Consuming LA

December 30, 2017 · 2:48 pm

The 10 Best Things I Consumed in 2017

As we bid adieu to 2017, let’s just focus on the good stuff. And by “good stuff,” I mean the food we consumed to tantalize our taste buds, lift our spirits and provide a bit of pleasure in these ever-changing and uncertain times. Keeping with tradition, here is my annual list of the ten best things I ate and wrote about during the past year:

Shul Lung Tang (Korean bone broth) from Han Bat

10. Shul Lung Tang from Han Bat. Is bone broth a miracle elixir that will cure all your ailments, align your chakras and balance your chi? Probably not, but there’s nothing better than a hot bowl of this soup on a cold rainy day.

Pork Chop “Niman Ranch” from Salazar

9. Pork Chop “Niman Ranch” from Salazar. The penultimate dish on my top ten list is smoky, fatty and juicy. As excited as I am about this pork chop, I’m equally excited about using the word “penultimate” in my post.

Flaky Bread with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Honey from Kismet

8. Flaky Bread from Kismet. The servers at Kismet are flaky and so is the hipstery restaurant’s best dish: a melt-in-your-mouth pan-fried bread served with labneh, preserved lemon and honey.

Banchan from Genwa

7. Banchan from Genwa. We all like free things, and the ridiculous amount of complimentary banchan (side dishes of fermented vegetables, fishcake, seasoned peanuts, braised beef, scallion pancakes and other Korean delicacies) at this Korean BBQ joint has the additional benefit of being exceptionally tasty.

Ceviche Tostada from Holbox

6. Ceviche Tostada from Holbox. How do you make an octopus laugh? With ten-tickles. The Ceviche Tostada at Holbox is a lot better than that joke.

Macarons from Ladurée

5. Macarons from Ladurée. The French know a thing or two about creating incredible baked confections. I know a thing or two about eating them.

Marinated Short Ribs from Chosun Galbee

4. Marinated Short Ribs from Chosun Galbee. I know what you’re thinking: Where’s the beef? It’s right here at #4 and it’s amazing.

Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster

3. Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster. Fun fact: uni is actually a sea urchin’s gonads. These gonads are especially delicious when eaten right out of the shell at the Jolly Oyster stall at DTLA’s weekly Smorgasburg.

Pastrami Sandwich from Ugly Drum

2. Pastrami Sandwich from Ugly Drum. “Oy gevalt!”…is something you will not be saying when you eat this pastrami masterpiece (which is also found at Smorgasburg).

Carrot Mole Enchiladas from Trois Familia

1. Carrot Mole Enchiladas from Trois Familia. You haven’t really had carrot mole enchiladas until you’ve had the ones from Trois Familia. They are insanely good and the best thing that I consumed and wrote about in 2017.

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Filed under Beverly Hills, Frogtown, Koreatown, Los Feliz, Mid-City, Silver Lake, South Los Angeles

Tagged as best la food blogs, best la restaurants, Best Los Angeles Food Blogs, Best Los Angeles Restaurants, Best Restaurants in LA, best restaurants los angeles, los angeles food blog, los angeles food blogs

December 23, 2017 · 12:21 pm

10 Best Korean BBQ Joints in LA

There are few things in the world that I love more than Korean BBQ. Nothing beats gathering around a fiery tabletop grill with your friends while marinated meats are cooked to perfection right in front of you. Grab a hot piece of caramelized short rib with your chopsticks and pop it in your mouth followed by a swig of cold Korean beer. Yes, life is good.

After years of extensive research, here are my 10 favorite Korean BBQ restaurants in LA:

Kang Ho-dong Baekjeong

1. Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong (3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles) Part of a chain from Seoul owned by a comedian/wrestler, this place has everything you want in a Korean BBQ joint: a super fun and bustling atmosphere, fantastic service and incredible food. The only downside: they don’t take reservations and there is always a long wait.

