D + J Recommendations Part 1

Two friends of mine who are dating asked me for some recommendations on good places to eat in L.A., and of course I was happy to oblige. There just are so many good places to eat, so I decided to update the list in parts. D + J will probably gain some weight chasing down these amazing eats, but they're both pretty skinny, so a few extra pounds won't really matter.

Let's start with Ktown and move outwards, shall we?

Best Sushi: Noshi Sushi. It's on the corner of Beverly and Hobart. Sushi is usually pricey, but this place is really worth it. It's Japanese owned and run, not like most sushi places in Ktown. Best things to get here: spicy tuna rolls, california rolls, uni, yellowtail, the yellowtail salad, dynamite, tempura, and pretty much any sushi. And awesome green tea.

Best gohgoomah cake: Cafe Mak, on Shatto Place between 6th and Wilshire. I like to go and study here sometimes, because there are a lot of small tables, it's cozy, they have free wifi, and music isn't too loud. Like most Ktown cafes, the drinks are kind of expensive, but their gohgoomah cake really is amazing, if you like sweet things. Its a nice place to study, to stop by with friends and have a chat, or have a date :)

Best ice cream: Scoops on Heliotrope Drive (a few blocks west of Vermont), just north of Melrose. This tiny shop is behind the LACC campus, and has really amazing and creative ice cream flavors, like balsamic vinegar and ricotta, strawberries and basil, and their most famous flavor, brown bread. They make their ice cream fresh every day, so sometimes if you go too late, they run out of flavors, and have really long lines. But every time I've gone, the lines haven't been too long.

Best kong gook soo and kahl gook soo: Myung Dong Kyoja on Wilshire and Harvard. They have a really small menu, mostly kahl gook soo and kong gook soo, and super garlicky kimchi, but they really hit the spot when you're craving some hot or cold noodles. I love that they give you mini mandu in the kahl gook soo, and also that they're open 24 hours... it's the perfect place to go late night for some huge filling bowls of noodles.


Best cheong gook jang bibimbap: Olympic Cheong Gook Jang on Olympic, a block west of Hoover on Arapahoe Street. If you don't like the smell of chung gook jang, you should just take this togo, but their bibimbap is really amazing. I haven't had anything else here, and it's a pretty small store. But they slice fresh lettuce on top, and serve the bibimbap with a small side of chung gook jang that is really good mixed into the bap. And the banchan taste even better than your halmuhnee's... perfectly seasoned and just the right amount of spicy.

I'll list some more places again soon!

The Misfit's happy hour: bang or bust?

Crispy Fries at The Misfit Restaurant and Bar

 Half off happy hours at buzzed-about new bars and restaurants draw L.A.’s foodies like sweet nectar to bees. The Misfit features such a happy hour, in tourist-happy downtown Santa Monica. Although with a name like “The Misfit”, customers might expect a bit more quirkiness in décor and menu than what they actually encounter at the newly opened bar and restaurant.

The atmosphere           

Walking in on a bright Saturday afternoon, dark wood panels, low-slung leather chairs, and nude women cavorting in flowery murals spread above the bar bring old boys’ clubs to mind. High windows cut into the walls and dark fans swinging overhead add a light and summery feel to an otherwise rustic yet refined environment.

Noting the dark browns and iron trimmings of the room, and the heavy bass of the loud and mostly electronic music, the bar and restaurant are apparently best enjoyed during evening hours.


Promptly seated in the sparsely populated room, a companion notes the inventive use of a wine cork as a prop for a card displaying the brunch and drink options available on the weekend. It’s a quaint touch added to the masculine chrome and glass table settings.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: The Misfit's happy hour: bang or bust?

Santa Monica's pop up Food Alley

Komodo truck's tacos, clockwise from top left: Soi (tofu), Java (pork), Fish n' Grapes, Komodo 2.0 (steak)

Driving around the white-collar entertainment jungle east of 20th Street and south of Santa Monica Boulevard, it’s hard to imagine finding anything more exotic or affordable to eat for lunch than a burrito from La Salsa.

Adventurous budget-conscious lunch hunters can celebrate, because Santa Monica’s very own Food Alley is open for business.

Located on Pennsylvania Avenue, a short one-way road off of 26th Street, a colorful train of about 20 food trucks park their aromatic frames, sandwiched by buildings that house local offices of MTV, Yahoo!, and a branch of Santa Monica College.

Every weekday starting around 11:00 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. workers from the surrounding neighborhood trickle onto the unobtrusive street, asking themselves the all-important question: which truck will feed me today?

Luis Acosta, a student at SMC, likes having lots of options to choose from. He likes how each truck and each food selection has a theme.

Almost like an amusement park, every truck does have a theme; on one particular day, the options ranged from Komodo, to Aloha Fridays, and Baby’s Badass Burgers. Competition may be what helps keep food truck prices low.

“There’s a lot of options, so it’s not particularly good for each truck, versus spots where people come to find us just for us,” says Erin Stack, an employee at the Baby’s truck.

