bao dim sum house

los angeles, ca

website

cindy was visiting and we really wanted to get dim sum but didn't have time to drive out to the san gabriel valley. so we ended up at bao dim sum house in the beverly grove area. dim sum is decent, but with a lot of fancy touches that you wouldn't get at a normal dim sum joint. for example, the fried luo bo gao is gently served on a nice plate garnished with chopped scallions rather than getting a quick squeeze of hoisin sauce before being thrown on your table. everything was okay, but i'd much rather have a more authentic dim sum experience in the SGV.

monsieur marcel

los angeles, ca

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wow. i think i might have found derek's favorite place in all of los angeles. we had late reservations in culver city for dinner, but after shopping at the grove, we decided to just grab a bite to eat at the nearby farmers market instead. the farmers market? it's AMAZING. there's tons of vendors, all of them look delicious. i found a cute shop full of hot sauces and salsas. there's old-fashioned ice cream stands. a brazilian steak place with a crazy line. cheese. pastries. BBQ. pizza. a gourmet grocery. everything. derek, as he does in any food court or market, did a full loop before deciding on a sit-down spot tucked away in the corner. we got two great seats at the counter where we watched all the activity of the bustling market. my plate of linguini bottarga was as good as anything i've had in france. clams and linguini in a delicious white wine butter sauce, topped with magical bottarga. which is apparently salted cured fish roe ... all i know is that it is delicious! so good. i can't wait to go back to the farmers market. i'll be tempted to get the linguini bottarga again, but there's so many options i might have to try something else.

eveleigh

los angeles, ca

website

the next morning, cindy c took us to brunch at eveleigh. beautiful outdoor patio with a nice large overhead fan to keep diners cool in the summer. menu includes comfort food breakfast favorites but with a unique twist (my eggs benedict came with soft scrambled eggs and hot smoked ocean trout). add a lengthy and varied list of refreshing brunch cocktails (i had the bitter admiral - gin, Campari, grapefruit juice, poured over ice with a lemon twist). an ideal combination for a relaxing and enjoyable weekend brunch. did i mention the truffled fries? perfection.

ink

los angeles, ca

website

i'm not a big top chef fan. first, it's too combative and stressful. second, i prefer not to watch people make food that i can't eat. but i do like eating at restaurants of successful top chef contestants. cindy c made reservations at top chef winner michael voltaggio's new restaurant on melrose in los angeles. the interior was very similar to thomas keller's ad hoc in napa valley: giant chalkboard menu hanging over the bar, loud music, casually dressed waitstaff, and courier font for everything. except - the food at ink is much more inventive and interesting. yeah, i said it.

good thing anthony joined us - gave us the freedom to select more dishes from the small-plates menu. we ended up ordering about a dozen plates, including three desserts. the highlights: oysters (pictured) simply dressed with a refreshing mignonette ice, brussel sprouts served with crispy pig's ears and lardo (best "vegetable" dish ever), egg yolk gnocchi - somehow voltaggio created fluffy pillows of pasta with a creamy yolky center, and finally, a deconstructed apple pie with burnt wood ice cream - tasted like an apple pie baked over a campfire but looked like ice cream with little gelees. amazing. remarkable. molecular gastronomy in a gastropub - wonderfully strange and delicious.