Reviews

3/22/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

The Oki Dog of Destiny

From the moment my buddy told me about Oki Dog months ago, I knew that this incredible hot dog concoction would make its way into my belly. After months of driving by the sketchy part of the west side (so close to West Hollywood, yet a world away) in which Oki Dog resides, I finally got my opportunity to consume this behemoth. It happened on one fateful night when an old pal of mine decided he was going to eat his way through Jonathan Gold’s 99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die. Eating through that list is likely to cause death anyway, especially if it is populated by foods like Oki Dog.

Hot Dogs Los Angeles Meat Oki Dog Okinawan Restaurants

3/19/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

Wanting to Love the Crown Burger

Down the street from my new office in North Hollywood sits a little chili burger stand called Crown Burger. I saw the place from a distance and wanted so badly for this to be a place to fall in love with. I walked five minutes to the place and walked right up to the counter to make my order. The place was run by a group of Asians (likely of the Korean variety), which was surprising since hamburgers aren’t ordinarily associated with people from the east, but I was still excited at the prospect of this burger.

Asian Burgers Chili Crown Burger Hamburgers Los Angeles Meat North Hollywood Restaurants The Valley

3/16/2010 Reviews El Segundo

Fleming’s for Free

For a delicious gift, my girlfriend’s parents gave us a gift card to Fleming’s Steakhouse. I’d never never been to Fleming’s, partially because of the price, but also because I had never really heard much about the place. Apparently, though, they have a pretty good reputation for snazzy steaks. For a nice little date, we decided to go get ourselves some red meat at the El Segundo.

I knew that I would be getting some steak, but I wasn’t totally sure which steak I would need. I looked at the menu and found the biggest Filet Mignon they had and knew it had to be mine. This was called the Main Filet Mignon and sounded delicious. The steak came a la carte, so I also got some of their Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. This sounded like a perfectly delicious unvegan combo to me.

Beef El Segundo Fleming's Los Angeles Restaurants Steak Steakhouse

3/12/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

Swinging Low at Swinger’s

After a vicious night of partying, nothing makes me happier than a grilled cheese with bacon. This desire has only increased as I have gotten older, so after my most recent mess of an evening, some friends and I made a Sunday run to Swinger’s in the Mid-City area. Swinger’s is like diner, but slightly better because they have grass-fed beef and all that jazz. After waiting about 15 minutes for a table, we were finally seated. I took a long look at the menu, which was possible because of the long wait for our waitress and only found Grilled Cheese with Bacon on one of their daily specials. Unfortunately, that day was not Sunday.

American Bacon Diners Grilled Cheese Los Angeles Mid City Restaurants Sandwiches Swinger's

3/11/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

Haute Food at AOC

For the birthday of a special someone in my life, we headed to little French restaurant called AOC. You may be wondering what AOC stands for, and so did we. Apparently it is not some made-up acronym, but actually is the French version of the FDA, which makes it far more pretentious and Frenchier. We had a reservation and were seated immediately, as I would expect from the French. Our waitress, who had an indistinguishable accent that most certainly was not French, brought us our menus so we could figure out some foodstuffs.

AOC Cheese French Los Angeles Mid City Restaurants

3/9/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

Eating the Desert at Nick’s Coffee Shop

For a nice little Sunday brunch, the girlfriend and I headed over to Nick’s Coffee Shop at Pico-Robertson. Coffee shop is kind of a misnomer for this place, since it’s really more of a diner in the S & W vein. The place is pretty small, so there was a bit of a wait, which wasn’t a big deal on the sunny morning. By the time we took our seats, I was hankering for some food. I perused the extensive menu and found an omelet that looked pretty good to me. It was called the Cactus Omelet and the menu described it as being packed with nutrients. This was confusing, but then I saw that the ingredients included Hebrew National Salami and Jack Cheese. It came with a side, so I got myself some grits.

Cactus Cheese Diners Los Angeles Meat Nick's Coffee Shop Pico-Robertson Restaurants

3/8/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

A Great Decision at Ana Maria’s

While thousands of fools were waiting in the long lines of the LA Street Food Festival to get the same food they could get any night from those Twittering food trucks, my buddy and I made a great decision to head for a different part of downtown LA. This was the Grand Central Market, a glorious collection of restaurant stalls, produce vendors, butchers and more. Almost dead center in this gem of a market was a Mexican place called Ana Maria’s. We took a page out of my Asian handbook and decided that since this place had the longest line, it had to be the best.

Ana Maria's Downtown LA Grand Central Market Grand Central Square Los Angeles Meat Mexican Restaurants

3/5/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

A Shiny Shiny Beacon (CLOSED)

On a cold, wet afternoon, I was hankering for some lunch when I saw a beacon of hope in Culver City. No, not just any beacon, but a restaurant that was actually called Beacon. This name was just so similar to bacon that I had to try it out. Well, also I had heard some pretty good things about the place. The lunchtime crowd was pretty big, but my girlfriend and I still found a table pretty easily. Beacon was an interesting blend of Asian and American fusion, featuring dishes like “black” edamame (which sounds like an even scarier version than regular edamame) and Miso Braised Short Ribs. By far the most confusing part of the menu was figuring out which dishes were salads and which were sandwiches, since they both fell under the header of “Salads and Sandwiches.”

American Asian Beacon Burgers Culver City Hamburgers Los Angeles Restaurants

3/4/2010 Reviews Los Angeles

I Could Use More MoMo Sushi

They say mo’ money, mo’ problems. And by they I mean Puff Daddy and the Family. But for me, MoMo Sushi is less less problems. To start off, MoMo Sushi is anything but trendy. It sits in a tiny little corner strip at La Cienega and Olympic with 3 or 4 other shops and a 7-11. Although the inside is certainly Japanese, it doesn’t have any of that overdone Japanese decorum that makes trendy places look more Japanese than Japan itself. So for a sushi place, MoMo already had me happy before I looked at the menu.

Japanese Los Angeles Momo Sushi Pico-Robertson Restaurants Sushi

3/3/2010 Reviews Culver City

Newbied at Kay ‘n Dave’s

A long time ago, I was planning to write a review of the then-new Kay ‘n Dave’s in Culver City. At the time, they had a late-night happy hour that was pretty sweet, but before I could write about it, they put the kibosh on it. It left a bad taste in my mouth that prevented me from going to Kay ‘n Dave’s again for a long time, but when I finally went back over the weekend, I was a new man, just looking for a good meal.

Cantinas Culver City Kay 'n Dave's Los Angeles Mexican Restaurants

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