it’s very sad that half the comments here are about parking.
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It’s so LA too because there is abundant parking on Wilshire 2 blocks away lol
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I’m extremely busy during the workday. It’s 10 minutes from my place to Jade Rabbit, so the commute is already 20 minutes. I can stomach that most of the time. But an added 10 minutes to find parking walk over and walk back to my car believe it or not often tips my scale against. Part of it’s on me - I’m incapable of not attempting to find a spot on 23rd. I’m masochistic, I guess. I’ve already been to Jade Rabbit three times, but I guarantee I would’ve been at least double that amount of times if there was easier parking - I think about going several times a week and decide against it most of the time predominantly due to the parking situation.
I’ll certainly be back - I really enjoy the place as I’ve already written, but yea the parking is a significant factor for me.
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I love cheese toast as a snack at home, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me as a restaurant/cafeteria item. It’s great for about 10 minutes (maybe less) but if you don’t eat it quickly it losses it’s appeal fast, and become lukewarm, greasy bread. Since it seems to sit for a while at Jade Bunny, I do not see it getting much better
I have tried multiple iterations of this at JR, and I know they are tinkering with it, but I doubt it is going to ever be something I would like. In an interview that I don’t feel like looking up right now, Chef Bryant mentioned the dish as a childhood love. I wonder how the place he is remembering got it “right.”
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Toasted to order. Every Sizzler cheese toast I had as a kid was warm. Maybe have the person on the line that is filling the base ask the customer if they will be ordering the toast. Get the toast started and by the time they pay it’s ready
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I can’t remember if the ones I had were warm, but my vague memory was that they had something almost like a cheese crust (which would also not be great at room temp but would certainly be better than frankly greasy).
Does anyone else remember the crust, or am I mis-remembering?
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Yup! Sizzler was always the place we’d go for family birthdays growing up lol. Was a huge Malibu Chicken fan growing up perfect with a side of the cheezy, crunchy Texas toast. I wonder if they just got that way from being in a warming drawer.
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Cheese toast was on a lot of menus in the old school places. Smoke House still has it. When I was in college working at Michael’s of Los Feliz, it was on every table. We had a giant salamander with conveyer belt that toasted it perfectly. Us waiters probably sucked down a half dozen a shift…oh to be young with high metabolism.
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After all the parking talk I decided to brave it and swing by yesterday. Unsurprisingly, no spot on 23rd. I think I have perfected my order:
- Bases: Fried rice, chow mein
- Vegetables: Cucumber salad, pickled Chinese cabbage
- Main: Beef & broccoli
Totally delicious, and just enough food to be satiated but not stuffed.
$18.07 total - essentially the same as my standard Chipotle order ($17.61).
Total would be sub $15 without an upgraded main.
Two changes that I noticed from previous visits:
- They add a small scoop of crispy fried potatoes at the end of the line - awesome!
- The serving size of the main seemed to be a tad smaller than past visits, but the beef & broccoli bowl was almost empty, so this may have been the inevitable result of the employee stringing together a few small scoops from the remnants of the dish, rather than one normal sized full scoop.
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Just in case it’s over looked, there are 8 spots behind in the restaurant alleyway.
They are potentially talking with a neighbor for off site parking too.
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Valuable intel!
I’ve never understood the signage/apportionment of spaces in this lot. It’s shared with the apartment behind. I’m not saying that you CAN’T park there, I’m just not sure you should…
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Is after hours parking at the school on Chelsea viable?
Tons of construction at McKinley so for now iffy, but there is usually street parking on Chelsea.
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Got some clarification from the staff regarding the parking spaces in the back: two reserved spots for the apartments have signage in front, the remaining six can be used for Jade rabbit.
They also told me they have an agreement with the Specialized bike store across the street. Diners can park there after 6 pm.
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Great lunch today.
The Ugly Drum Kung Pao pastrami was fantastic.
And the cheese toast problems have been solved by the warmer shown - the toast stays warm and soft and crispy in all the right places. I’ve seen the gizmo being used to keep Jamaican Beef Pies hot and crispy.
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Literally sprinted over after seeing your post. Can confirm the pastrami slaps! Really tender, good flavor as they cook it in a wok with peppers and a few other things. I did scorch my throat accidentally swallowing whole one of the peppers though. Hope they make it permanent.
Bryant stepped into the dining room and got mobbed by everyone in the restaurant. He kept trying to subtly work his way back to the kitchen and then someone else would rope him into a conversation. Kind of hilarious seeing him treated like a celebrity! I think people find it more acceptable and approachable (and they’re probably right) to chat up a chef at a fast casual joint like this than at a more upscale spot like Cassia.
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Great to see that the toast is piping hot, and that the pepper is piping hot as well!
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As expected Bryant is really dialing everything in - Jade Rabbit just gets better and better!
Soon I can stop there on my way back to the office from Holy Basil!
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