Much like the Alimento menu, the restaurant’s décor incorporates a combination of rustic and modern elements. The plywood ceiling and benches from old church pews create a down-to-earth feel, while occasional bursts of color add a modern touch.
Over the past few months, several new restaurants with exciting concepts have emerged throughout the Los Angeles area. Located in the heart of the lively Silver Lake neighborhood, Alimento certainly ranks among the most talked-about establishments in the area. Spearheaded by Sotto chef Zach Pollack, Alimento incorporates dishes and flavors from several different regions of Italy, from small plates for sharing to larger plates such as bone-in pork shank. Although Pollack relies heavily on traditional Italian dishes for inspiration, he reimagines them in a looser and more creative style. Alimento uses a broad range of locally sourced ingredients, including whole snapper, mackerel, and pork. The Alimento wine menu includes a rotating selection from Italy and the United States.
Much like the Alimento menu, the restaurant’s décor incorporates a combination of rustic and modern elements. The plywood ceiling and benches from old church pews create a down-to-earth feel, while occasional bursts of color add a modern touch.
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The founders of Blu Jam Cafe adhere to the belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The restaurant serves breakfast all day, every day, and its menu includes a wide range of both regular and special offerings. The following is a selection of recent Blu Jam breakfast specials:
Veggie Nest Benedict—Blu Jam’s gluten-free Veggie Nest Benedict starts with a bed of delicious vegetables, including grilled zucchini and sautéed spinach. The dish also includes crispy potatoes and cherry tomatoes as well as Portobello mushrooms. The vegetables are topped with a pair of eggs, poached, and a fresh hollandaise sauce made with tarragon. The Bilbao Scramble—The Bilbao Scramble combines fresh eggs with flavors from several regions. Spanish paprika and Bilbao chorizo sausage complement corn tortillas and smoked chipotle. Manchego cheese, crispy potatoes, red bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes round out the dish. On top of its breakfast entrée specials, Blu Jam serves a selection of coffees. The cafe roasts its own beans and rotates its French-press brew on a monthly basis. Patrons who want to enjoy the coffee at home can purchase it in half-pound increments. Toast Cafe may be located on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, but its menu has influences from all over the world. One of Maxim Gorin’s favorite eateries, it emphasizes fresh, healthy ingredients and offers several dishes with a distinct Mediterranean flavor. Try one of the following for a taste of food that hails far from California:
- The shakshuka wrap. An Israeli dish that may have had its start in Tunisia, shakshuka includes eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce. Toast Cafe envelopes the eggs in a wrap with hummus or feta cheese. - Tilapia Alfredo. The tilapia fish may also be indigenous to Middle East, but Toast Cafe serves it up with Alfredo sauce, which has its origins in 20th-century Rome. Its tilapia Alfredo comes with a side salad and baked mini-potatoes for a substantial dish with a broad mix of flavors. - French crepes. For dessert, diners can indulge in one of France’s many delicacies: crepes. Crepes at Toast Cafe come with a choice of several fruit, syrup, and nut options, meaning diners can customize their treats differently every time they visit. Located in a hidden spot in LA’s Koreatown, Saint Martha offers diners a creative and eclectic dining experience. From the mind of promising young chef Nick Erven, Saint Martha draws its name from the patron saint of cooks and servants. In keeping with its name, Saint Martha draws upon European tradition but reimagines it as Modern American cuisine.
The menu at Saint Martha includes a broad range of innovative dishes, from Santa Barbara spot prawn tartare with market melons to sea urchin with seaweed “Doritos.” In addition to raw seafood items, such as steak and oyster tartare and lightly smoked salmon with watercress-yogurt emulsion, Saint Martha offers meat-based entrées, like pecan wood smoked brisket and duck leg confit with beets and lavender granola. Saint Martha occupies a small space in Koreatown with only a few tables and a chef’s counter. The restaurant also offers an extensive wine and spirits list, with bottles ranging from Texas white wines to rare Japanese sakes. Micah Wexler, who became famous during his time as a chef at Mezze, recently opened Wexler’s Deli in Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles. The traditional deli, which is based on his Jewish roots, cures all meats in-house and uses a rye bread baked to Wexler’s personal specifications at a nearby bakery. All of the sandwiches are artfully composed using only the finest ingredients. The O.G., a classic pastrami and mustard on rye, remains a favorite, along with the Reuben; the basic tuna salad; and the MacArthur Park, which combines Swiss cheese, Russian dressing, pastrami, and cole slaw.
