The final update!
To all six of my loyal readers, I am leaving LA! I've got a job at UC Davis and will be starting my lab there. Restaurants in Davis are generally not so good, but I'll be close to Berkeley, SF and Napa, so the bon temps will continue to roll. I did a final update of the website to include the restaurants I didn't have time to write about while I was on the academic job market. Here they are (sorry no hot links, just look at the neighbourhood or cuisine page):
Alaska Seafood Restaurant - San Pedro Mexican mariscos kings
Chabuya - super Japanese ramen in Sawtelle
China Islamic - Islamic Chinese in Rosemead
Crown Cafe - Hunan in San Gabriel, a worthy successor to Shiang Garden
Danube - LA's first Bulgarian restaurant??? Not bad
El Hatuchay - Peruvian is tops here in North Hollywood
El Rocoto - Torrance Peruvian option
Father's Office - gourmet burger of legend in Santa Monica
Grand Casino - El cheapo empanadas at this Culver City bakery
Han Bat - K'town spot for your beef soup/sul lung tang fix
Komatsu - tempura bar in South Bay/Torrance
Krua Thai - LA's finest Thai noodle shop! North Hollywood
Las Quenas - excellent Peruvian in North Hollywood
Natraliart - Jamaican fare in Crenshaw, the best
Olive Branch - Persian in La Crescenta
Spago - yes, I did go! Beverly Hills temple of California cuisine
Tay Ho - Vietnamese banh cuon specialist in Little Saigon
There will be a final announcement on the main blog, but if all goes well I may have someone to continue the restaurant reviews.
Happy eating,
Simon aka Low End Theory
Gastrologica
Added a link to
Gastrologica, where Steve posts strong opinions about cooking and restaurants. The job market and nascent papers continue to keep me away from adding restaurant notes. Of course I'm still eating well, have had wonderful Malaysian and other foods in Australia and NZ recently. Happy holidays!
The Great Taco Hunt
The vastness of
LA and its unmatched diversity dictates that there is waaay too much eating for one man, even if that man is
Jonathan Gold. So there is virtue in the pursuit of a single godly food item, and I have added Bandini's excellent
Great Taco Hunt to my sidebar linx. His coverage is citywide, unlike my pragmatic
Westside focus. I can testify to the 4.5-taco rating of
King Taco, but Bandini's review does not mention the very unusual mojellas or sweetbreads that you can have in taco form. Keep up the good work Bandini!
Ricos Tacos, Mama Voula's update
Here are the details about a new
taco truck for y'all, it's one for the indecisive because there is only one dish available (you still have to choose carne del dia).
Also, I have just discovered the marides at
Mama Voula's. It's one of the greatest fried fish dishes ever, right up there with the yellow croaker with stuff (black fungus?) in the batter at
Giang Nan, or the jalea at any
Peruvian restaurant - I must admit that in the latter case, sheer quantity is part of the attraction.
Unfortunately, my backlog of job applications is still longer than my backlog of restaurants, but you can expect more recommendations to trickle down.
Eating Chinese
Gary Soup's
Eating Chinese site added to links in the sidebar. He's a Bay Area chowhound and
Chinese food savant with a great list of links 'n stuff.
Las Quenas
Could
North Hollywood be the most underrated food neighbourhood in Los Angeles? The wonderful
Peruvian classics at
Las Quenas add weight to the argument, and I'll certainly be returning there. As of today, my
East San Fernando Valley page is officially overcrowded and must be split into smaller neighbourhoods!
Krua Thai
So long between updates! I apologize but the last month was filled with travel (mazel tov David and Rebecca!), experiments per usual and my very first application for a proper job. Regular service is unlikely to resume, given that I'll be applying to more departments and struggling to publish some papers in the next few months. Will post when I can so my loyal readership (2 hungry souls? 10?) have some fresh spots to visit.
Krua Thai is the
NoHo Thai noodle shop to eclipse all others I've been fortunate enough to enjoy. Like a great fade haircut or a really cold black-and-white milkshake, a fried noodle dish is an ephemeral thing with a very short optimal time frame. Which is all the more reason to seek the finest.
