Chef tells us that you "gotta have fun" and as we looked around at the tables full of faces smiling because of their company and good food, listened to the laughter and head-thumping music permeating the air, and savored the lingering tastes of delectable bites we had already devoured, we could understand how Preux & Proper embodied that mindset.

A two-story restaurant with respectively split personalities between the floors, this spot in Los Angeles crossed its one year anniversary mark a few months ago and has kept on swinging since opening. These days though, it is helmed by a separate set of culinary warriors than its initial opening group - Executive Chef Samuel Monsour, Chef de Cuisine Steven Hacker, and Sous Chef Paul Trevino who have worked together as a team before. The concept still lives on, however, where the different parts of the restaurant carry different vibes. Downstairs you'll find a neighborhood hideout that captures the essence of The Big Easy with a frozen daiquiri bar and hearty foods; upstairs features a finer dining menu, craft cocktails, and "uptown" Southern hospitality. We stopped on by one evening to see what new New Orleans must now look like with the talents of the recent kitchen changes in place.

Hot and slow, warm and low, smoked or open air - so many factors go into making the perfect BBQ but once you think about it, the perfection is subjective. There are variations of barbecue depending on region though you may only be familiar with the ubiquitous Texan-style. When we learned that Silverlake (Los Angeles) recently became the home of Charcoal BBQ Bourbon and Beer in February, a barbecue spot that is based on Kansas City style, we were curious. What exactly does that mean? A talk with Chef Jeremy Zimmerman cleared the air about the technique, and a tasting by invitation placed that flavor profile onto the palate. Whereas Texas-style is direct heat through a pit with screen door resulting in the hottest section being the middle and the involvement of a spicy tomato-based sauce, Kansas City style involves an enclosed smoker with indirect flames and a dry rub start (and tomato-molasses sauce end!). The BBQ is different but still great in its own way, and during our visit, we got to explore what that panned out to be like as well as what other wonderful dishes Charcoal had to offer.

It coats all parts of your mouth the instant it passes your lips in its luxurious, fatty creaminess. The texture of foie gras undoubtedly takes some getting used to that not everyone will clamor for but it does have its merits in the world of fine dining. When the ban struck California to prevent the purchase and selling of the delicacy, it caused an upset in the restaurant industry and sparked a conversation about the ingredient's nature. Is it wrong? Is it right? Is it ethical or not? The discussion became a dividing factor between food-loving friendships, yet there has not been a definitive moral answer to the subject. What it has done, though, is create a black market feel to the average consumer for this rare(r) item, and it set the tone last week for a secret dinner in downtown LA featuring some Orange County chefs. We waited for the text to come just 24 hours prior to the event, telling us where to drive to, and the "foiebidden" night soon began.

The popular Open Sesame of Long Beach in the Belmont Shore neighborhood (two restaurants) has expanded! Their first location opened in 1999 and still remains as their newest moves deeper into Los Angeles, opening in November 2013 near The Grove and Farmers Market. It has taken over the space formerly known as Hatfield's and celebrates the cuisine of Lebanese food through from-scratch dishes that are authentic to the fare. Not only do they highlight some of the most popular food items of the cuisine but they also have multiple options including choices for vegans and vegetarians. Since we had not had specifically Lebanese food before, we were intrigued. Founded by Ali Kobeissi who emigrated from Lebanon in the 1980s, Open Sesame dedicates itself to paying the right respect to the cuisine and with great ingredients. We were invited in one afternoon to take a look and were happy that our first exposure to Lebanese food went well.

2528 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90007 (Neighborhood: University Park)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Hot Dog
www.dirtdogLA.com

One of the iconic food items of Los Angeles when it comes to street food is the bacon-wrapped hot dog, a meal that has wound its way through the communities to even appear on television as the indulgent, underground meal of choice. Bacon lover? Why wouldn't you want that extra touch to your hot dog? There are plenty of other street food options found in the carts that move around LA too, and one spot that recently opened in University Park is looking to be home to those dishes. Dirt Dog is a newly opened eatery that focuses on the "dirt dog," the creators' own name for the bacon-wrapped dog, and the occasional sides (only "dirtified"). We decided to stop in one evening to check out how they spun the typically-on-the-street food into restaurant fare.

The award-winning LA Spice Catering Company located in Los Angeles and servicing much of southern California recently hit another home run with their newest development after more than 25 years of being in the business: LA Spice Cafe. The neighborhood-centric wholesome and hearty restaurant was started by the catering company's CEO and founder, LeAnne Schwartz, a little more than a year ago and has already become a community favorite. It's a joint that promotes a casual feel to gourmet food, welcoming others to give their breakfast and lunch dishes a try and inviting guests to get a little more healthiness for their buck.

LA Spice Cafe also fits right into the Culver City puzzle (where it's located) which is currently being reworked to revitalize the area and bring people in. City council members can frequently be spotted here for breakfast meetings. The restaurant features a seasonal menu with fresh ingredients and a slight spin to classics that don't detract too much from what others are used to; don't be afraid of getting experiments here! Just expect great food. We sat down one Saturday morning to speak with Chef Chris DeVillier, learn about what drives the menu, and taste what made the whole company as successful as it is.

