sauce on hampton

venice, ca

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my blog is turning into "karendipity drives, parks, then eats!" welcome to los angeles. to continue on that trend, i picked up derek from LAX very early one saturday morning. we decided to go find that amazing all-day free parking spot in venice that i had discovered the prior weekend. once parked, we had to find brunch within walking distance. not an easy feat because everything was still closed. we searched yelp on our phones and found sauce on hampton, which was quite a hike away. once there, we sat outside, which was nice. food was okay. i liked that it was healthy, but it wasn't particularly interesting.

hinoki & the bird

century city, ca

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century city is a little village of lawyers on the west side of los angeles. one of those lawyers once told me the history of century city, which involved fox studios. but now whenever i visit century city (which is either to go to the mall or to meet up with lawyer friends), all i see are high-rises filled with big law firm lawyers. a great place to meet up with one of these lawyers (who probably can't venture far from the office) is hinoki & the bird. strange name, great food. on this particular occasion, i had a delicious butternut squash soup topped with fried mochi (which i've already established is one of the best things to ever go in soup). and a "salad" with burrata and duck confit, which was delicious.

3 square cafe

venice, ca

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parking in venice is generally a nightmare. turns out, though, if you have brunch with cindy c and g at 9 am, there's plenty of parking. found an amazing spot next to a school where i could leave my car all day without paying anything! oh, and about the restaurant - it's german californian cuisine, whatever that means. they have a pretzel roll that cindy likes. my breakfast was okay, but the giant asparagus was truly giant and overwhelmed the rest of the plate.

bru's wiffle

santa monica, ca

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best dish: "dwight's special" - fried chicken and waffle. don't get distracted by the rest of the menu, just get two pieces of boneless fried chicken on a crispy waffle. the waffle is nice and crunchy - even when dipped in maple syrup. chicken is pretty good (not as juicy as chicken on the bone, but easier to eat with the waffle). i prefer white meat because it matches better with the thick breading. the dish comes with 3 sauces for the chicken - creamy ranch, hot sauce, and a vinegary chickeny sauce (this last one is my favorite). i've heard that the original roscoe's might be better, but this is an excellent option in santa monica.

the restaurant @ the getty center

los angeles, ca

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another new favorite in los angeles. i love love love the getty center. admission is free, although parking will cost you $10. from the parking structure, you'll take a tram ride up the mountain with a view of the traffic on the 405 (as you congratulate yourself for taking sepulveda instead). first stop - hit the restaurant. try to show up early, otherwise you'll need reservations. get the incredible boullabaisse. mussels, clams, shrimp, chorizo, oranges, and fried onion - all in a rich velvety chipotle saffron cream sauce. the oranges might seem weird, but it totally works. you'll want extra bread because you (and your dining companions) will want to soak up every last drop of sauce. the restaurant's dining room is usually beautifully sunlit, but even on a cloudy day you'll get a gorgeous view of the clouds floating above the mountains (and mansions).

next - walk off your meal by exploring the grounds. the winding path through the garden is nice (even better if your companion is jenny, who can explain the artistic purpose of the different rock formations). the art collection is okay - get the audio guide (or fly jenny in from nyc) if you want to learn more about the artwork. but the best part of the getty is the architecture, particularly when it's sunny and the light reflects off the bright white buildings. walking in and up and around the buildings, you'll stumble across great spaces, hidden fountains, and many scenic vantage points. derek and i bring a blanket and some magazines - we'll sit outside on the hill overlooking the garden for hours. some people picnic. kids roll around on the grass. derek inevitably naps. a perfect LA destination.

tar & roses

santa monica, ca

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whenever someone wants a fancy meal in santa monica, we go to tar & roses. well, not super fancy - for that, we go to melisse. but for normal fancy - we go to t&r. small plates of innovative hipster-y dishes to share. pictured is the whole fried snapper that angie and c really enjoyed. it was cool to look at, but my favorite dish was the bone marrow with red onion marmalade and sea salt. the menu changes somewhat depending on the season. like when english peas were in season - t&r served them grilled and coated in mint and other herbs - eaten like edamame. that was cindy c's favorite. there's an excellent wine list too. (that would be anthony's favorite). reservations are necessary - even with a reservation, there may be a wait. but order a glass of wine as soon as you get through the door and you won't mind waiting.

tsujita annex

los angeles, ca

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long time no blog. but i'm back now with my favorite restaurant in los angeles - tsujita annex - which was recently featured in an eater article about its noodle supplier, sun noodle. the noodles here are indeed fantastic. i always order the tsukemen (dipping ramen). springy chewy yellow noodles, served room temp in one bowl. in another bowl, thick fatty flavorful pork broth, served hot. pull one or two noodles from one bowl and dip them in the other bowl until they're coated with broth. then slurp! red spice and garlic are available on the table to add even more flavor. i order my tsukemen without any spice and then add two spoonfuls from the table (otherwise, it's way too spicy, trust me). i also add extra vegetables because the bean sprouts soak up the broth and add a satisfying crunch to each bite. you won't be able to finish all of the broth - take it to go and add instant ramen at home for an incredibly rich and indulgent meal.

coolhaus

culver city, ca

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jenny in LA! when jenny and i get together, there's a lot of good eating. this time we went to lukshon, a fancy asian restaurant from sang yoon - the father's office guy. (forgot to take a picture!)

when cindy c heard that we would be in culver city, she told us to go to coolhaus. and jenny and i generally do everything that cindy c tells us to do. so we walked down the street from lukshon, past a gelato shop, past a lot of closed shops, and eventually found the brightly lit coolhaus. very interesting flavors. with jenny, i got a scoop of the fried chicken and waffle ice cream. weird, but a nice salty sweet mix with flecks of fried chicken skin and chunks of maple waffles. when i brought derek, we split an ice cream sandwich made with a double chocolate chip cookie, a smores cookie, and coffee and donut ice cream. everything is very sweet, so half of an ice cream sandwich was the perfect size. yum.

lares

santa monica, ca

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there is so much good food in los angeles and its usually found in really random spots, sometimes on stretches that are otherwise unremarkable. w brought me to pico - a street i've driven on many times and i had no idea i was driving past a great mexican restaurant each time. lares is very unassuming - even though it was my destination, i nearly walked right by it. ordered the chicken mole enchiladas (as i always do). solid. the mole could be a little spicier, but still very good. lovely spot for a workday lunch.

shophouse kitchen

santa monica, ca

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from the brilliant minds at chipotle ... a southeast asian version of "slow food, fast." one recently opened up on the 3rd street promenade and they cleverly sent coupons for free bowls to nearby residents. you can't beat free. no tortillas here (although i think tortillas would be great with these ingredients). instead, you get a huge bowl and can choose 5 main ingredients and then some toppings. my bowl: half brown rice and half lettuce, a couple of pork/chicken meatballs, charred corn, green curry sauce, pickled vegetables, and crispy garlic on top. everything was surprisingly flavorful and even a little spicy. the meatballs were a little too salty - next time i'll get more brown rice to balance that out. good food, super fast, reasonably priced - i'm definitely a fan.