Melisse “Foie for All” 1104 Wilshire Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90401 Dining date: 6/30/12 June 30 was the last day to legally serve foie gras in California (although some loopholes do exist). Melisse has been at the forefront against the ban and, combined with the fact that it’s one of the best restaurants in the city,…
L&E Oyster Bar 1637 Silver Lake Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026 Dining date: 5/29/12 Recently, my friend Diana was craving a lobster roll. Rather then splurge on the $32 version at Water Grill, we wanted something a little more casual and reasonably priced in the area. L&E Oyster Bar came up and, while they don’t…
Drago Centro 525 South Flower Street Los Angeles, CA 90071 Dining date: 5/15/12 Drago Centro is a place I’ve visited many times. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s across the street from where I work. Most of my recent visits have been for happy hour; the restaurant has one of my favorites in the…
Mo-Chica 514 W. 7th Street Los Angeles, 90014 Dining date: 5/27/12 Mo-Chica was chef Ricardo Zarate’s first restaurant in 2009, located in the Mercado la Paloma near USC. A lot has changed since then with Zarate being named a Food & Wine Best New Chef in 2011 and having one of the bigger restaurant openings…
Baco Mercat 408 S Main St Los Angeles, CA 90013 Dining date: 5/6/12 I first visited Baco Mercat a few months ago and left underwhelmed. It may have been partly due to the hype surrounding the restaurant and its namesake baco sandwiches, but I just didn’t understand what was so special about them. I’ve returned a few…
C.H.E.F.S. Benefit The Royce The Langham Hotel 1401 S Oak Knoll Ave Pasadena, CA 91106 Dining date: 5/14/12 Foie gras dinners seem to be all the rage in California right now. For the most part, it seems restaurants want to celebrate (and serve) the ingredient while they still can, while bringing awareness to the ban…
Black Hogg 2852 W Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026 Dining date: 5/4/12 Black Hogg opened in March and has quickly become a popular destination in Silver Lake. Early reviews I’ve read note long waits for the no-reservation tables and bold, flavorful cooking. The food is very much gastropub-like, composed of mostly small plates meant…
Sunny Spot 822 Washington Blvd Venice, CA 90292 Dining date: 4/15/12 Sunny Spot, to me, is an unexpected concept from Korean chef Roy Choi, a Venice “roadside cookshop” serving full-flavored Caribbean grub. Choi (whom I just met for the first time last week) is most famous for bringing the Kogi truck to the streets, as…