Category Archives: Studio City

February 11, 2015 · 10:38 am

A Nutty Place in the Valley

One of my favorite tv shows growing up was The Brady Bunch. Not only was it the perfect depiction of 1970’s suburban idealism, but it taught me “caveat emptor” and not to play ball in the house. If you want to check out the actual home used as the Brady house exterior, it’s located at 11222 Dilling Street in Studio City. While you’re in Studio City, I suggest you complete your Brady Bunch expedition by heading over to Spread PB for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the quintessential suburban after-school snack.

Spread PB is a new restaurant devoted entirely to peanut butter, which they make themselves in numerous varieties including regular, nutty, dark chocolate, maple bacon, coconut, cinnamon raisin and banana chunky. Their extensive menu features childhood favorites such as “Ants on a Log” (celery sticks with peanut butter topped with raisins or chocolate chips) and “Smiles” (apple slices layered with peanut butter and mini marshmallows; pictured above) and creative concoctions such as “Banana Sushi” and greek yogurt peanut butter smoothies.

The main attractions, however, are the sandwiches. You can build your own with your choice of peanut butter, bread and a long list of toppings, or select from a list of house specialities. My favorites are the Chicken Curry Sandwich with green curry peanut butter and “The P’s Please” sandwich with peanut butter, pickles and potato chips. Both are surprisingly good; perhaps even better than the ones Carol and Alice used to make for Greg, Marcia, Peter, Jan, Bobby and Cindy.

SpreadPB is located at 12215, Ventura Blvd, Suite 104 in Studio City. UPDATE: Spread PB is permanently closed. I also heard that NYC’s Peanut Butter & Co. is closing. It’s sad timed for peanut butter.

The P’s Please (Peanut Butter, Pickles and Potato Chips) on Cinnamon Raisin Bread

Chicken Curry Sandwich with Green Curry Peanut Butter

Dogwich (Banana, Peanut Butter, Jelly and Chocolate Chips on a Hot Dog Bun)

Banana Sushi

Berry Berry Nuts and Bananas (Blueberry Bread, Peanut Butter, Strawberries, Blueberries and Bananas)

Ants on a Log (Celery Sticks with Peanut Butter and Raisins or Chocolate Chips)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Peanut Butter and Jelly Cookies

The Peanut Gallery

The Brady Bunch House in Studio City

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Tagged as Brady Bunch food, flavored peanut butter, green curry peanut butter, peanut butter pickles and potato chips, peanut butter restaurant, peanut butter restaurant los angeles, peanut butter restaurant studio city, peanut butter restaurant the valley, spread pb, spreadpb, Studio City Restaurants

March 26, 2014 · 10:22 am

Not Your Routine Poutine

Canada is the home of gold medal winning female bobsledders, an incorrigible rapscallion/pop star known as “J-Biebs,” and a corpulent crack-smoking mayor that bears a striking resemblance to the late great Chris Farley. But foodwise, the greatest achievement of our neighbor to the north is poutine.

For the uninitiated, poutine is Canadian fast food that originated in Quebec. It’s fries with a brown gravy-like sauce and cheese curds. A good plate of poutine is salty and unctuous, and perfect for late night binging, noshing at a hockey game, and consuming while listening to the song stylings of French-Canadian chanteuse Celine Dion.

LA chefs, especially those at local gastropubs, have been obsessed lately with poutine and have lovingly put their own spin the dish. Below are some of my favorite non-traditional poutines served around town, with a couple of more classic ones thrown in for good measure.

Chicken Tikka Poutine

1. Chicken Tikka Poutine from Badmaash (108 W. 2nd Street in Downtown Los Angeles).

Bahn Mi Poutine

2. Bahn Mi Poutine from The Gorbals (501 So. Spring St. in Downtown Los Angeles)

Galbi Poutine with Pickled Kimchi Onions

3. Galbi Poutine with Pickled Kimchi Onions from Seoul Sausage (11313 Mississippi Ave, Los Angeles in West LA)

Pastrami Gravy Fries (with Beef Tallow Fries, Pastrami Bits Pastrami Gravy, Melted Swiss Cheese and Chopped Pickles)

4. Pastrami Gravy Fries (with Beef Tallow Fries, Pastrami Bits Pastrami Gravy, Melted Swiss Cheese and Chopped Pickles) from Plan Check Kitchen + Bar (1800 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles in West LA and 352 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles in Mid-City)

