Republique 624 S La Brea Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 Dining date: 4/16/15 I first dined at Republique soon after it opened at the end of 2013. That meal had its ups-and-downs but was generally a little disappointing. Since then, the restaurant has been one of the most oft-praised and highly acclaimed restaurants in town…
Son of a Gun 8370 W 3rd St Los Angeles, CA 90048 Dining date: 3/29/15 Son of a Gun’s been open just over 4 years; this is my third time visiting the restaurant, but really my first time having a full ‘regular’ meal here. My first trip in 2011 was a ‘second dinner’ after a…
Chi Spacca 6610 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90036 Dining date: 3/27/15 I thoroughly enjoyed my first trip to Chi Spacca. Being a bit of a carnivore, the restaurant is right up my alley and a return trip was definitely in order. Plus, they were out of the beef and bone marrow pie last time…and…
Playground 220 E 4th St Santa Ana, CA 92701 Dining date: 3/7/15 I don’t often come to Orange County too often to dine, but Playground has been on my radar for some time. It was probably the OC restaurant I’ve most wanted to try and I finally got the chance when it was chosen for a…
n/naka 3455 Overland Ave Los Angeles, CA 90034 Dining date: 2/18/15 I recently revisited West LA’s n/naka. To me, it’s still one of the more unique meals in LA. It’s Niki Nakayama’s modernized interpretation of a kaiseki meal – hyper seasonal, local, intricate food following a traditional progression. LA’s full of great Japanese cuisine but…
Union 37 E Union St Pasadena, CA 91103 Dining date: 2/15/15 I often think of Pasadena as a city of chain restaurants (albeit the good chain restaurants), and that relatively conservative palates make it hard for unique chef-driven concepts to thrive here. That may not be true, but there haven’t been many that have tried…
Alimento 1710 Silver Lake Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90026 Dining date: 1/29/15 Alimento has gained plenty of praise as one of the best new LA restaurant openings in 2014 (see LA Mag, LA Weekly, and GQ). Opened in June, it’s been on my list for some time and I finally got a chance to stop…
Love & Salt 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd Manhattan Beach, CA 90266 Dining date: 1/19/15 Love & Salt opened in November in what is a renewed and thriving dining scene in Manhattan Beach (M.B. Post, Fishing with Dynamite, Strand House, Little Sister and Akatora are other notable openings in the past few years). Michael Fiorelli, previously…