Chosun Galbee

2. Chosun Galbee (3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles) While the food here is authentic and traditional (and absolutely amazing), I’ve found Chosun Galbee to be very accessible for Korean BBQ novices and it’s where I usually bring first-timers. Everything here is big — the menu, the restaurant (including a large patio) and the flavors. There are private rooms in the back which are perfect for parties. My favorites here are the chadol (thiny sliced brisket), spicy pork bulgogi and marinated galbi.

Magal BBQ

3. Magal BBQ (3460 W 8th St, Los Angeles) Magal is the cool new kid in town. It’s a recent import from a successful chain in Korea and has a party-like atmosphere. Make sure to check out their signature Beef Sushi and Volcano Fried Rice.

Genwa Korean BBQ

4. Genwa Korean BBQ (5115 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles and 170 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills) The big draw here is the banchan, the little side dishes of kimchi and other fermented vegetables, sliced pancakes, potato salad, boiled peanuts, braised beef and other Korean delicacies. While most Korean BBQ places give you between 4 and 7 different kinds of banchan, Genwa gives you around twenty different varieties and, as with virtually all Korean restaurants, they’re all refillable upon request.

Park’s BBQ

5. Park’s BBQ (955 S Vermont Ave, Los Angeles) This joint is the top choice for ballers and foodies who demand the highest quality meats and don’t mind paying the highest prices. Their heavily marbelized Wagyu beef may ruin you for all other Korean BBQ.

Soowan Galbi

6. Soowan Galbi (856 S Vermont Ave B, Los Angeles) While the decor of this small strip mall eatery is a bit plain and the atmosphere is a bit staid, the BBQ is anything but dull. The quality of the food here is incredible and their marinated meats are among the best in town.

Hanjip

7. Hanjip (3829 Main St, Culver City) Owned by celebrity chef Chris Oh and LA restaurant maven Stephane Bombet, Hanjip is one of the few great LA Korean BBQ places outside of Koreantown. It’s also my favorite of the all-you-can-eat joints. In addition to the meats, make sure to order their incredible Kimchi Fried Rice, Uni Steamed Egg and Bone Marrow Corn Cheese. For extra fun, enjoy Soju poured into your mouth through a marrow bone “luge.”

Quarters Korean BBQ

8. Quarters Korean BBQ (3465 W 6th St, Los Angeles) Located in historic Chapman Plaza in the center of K-town, this is where I usually wind up when the line is too long at neighbor restaurant Kang Ho Dong Baekjeong. It’s fun and modern and they have great banchan and excellent bulgogi.

Soot Bull Jeep

9. Soot Bull Jeep (3136 W 8th St, Los Angeles) The pork baby back ribs here are insanely good. All of the meat is cooked at your table on charcoal grills, which adds a great smokey flavor to your food. The charcoal smoke fills up the restaurant and creates a magical atmosphere on a cold wintery night. The fact that the smokey smell remains in your clothes and hair when you leave is a small price to pay for all of that charcoal grilled goodness.

Chung Ki Wa

10. Chung Ki Wa (3545 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles) This traditional looking joint has old school charm and solid BBQ. The galbi is especially good here. Make sure to also order their famous cold buckwheat noodles.

If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on facebook and follow me on twitter and instagram at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!

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Filed under Beverly Hills, Culver City, Koreatown, Mid-City

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November 17, 2017 · 9:30 am

The New Cruelty

Kismet, a newish hipster hot spot in Los Feliz, does a couple things right and couple things horribly wrong. On the bright side, their Mediterranean fusion fare is pretty awesome. Their melt-in-your-mouth “Flaky Bread” (similar to Roti) is phenomenal, especially when dipped in a combo of labneh, preserved lemon and honey. Their Shakshuka (poached eggs in a tomato stew) which you sop up with chewy seeded Barbari Bread is also a winner. Their signature daytime dish, called the “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” is the best of all with little tastes of different yummy things such as olives, dates, persian cucumber salad, marinated feta and a spiced soft-boiled egg.