Truffled Poutine Burger

5. Truffled Poutine Burger from Umami Burger (Locations in Santa Monica, Studio City, Los Feliz, Mid-City, Hermosa Beach, Downtown, Burbank, Hollywood, Thousand Oaks and Pasadena)

Gravy Fried with Roast Brisket and Cheddar

Gravy Fries with Roast Brisket and Cheddar

6. Gravy Fries with Roast Brisket and Cheddar from The Bowery (6268 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles in Hollywood)

Poutine with Ground Beef and Sauteed Onions, Peppers & Mushrooms

7. Build your own Poutine (this one has Ground Beef and Sauteed Onions, Peppers and Mushrooms) at Jay’s Bar (4321 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles in Silverlake)

Smoked Meats Poutine with Curds and Gravy

8. Smoked Meats Poutine with Curds and Gravy from Little Fork (1600 Wilcox Ave., Los Angeles in Hollywood)

Poutine, Oxtail Gravy, Cheddar

9. Poutine, Oxtail Gravy, Cheddar from Animal (435 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles in Mid-City)

Poutine ÃŽle-du-Prince-Ã‰douard with Mussels au Gratin

10. Poutine ÃŽle-du-Prince-Ã‰douard with Mussels au Gratin from Soleil Westwood and P’tit Soleil (1386 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles in Westwood)

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Filed under Burbank, Downtown, Hermosa Beach, Hollywood, Los Feliz, Mid-City, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Silver Lake, Studio City, Thousand Oaks, West LA, Westwood

Tagged as animal poutine, Bahn Mi Poutine, best poutine los angeles, bowery los angeles, canadian food los angeles, celine dion, chicken tikka poutine, galbi poutine, jay's bar, jay's bar menu, justin bieber, p'tit soleil, petite soleil, poutine, poutine in los angeles, poutine los angeles, rob ford, seoul sausage, seoul sausage menu, smoked meats poutine, the bowery los angeles, the bowery menu, the bowery restaurant, westward soleil menu, westwood soleil

November 22, 2013 · 3:29 pm

Thanksgiving Por Favor

I’m sure it’s a surprise to no one that food-centric Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. While I love all the traditional foods like roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, I also like to shake it up a bit and eat things that are twists on holiday classics. I’ve written before about places to buy candied yam ice cream and turkey gravy cupcakes, and this year I recommend spicing up your Turkey Day dinner with special Thanksgiving-inspired Mexican side dishes from Loteria Grill.

Loteria Grill is one of my favorite Mexican restaurants in the city. What started as just a stall in the Original Farmers Market on Fairfax, has grown into a chain of five restaurants that serve some of the tastiest gourmet Mexican grub this side of the border. I’m prettty much addicted to their spicy salsa, and their Chicharron de Queso (crispy griddled cheese which looks like a large party hat) is incredible!

This year, Loteria’s owner and executive chef Jimmy Shaw has put together a menu of special Thanksgiving side dishes and desserts for take-out to serve at your holiday dinner. These are not your grandmother’s Thanksgiving dishes (unless perhaps you call your grandmother “abuela”), but they do include many of the same ingredients you find in the holiday classics. My favorites are the Mashed Roasted Sweet Potatos al Chipotle served in hollowed out orange rinds, the Jalapeno Corn Bread and the Almond and Apple Tart with Goat’s Milk Cajeta. Happy Thanksgiving, amigos!

Loteria Grill is located in Hollywood, Santa Monica, Studio City, Westlake Village and the Original Farmers Market on Fairfax.

Mashed Roasted Sweet Potatoes al Chipotle

Jalapeno Cornbread

Chiles Rellenos de Requeson, Manzana y Nuez

Calabacitas Rellenas

Esquites (Toasted Corn Off the Cob)

Pastel del Elote con Rajas de Chile Poblano a la Crema

Rajas con Crema, Elote y Queso

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Chile Poblano

Almond and Apple Tart with Goat’s Milk Cajeta

Pumpkin Mini Cake with Piloncillo Sauce and Ice Cream

Gettin’ Sauced

Everyone knows that the Valley has great sushi bars. A lesser known fact is that the Valley is also the home of many of LA’s best barbecue joints. My favorite is Uncle Andre’s BBQ in Studio City. A true hidden gem and a hole in the wall, Uncle Andre’s serves both amazing Southern style barbecue and soul food.

