Autumn, we’re headed for you! But first let me polish off that last slice of peach pie from Apple Pan…
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Chicken koobideh plate from an Armenian truck called Edo Jan on Sunset & Western. Other than the short-lived Tacos Don Manolito a few years back, I have found this to be a fairly cruddy stretch of road for food. This truck has some interesting options, though. The rice has what I believe are not-quite-dehydrated raisins, making for a somewhat sweet taste. There’s a tomato paste-esque sauce with cilantro next to minced chiles. The menu advertises iqibir/ikibir as well as “Polish pork platek” which I’m not familiar with - is there traditional crossover between Polish and Armenian cuisines?
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Aladin Sweets and Market (Bengali)
This restaurant has some of the most exotic food I’ve eaten in LA and delivers through DoorDash. The menu has expanded recently and provides a good opportunity for “eat the world” enthusiasts, as you are almost sure to find something you haven’t eaten before.
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LE DRÄQ
Showed up at 8:45, website says they close at 10. Doors locked, lights out. I swung over to Orsa & Winston and the host informed me that it closed around 8 because it was a ghost town tonight.
Bar Amá was one of my favorite restaurants in LA, and I’ve heard good things about this new (yet also old) incarnation. I imagine the rebrand was envisioned as a way to boost business, but tonight was not a hopeful sign. It’s such a shame to see great places struggle, and the root of it must be the location. There is simply nothing nice or enjoyable about DTLA these days. I felt uneasy bordering on unsafe several times on a mile walk over.
Sad and starving, I opened Yelp and up pops Sonoratown, which has long been near the top of my list of places to try. I walked over and had one of the best burritos in recent memory. Yet I felt uncomfortable on that walk, too…
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Thanks for the heads up I’ve been wanting to try Le Draq since Bar Ama was a favorite when I worked in the area
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Unfortunately even when le draq was new and buzzy in press it wasn’t even half full on a Saturday evening when I went. It’s sad. I liked the food
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When was the golden era of DTLA? I seem to remember a lot of memorable nights circa 2014-16 along Spring Street and in the Arts District.
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LA Live was completed in 2010, expo line from DTSM to DTLA in 2016, BMO in 2018, and then COVID in 2020 of course.
Bestia (if we expand to AD) opened in 2012.
Orsa & Winston opened in 2013.
Spring opened in 2016 and closed in 2018.
71Above opened in 2016.
I remember the first few years after LA Live opened being quite lively, and the last few years before COVID a gradual drop off.
So I guess that puts the broader golden era around 2010-2018, though your window of 2014-2016 may have been the peak.
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DTLA is broad. Some areas have done better than others.
Bunker Hill and South Park are better than ever.
The Arts District is still good and hasn’t seen much decline, though it hasn’t seen growth recently either.
Little Tokyo and LA Live are the same as always.
The Financial District was decimated by COVID and never recovered.
The Spring Street corridor has greatly decayed. Not sure why, as Skid Row and drug addicts are nothing new.
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Got a cone of Vanilla Ice Cream at Sweet Rose yesterday for the first time in years because my memory was that it was a generic milk base with Vanilla bean but this was much more in the French Vanilla style which I love! So Yay
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I hit Aladin years ago in a look at Bangladeshi food in and around Little Bangladesh. In Bangladeshi cuisine, the veggie dishes will remind one of Indian veggie dishes, but its geography/location means a lot more fish dishes, using primarily river fishes. It is just that bit different than Indian or Pakistani. Solid place.
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@PeonyWarrior Wow! Do either of you have recommendations for what to get there? Looks good, I’ve seen it on maps but haven’t been yet.
My favorite dish at Aladin Sweets and Market is Shorisha Hilsha. It is a Bengali fish in a sauce made of mustard oil and coconut. I’ve probably ordered it 20 times. But be warned: The fish is very bony, and the sauce is very pungent.
I almost always get that fish plus the rice pulao and a mix of vegetables. The mustard - coconut sauce plus the rice is delicious. My favorite vegetable is the “Karela Fry” (sauteed bitter melon).
Recently, they added to the menu a bunch of new dishes like the vortas (mashed seafood and vegetables), the kochur loti (taro stems with shrimp in coconut milk sauce), and the keski fish (dried fish and potatoes). While I’ve been excited by these additions, these have been difficult eats for me – interesting and somewhat tasty, but fundamentally exotic. Perhaps I’ll develop a taste for them over time as I have for the Shorisha Hilsha.
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Gamjatang too? Where is it?
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Same location as the old Ham Ji Park!
3407 W. 6th St. #101
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interesting wonder if it’s same owners or if someone bought all the recipes and just kept the hamjipark name?
I think the group that runs Origin runs this location now. They refreshed the menu but kept the OG recipes for ribs and what not.
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