However, as good as the food is, a dining experience is always going to leave a bad taste in your mouth if the service is bad, and unfortunately the service at Kismet is surprisingly disappointing. Vanishing servers, hour long waits to get your food after ordering, and an air of indifference from the front of house staff are major buzzkills. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Kismet adds a non-discretionary 20% service charge to all bills, which might contribute to the lack of hospitality of the serving staff who take home generous tips regardless of satisfied patrons.

The other thing to be wary of at Kismet is the food is quite overpriced. That “Turkish-ish Breakfast,” for example, costs a whopping $24 and if you want more than the couple pieces of bread they include with the dish (which you probably will), you will get charged extra for that. It’s expensive to be an Eastside hipster foodie.

Kismet is located at 4648 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles in Los Feliz.

Turkish-ish Breakfast

Marinated Feta with Tomato, White Grapefruit and Marigold

Soft-boiled Eggs

Flaky Bread with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Honey

Sesame Walnut Granola with Fruit and Yogurt

Lemon Verbena Custard with Apple with Strawberries and Salt & Pepper Tuile

Located in Hipsterville

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Filed under Los Feliz

Tagged as kismet, kismet los angeles menu, kismet los feliz, kismet restaurant, kismet restaurant los angeles, kismet restaurant menu, shakshuka

September 5, 2017 · 9:59 pm

Not for Bro-ing Down

Ladurée is not a good place to bro-down. It’s not ideal for hanging with the guys, drinking craft beers and discussing snowboarding or Blake Griffin’s dominance on the court. Ladurée is for sipping fragrant and flowery teas that have names like “Josephine,” “Mathilde” and “Marie Antoinette.” It’s for nibbling dainty finger sandwiches on fine china between shopping jaunts at Chanel and Van Cleef. It’s for purchasing delicate Rose Petal and Lavender Macarons in cute little pink boxes.

Located among the luxury shops of Beverly Hills, Lauderée is part fancy bakery counter and part French café/tea room. It’s an import from Paris, where the chain is known for incredibly delicious macarons, as well as incredibly long lines of tourists. The savory food, which unsurprisingly includes several salad options, is pretty good. They also serve high tea so it’s perfect for grandma’s birthday celebration or a post-ballet recital treat. If you really need to bro-down, Mastro’s Steakhouse is only a couple blocks away.

Ladurée is located at 311 N Beverly Dr in Beverly Hills. There is also a location in The Grove.

Delicate Pastries

Pastel Macarons

Pretty Boxes

Petite Lobster Rolls

Cute Mini Burgers

Fragrant and Flowery Tea

Happy Breakfast to Me

Some people love breakfast. I am not one of those people. In ranking breakfast, lunch and dinner, breakfast comes in a distant third for me. This may be partly because I don’t love eggs or cereal, but mainly it’s due to my preference of getting extra sleep instead of having a sit-down morning meal. But if I am going to be dragged out of bed early on a Saturday or Sunday to meet friends for breakfast, then I’m probably going to insist we dine at Trois Familia.

Trois Familia is the third collaboration (after Trois Mec and Petit Trois) of three of LA’s most talented and inventive chefs: heavily tatted French bad-boy Ludo LeFebvre and the dynamic duo of elevated comfort food, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo (of Animal and Son of a Gun). Located in a strip mall in Silver Lake, the restaurant has everything you want in a breakfast or brunch joint and many things you didn’t know you wanted: an eclectic menu of creative French and Mexican specialties, glossy white picnic tables, a display of vintage hula dolls over the counter, and a horde of Eastside hipsters queuing up to secure a table.

There are icy cups of Horchata, edible asterisks of Maple-chili-glazed Bacon, hot plates of Churro French Toast topped with melty Salt & Straw Ice Cream and mind-blowing Carrot Mole Enchiladas. And to celebrate your success in getting out of bed and procuring such a delicious breakfast, you can end your meal with a yummy slice of Tres Leches Birthday Cake served with a lit candle. Singing and presents are optional.

Trois Familia is located at 3510 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (in Silver Lake) and is open daily between 9am and 2pm. If you enjoy Consuming LA, please subscribe, like me on Facebook and/or follow me on Twitter or Instagram @ConsumingLA at the top right of this page. And please forward to your friends!