Test Kitchen: Ricardo Zarate 9575 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90035 I’ve tried Ricardo Zarate’s cuisine once before at his restaurant Mo Chica. I enjoyed my meal there, which was centered around traditional Peruvian dishes. Zarate has been one of the hottest chefs in LA in 2010, so I’ve been itching to try more…
JiRaffe 502 Santa Monica Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 I’d been hearing a lot about JiRaffe over the past few years, so it was about time I dropped by to try it out. Helmed by chef Raphael Lunetta, the restaurant has been around for almost 15 years, consistently garnering very positive reviews. DineLA was still…
Drago Centro 525 S Flower St Los Angeles, CA 90071 For me, Drago Centro is consistently one of the most frustrating dining experiences. The frustration doesn’t stem from the food (it’s consistently fantastic) but rather from the consistently poor service. Since it’s opened, I’ve probably dined here close to a dozen times. The food continues…
Chaya Downtown 525 S. Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90071 I work downtown, and Chaya Downtown is in my regular rotation of lunch spots. I really enjoy their bento box, though it’s fairly steeply priced at $24. The box includes a meat, a fish, sushi and a salad. Surprisingly, you can substitute out the salad…
Rivera 1050 S Flower St Los Angeles, CA 90015 I’d been to Rivera once a while back. It was a weekday lunch, and I remember the delicious and moist fish tacos, as well as generously-sized kurobuta pork short ribs. I’ve been meaning to go back to try dinner out, but I just haven’t had the…
Test Kitchen: Marcel Vigneron 9575 West Pico Boulevard Los Angeles 90035 Best known as Top Chef season 2’s runner-up to Ilan Hall and the chef everyone loved to hate that season, Marcel Vigneron has been cooking in LA ever since the show ended – most notably at the Bazaar with fellow Top Chef alum Michael…
Test Kitchen: Adam Horton 9575 West Pico Boulevard Los Angeles 90035 Test Kitchen continues its ever-popular run, this time with chef Adam Horton of Saddle Peak Lodge in Calabasas. Saddle Peak Lodge uniquely features a variety of wild game in a fine dining setting, including elk and ostrich on its menu. Just 27-years old, Horton…
Osteria Mozza 6602 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038 A concept by restaurateur Joseph Bastianich, celebrity chef Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery fame, Osteria Mozza serves a more upscale Italian meal than its sister pizzeria. However, both have been very popular since their inception a few years ago. My family is…