Son of a Gun – Another Chicken Sandwich Falling Short

I’ve been wanting to try Son of a Gun since it opened, when glowing reports of the fried chicken sandwich emerged. Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo have been open about ripping off Bakesale Betty. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it an exact copy.

The Spice Table – Dine LA While You Can!

The Spice Table, one of my favorite restaurants, is doing DineLA! And unlike a lot of places in recent years, they are offering a heck of a deal on a great meal.

Muddy Leek – Ambitious, But Maybe More Misses Than Hits

Opening a restaurant in any circumstance is a risky venture, considering the crazy rate of failure for restaurants. But opening a restaurant at 8631 Washington Blvd. in Culver City requires a special kind of bravery. It is the graveyard of at least three different restaurants in the last few years, including Wilson. JGold put it best, saying the space “runs through restaurant identities like Spinal Tap goes through drummers.”

But how’s the food?

JiST Cafe – Just Opened, First Bite

JiST Cafe is open and serving six days a week at 5am. Familiar face, redone digs, totally different menu. JiST is a promising new addition to the neighborhood, filling a (partially filled) hole in the Little Tokyo dining scene.

Sycamore Kitchen – A New Contender for Best Brunch

Maybe this title is getting ahead of me. One visit is not enough to take the crown from Huckleberry (I’ve been meaning to write up Zoe Nathan’s place for a long time). But I was kind of blown away by how great Sycamore Kitchen was.

Hinoki and the Bird – a Beautiful Place

Admittedly, I usually oscillate between nitpicking and gushing in my reviews. Hinoki and the Bird left me thinking this place is pretty great, although somehow not effusive. I’m not entirely sure why.

JiST Cafe – More Signs of Change in Little Tokyo

Opening next week, 7/9/13, the oddly named JiST Cafe. It replaces the cute, old-school Tokyo Cafe, a place run by little old ladies whose continued existence I thought was only explained by rent control. Tokyo Cafe boasted an incredible location next to the East West Players theater, just down the street from the federal court, with a beautiful little courtyard. The problem was the food was pretty terrible not awesome – a mishmash of Japanese and Chinese cliches.

Let’s see how this new place does.