1) Best fast food: Tito’s Tacos has been my go-to since 2000. It’s been open much longer than that but I hadn’t been introduced to it despite living in the neighborhood for 10 years prior. They offer tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tamales, tostadas and chili beans and chili con carne but my go-to are 3 tacos, no cheese, with a small guac. It’s the perfect cure for a hangover but it’s also a substantial enough serving and as of today, it’s $10.80 “all in.” It comes with a whole box of chips and salsa. The beef, more often than not, is tender and juicy and clearly previously marinaded before cooking. My only complaint is I wish there was more meat in the tacos. The taco shells are pre-loaded with the beef upon ordering and the remainder of the shells are filled in with lettuce for my orders. The guacamole isn’t too thick nor is it too runny. As Goldilocks would say, it’s just right. Getting there and beating the line is the challenge as the lines sometimes wrap and wind around. I think I’ve figured it out but I’m keeping those off-times secret and to myself so I can indulge in this treat at my leisure.
Tito’s Tacos
11222 Washington Place
Culver City, CA 90230
2) Best takeout: Shawarma Land is a new find for me, courtesy of the filter option on the Yelp app. I type in “cheap eats” and see what comes up and I head off to sample their offerings. This one, I have to say, is a very pleasant surprise. I have a very detailed review of it in the Local Eats section of my blog, but the quality and flavor of the food is consistent and it’s not overly oily like other similar cuisines. As I mentioned in my review, for a shawarma platter, its $12.06 with tax and it feeds 2 people so it’s $6.03/person. Such a delicious deal!
Shawarma Land
10821 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
3) Best restaurant for delivery on a Friday night: Thai Original BBQ was introduced to me by my dad when I was a kid. A waiter from the now-defunct Universal City location had hit his car and offered to pay him for the damages and treat him to lunch. He brought me with him and I’ve been in love with their food ever since. There was another Thai restaurant in Culver City that has since closed but when this location opened, I pretty much made it my mission to eat there or have their food delivered as often and as regularly as possible. Our usual delivery order is the S-1 which is a half BBQ chicken and fried rice, S-12 which is the teriyaki salmon steak, fried rice and broccoli, chicken sate appetizer which are grilled chicken skewers that comes with a peanut sauce, yellow curry with chicken which is in a coconut curry with chunks of potatoes and recently we changed up our noodle order to phase see-ew which are flat rice noodles, egg, broccoli high we order with chicken. The latter is not overly sauced but the flavors are embedded in the noodles which rounds out the dinner selection. We also get an extra side of the fried rice because it’s so addictive. Our total is typically around $68-$69 and with tip, it’s $82. For $41/person, you get dinner, next day’s lunch and possibly an afternoon snack. The volume and quality of the food is unparalleled. We have ordered from many restaurants in the area since moving to Culver City in 2005 and none of them can compare.
Thai Original BBQ
10036 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.thaibbqculvercity.com
4) Best Happy Hour: Ruth’s Chris is hands down the best of the best. Everything on their Swizzle Hour Menu is $9. Happy hour is Monday to Friday from 4-6:30 p.m. On the rare Friday night that both my husband and I are freed up by 5:30, we run over and put our name on the wait list hoping for a table or 2 seats at the bar to open up so we can enjoy a nice inexpensive dinner with nice surroundings. Our usual go-tos are either the pomegranate or Cosmo martinis, the seared ahi tuna, spicy shrimp, roasted artisan chicken sandwich with salad for my husband and the steak sandwich, no bread, with crispy fries for me. That’s $54 and with tax and tip, it’s around $72 so that’s roughly $36/person for a nice steakhouse dinner experience with drinks.
Ruth’s Chris
13455 Maxella Avenue, #230
Marina del Rey, CA 90292
5) Best sushi and sashimi restaurant: No restaurants on the Westside can compare to the quality and value of the sushi and sashimi at Sakura. They don’t have a website. It’s all word of mouth which is how we found out about this almost hole in the wall restaurant on Centinela, in between Culver and Washington. Our orders vary but with sake and beer, our per person average rate with tax and tip is about $36-$40. My order typically includes tuna sashimi with grilled salmon. My husband usually orders a 12 piece sushi assortment, a California roll, a spicy tuna roll, and a nabeyaki udon with shrimp tempura. Nowhere in LA can you order all that food and get away with paying anything less than $60-$80/person. Hands down, Sakura is one of our favorites.
