Yeah, that is a good series. I like Bruery sours a lot too.
My husband and I picked up dinner from Gjusta tonight. The rapini was insanely good, outrageously smokey, earthy, and vinegary.
The kippered salmon was swoon-worthy, so very rich.
I loved my falafel sandwich, but it was spicier than I anticipated.
My husband’s chicken banh mi.
The chocolate avocado mousse was pretty good, but a bit monotonous.
My husband’s kabocha-chocolate cake had lots of warming spices and was moist.
Apologies for the ugly pictures, but I was hungry; and there wasn’t any natural light.
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Gjusta Gjusta Gjusta
Lovely meal, @MaladyNelson I could go for a falafel sandwich right about now.
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Ah, it was such a damn fine meal, @A5KOBE! Honestly, I could probably go for another falafel sandwich myself, but just out of sheer greediness. 
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We can all be a little greedy when the situation calls for it.
Gjusta is usually one of those situations. 
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Speaking of Gjusta, I finally got their huevos rancheros.
I am not sure if the dish totally deserves the name or not. The tortillas are crispy and fried, not warm and soft fresh off the griddle, the beans are whole and white, and there is chard in the dish. All that being said the saline piquant salsa and earthy ranchero sauce as well as the orange yolks of the cojita covered eggs are spot on. The soul of great huevos rancheros is captured, and it is nice to be able to eat a version of the dish that is shockingly light. The white beans and chard probably help a lot in that regard. The salty astringent chard also gives the dish a new dimension that traditional preps lack. The crunchy tortillas make the dish more like chilaquiles in a good way, though I prefer the fresh soft tortillas at Anaya. I personally wish they had a hotter salsa and I needed extra, but it’s a highly respectable salsa nonetheless. I realize Gjusta is expensive but I don’t get why the dish is $15. It seems overpriced even by Gjusta standards. Their steak and eggs is only like $17 and contains the same two eggs plus bread and veggies… one would think just two eggs and tortillas with beans and chard would be more like $10 in comparison. Still if you can easily ignore the price and want a light version of huevos rancheros it is a pleasant enough plate.
Details:
Their pastries leave a lot to be desired though.
Their Baklava Croissant is terrible. It looks good but has the quality of a shorty store-bought croissant, basically lifeless. Stuffed with 3rd rate baklava tasting of charred mush. Hard to believe something this bad could be made. I actually tried one of these before and it wasn’t great but I thought they might’ve improved… somehow they have actually made it worse, as the baklava used to at least be palatable.
The Kumquat Cheese Danish was better because the pastry was actually crisp and buttery with fine flaky layers. But somehow the cheese and kumquats didn’t work at alll. The ratios were way off. Felt like eating a pastry designed to be cool rather than flavorful.
I offloaded the pastries to someone happier to have them than I on 3rd street outside, and took off for Howlin Rays and Burgerlords feeling good, but with a mental note to never get another pastry from Gjusta ever again, no matter how good they look. I kept a loaf of Sourdough for myself though; the best sourdough Ive ever had for my tastebuds.
How does a place that does bread so right do pastries so wrong?
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#i-naba
Another great meal at i-naba. Highlights were the squid, anago, scallop, shiitake mushroom, and persimmon. New year’s resolution to eat more fried foods, check.
I was disappointed they were fresh out of the shirako tempura, perhaps if i waited 15 minutes they would have had it again #gotmilt
pumpkin, sweet potato
eggplant
squid - softer than the LA ram’s defense
shrimp
onion
shiitake #hotshiitake
anago
oysters
squid and uni shiso rolls
scallop
bread and fried shrimp
Do not order this. I thought it would be some kind of shrimp toast tempura but it was literally shrimp wrapped in slice of white bread.
second round of squid
shiso with minced shrimp and “private label” sausage
The sausage tasted exactly like a jimmy dean breakfast sausage, not what i was expecting
shrimp kakiage
persimmon
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Nice pics and report. I have to go back soon. I agree that a lot of their desserts are misses. The banana cream pie is just there. Much worse than Apple Pan’s. Their various mousses and other sweet items are pretty one note, though I do like their cookies. I stick with savories at Gjusta.
Had one of the great meals I’ve had in LA today at Szechuan Impression. Arrived at 1:30 and was able to get a table right away. There were three of us; we ordered a feast of 8 dishes, some assorted teas/drinks, and dessert, and it came out to about $35 a person. This was honestly shockingly good. The finesse in the cooking was at a level above Chengdu Taste. I will be back. A lot.
