and Abbot Kinney in Venice and Gjelina To Go, also on Abbot Kinney in Venice. This is an easy walk to Venice Beach.

Gyu Kaku Torrance. They have branches in West LA, Bev Hills and Pasadena (as well as 800 in Japan).

Yakiniku restaurant which can be pricey unless you go during lunch or happy hour. (Yakiniku is Japanese Korean or Korean Japanese grill).

Best fried calamari ever.

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned but there's a great place in Redondo Beach, inside a liquor store, called Standing Room. Their food is amazing!!! The Cash burger is excellent, as are the shishito peppers.

You can eat outside and then pick up an ice cream sandwich out of the freezer, from The Creamery in Manhattan. Bacon ice cream on a peanut butter cookie!

http://www.letseat.at/standingroom/menu