Sakura
4545 S. Centinela Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90066
I admittedly have never watched an episode of Top Chef so I have zero knowledge of Chef Shirley Chung and her culinary expertise. However, I do enjoy trying new eats especially in my hometown of Culver City and Ms. Chi definitely held a great deal of promise. It is housed in the space of former Korean BBQ restaurant, Hanjip, which got off to a great start but seemed overpriced and overhyped for what it was. Culver City has tried several times to welcome some Asian eats into its hood but most have failed or not been successful enough to sustain themselves in the high rent area of downtown Culver City. This restaurant though might have a shot at longevity. Its roots are Asian but it gives enough appeal to those who have never gone to a Chinese restaurant. For those who don’t know that the red and black covered round bowl with white ladle is the white steamed rice bowl that is served to every table and patron at all authentic Chinese restaurants, this is the place for you to to start your Asian food journey.
Ms. Chi offers a happy and non-threatening introduction to Asian cuisine. The restaurant is not filled with odious scents and live seafood in an aquarium holding your dinner entree hostage. Rather it melds the Americanized Asian fare and bumps it two more notches towards the American palate. The cheeseburger dumplings is the perfect example of American Asian Fusion. It truly tastes like its name and it’s quite wonderfully savory. The tater tots at Ms. Chi aren’t coated with the standard vegetable oil flavoring. Rather it has a slightly sweet red or green pepper aftertaste which seems a bit different but perfectly placed in the restaurant’s fusion cuisine. The Brussels Sprouts with the runny egg is perfectly charred but is slightly softened once the silky yolk is broken and seeps into the smoky crevices. The star of the evening, however, was the Beijing noodle. It tasted like bolognese with thick al dente Asian flat noodles resembling the Italian parpadelle pasta. The flavor explosion was quite complex and unmatched by anything I have ever tasted.
To top off this very unique and exemplary meal, the service was top notch. William was our server and just kept dishing it out which was fairly quick because the kitchen crew did not miss a beat.
Overall, Ms. Chi is top notch and I thank every person who we met tonight who helped shape our dinner experience and now I clearly need to find Chef Shirley Chung’s Top Chef episode(s). 😎
Ms. Chi Cafe
3929 Main Street
Culver City, CA 90232
Don Chuy’s had been in the neighborhood for a bit but somehow we had never managed to visit. I did, however, occasionally look at how many stars it received on Yelp and it somehow hovered around 3-3 1/2 stars so it didn’t seem like a priority. Tonight, however, was the exception. I wanted to try somewhere different which wasn’t far from home and not expensive but was savory and I had a hankering for some chips and salsa. I went on Yelp and looked for Mexican restaurant options and Don Chuy’s was the closest and the menu was reasonably priced so off we went.
I had read that they didn’t have a liquor license at the moment which didn’t matter because we lived 5 minutes away and we have our own stash at home. I didn’t think I would find parking in the small parking lot but lo and behold there were at least 3 available spaces when we arrived. We entered and saw the sign alerting customers of the lack of alcohol and inside the intimate but tastefully and traditionally designed restaurant we saw 2 TVs with the Dodgers game onscreen so we knew it had a casual but potentially fun vibe. We assumed the restaurant was nearly empty due to the lack of alcohol which really was really a blessing for us because the service was top notch. Our waitress was fantastic. I was torn between the carne asada, ribs and the fish and she immediately recommended the ribs which is apparently quite popular. My husband ordered the “orijinal burrito” with chicken which was massive and contained tender pieces of chicken with rice and a dollop of sauce with melted cheese. My ribs were fantastically tender, fall of the bone meat, with a rich, savory, dense red seasoned but not overly spiced sauce that blended in perfectly with the rice and the refried beans with ooey gooey cheese melted on top. As this was our first visit, our server mentioned that the restaurant was family owned and most days and nights, the husband and wife would ordinarily be milling about or behind the counter making sure everything was in order but Fridays are their nights off. No matter. The food and service were impeccable and I am so incredibly happy to have found a place so close to home that will eventually become my second home.
Thanks Don Chuy’s for your fantastic food and fantastic service!!
Don Chuy’s Restaurant
11800 Jefferson Blvd
Culver, CA 90230
The two month old restaurant’s name is misleading, inducing you to believe that the menu items are all a work in progress. On the contrary, Michelin-trained Chef Jackson Kalb has exhibited his mastery and experience in his ability to quickly serve up one exceptional dish after another, maintaining the integrity of quality and complexity of tastes in each and every bite. He has transformed the standard Italian fare into something I would categorize as humbly sophisticated. At first glance, the dishes appear as if they could have emerged from your Italian mother’s or grandmother’s kitchen but that notion of homeliness is immediately extinguished with one bite of the intricate dishes. Encapsulated into each dish is the perfect commingling of flavors, textures and spices.