Guatemalteca Bakery, Yongsusan
I love to find a new place that is clearly a centre for the local community, and it was wall-to-wall
Guatemalan folks in
Guatemalteca today (on Beverly a little ways from
Pico-Union), not surprising given the excellent quality and value. Groceries, el cheapo baked goods and honest lunch plates; a Los Angeles about 7 miles and one universe away from the Westside.
Hard to find a more diametrically opposed restaurant to Guatemalteca than
Yongsusan, the
Koreatown royal banquet legend, but hey, this is Low End Theory's restaurants we're talking about here and I'll eat most anything. This meal was incredibly good, it ranks with the greatest multi-course extravaganzas I've had in any cuisine.
Umenohana now but a memory
Whoops, I forgot to post here about my
Umenohana write-up, and now it's closed. I think the Chowhound post had some stimulating effect and I sincerely hope that some Japanese food-lovers made it out there before yesterday. When I am a loaded assistant prof driving a Lexus SC430 (hah!) I'll fly out to Japan to score some tofu siumai.
Uzbekistan
A while between posts, I was up in Vancouver confirming that their
Cantonese restaurants are indeed superior to those in Los Angeles (amazing but true based on my limited sampling). Here are some notes on
Uzbekistan, a wonderful and highly unusual restaurant on Sunset north of the
Hollywood Russian ghetto centred on Fairfax and Santa Monica. I am keen to try Robert's Cuisine next, it's Russian not
Uzbeki but I have heard good things.
Mission 261
The exalted
Mission 261 serves jaw-dropping
dim sum in
San Gabriel. I cannot imagine a more delightful shootout than comparing this head-to-head with
Sea Harbor in a single weekend.
New Concept
The mind boggles at the plenitude of mind-blowing restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley. Add
New Concept to the list of places that one absolutely must try whilst living in L.A. It's high-style innovative
Cantonese in
Monterey Park.
Swan, Giang Nan
Swan Restaurant, yet another
Thai gem in
North Hollywood. There is a huge Bhan Kanom Thai
dessert store here too. I went back twice in three nights, then my friend Kathy left her phone there and brought back even more for Ian. Bonanza!
What a great, great meal I shared with Lambert and Peng at
Giang Nan (
Shanghai/Jiangzhe in
Monterey Park). Some companions magnify the pleasure one has in delicious food, but this meal didn't really need the fine company to make its impressions felt. There was a priceless moment when Lambert showed his digital photos of the dishes to the curious waitresses ("ooh! Lion's head meatball... fish-head casserole... fried bread...").
Al pastor torta - for breakfast???
Carmen Foods added to
Taco Trucks of the Westside. A highly unusual day when the low end theorist is out and about at breakfast time. There must be an alternate breakfast and lunch truck scene that one never experiences.
okay noodle
After last night's extravaganza at Giang Nan (Shanghai/Jiangzhe magnificence, notes to follow) I am convinced that there is a universe of great eating in San Gabriel that is a fulltime job for a professional, not an amateur enthusiast like myself. Maybe these cats can help:
okay noodle. They've just started but have had the good taste to link to the main
Low End Theory blog. Then again, recommendation of sushi
buffet is potentially hazardous. Include me out, as they say.
mmm-yoso
A new blog link,
mmm-yoso specializing in cheaper restaurants from San Diego and Orange County. Kirk is very informative for
Hawaiian food, one of my personal favourites, and appears to be a healthy eater of multitudinous styles. "It's
all good, from Diego to the Bay."
Din Tai Fung moved
Moved Din Tai Fung into the
Shanghai page today, why I filed it with
Northern fare escapes me now as I associate the magical xiao long bao (small soupy dumplings) with Shanghai. Certainly there are proper Chinese gastronomes who understand these matters more deeply than I do.
Site meter not working, maybe I'll put this back on but I assume there are the usual ~100 daily visitors, mostly Google. I appreciate the positive commentz - there'll always be haters but the blog was supposed to be an altruistic venture.
Javan, Umenohana, Warszawa, Sea Harbor
The dust seems to have settled on my evaluation of the Persian scene with the addition of Javan to the
Persian and
West LA lists. An interesting tidbit from Wikipedia -
faloodeh is one of the oldest of all frozen desserts.