Outside of sandwiches, diners can choose among various salads and pickles, as well as bagels with toppings like house-smoked sturgeon and salmon. While the location has only 10 seats, the prices are low, and many diners simply share tables at the nearby pizzeria or ice cream stand when counter seats are occupied. At the counter, you can watch the counterperson make egg creams the old-fashioned way with cold milk, syrup, and seltzer. The only other sweet that Wexler’s Deli serves is a perfect black-and-white cookie. In the past year, Los Angeles has welcomed several new restaurants where oyster lovers can get their fix. Many of these places, however, charge several dollars, or more, per oyster. Luckily, some cheaper options exist around the city, especially if you know when restaurants run their weekly specials. On Monday nights, for example, the Chateau Marmont sells its oysters at cost, meaning that you pay only what the restaurant paid for them. Usually, this amount varies from about $1.25 to $1.50, depending on the varieties available. On a typical night, the restaurant offers at least three or four types from both coasts.
Also on Monday nights, the Hungry Cat in Santa Monica serves half-price oysters, meaning a dozen will cost about $16. The Hungry Cat also specializes in wines that pair perfectly with oysters. The restaurant typically has both local varieties of oysters as well as some from the Pacific Northwest and the East Coast. Messhall has $1 oysters on Tuesday nights along with $5 beers. The catch, however, is that the restaurant only offers one variety of oyster at this price from the five or so types on the menu. Diners must pay market price, about $3 per oyster, for other varieties. For diners who love the big flavors of New Orleans, Los Angeles has its fair share of Cajun and Creole restaurants, including the celebrated Harold & Belle’s, which serves traditional dishes like red beans and gumbo, as well as crawfish etouffee. While prices can run a little high, the portions are large, making them ideal for leftovers.
For a more casual eatery, diners can try Orleans and York Deli in Windsor Hills and Inglewood. Serving freshly-made sandwiches inspired by the tastes of New Orleans and New York, the deli is known for its shrimp, oyster, and catfish po-boys and wide variety of muffuletta sandwiches. Another local favorite, Uncle Darrow’s Eatery recently moved to a larger space in Marina del Rey, making it more accessible. The restaurant only serves gumbo on the weekends, but other menu highlights include homemade hot sausage and sweet potato pies. If diners find themselves in Hermosa Beach, they can try Ragin’ Cajun Cafe, which usually has a long line out the door. The long wait only attests to the bold, full-bodied flavors developed by the restaurant’s chefs. One of the newest restaurants to hit the Pasadena, California, dining scene, Picnik offers a communal atmosphere and a menu filled with down-to-earth dishes. Located on Colorado Avenue, Picnik plays host to a number of different concepts within the same space, including Punch Bar, a cocktail bar located upstairs, and a patio filled with picnic tables.
In terms of food, diners flock to Picnik for its beef hot dogs and extensive selection of handcrafted sausages, including spicy Italian, Mexican chorizo, and head-to-tail. The menu also features a one-of-a-kind citrus sardine & shaved fennel sandwich and an adobo BBQ mushroom sandwich. For diners seeking a more substantial entree, Picnik cooks up a three-bean stew, braised pork shoulder, and fried chicken. On the Picnik drink menu, customers can choose from a variety of craft beers from breweries across the United States. For an after-dinner snack or a mid-day pick-me-up, Picnik also offers Zona Rosa coffee and Bulgarini Gelato. Orange County has a reputation for fresh, delicious seafood, and its many excellent sushi restaurants definitely reinforce this view. Largely regarded as one of the best in the county, Sushi Shibucho prepares traditional dishes alongside more experimental offerings. While the menu has many delicious options, diners should consider ordering “omakase,” which means “chef’s choice.” This meal generally starts with a home-cooked dish followed by a parade of bright flavors and different textures. The restaurant is located on 19th Street in Costa Mesa.
For a complete break from the traditional, check out Ikko, where Chef Ikko Kobayashi combines seemingly disparate flavors like uni and black truffle for incredible combinations. Old-school traditionalists should patronize Sushi Wasabi, where Katsu Aoyagi, a true itamae (sushi chef), takes his artform seriously - so seriously, in fact, that he refuses to make California rolls. He only serves omakase according to the freshest catches of the day. If you’re new to the world of sushi, you can find more introductory meals at Maki Zushi, which has received many accolades over the years. From teriyaki and curry dishes to freshly cracked uni, the restaurant caters to both novices and sushi connoisseurs alike. Year-round mild weather has made Orange County (OC), California, one of the best places in the world for al fresco dining. While packing a picnic and finding a lovely park or beachfront spot for a quiet dinner can be fun, OC also offers a multitude of options for those craving to dine under the sun or stars in the form of excellent restaurants.
Some of these restaurants are historic; located in a 1915 building in charming Old Towne Orange, Rutabegorz features gluten-free and other healthy options that are very much a reflection of the present. Those in Corona del Mar will likely want to dine at the Port Restaurant & Bar, where a tented patio offers both live music and a diverse menu that includes everything from Persian delicacies to Italian standards. For those wanting to dine with a view of the Pacific Ocean, The Beachcomber in Newport Beach delivers from an enormous patio where patrons can enjoy delightful fusion-inspired seafood. Similarly, Sapphire Laguna on Laguna Beach provides “Spice Plates” ideally portioned for those looking for a healthy drink and small bite with ocean views. |