Yum

Asa (18202 S. Western Ave. Gardena)
Asa, located in the little Japan of disconnected strip malls that exists south of Little Tokyo in the Gardena/Torrance area, is about as close as one might get to the feel of a late night Tokyo ramen spot in Los Angeles, and for that matter, North America. Not that the Japanese are really big on strip malls, but once you step inside, you might get what I mean. From the headwear of the ramen cooks to the long narrow strip that makes up the restaurant (and the bar) to the utterly polite waitresses to the dim lights to the menu that looks like an artist, rather than an Apple designed it, to the big, brothy cauldrons of ramen (above) that arrive after an appetizer of tofu with bonito flakes, for a half an hour, you feel like you stepped across the Pacific. Rameniac calls it "two in the morning glorious" and he/she knows way more about ramen than I do so maybe you should just read what he/she had to say. While you're there, just check out the whole site. All this being said, I'm not sure if it really compares to the mind-warping of that first bowl of ramen I had in a crowded little Shibuya businessmen's spot on my last trip but, oh well, Shibuya is a bit farther than Gardena. (A)

Ruen Pair (5257 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
I've heard, from an actual Thai person (from Thailand), that Ruen Pair has gone down. I wonder if this is a bit like the decline of a player like Carlos Delgado, or maybe Greg Maddux...not as good as they used to be but, at least in Carlos' case, still pretty good. I was pretty ecstatic about Ruen Pair on my recent, and first, visit. Not that you should trust an Alabamian over a native Thai so take it for what it's worth. Why was I so ecstatic? Pretty decent papaya salad with raw crab, though nothing like the nose-letting homemade recipes I've had at Buddhist temples and cookouts. Addictive, sour duck feet salad. More than adequate crispy pork. And fried catfish with crispy basil that, without approaching the brilliance of the same dish I had on a recent Jitlada visit (more on that later) was at least satisfactory. Come to think of it, I wasn't really blown away by anything. But, like Delgado and Maddux, Ruen Pair probably deserves a second, third and even fourth look. (B+, for now)

Sapp Coffee Shop (5183 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles)
One visit. Tried the Boat noodles with pork. I understand the Sapp Coffee Shop appeal, and will probably be back for the specials (Steamed Chicken with Rice (Singapore style?) on Saturday and Curried Chicken with Rice on Sunday). For now, though, I'm sticking with the Boat noddles at Ord Noodles down the street. (B)

La Cita Restaurant (4608 San Fernando Rd. Glendale)
I've been looking for something in my neighborhood that, at least in some ways, approximates the laid back comfort of the inimitable Ciro's for sometime, and I guess maybe I've found it in La Cita. Sitting as if sleeping on a tired and lonely stretch of San Fernando, near its intersection with Los Feliz, La Cita may sometimes appear deserted when you walk to the door. It did when I arrived on a recent Friday night. I fell in love almost immediately as I sunk into the slightly torn cushion of one of the booths, spied the Dodgers game on a corner TV, and ventured into a pair of salsas, one green and one red. The menu is a mix of dishes that would be familiar to anyone in Los Feliz and a number that might require a trip via google. I sampled the Chile Verde, a stewy mix of tender pork and green chile sauce that could have been a bit spicier, though I suppose that's what the table side hot sauce is for. La Cita is not Ciro's, but I think I've found a new place to rest my head on a Friday night. (B+)

Elena's (1000 S. Glendale Ave. Glendale)
"How do you like this one," I asked, pointing at the picture of the Stuffed Eggplant on the graphically interfaced menu that would accommodate a Romulan. "Well, I'm not a vegetarian, so I don't really know," the waitress replied. "People order it a lot, so I think it's good." There's something about a reply so direct and absent of artifice, personal and honest, that says something about a restaurant that you hope is confirmed in the food. "I'll try that then, with the lentil soup, and an order of the mutabel." Sitting in Elena's waiting for my soup, surveying the patrons lined around the periphery of the covered patio that functions as the dining room, I had a strong suspicion that I was the only newcomer.
Elena's is tucked on a corner of Glendale Avenue, across the street from what appears to be an Armenian version of Waffle House, easy driving distance to a host of Armenian markets and DVD rental stores, not to mention the Glendale Galleria and the multi-purpose Grovesque Americana. Let's hope that whatever transformation occurs in Glendale within the next 10 years or so leaves room for comfortable, casual spots like Elena's. If not, where will we find such ridiculously tasty lentil soup?
What is it about the soup? Food authorities, from the less prominent you find on Yelp, to the Pulitzer prize winning, swear by it. Ultimately, I'm not really sure what makes it so good, though I suspect it's the sensation created by the more than faint swash of lemon that runs across your tongue as you swallow it, or perhaps it's the consistency of the soup, with just the right amount of oil, modestly touched with salt, or maybe it's simply the little round pot and saucer it arrives in. Whatever it is, you'll begin planning your return visit a few seconds after the first taste.
The entrees, with choice of soup or salad, include all the normal combinations of chicken and lamb kabobs (every bit as good as others I've had in LA, though Altadena's Soumarelo may have a bit of an edge), falafel as well as various salads. The Stuffed Eggplant, a noticeably oily mound of sauteed peppers, celery, onion and garlic atop an eggplant, garnished with parsely, arrives with an equally cumbersome serving of fragrant rice. Paradigm altering? No. Tasty comfort food? Just what you need.
The mutabel, fine in itself, is not really in league with the genius blend of smoke and eggplant found at Armenian fast food giant Zankou but, really, where can you find mutabel that is? On my way out, takeout box in hand, carrying the inevitable leftovers from the rather large servings, my waitress stops me, politely taking the little container of mutabel off the top of my box and fastening the lid. She then hands me a bag to carry it in. Need I say more? (A)

El Taquito #2 (467 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Pasadena)
Many restaurants aspire to, and excel at, the art of creating distance between your vision of a home-cooked meal and the experience of going out to eat. El Taquito, rather by design, necessity or apathy, is a bit different. When you step up to order, you peer into a archway that affords a gaze of a couple of female cooks (I’ve never seen a single male employee) standing in a small kitchen, stirring heavy pots of liquid, grilling quesadillas to order. It could be your mom, or your aunts, or the lady you see at Mass every Saturday night for all you know which, as you know with mom's cooking, can lay the seeds for a few disappointments for every 15 or so successes. I've eaten the best sopes I've EVER had on numerous visits--plump and chewy bedrock tortillas topped with beans, sour cream, lettuce, tomato and powdered cheese--and then been somewhat bewildered and embarrassed on a later visit while showing out-of-towners "quality Mexican food." The tacos can be unforgettable, or merely very good. When they're on, though, it's hard to find a better lunch bet. (B)