Among L.A.'s high-end dining spots,
Umenohana is certainly unique for its tofu
kaiseki. Also a new neighbourhood,
Beverly Hills, not clear when the low end theorist will return there!
Since when has Eastern European fare been splurge-worthy? Warszawa is a fancy and delicious
Polish restaurant in
Santa Monica. Some might see the proliferation of single-restaurant cuisine categories as extravagant, and there are undeniable overlaps between
Bosnian,
Polish and
Uzbeki. Well, first of all I'm writing the website so national boundaries will yield to my hazy geographical pencil. Secondly, as the Balkan warfare in the
Aroma Cafe comments indicates, some people feel very strongly that their local specialties are distinct and worth fighting for. Rather than amalgamating these into a pan-Eastern Europe section I've decided to let them proliferate. If I try some really great Nicaraguan and Guatemalan restaurants in future, their
shared page could split too.
My, what a lot of updates today.
Sea Harbor of
Rosemead is the best
dim sum I've had in L.A.
Old Updatez
Old updatez from back in the day, before I started
Low End Restaurantz.071305
My favourite appetizers from the
Westwood Lebanese marvel
Sunnin.
071205
Tacomiendo has quality
Mexican fare in
Mar Vista/Culver City.
071105
Langer's
pastrami is a sandwich without equal in its class. For no reason I can divine, it's in
Pico-Union. Also, notes on the neighbouring and similarly essential
Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe, where tamales from all over Latin America find a happy home. Kyushu Ramen is a noteworthy spot in
Van Nuys when nuthin' but
noodles will do.
070705
Apologies for the lack of updates. Been burning the midnight oil at both ends in lab, and recent Blogger problems were most frustrating. I think the site works well again, do let me know if there are missing pages and I'll rectify. To make things easier for my "loyal" readership, I created new neighbourhoods:
Downtown/USC area,
Pico-Union/Alvarado,
Pasadena, and
Glendale/Eagle Rock. Look out for more updates soon!
061905
One of the reasons I frown on "meat lovers" is that they frequently neglect equally hearty pleasures that don't involve giant hunks of environmentally questionable livestock. Like
soon tofu, the killer Korean tofu stew that exemplifies the fact that tofu is not a meat substitute, just an ingredient with its own distinct place in the culinary constellation.
Sokongdong is a
K'town spot with great great soon tofu and surprisingly for a specialist restaurant, a spicy raw crab dish that is every bit as good as the house stalwart.
061805
Sunshine Thai in
North Hollywood, yet another terrific
Thai restaurant for Thai people.
061205
Baby Blues Barbeque features tasty
'que in
Venice.
053005
Annapurna, a newish South
Indian option in
Culver City.
Chung King is yet another terrific
Szechwan restaurant in
Monterey Park.
052805
Thoughts on
Shahrezad, the
Persian kingpin of
Westwood Blvd. Also added notes about which
Persian places I like and why. Extra menu recommendations for the
Thai hotspot
Ruen Pair.
052405
Garcia's Bros of
Culver City added to the
Westside taco truck list. Quality new truck +
Bill Frisell at
Jazz Bakery, hard to find a Los Angeles day to beat that.
051805
A paean to the expanded
Simpang Asia,
Indonesian grocery store extraordinaire in
Palms. Added
la.foodblogging to the linx.
051705
Zankou opens on the Westside (
West LA, that is), let there be rejoicing. And general chaos inside.
Armenian chicken and garlic sauce are in the house.
051405
Menu recommendations from the
Hunan splendour of
Shiang/Charming Garden in
Monterey Park.
051005
Menu info on
Uncle Darrow's of
Marina Del Rey. If ever a restaurant deserved the descriptor
soul food, this is it. Also some notes on
Raku, Korean-Japanese
small-plate greatness in
West L.A..
050305
Cosmetic improvement, I'm
back in black. Ian has a hilarious
new blog, and I also link to Pam's
Daily Gluttony (another haw flake eater), Santo's
Meet Me At The Corner Of Third And Fairfax and
BBQ Junkie.
