September 2021 Rundown

[J_L]

Etta (Culver City)… Chef Danny Grant in the house; solid cooking in a big space, across from PlatformLA.

Sweet corn: With lime, cilantro, cotija, pugged grains & seeds. This was a bougie ode to the street elote. And it works! Delicious.

Rack-Roasted Oysters, with smoked-tomato, lovage & lemon: Nicely shucked. The tomato and lovage overwhelm the oyster’s brininess by a tad, though…

Bubbling Shrimp, with ginger, chiltepin chile & mint, served with “bing”: Highlight, and a Huge Bite. This bing is even better than Majordomo’s. Ask for extra bing to sop up the shrimp stew.

Orecchiette, with crispy sausage, cavolo nero, tomato jus & fennel pollen: A really good plate of pasta…

Clam Pie (smoked potatoes, marjoram, parsley & lemon): Pretty good, but not greater than the sum of its parts. Still better than the clam pie from U Street, though.

Casarecce Bolognese, with parmesan fondue: Quite tasty.

Corn Cake with Peach Ice Cream: Huge Bite! Outstanding dessert in every facet.

[J_L]

AWAN: I gotta admit, I was a total skeptic about this concept before I tried it. It’s a vegan product, using coconut milk as base which, to an ice cream traditionalist like myself, sounded already like a bit of a turnoff.

But then I tried it - Oh man, this is some really, REALLY marvelous stuff! AWAN’s silky soft serve consistency, and its ability to hold flavor notes without becoming too sweet nor too dilute represents some sort of mad creamery genius in my book.

I ordered online. Pickup is from AWAN’s literal tiny hole-in-the-wall located next to Dayglow Coffee in WeHo. During the pickup, I noticed they had also Weiser Melon on scoop that day - I HAD to try it.

AWAN Weiser Melon: Whoa! Superb. Creamy like cow’s milk, and a gorgeous mouthfeel, with the melon flavor lingering as if it was sorbet. Crazy.

AWAN Harry’s Berries Gaviota Strawberry: Just incredible. It tastes as if Harry’s Berries opened a creamery and made soft serve. I want to put this on my Liège waffle tomorrow.

AWAN
enjoyawan.com

[CiaoBob]

Liked everything about etta (cocktails, space, food, service, QPR) save for one very dry Pork Chop. We let it go as an aberration rather then returning it.
Did I mention the service? Everyone was really fucking nice AF, and efficient, from the greeter to the bussers…just a great staff.

[sk8uno]

Thanks for the review! If you order ahead for pickup, do you have to wait in the (rather long) line?

[J_L]

They said my order was available for pickup at noon, but since they open til 6pm, I went at 4:30pm. There was only one other person in front of me.

[A5KOBE]

Pizzette - Culver City

Ugly Drum pastrami pizza was surprisingly awesome. The pastrami was so unctuous and provided a nice smoke flavor along with the nice Mozza crust. Just excellent.

Tam’s Noodle House - San Gabriel

#79 combo with shrimp egg flat noodle was as good as advertised. The wontons were perfection and the noodles has a nice bit and gailan? was still crunchy. My only gripe is the brisket was a little tough. But the wontons are so fucking good that I bought some frozen ones to take home.

Angry Egrett Dinette - Chinatown

Short rib banh mi and the biryani burrito were a pleasant surprise. Not going to dethrone any of the heavy hitters in its respective genre, but still tasty nonetheless.

Da Vien - Little Saigon

Ice coffee with egg is good but not nearly as good as FTC favorite Phin Smith.

Bánh Cuốn Lưu Luyến - Little Saigon

Bánh cuốn đặc biệt

Bánh cuốn thit nuong

WeHo Sausage Co - Culver City

The marquis - lamb merguez burger and fries, the ranch here is extra tasty. Fries were decent, some crispy and some a bit limp, which I actually enjoy crispy and limp fries.

Bageloo - Diamond Bar

Mochi twist donut is still my favorite here. I also had a Basque cheesecake which rivals the one at Republique.

Maccheroni Republic - Downtown Los Angeles

Still slinging excellent pastas. Grab a tiger tail from DonutMan across the street after.

Agnolotti di osso bucco

Bianchi & neri

Yang’s Kitchen - Alhambra

Strawberry smoothie was awesome

Lynda Sandwich - Little Saigon

Grabbed a dac biet banh mi and it was pretty damn tasty, if they used better bread this might one a top contender for best banh mi. I had Ba Le right before and they are hands down the best so far and I haven’t found one better.

Ba Le

[tailbacku]

Maccheroni Republic is so underrated. Probably because of its stupid name.

[Haeldaur]

I thought that banh mi was pretty great. Flavors in mine were just explosive.

[A5KOBE]

It was definitely tasty and loved the insides, the bread just needs a vast improvement. If they use fresher bread I think their dac biet might dethrone Ba Le. But the Ba Le banh mi ga + egg with the fried shallots is just so tasty with their excellent bread and garlicky aioli.

[J_L]

Shunji-san was all smiles as he welcomed me to his new digs in Santa Monica this evening. Shunji Japanese Cuisine has resumed takeout omakase for now. And very soon, its new space on Ocean Park Boulevard (still undergoing final finishing touches) is poised to open for dine-in service! #TheStarWillReturn

Miki-san displays his craft at his station…

Every bite was terrific. Huge Bites included the kamasu (baby barracuda), itoyori dai (threadfin seabream), buri (seasonal yellowtail), Santa Barbara murasaski uni, and finishing strong with a truly resplendent tekkamaki!

[js76wisco]

You had me at mocha twist donut but then you throw in the basque cheesecake. Guess I know where I’m going this weekend. Have you tried the cream puff at Bageloo? I think it’s my favorite, even over Chantilly and Nagomi which I finally got to try.

[CiaoBob]

That’s a sight for sore eyes, indeed!

[Yoda]

Bageloo is temporarily closed on Sundays, just FYI

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUXnjbMlT3u/

[Haeldaur]

I agree, the bread could really be better.

[A5KOBE]

I haven’t had the cream puff yet, gonna need to get on that ASAP.

The mochi twist donut reminds me of the flavor of a Leonard’s malasada with a chewy mochi texture and crunch from the coating of sugar. I definitely think the dough is a brioche mochi hybrid of some sort. If you go early the donuts are still warm.

[teriyakichi]

When is the best time to go to get the most variety of pastries?

[A5KOBE]

I would say the same as Republique model, early on weekend mornings for pastry variety. I strolled in on a weekend before closing and they had some cakes but barely any pastries. Still grabbed a mochi twist though because that was basically all they had. Bagels are average and decent if nearby.

[js76wisco]

Paderia Bakery. This was one delicious egg tart. Super buttery and flaky. The crust shattered like a croissant when I bit into it sending flakes everywhere. The custard itself had a nice creamy consistency but the filling was not too sweet or eggy. Excellent stuff.

[Gr8pimpin]

With Wifey on the East Coast in the foodie wasteland known as Orlando, I’m stuck fending for myself and dining solo.

Takeout from Mini-Salsa & Beer (Vanowen St at Whitsett).

It’s like 5 booths and a bar which, both times I’ve been there, was empty.

Lo-Carb Plato De Pimpin

So, I got a side of asada and a side of carnitas. Each have to be 1/2 pound. They give you chips (which I pass) and bean dip (ok, I use a little on the carnitas). Including tax this was under $12.00 (I think it was like $11.50).

Crazy good QPR.

[js76wisco]

This garlic spread is amazing. Found at Whole Foods. Way better than Trader Joe’s. Closest thing to Zankou I’ve had. Garlicky with a good bite and great texture. No potatoes.