Midoh (Sawtelle)
Had to go to LADBS (don’t ask), so I thought I’d stop at Midoh. Just delightful. Had no idea that the lemon wasn’t just a garnish until I read on a website that the lemon is actually meant to be used (and to pulverize the sesame seeds and then pour the sauce on top).
JYTH (Rosemead)
Thoughts here.
Rustic Canyon (Santa Monica)
Partner and I have had a stressful few wks, so we wanted treated ourselves to a nice meal. On my last (and only other) trip to Rustic Canyon, the food was incredibly pretty, incredibly tasty, and I wanted to lick the bowls/plate clean b/c the sauces were so, SO good. The same still applies here:
The melon dish was AMAZING. Initial hit was sweet, tart, and salty, followed by the slight richness and roundness of cashew ajo blanco, and then the finish of fantastic herbaceous. They serve it w/ a spoon, and I happily used it. Ricotta gnocchi meltingly tender and the sauce was SO rich and intense. Nice chew to the halibut gave the impression of having more chorizo than was actually there (the amount was still fine), and the corn so summery; it was like the most wonderful fish burrito, minus the tortilla.
Dungeness crab dip was really good, but I think it’s hard to go wrong w/ a crab + dairy.
The dessert was good but that honey was so, SO intense (perhaps a bit too much so for me). Partner and I thought that the cake would have bit of nectarine, rather than having the nectarine added. Vanilla ice cream was a $5 supplement I didn’t feel like adding, but I actually think this very much needed to it to balance out the intensity of the honey.
Thongg Ake (Santa Monica)
Didn’t realize Jade Rabbit doesn’t open during conventional lunch hrs on Saturday until I tried to open the door. Whoops. Partner and I were hungry, so we went a few doors down to Thongg Ake.
The food seemed really good to us. Partner’s pad krapow ($16 lunch special) wonderfully savory, complex, and balanced. My khao soi was good, but I could’ve used more lime wedges and chili oil to counter the sweetness a bit more; I don’t think chili crisp works so well b/c I’d occasionally bite into a crisp, which wasn’t pleasant.
This was our first visit, and we look forward to trying more of the menu (which thankfully isn’t overwhelming).
Pontu (Santa Monica)
No idea what the red/pinkish sauce w/ my arroz chaufa was, but it was really good. I was expecting it to be kind of sweet (b/c of the color, I guess?). It wasn’t really that, and I don’t know how to describe the flavor. Savory, perhaps a touch of sour, and a really nice kick to it. I thought it was quite tasty, and I could’ve used, like, double the portion b/c the rice itself was almost a bit too “clean” (and, dare I say, high-end?) tasting; I personally could’ve used a bit more salt.
Fries remain delightful.
Petros (Sawtelle)
No pics, but this place continues to be very enjoyable (this was my second visit). They actually got my thin-ish hamburger patty pretty close to medium rare, and the spicy feta topping it worked pretty well. Partner wolfed down his salmon bowl. Octopus also very good, although I wouldn’t have minded if they hadn’t cut it up for us.
It’s kind of misplaced on Sawtelle, and I hope they survive b/c the food is really solid, IMHO.