Asanebo 11941 Ventura Blvd Studio City, CA 91604 Asanebo would be the last stop of a Japanese-food filled weekend with my dad (see Urasawa and Sushi Zo). Asanebo’s emphasis was more on their appetizer-like small plates, and less on the sushi. Whereas the previous two restaurants had 20+ courses of sushi in their omakase, Asanebo…
Urasawa 218 N Rodeo Dr Beverly Hills, CA 90210 Urasawa. This is typically the first word that comes out of my mouth when someone asks “what’s your favorite restaurant in LA?” I first came in 2008 – I had heard all the stories, but could not justify the then-$300 price point until I graduated college…
Sushi Zo 9824 National Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90034 My mother prefers not to eat raw fish. This, combined with the fact that San Francisco’s sushi scene pales in comparison to LA’s (there’s no doubt), means my dad doesn’t get good sushi too often. So my dad and I planned a sushi weekend, and he…
The Slanted Door 1 Ferry Building San Francisco, CA 94111 The Slanted Door was one of my favorite restaurants growing up in San Francisco. It’s been at its current location for a while now, in the Ferry Building Marketplace with great views of the San Francisco Bay. The chef is Charles Phan, who has arguably…
LA Times Celebration of Food & Wine Paramount Pictures Studio Backlot 5555 Melrose Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90038 For me, the first LA Times Celebration of Food & Wine was a tale of two stories; one of the General Admission (GA) area and one of the VIP admission area. If I had gotten the GA…
LudoBites 5.0 at Gram & Papa’s 227 E 9th St Los Angeles, CA 90015 This would be my final visit to LudoBites 5.0, on its second-to-last night. Ludo likes to keep the menu constantly changing, so the menu has changed fairly significantly since my first visit on opening night. However, a lot of our favorites…
Tartine Bakery 600 Guerrero St San Francisco, CA 94110 Pizzeria Delfina 3611 18th St San Francisco, CA 94110 Bi-Rite Creamery 3692 18th St San Francisco, CA 94110 It’s hard for me to think of another city block that has such a diverse selection of good food than this San Francisco block of 18th Street, between…
Morimoto Napa 610 Main St Napa, CA 94559 Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto’s first venture on the west coast is in the small town of Napa in the heart of wine country. Given the slower, leisurely pace of this small town, I was expecting a rather quaint restaurant. I was mistaken. The restaurant is bustling –…