042105
Soot Bull Jeep, the famous
Koreatown restaurant with charcoal
barbecue.
042005
Notes on how to eat at
Raffi's Place, the
Persian kabob legend in
Glendale.
Yai Noodle is a new noodle house contender in
Thai Town, see also
Thai list. Where does one eat downtown? How about Sarita's Pupuseria (
Downtown and
Salvadoran lists). I'm almost never in O.C., but if you are, check out elmomonster's
Monster Munching as an adjunct to
Professor Salt.
040505
Tacos Don Kike has pretty good tacos and a stunning downtown view. In
Taqueriaand
Downtown lists.
031705
Probably an only-in-L.A. experience, wonderful handmade sarashina soba at
Otafuku. See also
Gardena and
Japanese noodles.
031005
Added Chowpatty/Pat's estimable
Eating L.A. to
Special Sources. A nostalgic note about
Hulu House to accompany a significant picture.
030905
Yungui Garden notes, this is the former Yunnan Garden and Hua's Garden. Can't they settle on Yunnan Rice Noodle Restaurant, the Chinese name? Also see
Szechwan and
Monterey Park lists.
030805
The marvel of Beijing/Peking duck at
Lu Din Gee. Also in
San Gabriel and
Northern Chinese lists.
022805
A note about
molagapodi, and check out
Professor Salt's blog.
022105
Woodlands added to
Indian and
South of LA lists. Tremendous South Indian fare.
020805
Aroma Cafe inaugurates the
Bosnian section with a bang. Also in
West LA/Pico list. Made a
taco truck glossary at Ian and Kathy's suggestion.
013105
At Ian's suggestion, reorganized
Taco Trucks of the Westside by geography, and linked to the relevant
neighbourhood lists. Extra notes about Tacos Junior truck as well - my new favourite flavour of Jarritos is
Mandarina.
012705
King Taco and La China Poblana in
East LA list, the latter in
Mexican Regional list.
012305
Messob added to
Ethiopian and
Fairfax lists. Kitfo is worth working up one's courage for.
012205
Added NBC Seafood Restaurant to the
Cantonese and
Monterey Park lists.
011805
Added
Mama Voula's to the
Greek and
West LA lists, and Cocido Azteca de Oro to
Taco Trucks of the Westside.
010405
Added Ka-San Korean bbq to
Glendale/Pasadena/Eagle Rock page, it's in La Crescenta. Maybe I will split this neighbourhood in two sometime. Also on
Korean barbecue page.
010105
Added Good-Ha!!! (takeout menu does have three exclamation points) to
Glendale and
Filipino lists. Breakfast that should last all day, take your flip-flops to fit in with the crowd.
122204
Added Greece's barbeque to the
American:BBQ and
Hollywood/Fairfax lists. The first tip from a blog visitor, thanks gbarn (at) email.com!
120912
Recommended additional dishes from
Yai, the completely unstoppable Thai Town favourite.
120404
Added Max's of Manila to
Glendale and
Filipino guides. Strictly for Pinoys and their peeps!
120104
Added
Special Sources, a list of great places to find more info about L.A. restaurants.
113004
Posted some old reviews from Chowhound.com with appropriate tinkering. It's all hotlinked from the neighbourhood and style guides:
Thai desserts,
Hakata Ramen Shinsengumi,
Wa Sushi,
Isla Buffet,
Jerk Pit,
Taqueria Vista del Hermosa,
Ruen Pair,
Yunnan Garden/Hua's Garden,
Torafuku,
Dos Burritos,
Attari Sandwiches,
International Tofu House and
Brodard II. Enjoy.
Low End Restaurantz... with a "Z"
Hey food loverz,
Here's a phat joint from Simon of Low End Theory "fame" - a new blog describing updatez at my restaurant website,
Low End Theory's L.A. Restaurants (occasionally using amateurish African-American idiomz). It promises to be yet more digressive and opinionated than the old-skool guide, so watch out!
Always on point,
Low End Theory aka
Simon
below: chicken karaage from the wondrous Minako in SF. It gots soul!
Chicken karaage - Japanese soul food from the wondrous Minako in SF
