Best things I've eated since I've been away, in no particular order.
1. Cemitas (once with marinated pork and once with chicken) stuffed with chipotles, jalapenos and stringy quesillo at Cemitas Poblanas right next to Evergreen Cemetary in East LA.
2. Paper thin jamon Iberico with melon at Father's Office. Not to mention the appropriately hyped burger.
3. Ikra at Cafe Bravo in Silverlake, a middle eastern spot. The rest of the menu is kind of whatever, but the smoky eggplant blend is on par with the mutabal at Zankou.
4. Rattlesnake sausage, as well as some other sausages, at Wurstkuche which, like Umami Burger, offers a pretty simple menu of three basic items: sausage, fries and beer. Umami replaces the sausage with equally good burgers.
5. Live octopus with Hite at Masan on a late Friday night on a lonely stretch of Olympic in Koreatown.
6. The taco truck with the LCD screen at the corner of 7th and Vermont in Koreatown. Good tortas, huraches and tacos with an almost perfect condiments table.
7. Oysters and Steamed Mussels at Bouchon, a restaurant I would go to everyday if I was rich.
8. Kobe steak sashimi, bone marrow flan, warm veal tongue with salsa verde, and mac and cheese at Cut.
9. Grilled octopus, beef cheek ravioli, and two minute calamari at B&B in Las Vegas.
10. The tongue and mouth numbing ma po tofu and cubed chicken with peppers (kind of like the best Kung Pao you could ever have in the USA) at Chung King on San Gabriel.
11. Vietnamese baked catfish, also on San Gabriel, at Phong Dinh.
12. Any of the ramen bowls at Santouka, at Misuwa marketplace. Best ramen I've ever had outside of Tokyo. Asa in Gardena is also worth a drive.
13. The maneishe at Sasoun in Glendale, or on Santa Monica. I think I actually went there too much, so much that I haven't been back in awhile.
14. Yen To Fu at Sanamluang in Hollywood. Yai is also good.
15. Ramen, while listening to pleasantly enthusiastic waitresses and cooks, at Hakata Shen Sen Gumi in San Gabriel.
16. Lamb soup and sesame bread at China Islamic.
17. Insanely spicy Thai (I think they were trying to punish us for continually insisting it had to be spicy) at Thai Hollywood.
18. Enchiladas at La Cabanita in beautiful La Canada.
19. Lobsters, in my sink, in a pot, and then on my plate outside on my patio. With garlic fried rice.
20. The chicken roll and the beef roll at 101 Noodle Express.
21. Burgers, surprisingly decent BBQ, fries, and beer at the patio of the Oinkster in Eagle Rock.
22. Perfectly spicy ribs at Phillips on Crenshaw.
23. Tlayudas worth a 45 minute drive in traffic at the taco truck on Lincoln and Rose in Venice.
24. Seafood pancake, pork bossam and lot's of Hite at Kobawood House.
25. The veggie platter at Skaf's Lebanese in Glendale