We started with the brussels sprouts and combined its substantial smoky robust flavor with the contrasting light, crisp leaves of romaine in the spicy Caesar salad which had a touch, a sprinkling of a citrus vinegar dressing. Next to be served was the “Hollywood” tagliatelle which had just a hint of meat and sauce, enough to accentuate each bite of the hand rolled pasta. It was followed shortly with a very different, but by no means inferior, pasta dish. The bavette’s crowning achievement was the stracciatella di bufala which oozed into the crevices of the silky strands of dark ink pasta and was interspersed with little jewels of rock shrimp. As if that wasn’t decadent enough, we finished off the dinner portion with the very lean and subtly seasoned “eye of the rib.” Underneath the tender slices of beef was a thin coating of potato purée providing a sampling of a meat and potato dish for those so in need. We ended our Enoteca immersion with a nod to our childhood, encapsulated in the form of a warm, gooey chocolate chip cookie.
Workshop Enoteca’s offerings are exceptional in flavor, quality and value, the trifecta of a winning foodie combination, and is destined to be our second home in the weeks and months to come.
241 Main Street, El Segundo, CA 90245
https://www.eatworkshop.com
If Barbara Jean was a real woman, she would be saucy, a bit edgy and complex but composed and well put together. Chef Jason Fullilove offered a bit of sassy mixed with a flavor explosion of sumptuous goodness.
We started off with the chicken and egg salad which was a ying and yang of crisp fresh shaved cabbage contrasted with the chewy cranberry and the moist shredded chicken. It had a light citrusy dressing which was perfect for the mixed textures of the dish.
The buttermilk biscuits were dense, a bit gritty and grainy but combined with the sweet warm honey and the softened butter they whisked you back to home, to your childhood at your mom’s kitchen after she had given you a pat on the back for a job well done at school.
After that “Ratatouille” moment, our experience was followed with the orecchiette pasta which had a tart but tasty tomato emulsion at the base of the plate giving it another layer of flavor on top of the already delicious combo of mushrooms, peas and pecorino. It was an Italian Mother’s dream.
In direct contrast was the shrimp and grits which is what I imagine southern dreams are made of because the shrimp were quite large, sweet on the outside but juicy and tangy in the inside. The grits were perfectly cooked and subtly flavored.
My favorite part of the meal, the star of the show, was the fried chicken. As my husband said, it was far superior to Honey’s Kettle which is mass produced. Clearly, these are fighting words but I would have to second his opinion. It was evident that great care and respect was paid to memorialize what fried chicken should taste like. The batter and the skin were light, crispy and seasoned with herbs which were visible with each bite. The meat was ridiculously tender and juicy. I was in fried chicken heaven. If I could choose my last meal, the fried chicken by Chef Jason Fullilove would be it.
Not to be outdone by this 5 Star meal at a 2 Star location was the dessert which had a bit of cream cheese frosting combined with a bit of fruit bread and sweet nut layers mixed into each bite.
Everybody should sprint through the door at this new Culver City eats because it’s ridiculously delicious, inexpensive considering the quality of the food and Chef Jason Fullilove is an absolute dream, so talented, cool and collected. We are so happy Barbara Jean moved into town and hope that Chef Jason will want to make Culver City his home.
Madly in love with @barbarajeaneats and @cheffullilove! The BEST food and chef in Culver City!! A 5 star foodie experience for 2 star price!!
Barbara Jean,
4114 Sepulveda Blvd, Ste E
Culver City, CA 90230
I was at the gym, of all places, on the treadmill on my iPad, switching between Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown Vietnam and Bornea episodes and Yelp, looking for some inspirational new Asian eats to have lunch at that was close to home. Somehow this new find which appeared to have opened just a week ago, was not in the New & Noteworthy search. Luckily, I had expanded my search first from Vietnamese food to Asian food and found this restaurant with 4 red Yelp stars. Upon reading the reviews, looking at the photos and then checking their profile and photos on Instagram, I decided right then and there, that is where we must go. It’s literally up the street, about an 8 minute drive.
We walked into the restaurant which was surprisingly busy for a Sunday afternoon. Word must have gotten around that this was the new hot spot in town. We had an amazing waiter, Victor, who was totally on top of his game. Didn’t miss a step.
The food was outstanding and hit the spot. The fries were crispy and piping hot. The turmeric fried chicken was exceptional. It was juicy and you could see the herbs mixed into the batter as you bit into each crispy layer. The garlic noodles were perfectly cooked and evenly coated with bits of garlic. The prawns were also perfectly seasoned and crispy with an amazingly light but flavorful cabbage slaw. The star of the show though was the goi gai salad which had chunks of marinated white meat chicken mixed with a slippery noodle salad. It had a light citrusy, sesame flavor which could almost be considered a palate cleanser as it provided a brief and delicious interlude in between the fried appetizers and the entrees.
