im very into their fizzy tea as well.
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Solarc is encouraging because it doesn’t follow the kids & dogs/big Jenga set/hazy IPA/industrial park model I now associate with breweries. This may be because of location (it’s in a cool neighborhood rather than a suburb), but the interior design plays a role. They’ve got interesting drinks, like the fizzy tea and their tea-inspired beers, you won’t really find anywhere else.
It reminds me of a brewery in Portland whose name I cannot remember and may not exist anymore, but it was in a basement and featured sours and saisons. We went there once and the guy was playing a Fela Kuti record
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Upright Brewery. Sadly, closed in 2025. Loved that place.
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Agree, it’s better than his Harry’s Berries during Antico’s pamdemic days.
I do worry, though, as I do with the majority of LA spots these days, whether the new storefront will be sustainable.
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Dang, that’s a real drag. Thanks for the recall.
hadn’t thought of Solarc in these terms, but yes, it’s wonderful to not deal with the kids and dogs mess of it all.
I also love that they’re unapologetically different. I stumbled into what I think was a noise music show and it was so grating and abrasive that I had my drink outside. But, frankly, I’m thrilled that there’s a place showcasing all types of music and art.
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LA’s Friends in Town has almost all dropped.
- Maison Sota at Lielle
- The Catbird Seat at Baroo
- Yet unannounced at Maydan Market (only one that is still bookable barring cancellations)
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Thank you for the late lunch inspiration. We enjoyed the Shan noodles, tea leaf salad, and eggplant curry.
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Apologies in advance for the lack of pictures, made up for with too-long copy.
Lunch today at Chainsaw on Melrose at Western. Inside is a counter to place your order and two very petite tables. There are some stools and even plus petit tables on the sidewalk facing Melrose.
Order at the counter and hope there’s a table. It’s the kind of set up that provokes a lot of anxiety: what if the food comes and I don’t have anywhere to sit?-- Will i apologize? --Will I start eating from the plates and bowls while the server holds them patiently?
With some strategic hovering, we managed to snag one of the two-tops inside. And the food comes out pretty quick! We ordered arepa carne mechada ($13), chicken milanesa ($21), cheese empanada ($9), french fries ($8), and a side salad ($8). Written on a mirror on the wall opposite the counter where you order-- so, uh, pretty hard to see when you walk in --was a special salad of nectarine, cucumber, tomato, feta for $13 that I wish we’d seen before we ordered.
The food is good! I really enjoyed the milanesa, crispy and tender and full of flavor. They use a gluten free panko mix I think. The salad was piled high and loaded with parm and cherry tomatoes and radicchio. The cheese in the empanada was gooey, and it came with a punchy green sauce on the side. The fries were much better than I expected. Long boys! Very well seasoned and crispy. They came with a nice tamarind dipping sauce (that has a shellfish component, per the menu). Arepa was the star. I mean, beef is a natural show-stopper. Braised and salty and fatty, studded with black beans. My brain can’t help but love it. A friend and I split everything and it felt like a pretty rich and filling lunch.
With food, two drinks, tax & tip our bill came to $89.42. If this was in my neighborhood, I’d walk by once a month to see if there was a free table and grab an arepa and coffee. The kitchen is putting out very good tasting, good looking food; I just don’t feel like contorting myself into any type of position to fork-and-knife a pollo milanesa on a stool. That value prop isn’t there for me. I think they’ll be in that space for a year or two before trading up. The food really deserves a proper table.
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Recent eats:
Dunsmoor: consistently great, loved the cornbread, pork chili stew, and pork chop 
Sonoratown: asada & chorizo tacos were 
, but the chivvies are my favorite 
Holbox: another place consistently amazing, all hits
Khan Saab (Fullerton): my favorite Indian/Pakistani restaurant out here. Seekh kabobs, butter chicken, chicken karahi, biryani, choco samosa, & gulab jamun were all
Tam’s Noodle House: wonton noodle soup 
Cheese Store of Beverly Hills: Rossa chicken & Il Domenico so damn good, wish these guys were closer to sgv 
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Broken Spanish Comedor: the reviews on FTC since the reopening have been kind of lukewarm, and I mostly agree. I never tried the OG so can’t compare. We got OOE (brunch entrees), and they were fine, nothing offensive but also nothing really noteworthy. Pozole was the best dish but a pretty tame version. Prices weren’t crazy but was still expensive and small portions. Maybe I’m just not their demographic.
