Looking for an English pub? Stop by The Cat and Fiddle, in Hollywood. The shepherd’s pie is quite nice (although it may be a cross between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie, for those who are English cuisine purists–hah, I have made myself laugh). Also, the beer is good.
Tag: restaurant
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James’ Beach
On Monday nights, James’ Beach in Venice has bottles of wine for 50% off. And they have a very extensive wine list. I wasn’t drinking that night (DayQuil and NyQuil in the recent past), but the waiter was very knowledgeable about food and wine offerings alike. The sand dabs with spinach, pine nuts, and golden raisins is a good choice, but the menu was full of things I’d like to try. This would be a great restaurant for a nice dinner, or a celebratory Happy Hour.
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NBC Seafood
If you don’t know that the best Chinese food in town is found in Monterey Park and surrounding areas, then you really haven’t been paying attention. So listen up!
NBC Seafood has been around for something like 20 years, which is an eternity in the restaurant business. My recent (first!) visit there helped explain why.
The restaurant is brightly lit, but not blinding. The menu focuses, as you might expect, on seafood–but there are terrestrial options as well. We had duck two ways (Peking and lettuce wraps; the latter was my favorite, but both were terrific), cashew chicken, lemon cod fillets (more on these in a moment), asparagus with black bean sauce, and some kind of beef that was delicious. Let’s say it was Mongolian, and move on with our lives.
Service was excellent. The waiter answered our questions and described the dishes well. The duck came out first, in two stages, which helped the later dishes fit on the table, and kept us from starving. (Hey, when you drive across town from the Westside, you’re going to be hungry. Sitting in traffic does not fill your stomach.) The prices weren’t amazing, but they were fair, particularly considering the quality of the food. Everything was really tasty, and the restaurant atmosphere was comfortable and welcoming.
My only disappointment was that I still have not found a replacement for the lemon cod fillets that were served at the now-defunct Dragon Regency. Those were wonderful, and I haven’t found anything that measures up. NBC’s are just a touch too sweet, and need to be a bit more lemony. Alas.
Still, if you’re looking for good Chinese food, NBC Seafood is a great place to try.
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Welcome to Pink’s
Pink’s, on La Brea just barely north of Melrose, claims to be the “Home of the World’s Best Chili Dog.” There are lots of chili dogs I like, but I do have to say that Pink’s is up there. They’ve been in business since 1939 without a change in location, so clearly I am not the only one who thinks this. The lines will testify as well–yesterday we waited for an hour to place our order. On the other hand, once the order was placed, it took about one minute to get our food.
I don’t know how the staff keeps things straight, but on our three visits (we don’t live in the area, so we don’t get there often), they haven’t missed a beat. In spite of what looks like mayhem behind the counter, and customers shouting out orders, everything seems to get to the right person.
A trip to Pink’s has become a minor tradition for us. After running (in my case, watching) the L.A. Marathon, or participating in a 5K fundraiser in the general vicinity of downtown (I did do this one), chili-cheese dogs are a welcome treat. We like ours with no mustard or onions. I’m not sure what either of those is supposed to add; they seem like they result in too many flavors and distract from the chili. I also think the fries (seasoned–not my favorites) benefit from a dollop of chili. They’re cooked just right, but I prefer the chili to the flavor of the seasoning. So while I’d get a chili dog and regular fries at most places, at Pink’s it’s chili on everything. Mmmm….
Pink’s dogs are also helped, as far as I’m concerned, by their stock of Bubble Up. This lemon-lime soda is sort of like 7-Up, but better. Why? Glass bottles and real sugar, instead of corn syrup. I discovered it on my first trip to Pink’s and was instantly hooked. Try it, you’ll like it. Or you won’t, which leaves more for me. Cheers!
BTW, the Melrose Pinkberry is right around the corner. Pinkberry, your yogurt is awesome, but your website is just plain weird.
Update (6/19/07): Okay, the site is less weird now. Way to go, Pinkberry!
