Los Angeles Food
by Wilson Standish
Rating:
Los Angeles has thousands of restaurants and can become a little overwhelming, so here is your list of local favorites that will give you some directing on where to eat.
Los Angeles has thousands of restaurants and can become a little overwhelming, so here is your list of local favorites that will give you some directing on where to eat.
California is known for its fresh and exotic produce, and farmers’ markets should be your fist stop if you want to sample the seasonal treats. The Santa Monica Farmers’ Market is known by Los Angles locals as the only one that matters. It takes up over a mile of road and includes natural bread, exotic fruit and everything farmer-produced in between.
If you’re looking for strawberries go to Harry’s Berries, which were the best we tried. But you don’t have to take our word for it because farmers are eager to let you sample virtually everything at the market. Including the growingly popular raw milk, which contains all the vitamins and protein that’s burned off in pasteurization.
The market’s most famous stand is the Bezian Bakery, which carries some of the best bread you’ve ever tried. They use special blends of naturally made yeast (a technique that very few bread makers use these days) to make not only one of the most flavorful artisan breads you’ve ever had, but also one of the healthiest – MapBuzz recommends the olive or garlic loafs.
Grass-fed bison is also a must pickup when you’re at the Santa Monica farmers market.
Walking around the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market can make you extremely hungry – too hungry to wait until you’re home—and for the eager eaters there is a fresh Crepes stand, using all the fresh fruit from the market.
Most people come to the Santa Monica Farmers’ Market for their weekly fruit and flowers, but quickly realize they can do almost all of their food shopping in this one outdoor market.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-8712
In the last 60 years, almost everything surrounding this West L.A. burger joint has changed, but Apple Pan has kept the same small brick house it was in when it opened in 1947, and the servers’ red and white paper hats, complemented by white aprons, complete the back-in-time sensation. They’re known for their burgers topped with homemade hickory sauce, but the name comes from the made from scratch apple pies you can smell as you walk in.
The inside of Apple Pan consists of one open room with a “U” shaped counter in the middle, so that everyone has a good look at the cooks that are grilling up in the middle of the “U”. People are usually lining the walls waiting for to-go orders or the slight chance a spot at the bar might open.
Waiting for a place to sit is well worth it, because you get the full classic diner experience. The first difference from the contemporary burger stand is that the fries come out before your burger - like an appetizer - so you can enjoy them while they’re hot. Eating your fries before your sandwich comes out is a good idea, so there are no distractions from the delicious burger staring you down.
Apple Pan brings back all the details that have been lost in the American diner in the last 60 years. Drinks come in a coned paper cup with a steel stand for the drink, and ketchup comes on a side plate, making the ordinary condiment elegant.
Like the recipes, many of the staff members have been the same longer than you have been alive, one server having worked at Apple Pan for more than 50 years. Come in right away if you have never had the luxury of Apple Pan’s hickory stakeburger or their ham and cheese, but like the 1950’s there were no credit cards – cash only.
10801 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 475-3585
You might be skeptical about eating sushi inside of a mall when you’re in L.A., but Kabuki will not disappoint. Kabuki is treat if you’re looking for a modern twist to traditional sushi.
All the fish is incredibly fresh, and that’s why Mapbuzz recommends the sashimi (fish on a chunk of rice) over the sushi rolls. By eating the sashimi you let the taste and texture of the slabs of catch stand out. Also, some of the topping sauces on the rolls can be a little too Americanized.
Some of the regular’s favorites are the tender octopus, or the Hawaiian bonito, but we recommend the unagi sushi – some of the best eel we’ve ever tried.
The food comes out in an excellent display with a leaf under the sushi creating a beautiful color contrast. The rest of Kabuki is not as elegant. Not a lot of attention goes into décor and atmosphere, but that’s only because the focus is on the cuisine.
Kabuki is the right sushi den for anyone who wants to enjoy fresh fare in a relaxed environment, and not pay an arm and a leg. Seating is always fast, and the staff is extremely friendly.