The restaurant felt strangely familiar until someone in our party pointed out it used to be A-frame back in the day! Memories of all you can eat fried chicken!
Still hungry so got popcorn chicken from Bopomofo on the way home (pretty good version):
Happy Mother’s Day to all!
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Thanks for taking one for the team!
I love the popcorn chicken from Bopomofo…it’s a joy to have proper dark meat popcorn chicken that isn’t greasy and has tons of flavor. That Thai basil aioli sauce is out of this world, too!
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Life does not come with a manual. It comes with a Mother. Happy Mother’s Day! 
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Another killer meal at The Mulberry last night. I finally tried the burger, which while very tasty was not “essential”. And the fries were under-seasoned. Everything else was great. Kimchi pancake. Dumplings. Steak tartare in hot stone pot. The hotteok is my favorite dessert dish in LA at the moment. Undoubtedly the most exciting new restaurant on the westside* of LA in recent memory, so while it’s annoying that reservations require a bit of planning, it’s nice to see them doing so well.
*century city is the edge of the westside in my personal dictionary
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mochi set from Fugetsu-Do
mustard’s bagels
avocados from JJ’s Lone Daughter, tomato-cashew spread, pickled red onions, Fresno chile
Harry’s Berries strawberries, vanilla-lemon mascarpone, miso-honey butter, nasturtium, Thai basil, torched cinnamon sugar
Burmese styled curried noodle soup - Khao Swè from Jasmine market
also shoutout to the Burmese couple who own the Donut King on Venice/Motor, their signature young coconut smoothie is delicious and has me coming back
Pepe’s tacos, has always been a reliable neighborhood joint - torta milanesa and their massive California burrito
little dynamite April slice of the month - cheeseburger slice. maybe my favorite of their monthly specials. also, a shoutout to the mighty muffins that little dynamite now sells on weekend mornings. the signature is the bluebally.
matu cheesesteak, finally got around to it.. yessir!
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this is an incredible smoothie. i got into a lovely discussion with the lady about coconuts. “i’m thai,” she said, “i know coconuts. Do you like coconuts? Don’t eat vietnamese coconuts, they’re not good. only thai coconuts!”
and she was right. this is the best coconut smoothie i’ve ever had. it’s not a tastes-like-sunscreen-smells (which i do enjoy) coconut flavor, but a real gentle type of flavor. there were some donuts i wanted to try, too, and i ended up with a plain old fashioned because i knew i was about to consume a week’s worth of saturated fats in smoothie form. out the door for $9.57.
they have a lovely little scene in there, too. buncha folks getting their breakfast, chatting. it’s just a little too far to be my local, but i can’t wait to go back. thanks, @doublestuffedpierogi
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That’s what I’m talkin about!!! Hell yeah @joe!
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Found myself on Fairfax today and had a choice between Jon & Vinny’s and Canter’s, where I haven’t been since I was a child. Never been wowed by Jon & Vinny’s and it always seems more expensive than it should be, so I chose Canter’s.
It turns out that Canter’s is one of the most affordable restaurants in all of Los Angeles. Had half a pastrami sandwich which comes with soup and choice of cole slaw or potato salad – $16.50. The chicken kreplach soup was surprisingly tasty. The cole slaw was fine. I eat pastrami like once every 5 years or so, so I’m no expert. But I didn’t like the Canter’s pastrami, although I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was off. Last place I had pastrami was Daughter’s Deli which was much better (haven’t been to Langer’s in years). But Canter’s definitely nicer place to hang out than Daughter’s Deli and more conveniently located than Langer’s.
I would return to Canter’s just for the low prices and nostalgia, but would probably order something like knockwurst or turkey burger next time. Maybe even sweet and sour cabbage.
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Such a coincidence that you went b/c the smoothie was totally what I zeroed in on after reading the post, and I was frantically trying to figure out on-line if the DK near me offered one… Seems like it’s worth the drive from your report. 
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