At first blush, you might not be impressed. The restaurant is a small, poorly decorated hovel in a dull Valley strip mall. You place your order at a window and then wait for a long, long time — typically between 30 and 45 minutes unless you call ahead. But none of this really matters because the food, when it finally arrives, is so damn good.

The barbecue is top notch; generous portions of perfectly cooked meats slathered in a delicious tangy and slightly sweet sauce. My favorite dish is the excellent Angus Boneless Beef Ribs. The Baby Back Pork Ribs and Barbecue Chicken are also great. There are Fried Catfish Nuggets, Hush Puppies, Fried Chicken (with or without waffles) and tasty Chicken Tenders. Make sure to order the Mac ‘n Cheese; it’s one of the best in the city. Other sides include Cornbread, Collard Greens cooked in vinegar, and yummy BBQ Baked Beans. On Fridays, they serve Gumbo until they run out. Get the Banana Pudding for dessert. You can thank me later.

Uncle Andre’s BBQ is located at 11715 Moorpark St. in Studio City.

Mac ‘n Cheese

BBQ Chicken and Baked Beans

Cornbread

Chicken Tenders

Banana Pudding

A hole in the wall in a dull Valley strip mall

Killer BBQ

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Tagged as Banana Pudding Los Angeles, Barbecue Studio City, BBQ San Fernando Valley, BBQ Studio City, Best Banana Pudding Los Angeles, best bbq los angeles, Best Restaurants Studio City, Los Angeles Best Mexican Food, Uncle Andre Restaurant, Uncle Andre's Barbecue, Uncle Andre's BBQ Menu, Uncle Andre's Restaurant Studio City, Uncle Andres, Uncle Andres BBQ

March 1, 2013 · 11:01 am

It’s a Dog Eat Dog World

Like every great American city, Los Angeles has its fair share of wieneries; gastronomic temples dedicated to finely seasoned and cured processed meat cylinders served on long soft buns with a variety of condiments including mustard, relish, sauerkraut, onions, cheese and chili. Pink’s is the most famous in town, but hardly the best. Dodger Dogs are overrated. When I want a truly spectacular red hot — a juicy dog that snaps with every bite and explodes with flavor in my mouth — I head to one of my five favorites listed below.

Carney’s

#5 Carney’s (8351 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood and 12601 Ventura Blvd, Studio City). This dive restaurant in an old yellow train serves amazing hot dogs, including a spicy “New Yorker,” a traditional “Chicagoan” and a “Red Baron” with spicy mustard and red cabbage. If you like your dogs slathered with messy, meaty chili, there’s simply no better place.

Fab Hot Dogs

#4 Fab Hot Dogs (19417 Victory Blvd, Reseda) Well worth the drive to Reseda, Fab Hot Dogs are perfection. You can get grilled pastrami or BBQ baked beans on your dog and their speciality is a crunchy deep-fried “Bald Eagle Ripper” with housemade spicy mustard relish. It’s also well worth the risk to your arteries.

The Slaw Dogs

#3 The Slaw Dogs (720 N. Lake Ave, Pasadena; 19801 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills; 1355 Huntington Dr, Duarte) Their bacon-wrapped LA Street Dog topped with grilled peppers and onions, garlic mayo and pico de gallo is one of the best things ever. There’s also a Chicharron Dog with pork belly and kimchi and a Thai Dog with peanut curry satay sauce.

Vicious Dogs

#2 Vicious Dogs (5231 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood) The most fun and creative hot dogs in LA can be found here. I love the “Hot Chick,” which is bacon-wrapped and topped with mozzarella, chopped chicken tenders, ranch dressing and spicy Buffalo wing sauce. There’s even a hot dog with peanut butter and jelly.

Fritzi Dog

#1 Fritzi Dog (in the Original Farmer’s Market, 6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles) Newcomer Fritzi Dog has become my favorite hot dog place in the city. It’s truly gourmet and elevates the hot dog to a whole new level. Their eponymous dog served on a fresh soft pretzel bun (pictured above) is not only insanely delicious, but a work of art. I also love their juicy “Porker” dog served on a sweet and doughy “Parker” bun (they have buttery brioche and gluten-free buns as well). Best of all, you can get a tasting sampler of mini dogs to make your hot dog selection a little easier.

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