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El Pueblo Viejo
Looking for a small, hole-in-the-wall local place with good and affordable Mexican/Salvadorean food? Try El Pueblo Viejo in Culver City. The chile rellenos are crisp, spicy, and cheesy, and the mole is dark and rich. The chips seemed a little overdone, but the salsa was terrific.
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Indonesian Delight
I’ve discovered Ramayani, in Westwood. It’s on Westwood Boulevard, just north of Santa Monica, in a little rabbit warren of restaurants (and one dry cleaner). Although I haven’t eaten Indonesian food since a trip to The Netherlands more than 25 years ago, I will definitely go back for more. The bakmi ayam goreng is fantastic, and so are the corn fritters (for which I do not know the Indonesian name). This is not Thai food, and not Vietnamese–although some of the ingredients are similar, the results are very different. Try it. Enjoy.
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Eating near Yosemite
First, I will go on record as saying that the food in the Badger Pass cafeteria is nasty. That’s probably a given, but it’s worth pointing out, nevertheless.
Less well-known, perhaps, is the fact that Gummi Bears are better when slightly cold. I suspect that the ones in my refrigerator are, at the moment, too cold.
But the town of Oakhurst, a dozen or so miles outside the park’s south entrance, does offer some nice food options.
Crabcakes Fun Family Seafood offers not just crab cakes, but rich and hearty clam chowder as well. It’s definitely not the cheapest place in town, though.
For breakfast, try Country Waffles or Ol’kettle. Although they don’t have the websites offered by Crabcakes (hence the Citysearch links), they do provide affordable, filling, and–most importantly–good breakfasts.
There are also a variety of fast food restaurants (McDonald’s, KFC, etc.) and a number of small local ethnic restaurants.
On the other hand, if you’re staying on the valley floor, I wouldn’t drive to Oakhurst just to eat.
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Pinkberry in Westwood
Pinkberry is here! There’s no website I can find, and no page on Citysearch yet (they only have the West Hollywood location listed). But it is, in fact, here–on Lindbrook, right next to the Subway at the northwest corner of the Westwood-Lindbrook intersection.
So I had my first taste today, and it is delicious. Tangy, like the frozen yogurt I used to get in the early 1980s at White Flint Shopping Mall in Maryland. I’ve always remembered that frozen yogurt with fondness, and still prefer it to the sweeter kind that can be found everywhere (when I want ice cream, I’ll eat ice cream, thank you very much).
Today I had the original or traditional or whatever they call it, with almonds and Captain Crunch. Next time I’ll try the green tea. But I’m definitely going back.
Edit: There is also one in Marina del Rey. Thanks, Triplecreme!
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Cheeseburger in Paradise
Actually, I don’t think I ate any cheeseburgers there. And in a week on the Big Island of Hawaii, we never went to Starbucks and only ate one meal at McDonald’s. Hey, we were late to the airport. So sue me.
At any rate, for a romantic sunset dinner, I highly recommend Huggo’s. I know, the name sounds like there should be clowns and balloons, and maybe a giant Sasquatch mascot. But it’s not like that at all.
Or maybe you’re looking for something more casual. For that, you might try L&L Hawaiian Barbecue.
Both of those establishments are in Kailua Kona, on the west side of the island. Perhaps you’re staying in Hilo.
Hilo Bay Cafe is a fantastic place for lunch. The crab cake sandwich is tasty and enormous, and stays crisp for a surprising amount of time, considering that it’s a crab cake inside a sandwich. The french dip is excellent as well. Hilo Bay Cafe is nowhere near downtown; clearly it’s designed for people who actually live in Hilo, rather than tourists, but they were perfectly happy to provide us with food in spite of our out-of-state driver’s licenses.
And that’s just a few places on only one island. Be adventurous. Enjoy.
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Tender Greens
Instead of Ford’s Filling Station, try Tender Greens next door. The prices are better and the food is just as good. You have to stand in line to order, and that can take a while, but once you’ve ordered, the food is prepared very quickly. The flatiron steak is good and the Yukon Gold mashed potatoes are excellent. Only two soups, but lots of salads (hence the name). But carnivores shouldn’t fear: while there are a couple of entirely vegetarian dishes, there’s plenty of meat to go around.