It was sad day when Bryant Ng’s Spice Table closed. It was my favorite lunch place in Little Tokyo (and DTLA), and Bryant and his staff were wonderful all around. That’s why I was excited to hear that Bryant was teaming up like Voltron with Zoe Nathan and the Rustic Canyon/Huckleberry crew. Apparently, a ton of money was involved, because the new venture, Cassia, is beautiful.
I don’t have much to say about Hiko Sushi, other than to say it’s great. People totally play up the sushi “nazi” thing. The chef isn’t very friendly, but he’s not rude. I’d say it’s more that he’s reserved and formal.
In any case, the fish is top-shelf, which is all that really matters. Click through for some pictures.
Perhaps nothing represents the new Abbot Kinney in Venice like Travis Letts’ growing empire: Gjelina, Gjelina TakeAway (GTA), and Gjusta. Hipster to the hilt, vegetarian-friendly, pricey, and kind of a pain in the ass. So why would you deal with the hassle? The food is amazing.
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It doesn’t sound promising: a mall food court kiosk serving Asian fusion food made by white guys. I don’t think either of the principals has any background in Asian cuisine. But they manage to pull off a decent meal — as long as you don’t mistake this for actual Asian food.
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For a true bobadouche, it has been a tale as old as time that there was no decent boba outside of the SGV. This makes sense, as boba, or bubble tea or pearl milk tea, is a somewhat recent invention from Taiwan and the SGV is the hub of Taiwanese immigration. But a couple new places are challenging the old wisdom, bringing quality boba to the other loci of Taiwanese and Chinese immigration, UCLA and USC.
Blue Bottle Coffee is hitting LA, starting in the coffeedouche-friendly confines of Abbot Kinney and the DTLA Arts District. While Blue Bottle’s arrival is welcome, it means the death of LA’s Handsome Coffee — true coffeedouches, but they made a fine cup of joe. I visited the newly opened outlet at the north end of Abbot Kinney. Expect tiny, with no place to sit, and of course, no WiFi.
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Last year, I went to the UCLA Science and Food pie event, at which Zoe Nathan gave away her recipe for blueberry cornmeal coffee cake. No surprise, it’s pretty great. You can get it at Huckleberry by the slice (with seasonal fruit), or make it yourself.
The big upgrade to LAX is the concourse at the international terminal. What’s actually interesting is that they chose to highlight local LA restaurants, rather than just putting glossy new ubiquitous brands. Honestly, they did a great job, selecting real LA places that should appeal to people visiting, as well as locals passing through.
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Just a quick note to say that the LAX food upgrade continues apace. Terminal 5 is turning into a secret superstar, especially to those of us who mostly just travel through Terminal 1 (Southwest).
In addition to Lemonade and Morimoto Skewers, now comes Culver City stalwart, Ford’s Filling Station. The place has a full bar and an abbreviated menu, but is quite a step up from the usual Brioche Dorre or Starbucks. The menu seems to be lacking the nose to tail cooking Ford’s is known for (for obvious reasons), but the food looks pretty decent. And paying $15 for dishes instead of the usual airport $10.50 isn’t too bad if the food is good. Just don’t expect it to be a substitute for the original Ford’s.
Another long overdue review. A-Frame is Roy Choi’s first (somewhat) serious table service restaurant after hitting it big with the Kogi trucks. Housed in a former IHOP, the space is an incredible reworking of an old tired building.
But the real story is the food. Choi’s food is always reworking classics with Korean and other influences.
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