Mee and Greet is the new neighborhood gem and I could not be happier at its close proximity to home. Thank you for choosing to make Palms your new home!!
#NowOpen #neighborhoodeats #neweats #asianfood #southeastasianfood #friedchicken #chickennoodlesalad #fries #noodles #prawns #foodie #foodgram #foodporn #foodpics #eaterla #infatuationla #laeats #lafoodie #eeeeeats #buzzfeast #feedfeed #foodlover #foodstagram #fooddiary #foodphoto #foodblogger #foodphotography #foodgasm #foodblog #yelpla
3500 Overland Ave, Ste 150, Los Angeles, CA 90034
To say that my dinner experience at Newport Seafood was the best of my life to date would be an understatement. Sure it was a trek of 40 minutes to get there and yes, it was about over an hour’s wait, but it was worth all the effort and time. We started off with two small offerings from what seemed like dim sum carts. I had seen the cucumbers on “Ugly Delicious” so was confident they would not disappoint. They were crisp and shockingly had a bit of heat. Next from the cart was a small plate of seaweed salad which was perfectly seasoned with oil and seasonings. The star of the show arrived and the juicy decadence of the first bite of the lobster special was enough to cease all talking at the table which was a continuing trend as each dish was served. We all had seen photos of the Newport Lobster special on their website and all over Yelp. The meat was tender and perfectly seasoned. The challenge was trying to get the meat out from inside the claws and that was when we all came to the realization that it was literally going to be a hands-on dining experience and we went to work. I had seen the Yang Chow fried rice served to two tables simultaneously and it piqued my interest. It had a light yellow tint with some vegetables, shrimp and what appeared to be small cubed pieces of pork. I grabbed ahold of the closest server to inquire about the dish and added to our proposed list of dishes for dinner. It did not disappoint. It was amazingly light and not oily. The flavor combinations were just right and the seasonings weren’t overpowering. We also ordered the rich and savory crab meat and asparagus soup. The broth was dense and thick and unbelievably delicious and savory. Next to arrive was the shrimp with cashews which was quite tasty and plump. The Chinese broccoli arrived with the rice noodle dry. The broccoli was bright and green but not overly wilted or oily. The stems managed to retain a bit of crispness. The surprise was the noodle dish which was ridiculously savory but light and again, not oily. It had a diverse offering of chicken, squid and shrimp. The beef au loc was the last to arrive and was a disappointment in comparison with the lightness and flavor explosion of the other dishes. The beef was a bit chewy. The sauce was a bit heavy and was a complete contrast to the other lighter flavors we had experienced. Next time, we will likely substitute that for perhaps the Newport Special crab which also appeared to be a favorite dish. If the Asian restaurant is full of Asian people with more waiting to be seated, that is where all people should come in droves as Asian foodies are unforgiving and will not tolerate anything but the most authentic. Being an Asian foodie myself, I don’t waste my time or money or anything that is not up to my very experienced palate. I wholeheartedly can recommend Newport Seafood for all who are bold and energetic enough to make the trek.
518 W Las Tunas Dr, San Gabriel, CA 91776
Rocky’s is one of your local haunts that you hope enough people hear about so it stays open but you hope doesn’t get too crowded so you can’t come in whenever you have a hankering for their delicious, tasty, unpretentious food. I had been eyeing the 4 1/2 star yelp reviews but could never find the right time to go. Finally, fate and destiny brought family and friends together with us and off we went. There was nothing in our collective and individual experience which could be improved. The tomato soup was savory but not too thick. The flavor and amount of salad dressing was perfect for the thick and heartiness of the kale. The ahi skewers had a very light subtle flavor and were perfect to share. I didn’t taste the salmon, Bad B Burger or the American Beauty but my dining companions polished them off and kept commenting on how delicious everything was. I came for fried chicken Friday which was sensational. The batter on the chicken was light and crispy and the chicken was unbelievably moist. I ordered a side of the tater tots which were surprisingly not oily but fluffy and obviously delicious. And then there was the dessert. It was an amazingly light cinnamon spice cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. It wasn’t overly sweet but had just the right amount of zing to make your mouth tingle. It truly was a sensational 5 star dining experience for a 2 star price. I am so incredibly grateful for its close proximity to our home. Thank you Rocky’s for a decadent delicious dinner. We will be back and bringing more friends!!