9701 Reseda Blvd
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 886-8266
One Life Natural Foods is right off Venice Beach: a lively and colorful area – to say the least - that offers a variety of boutiques, clothing shops, and a diverse social congregation along Muscle Beach and the bike path - mostly used by skateboarders these days. On our last visit, we saw a seminude guy waving two yard-long snakes, and a Hindu fakir about to jump barefoot into a pile of broken glass. Definitely colorful.
One Life opened 25 years ago as a commune, bringing healthy options to the community well before organic was a household name. Continuing that tradition today, they now have a juice bar, deli, organic produce, a variety of vitamins, cosmetics and the exclusive herb room.
The juice bar is what made One Life famous. The blackberry smoothie is a MapBuzz favorite. The fruit blends are all berries and juice, and don’t yogurt as filler, which gives the drink a much richer flavor and lets you taste each ingredient.
Whenever you’re around Venice Beach and feeling thirsty, stop by One Life Natural Foods for one of their famous fresh juices, and a sandwich. An added plus that it’s inexpensive, so you won’t be robbed by beach prices.
www.Mainstreetsm.com
3001 Main St
Santa Monica, CA 90405
(310) 392-4501
Brazilian food puts a fiery spin on the cuisine we think of as common, and when you’re in L.A. there is no better Brazilian fix than Café Brasil. The owner, Marcelino Filho, was born and attended culinary school in Brazil, and now brings it to the U.S. for us to enjoy.
Brazilian food is a mix of native Indian vegetables (plantains, squash), Portuguese meats (chicken, steak) and African spices; all of which come together to make a blazing blend that has few comparisons.
From the outside Café Brasil looks like a florist, the front being completely covered with flowers and oversized butterfly plants. But once inside there is no question that you’re in a casual style Brazilian restaurant: soccer games on TV and Guarana Classic “Brazilian Soda" on most tables.
If you’re not sure what to eat, and want a full Brazilian experience, go with the executive lunch. It comes with two grilled plantains, sirloin or chicken (MapBuzz recommends the chicken), sautéed onions, rice and salsa with a side of spicy bean soup. The chicken is pounded thin, giving the flavor nowhere to hide. We recommend mixing all parts of the meal together and letting the different tastes complement and contrast one another, but be careful - the bean soup has a solid sizzling kick.
All the food is made with little grease, making healthier versions of the traditional Rio flare. Café Brasil is a must stop in L.A. with a unique and elegant flavor not easily found, and is great for vegetarians looking for some spice.
www.cafe-brasil.com
10831 Venice Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310) 837-8957
L.A. has so many sushi restaurants that it can be hard to know where to go, especially if you don’t want to empty your wallet. East Japanese Restaurant stands out for its specials, which allows even starving artists to enjoy some fresh fish.
This mid-range sushi place is packed in the beginning of the week, and for good reason. On “Salmon Mondays” and “Tuna Tuesdays” you can get sashimi of the featured fish at $1 and rolls from $2-3.
The dining area’s bent wooden beams give you the feeling of being in an 18th Century fishing boat’s cabin. The crowd tends to be younger than not, probably because East is great for people on a budget.
The low prices make sense when you see the size of the rolls, which are mostly rice. “We only come to East for the specials,” says L.A. resident Parker Davis, “The rest of the time it’s not worth the trip.”
329 E 1st St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 437-0563
This hole-in-the-wall pizza joint is quick and easy if you’re looking for a fast lunch before hitting the beach, but the food is nothing special to go out of your way for.
The sandwiches come on foot-long artisan bread, and you can get them toasted to bring out the juices of the meat and flavor of the cheese.
The pizza is nothing to write home about; there is not a lot of dough used, making the pizza thin, with not a lot of cheese or sauce. But despite being a little skimpy with the ingredients, the pies are tasty and have a pleasant crisp texture.
Point Pizza nice for a quick meal, especially if you can’t take any more Jack in The Box tacos, but don’t expect the best pizza of your life.
Average Meal: $11
29169 Heathercliff Rd # 104
Malibu, CA 90265
(310) 457-2838