I’m very excited that I’ll be dining at a new “nose-to-tail” establishment tonight with one of my offal-loving buddies. The fact that I haven’t written a food review since my Per Se review in November disappoints me. I’ve had some pretty good meals since then! Allow me to elaborate, if you will. Unfortunately almost all these restaurants are in Los Angeles, so if you were expecting me to review Rickshaw Dumplings in in NYC you’re out of luck. Although I will say the Hat Tavern in the Grand Summit Hotel in Summit, NJ really puts out a solid burger. They use La Freida blend beef and a traditional cheeseburger with minimal toppings was excellent. The only problem was the open mic night goofball singing too loudly over my dinner.
So what else have I enjoyed of late in LA?
- The Wallace (3833 Main St) – Another new-ish joint (opened 3 months ago) in Culver City that I visited for the first time earlier this month. The menu offers a ton of small plates that look and sound appealing, but I was limited to I think ten dishes? Any more might have been overkill? Great chicken liver mousse (not as good as Animal but pretty close!), two of the best vegetable plates I’ve had in a long time (market greens and little gem lettuce). Great grilled cauliflower and decent sprouting broccoli. The hangar steak was on the rare side of medium rare, which I was quite happy about. The braised pork cheek was a brilliant plate with excellent complimentary elements like apple and horseradish. I wanted a larger portion but I knew that would be overkill. Their wine list was great as well. I like when I can find cheap Stolpman around town and The Wallace stocks their sangio. Mmm…
- Colonia Taco Lounge (13030 E Valley Blvd; La Puerte) – Tried this quiet little lounge out for the first time last night and I can’t wait to return. I had the barbacoa taco (braised lamb, onion, cilantro and a smoky/spicy sauce), the beer-braised beef taco, and the chicharron taco (pork skin, beans, avocado). The latter was so utterly fatty and yummy I was delirious. I also sampled the coliflor (fried cauliflower) and the doraditos (potato and cheese with avocado cream). Yeah, it was all good. The beer selection was good but not great. I’ll be back to try more, as there were probably five or six more tacos I wanted to try that I hope will still be on the menu next time.
- Myung In Dumplings (3109 W Olympic Blvd) – The best lunch deal in town, hands down. I went here with Ben a few weeks ago and not only was the place nearly empty on a Wednesday afternoon, it was delicious and insanely cheap. An order of #1 (4 king-sized steam dumplings) is $7. An order of #3 (spicy shrimp dumplings) costs $9. Trust me, that alone is enough for two people. Factor in a beer, tax and tip, and that tasty, quite filling lunch sets you back about ten or eleven bucks. If there was a place like this near where I work, I’d be in big trouble.
- Ham Ji Park (3407 W 6th St Suite 101C) – I wound up here with some friends on a night that Boiling Crab was overbooked. Oh my God. It’s no wonder the place just got written up in the LA Weekly for having one of the ten best non-barbecue dishes in Koreatown. They were highlighted in the article for their pork spare ribs, which are insanely good. I thought that even better than the ribs (which were gone in an instant once they were set down on our table) was the pan-broiled octopus and noodles. I didn’t want the experience of eating that stuff to end. Their pork neck stew (bone-in, of course) was mind-blowing. I can’t wait to go back here. Easily on par with (if not better than ) Seonbukdong and Dan Sung Sa. That trio makes for a pretty delicious couple blocks on 6th Street in K-Town.
- Far Niente (204 1/2 N Brand Blvd) – Who knew there was a cute little wine bar tucked into that long stretch of Brand Blvd. by the Americana that seems to only be occupied by fast food joints and big box stores? I was only here for a short while (I should have been Christmas shopping) but I was immediately sucked in by the “free slice of pizza with each glass of wine” happy hour deal they were offering. And while the pizza was quite ordinary, how dumb do you have to be turn down free pizza!? The wine selection was also really good, and really well priced. So, yeah, I can’t comment on the regular food menu but that free pizza happy hour sure made my day.
- Hostaria Del Piccolo (512 Rose Ave) – Yeah, I know it’s tough for you eastside hipsters to make it to Venice, but you could do worse than this Italian restaurant. It’s not on par with Tasting Kitchen or Gjelina, but the pastas and pizzas are still tasty. I went with the “Demoni” (tomato sauce, salamino piccante, roasted tomatoes, mozzarella, goat cheese) and easily devoured the pie by myself. Yes, I also had a good amount of the tagliatelle with slow-braised beef Bolognese, which was very rich and very delicious.
- The Hart & The Hunter (7950 Melrose Ave) – This place is absolutely going to crack my next “25 Meals” list, which will probably have to wait until April for an update. I went with AZ and LJP a few months ago for the first time and I was really impressed by the food and service. This (like Myung In Dumplings and Colonia) is one of those places I wish I’d had that patience to photograph and review, but I was so into the food I ate before I realized what could have been. Pickles of the day area solid starter. Butter biscuits and condiments are a must. If pimento cheese isn’t one of the condiments, get the full order. The kale salad (I know…) was great, as were mushroom/polenta cake and the hangar steak. The lemon ice box for dessert should be a no-brainer.
Gary Wright – Dream Weaver [MP3]
