Rincon Salvadoreno ( 3827 W Sunset Blvd Ste C. Los Angeles)
Rincon Salvadoreno is a little Salvadorean spot on Sunset, right near the border with Echo Park, about the size of a master bathroom in a modest middle class home. We were hungry when we arrived and asked the waitress, as we ordered our pupusas, if there was a chips and salsa option. She replied in a manner that, honestly, I didn't quite grasp. A few minutes later, a bowl of freshly made chips, still dripping with oil, arrived, with fresh salsa on the side. It's that kind of place. Apparently, the restaurant closed either right before, or right after we arrived. No one told us, and there wasn't any sort of prominent sign for us to see. Again, that kind of place. The pupusas, the only thing I've tried so far, are a bit oily, and also a tad more delicate than I'm used to, but more than satisfying, especially when slathered with the savory slaw offered in abundance. (B+)
El Cochinito ( 3508 W Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles)
Only a few blocks away from Rincon Salvadoreno is El Cochinito. It's actually next door to the excellent Alegria, and a good place to duck into if you ever get tired of fighting their wait times, or even if you could care less about Alegria. El Cochinito serves Cuban food, large servings of Cuban food I may add. I don't often encounter meals I enjoy that I can't finish. I failed, in this regard, at El Cochinito. The yuca appetizer, with a tasteful drizzling of mojo de ajo dressing, is pretty essential to any meal. The Roast Chicken (with a mound of rice and beans) is more than decent, but pales a bit in comparison to the Lechon Asado, a tender, delicate, savory-enough but not thirst-inducing pig, that arrives with enough mass that you'll be able to take home leftovers for pork tacos, just as I did. (A)
Scoops (712 N Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles)
In the "bicycle district." Chocolate and wasabi ice cream. Need I say more? (A)
Pure Luck (707 N Heliotrope Dr. Los Angeles)
Vegan spot located across the street from Scoops. I used to date a girl who was vegan, and I will count the time I tried to make her a proper vegan meal as one of my great cooking failures, next to the first meal I ever made for a girl in which I demonstrated an inability to properly cook noodles. This spot is a bit better than my effort. I had the torta with jackfruit BBQ and vegan pozole. Way, way, way better than it sounds. A nice, dimly lit, Saturday evening dinner spot. (A-)
Sapp Coffee Shop (5183 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
OK...I think I underrated Sapp in my previous review. I still put the Boat noodles a few notches below the ones at Ord Noodle down the street, which is not in any way a put down. A return visit found a rich and filling plate of Curried Chicken in Curry Rice as well as a Nam dish (Thai spam) that was pretty good as well. I think I'll be back. (B+...and climbing)
Beverly Soon Tofu (2717 W Olympic Blvd Ste 108. Los Angeles)
I've maintained for some time that Korean food is the comfort food of Asia. At least that's my take on the Korean food I've had in the United States. Never been to Korea. Either way, Beverly Soon Tofu may be the most comfortable dinner spot I've found in LA. It's a small restaurant that left its front door open on my initial visit. Patrons sit in close quarters atop little carved wooden stools and rest their hands on equally cabin-core carved wooden tables. I kept looking for the animatronic bears but couldn't find any. I can honestly say that there are few things I enjoy more, on a crisply cool LA night, than a plate of well seasoned squid paired with a suitably spicy tofu soup (were those jalapenos?) and a selection of pan chan that, while not really approaching the diversity at Sa Rit Gol, is more than adequate. The galbi was nice as well. I always have a hard time, when eating Korean, deciding if I'm there for the pan chan or the entrees. I suppose it's a silly question in the end. (A)
Mike's Deli (4859 W Slauson Avenue. Los Angeles)
Remember the New Jersey Devils of the late 90s? I suspect you don't as the few people that read this blog, I suspect, took a pass on late 90s northeastern ice hockey teams. Either way, the Devils were one of the best teams in the league. They were also incredibly boring, lulling teams, announcers, writers, fans and the league in general, to sleep with their mastery of the trap, a defensive system whereby the Devils basically played mistake free hockey and waited for their opponent to make a few mistakes in the middle, at which point they would strike, and win fairly often. Kind of the hockey equivalent of the Ravens in '02, or any team that wins with a great defense and a "game manager" for a quarterback. Anyway, Mike's Deli is kind of similar to both these teams. There's nothing really exciting about Mike's. The menu, along with the ambiance, could exist in a strip mall in Springfield, IL just as easily as a strip mall on Slauson Avenue in L.A. But there is certainly something to be said for a lunch spot that recognizes the value of stuffing quality ingredients-Boar's head meat, crisp lettuce, thinly sliced tomatoes, mustard, mayo, kosher sliced pickles, and onion-between good bread. The sandwiches are boringly consistent in a good way. I ate there for three straight lunches this summer and could have gone for a fourth. (B)
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