by josie on August 25, 2010
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Despite the fact that there’s a lot of interesting and high-end stuff going on in the LA food scene, there’s equally something restorative about visiting a place with absolutely no frills and no attitude.
Let’s not fool ourselves, there’s an abundance of expensive gourmet trucks out there. And believe me, I truly enjoy a lot of them, but spending $15 at a truck just seems a bit wrong. And so, every once in a while, if you want to maximize your LA food scope (and be a bit uncouth), don’t forget to visit your local hole in the wall. You (and your wallet) will be very happy and perhaps even a little pleasantly surprised. As was the case at La Playita in …
by josie on August 23, 2010
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Saritha, a good friend and a Wharton MBA, just so happens to love a good cocktail. A couple months back, Saritha and I were at the TTK when she expressed the desire to pursue the perfect cocktail – making it behind the bar, that is. Despite having a great full-time job, I urged her to make like an intern (an experience I know way too much about) and ask the bar manager, Justin, for an apprentice gig. Saritha has been there almost every Sunday since, and hence, the world is getting a little bit brighter one mix drink at a time. Last Sunday, I persuaded my new bestie, Matt, to drive me to the TTK so that I could sample …
by josie on August 19, 2010
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I’ve been very into educational dinners (like this one at Homegirl Cafe) these days so I thought I’d share one more with you. On August 25th at 6:30P, Checkers and Grey Goose Vodka will be hosting a five-course dinner paired with Grey Goose vodka concoctions. I may just have to see you there.
Below is the Press Release:
On August 25, guests will experience a five-course menu executed by Checkers Downtown Chef de Cuisine, Dave Baker. The evening begins with a 6:30 pm reception featuring the Motown Cocktail with GREY GOOSE Le Citron, Peach Liqueur, Passion Fruit Syrup, and Apple Juice, created by Jubien and assisted by Checkers Downtown mixologist, Tyler Dow and mixologist and Youngs Market Company …
by josie on August 13, 2010
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Imagine what the intersection of 2AM, 1/2 drunk, and hungry would look like. That’s Kogi’s newest, Chego. Enough said.
<Above: Pork belly bowl ($8) with tons of accountremants including a fried egg. It was the highlight of the night for me. Oh, and all containers are biodegradable. Yay!>
<Grab the rubbed beef sandwich on La Brea cabatta with Arugula. This was Lizzy’s fav.>
<Artwork are all original photographs by the owner’s son. Gansta’ rap will likely be playing in the background. No complaints. I like my Wu-Tang and Biggie.>
<The Meatballs ($4) are filled with pork, beef, and tofu and are on a polenta patty. One of my favs of the night.>
<Grab a Jarritos or Mexican soda from the fridge. It’s on the honor system. …
by josie on August 11, 2010
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Drinking and eating has been a pretty canonical model for culinary hedonism, especially among foodies. I’ve had a ton on my plate these days so I decided a bit ago to indulge less in boys and beer and more in work, working out, and more work. I’ve never been happier! However, this day Miss Lizzy Shaw invited me to the Second Annual Tequila Tasting at The Winehouse on the westside. I thought since I wasn’t drinking much, it would be a good opportunity for me to educate myself about the region and its most valuable crop all while sober. I would’ve never remembered anything if I’d been tasting… Dopamine may surge when drinking, but synapses sure don’t fire …
by josie on August 4, 2010
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Two days to go and you will be able to walk the new SaMo Place! It’s Third Street Promenade adjacent and will feature a Louis Vuitton, Tiffany’s, and many more. I stopped by with my buddy, Lisa, for a tasting preview at Ozumo Sushi and the Sonoma Wine Garden. Here’s a preview of what you can expect from these sister restaurants (yes, they share the same owner).
The UG favs were:
The prime rib was perfectly cooked and the BBQ corn was sweet and spicy – as it had a togarashi dressing. Josie loves togarashi. The sushi was the perfect size which made them nice and manageable. And the seaweed salad, for its texture, was a great surprise. The edamame had a garlic …
by josie on August 2, 2010
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I need to preface this with the fact that I am so backlogged with posts. However, after experiencing Starry Kitchen the other night, I felt compelled to upload pics and write this place up – as I am so excited for what’s to come for them.
As an entrepreneur, I’d say that the best thing to happen to any start-up is to have no money. It forces an entrepreneur to get creative and be truly remarkable. As was the case with SK’s humble beginnings. It’s one of those kinds of places with a strong point of view. As an Angeleno, I hope you get to experience it at some point.
Nguyen (front of the house) and his wife, Thi (back of the …
by josie on July 29, 2010
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***Disclosure: Korean BBQ is surprisingly great at making me happy.
It was SinoSoul (aka Tony C) who first told me about the Kobe Beef Korean BBQ at Oo-kook. (Yes, Kobe. Not Kobe-style.) However, something about bastardizing a beautifully marbled piece of meat over a campfire just seemed wrong to me. But I trusted Tony’s opinion (as he had been there before and the man tends to know what he’s talking about), so I decided to join him on a field trip to KTown. The gang included his wifey, Kenny, Rick, and Meaghan.
The place is situated in KTown on 8th and is $25 p/p. At first $25 a person sounds reasonable, however, when compared to other KBBQs, it’s actually on the higher price …
by josie on July 27, 2010
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You know the feeling you get from being tickled too hard? Where it’s painfully good in that great kind of way. If so, then you must try Huckleberry. I haven’t been to a place that I’ve been so throughly impressed with for quite sometime now, and when I hit it up HB for lunch with Lizzy & Paul last week, I knew I had walked into something special. A few months ago, after reading the Food GPS review of the place, I decided that Huckleberry was a place I had to go to. I just can’t believe I had put it off this long. It’s a lot fresh baked… well, everything. And it’s pretty traditionally fantastic.
The place was opened by Zoe …
by josie on July 26, 2010
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The LA Food Fest was back this summer and better than last time, for sure! After all, I was running the Jumbotron, there were about a million and a half less people there, and it was all the street food you could eat. It was Chicken Soup for a better Angeleno and, dare I say, helped build character to be in a space with that many of the finest street vendors in LA. Did I mention the Mayor was there? (Uh oh, I hope you hid your busty Latinas.)
I hope you Tweeted me because I was blowing the jumbotron up from 4-6p. After that, my colleagues: @stylesmith @YourDailyThread (@wordsbysarahm) @Carolineoncrack did a great job of live blogging so that I …