We started with bamboo shoots in chili oil. This was a theme, but the chili oil was deftly used. This was a crisp, refreshing start with a small kick. Forgot to picture this one so took the pic from LA times; ours looked exactly the same.
Next up we got “potato strips on street corner” and sauteed veggies of some sort. These fries were fucking great. I wouldn’t be surprised if these are just frozen crinkle cut fries from a market, but it doesn’t matter, they were hot, perfectly cooked, and just loaded up with spice. Guy Fieri would say this is where we entered flavor town. Greens were nice; as the meal went on they were a good reprieve from spice.
Wantons in chili oil–the best wantons I’ve ever had. The skin was magnificient, the filling smooth and tasty, and the skins were wonderful. And then the chili oil sauce had a sweetness that was different from any other chili oil sauce on the other dishes. I really wanted this whole plate to myself.
Fried chicken with chiles and ginger. The best version of this dish I’ve had. The chicken was fried perfectly, and was just so damn hot and tasty. An addicting dish.
Fish filets with green pepper. This has become the standard bearer dish for Szechuan food in LA. In my view, this was better than the one at Chengdu Taste. The fish was meltingly tender, and this is one of those dishes that just gets incredibly spicy if you eat the serranos and get an occasional peppercorn or two. It was about this point that my water became useless, as the numbing effect turns your water into garbage. Man this was good. Also, the bottom of the bowl had a surprising array of mushrooms. The fact that this was like $14 made me have some second thoughts about paying $42 a pound for red cod at Sea Harbour that did not taste as good as this.
Toothpick lamb with cumin. I never tried this at Chengdu Taste. It was good, not great to my taste. I am admittedly not a cumin lover, and that is the dominant flavor profile here. Very gamey, so you have to be into that.
Mother’s hand cut noodle soup. This was how we finished the savory part of the meal, and man was it a welcome, non-spicy sight. Filled with delicious hand cut noodles, this soup had a sesame flavor profile. Just really good.
We ended the meal with “Cindarella’s pumpkin rides.” It’s pumpkin mixed with some kind of starch and then fried, with a bean paste inside. Like a lot of desserts at Chinese places–it just ain’t my thing, but I eat it anyway. Forgot to picture.
Anyone else have some recs for must-have dishes next time I go? I think the wantons and the chicken are probably “musts” for me on any visit, but many other things on the menu looked great. Has anyone tried the Golden soup?
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Pork Kidney with Chili and Pepper
How to eat kidneys:
- Boil the piss out of them
- Eat
“Finger-lickingly Juicy” Sauteed Spicy Crab
Boiled Fish Fillets in Chili Sauce
Fried Rice Cake With Black Sugar
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Yeah, but their carrot cake is randomly like the best carrot cake ever. I guess I keep hoping I might find another one. From now on I have to stick to just getting carrot cake or no sweets at all haha
Wow.
So is the crab dish similar in seasoning to the fried chicken with chiles dish? Seems similar., just with crab, from the pictures.
Pork kidney is also a fixture in Shandong cuisine.
I haven’t had the chicken but it does look similar. The crab was coated and deep fried making the shell edible and addicting.
Taiwan Love
Stinky Tofu King…
Got the Pork/Mushroom Braised Rice. Excellent. Great braise flavor and fatty.
The egg also great. I get that Lao Tao and Pine and Crane are trying to do a lighter version but this is soul food.
The beef noodle is good, too. This is very rich.
And for dessert…
This might be my most favorite dessert place right now. Got the number one, warm.
Here is the menu:
Get the warm or hot grass jelly before anything else.
Grass jelly, boba, sweet potatoe balls, and taro balls with cream.
Pretty damn good lunch!!
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Cafe Gratitude (Downtown L.A.)
Worthy (Apple, Carrot, Beet, Chard, Lemon, Ginger):
This was OK. Pretty fresh, but a bit earthy as well. Loved the spiciness of the Ginger.
Thriving (Kale, White Bean, Carrot Soup):
Hearty, warming, and nicely seasoned.