Continue reading on Examiner.com: Santa Monica's pop up food alley

Phil Had His Fill

     Boy, when the Lakers disappoint, they really hammer it home. Their last series with the Dallas Mavericks ended with a 4-0 score, placing the Mavericks solidly into the NBA Western Finals, and sending the Los Angeles Lakers weakly limping to an early vacation, and their coach possibly regretting staying on for this last season.

Millions of fans across L.A. were left with long faces, including its Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa.

“It seemed like a sure thing – my deputies figured Phil Jackson would leave the coaching ranks in a victory parade from City Hall to the Staples Center and provide me with more photo ops than the SEALS had with Osama bin Laden” the mayor said.

Instead, Phil Jackson took a defeatist’s final march from the basketball court to the locker room, sure that this would be the last time as the Lakers’ head coach.

Backlash towards the Lakers’ poor performance and poorer sportsmanship literally twittered across cyberspace after their spectacular loss, but sympathy towards Phil Jackson was more prevalent than not.

Blogging on North Hollywood’s Patch.com site, writer Patrick Hasson berated, “Shame on you, Lakers,” but showed compassion to Jackson stating, “You deserved better.”

The Lakers struggled in their first match up of the NBA tournament against the New Orleans Hornets, playing inconsistently and barely making it through the first round.

By the time the Mavericks came around, it seemed like the Lakers were playing to disappoint.

Usually even keeled Jackson displayed his frustrations in a well-replayed video of him roughly poking center Pau Gasol in the chest while passionately speaking with him on the court.

Desperately scampering to win just one game, the Lakers lost them all.

“This team just had an ability to get in a funk and not be able to resurge,” Jackson said in his exit press conference.

Asked whether he was relieved that the season was over, he replied, “I’m always relieved.”

Coaching for 20 years and at 65 years old, maybe it is time for Jackson to step down and take some well-deserved time off.

At a recent press conference in Westwood, journalist and Valley Village resident Larry Gerber confessed to be a fan of the Lakers.

When asked about whether he thought Jackson would ever go back to coaching, Gerber commiserated with the embattled coach: “I’m his age. I think he’s 64. If he doesn’t come back to work, I don’t blame him, because I don’t feel like it either.”

With an extensive career that sent him across the globe and working for various publications and organizations, including Emmy magazine, the Associated Press, and the Institute for War and Peace reporting, Gerber worked hard to be a solid reporter and editor.

But like Jackson, working long and hard for 20 years was enough to throw in the towel—at least for now.

The Story of Rain

During the cloudy May Gray and June Gloom season, the haze of overcast marine layer can be kind of depressing. The insistent wall of clouds looming on the coastal horizon aren’t even heavy with promising rain, or choppy with the hope of a glimpse of the sun.

But days like today, when towering billows of thunderous gray bring ever-welcomed rain to the droughty L.A. basin, the clouds play second fiddle to the rare spots of dark moisture on dusty sidewalks and sooty cars.

Parched container plants perched on balconies greet the flighty swirls of sprinkle that flurry like snow, while the transient seek the coveted dry overhang in a deserted alley.

Weeks, even months, worth of toxic sludge and muddy trash flow in light rivulets down gutters in the street, following their designated path out to the ocean just a few blocks away.

Dedicated surfers anticipate the waves that respond to the change in weather, promising lots of power and lots of itchy rashes from the aforementioned street waste washed out into their playground.

Among all this, the cozy writer sits, nestled into a nook in a neighborhood café, warmed by hazelnut coffee from the inside, the wafting toasty flavors of the bakery comforting without, and the wide windows displaying a city lightly drizzled in cool misty rain, in preparation for the long, baking L.A. summer ahead.

First Fruits at the Wednesday Market

First Corn Spotted at Gloria's Farms' Stand

Crunchy, extremely tart peaches, but first seen at the Wednesday market

     There's nothing like the beginning of a new season when the year-long wait is over, and forgotten annual fruits and vegetables start popping up again for their once in a blue moon visit. One of the best places in the urban jungle of Los Angeles to actually see the seasons in action are the neighborhood farmers' markets.

     During the weekly Wednesday market located in Downtown Santa Monica, roughly at 2nd Street and Arizona Avenue, stone fruits are finally making an appearance. At one stand, an apricot cousin named "Apriums" release their buttery sweet fragrance.

     When asked about the hybrid status of the fruit, the man behind the stand spouts a long speech on the process of breeding and growing fruit, expressing his passion and expertise in the field, without actually ever answering the initial question.

     A few stands down, white peaches with dusky rose skins are piled into yellow bins. There's a bustling crowd around the stand, curious to smell, feel, and taste what hasn't been spotted in almost eight months. Tasters are in for an unpleasant, face scrunching surprise. These peaches are so tart, they make lemons seem as mild as potatoes. Even at $2 a pound, they're not ripe enough to tempt most shoppers.

At a local double-stand favorite, Gloria's Farms debuts their ever popular sweet white corn. Predictably, the ears and kernels are on the small side. But with one glance, their crunchy toothsome qualities cannot be denied. At $2 for three ears, their usual price, these corn are worth it to feature at a weekend barbeque to match the recent great weather.