The Spice Table 114 S Central Ave Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 7/27/11 The Spice Table opened a few months ago, one of the latest additions to the ever-growing Little Tokyo/Downtown LA restaurant scene. Although chef Bryant Ng’s background includes being opening chef at Pizzeria Mozza (as well as working with Daniel Boulud and…
Dining date: 7/30/11 I’ve been trying to cook more pork. It’s a pretty reasonably priced meat (able to be eaten on a regular basis) but I really don’t cook it too often. I grew up not really liking pork, especially the chops. My earliest memories are of thin, lean pork chops being cooked well-done, yielding…
Project by Project’s Plate by Plate 2011 Vibiana 214 S Main St Los Angeles, CA 90012 Dining date: 8/6/11 Project by Project is a national nonprofit focusing on issues in the Asian-American community. They host an annual benefit called Plate by Plate (this is the 9th) which features a host of local restaurants and drink purveyors. Each…
LudoBites 007 Gram & Papa’s 227 E 9th St Los Angeles, CA 90015 Dining date: 8/3/11 With a new show on the Sundance Channel, LudoBites continues to get more and more popular (along with its share of haters too, it seems). This is the seventh LudoBites (not including the one-night Ludo Bites America dinner), and a…
Din Tai Fung 1108 S Baldwin Ave Arcadia, CA 91007 Dining date: 7/30/11 Din Tai Fung is the type of restaurant I hear about even when I go home to San Francisco. “Have you heard of this restaurant in Arcadia…” or “you should try this dumpling place called Din Tai Fung.” It’s no wonder why…
The opening of the LudoBites reservation line has become an increasingly stressful time. How long will it take? Will I even get one? I set up a calendar invite on July 14th at 4pm with a number of my co-workers. No distractions…one goal in mind: make a LudoBites reservation. Luckily, I got one and so…
Gjelina 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd Venice, CA 90291 Dining date: 7/20/11 I’ve wanted to visit Gjelina for some time now…though, not enough to drive all the way across town. Until now. Opened in 2008, Gjelina has been consistently popular during its lifetime. So popular, in fact, that when making a reservation two weeks in advance, only 6pm and…
Totoraku 10610 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064 Dining date: 7/9/11 I first went to Totoraku last August but had yet to return. The “secret beef restaurant,” reservations can only be made by those who have gotten a business card from the chef. I am not one of those people. However, I had the…