Devoted (French Lentil and Butternut Squash Loaf, Smashed Heirloom Potatoes, Shiitake Gravy, Sauteed Greens, Brazil Nut Parmesan, Creamy Coleslaw, Pickled Beets, Chopped Scallions):
This was a nice way to sample a variety of tastes. My favorite was the Smashed Heirloom Potatoes, Shiitake Gravy, and Sauteed Greens.
Fresh (Grilled Asparagus, Heirloom Cherry Tomatoes, Avocado, Wild Arugula, Hempseed Hollandaise):
Really refreshing, the Hempseed Hollandaise thankfully didn’t overpower the veggies.
Inspired (Asparagus Risotto, Gremolata, Cashew Creme Fraiche, Red Onion, Brazil Nut Parmesan):
This was pretty tasty. Considering there’s no dairy, it was impressive in its creaminess, a balance of salinity and a touch of tart.
Community (Warm Spinach Artichoke Terrine, Grilled Slow-Fermented Sourdough Crostini):
Another surprising dish in its creaminess and cheesy qualities (considering it’s Vegan). The Sourdough Bread was nicely toasted. We’d order this again. 
Mucho (Mexican Bowl, Black Beans, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Nopales, Salsa Verde, Cashew Nacho Cheese, Spicy Pepitas, Romaine, Sprouted Probiotic Brown Rice):
It sounded pretty good, but the execution was a bit off. Just a lot of heavy, earthy flavors. It’s filling, and I loved the Spicy Pepitas, Nopales and Brown Rice, but everything else added in started to overwhelm. 
Almond Butter Cup:
Mint Chocolate:
Tried a few of their (pricey) Vegan Chocolates. Our favorite was the Almond Butter Cup. Like a healthier version of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
Cafe Gratitiude (Downtown L.A.)
300 S. Santa Fe Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Tel: (213) 929-5580
Shanghai Restaurant
Some friends felt like trying Shanghai food and took us to the generically-named “Shanghai Restaurant.”
Tofu and Vegetable Cold Dish:
This was surprisingly delicious! Small chopped up bits of Marinated Tofu, and a Pickled Vegetable (Mustard Greens?), some Sesame Oil. Excellent.
Yam with Gee-Tsai:
This certainly didn’t taste like the commonly found “Yams” here in the U.S., but regardless, this was pretty good as well. The Wood Ear Mushrooms, the crisped Yams (yet still tender), and the “Gee-Tsai” all combined together nicely.
Steamed Spareribs with Rice Flour:
This was a bit gummy, and the Spareribs weren’t tender enough. It was decent, but something we wouldn’t order again.
Scallion Chicken:
The Poached Chicken was tender enough, although the other versions of this dish are lighter (not as doused in Soy Sauce as this one). It was OK.
Sauteed Water Spinach with Garlic:
Delicious. I love Water Spinach, and it’s just harder to find this in some areas around L.A. Lightly salted, fragrant from the Garlic.
Western Lamb:
In hindsight I wish we didn’t listen to the waiter’s recommendation: This “Western Lamb” was essentially a Black Pepper Lamb, like those found in a HK Cafe. It was really sweet and salty, and peppery, but the worst was the Lamb itself. Stringy, chewy, filled with gristle. It was awful. 
Smoked Duck:
This version of Tea Smoked Duck was milder, less salty than most versions we’ve tried. The smokiness was there (but not as deeply infused as we’d like). But overall, quite tasty.
Shanghai Fried Pork Buns:
Shanghai Restaurant’s Sheng Jian Bao had a nice crust on the bottom. The Marinated Pork filling was fine, but the overall dough was a bit too dry and a little chalky at times.
Having our friends take us to Shanghai Restaurant, it reminded me: Where are all the great Shanghai cuisine eateries in L.A.? I think Shanghai No. 1 Seafood was mixed, and the decor doesn’t help. Shanghai Restaurant felt OK. Some dishes were fine, others, not so much.
Shanghai Restaurant
140 W. Valley Blvd., Suite # 211
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: (626) 288-0991
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Still in Shanghai.
The diaspora from Shanghai to SoCal has sort of petered out. Yu Garden was good, but it’s no longer around.
Nowadays, I suppose Southern Mini Town and Chang’s Garden are old standbys that can scratch the Shanghai food itch.
LA still has to work out of its system all those Sichuan (dry hot pot joints included) restaurants out of its restaurant occupancy quota before extending to another Chinese specialty.
1 Like
Skibbley looking shrimp.