4357 Sepulveda Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230
El Cholo has been one of my favorite and easy go-to restaurants since college. It’s consistent in quality, lively and very reasonable considering the large portions of food. Tonight was the first foray to the downtown Los Angeles location. I had seen it in passing many times on my way to the Staples Center. It looks smaller than the Santa Monica and Western Avenue location but by no means is its charm any less diminutive. I had tried to find them on Open Table but only the Pasadena location was listed. I went on the main website and through that there is a link to the reservation site. As a side note, I had previously spoken with the owner and chef of Charcoal and Melisse, Josiah Citrin, earlier this year about online reservations. It appears that Open Table charges the restaurant an additional fee for reservations made through their site so restaurants are now veering away and using Rezy, Yelp, Foursquare or others of the like. Back to the restaurant. For over twenty years, I have ordered the same thing at all of the previously mentioned location: the Sonora style enchilada. The only deviation is whether I order it with shredded beef or crab. Tonight I ordered shredded beef. As always, one side of the dish had a bit more kick and spice but the broth and the savory sauce countered it. Looking at the dish and eating it reminded me of the yin and yang Chinese symbol. The red and green sauce are opposite each other in flavor but together help create that nice balance. Also any dish with a huevo will always get my vote. I’m sure the other dishes on the menu are equally spectacular but for me, the Sonora style enchilada will always be my entree of choice because it is perfectly balanced and timeless.
#elcholo #dtla #mexicanfood #dinnerout #sonorastyleenchiladas #shreddedbeef #foodie #foodgram #foodpics #foodporn #losangeles #losangeleseats #egg #huevo
1037 S Flower St, Los Angeles, CA 90015
http://elcholo.com/location/downtown
My husband and I had met Chef Raphael Lunetta at a friend’s surprise birthday party earlier this year. On meeting Raph, as he is known to his friends, I found him to be a positive force of energy, full of joy and earnest. He seemed very grounded and shockingly self-effacing. I mentioned how a friend was upset about the closing of Raph’s longtime restaurant, Jiraffe, as it was her favorite special occasion restaurant whereas I had been a more frequent visitor at his casual cafeteria-style restaurant, Lemon Moon. My favorite dish was the half chicken with salad and fries. It was the perfect combination: protein, greens and crispy potassium. I was saddened to hear that Jiraffe was closing its doors but even more surprised that Lemon Moon followed shortly thereafter. That is when he mentioned that he had two new restaurants which were set to open before the summer.
Last night we had the great fortune of dining at Lunetta All Day which is the more casual establishment of the two. We put our name on the list and headed to the beautiful bar. The wait wasn’t long. Chef Lunetta surprised us with two amazing treats: grilled octopus salad and mussels which I believe were two of the specials of the evening. I had never had octopus before and was apprehensive eating anything with suction cups. I removed the feared circles and took the plunge. I took a bite and was surprised that it had the consistency of chicken that had been grilled to a moist, smoky perfection. It sat on a bed of greens with red peppers and tomatoes. The salad dressing was subtle and perfectly complimented the heart of the dish. The mussel appetizer was the second delicious addition. Neither my husband nor our friend were fans of mussels like I was but my husband took the plunge and removed the mussels from their shells and placed the meat on the perfectly toasted sourdough bread. He was sold. I went paleo style and practically inhaled the flavorful mussels that had been sitting in a white wine lemony broth. The rest of our dining experience was nothing short of spectacular. Highlights were the carnitas which shockingly was not shredded like at other establishments. This one was a filet and like the grilled octopus, it had a smoky flavor but was tender with a hint of citrus accent. The lemon ricotta pancakes that my husband ordered as his dessert were a very pleasant surprise. I had read some of the Yelp reviews but until I tasted it for myself, I wasn’t quite sure of their accuracy. Each bite had a consistent but light combination of the tanginess of lemon combined with the creaminess of the ricotta topped with the tartness of the blueberry butter and the sweetness of the maple syrup. The flavor combination was exquisite. However, the dish that stole my heart was the sticky toffee pudding cake. The only way to describe it was….it tasted like heaven. The ice cream melting into the toffee oozing into the moist, light crevices of the pudding cake was the trifecta of all things good in life. If a dessert could channel the sweet perfection of happiness, this would be it.
Lunetta All Day will definitely be in our regular restaurant rotation. Everything was reasonably priced, the space is light and airy with a Cape Cod feel and yet it still felt intimate. You can dine here with friends and still be able to carry on your conversations. I cannot wait to try out the rest of the offerings on Chef Lunetta’s menu as the experience is certain to be a sensory adventure and journey that will be infused with unique, refreshing and sophisticated fusions of flavor.
2420 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
https://www.lunettasm.com
Grace Gambin
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