What defines good food for you? Does it have to be plated well, using the latest techniques, and sourcing exotic ingredients? The components are important and so is the culinary skill in making a dish work but there is some level of culture that plays a large impact on how well (or not well) received a plate will be. The memories evoked and the emotions alongside those are all important. For me, Thai food somehow found itself in my realm of go-to comfort foods. After a long day, I want to settle down with some red curry and tofu, a glass of creamily smooth Thai tea, and a small side of spicy papaya salad. What I don't necessarily expect when those comfort food moments hit is that the food not only satisfies the cultural factor of what makes food good but also the culinary. We found that at Ayara Thai Cuisine in Los Angeles though. I had been reading about it every now and then but when we decided to turn a day into an LA trek, we put this on the list and ventured out to meet with them. What a fine decision that was.

Planet Dailies LA recently launched a new dessert menu and new cocktails over at their Mixology lounge, and unfortunately, we couldn't make it during a preview night! However, we were able to drop by another day to take a look at what's in store for this restaurant who will soon be changing over their menu. We ended up opting for menu items that were going to make the cut for the next go-around and got some time to speak briefly to Chef Joshua Wilson about the direction he is trying to take the restaurant.


Located in Los Angeles at the Original Farmers Market, which we noticed was absolutely booming with people and places to eat, Planet Dailies LA is from the same people that bring you Planet Hollywood but with a different vibe. It was very Californian in design and cuisine if you can picture that (if not, there are pictures to look at!). The seating was deceptively large as there was patio and indoor seating sprawling all across the top floor of the building. We even spotted a studio space for Mario Lopez (and a menu list of his top picks...?) inside. It seems like the place to go to if you want to check out what Hollywood is eating. The restaurant prides itself in sourching from as many local places as possible, going as far as to include a long list of potential sources on the back of each menu. We counted nearly 40 farms! As for the menu itself, the options seemed limitless - sections designated were appetizers, entrees, salads, pizza, pasta, Chinese, sides, burgers, deli, shakes, Mario Lopez' picks,and desserts. It was quite difficult to make a choice with so many dishes and descriptions glaring us in the face but as aforementioned, the menu will get an adjustment soon enough with, as Chef Wilson noted, as much as a 50% cut.



Of course we had to start with our drinks for the sunny weekend day. We were alerted that these were not the same drinks as have been recently compiled for the Mixology lounge (the ones we had missed out on) but we were certainly not expecting the kinds of drinks that we received. It was a bit of a surprise that their regular menu staples were off-balance and unfinishable. We totaled with three drinks to give their popular ones and ones of our choice a try but alas, the pizzazz was lacking. We were forewarned that their Moscow Mule ($9 - vodka, fresh squeezed lime juice, ginger beer) was not going to come in the iconic cup but we weren't warned that there was just too much lime in it. The Gold Rush ($10 - Bourbon, fresh squeezed lemon juice, honey syrup) had much too much bourbon as to make it unenjoyable and our anticipated elegant Brass Flower ($9 - gin, elderflower cordial, grapefruit juice, Prosecco)
too bitter from too much grapefruit juice. All in all, I'd warn against coming to Planet Dailies for the cocktails though they do have several craft beers on tap.

Our appetizers were much better received however as we opted for their Fire-Roasted Artichokes (black peppercorn, chili, lemon aioli and tomato balsamic vinaigrette), a soon-to-be regular menu item. These were large, bountiful halves of flavorful artichoke with tasteful side sauces that you didn't really need due to its own seasoning (though they were there if desired). I enjoyed the snap of chili specks as we ate these. Then we had one of their most popular appetizers, their Caprese Sliders ($15.99 - Kobe beef burgers, fresh Mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, fresh basil and balsamic glaze on sweet buns), which ended up being just about my favorite of the plates. I'll have credit that to freshness of the produce and the way sweet buns (think Hawaiian sweet bread) accentuated the balsamic glaze. I'd opt for these if you're ever here and willing to splurge a little. After all, with just three on a plate, these came out to be over $5 a pop!


The entrees were also a practice in popular and new. The "popular" choice was something from their existing menu - their Spinach & Peaches Salad ($15.99 - grilled chicken breast, baby spinach, fresh peaches, strawberries, candied walnuts, and Feta served with tomato balsamic vinaigrette) and their "new" choice to appear on the newer menu was their Grilled Jamaican Jerk Chicken (served with plantains, mango salsa, rice). The salad came artfully in a slanted bowl as many salads have now been presented, and the ingredients were incredibly fresh. I could see why the manager there at the time claimed it was just about her favorite salad. The baby spinach was abundant with plenty of chicken pieces to give a filling feel. Our plate of the jerk chicken revealed that the Jamaican jerk was only referring to the seasoning. Darn. I had been hoping to see it jerk style but alas, only the seasoning was utilized which made the meat taste more like a regularly grilled chicken breast that had been brushed with the seasoning. We found the rice to be too dry and the plantains unexciting. It's definitely a work in progress, as they confessed as well.


We were feeling near our limit by this point but definitely had to have their desserts seeing as it was one of the first menu areas to have changed. The much-raved-about Crispy Fried Ice Cream ($6.99 - deep-fried vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce and served with homemade whipped cream) came out first, and it became pretty obvious why it was loved. The crust was actually made of crushed Capt'n Crunch cereal which gave the dessert a sweeter shell and an appropriate crunch. It was definitely a dish to be shared but even we were defeated. This was the more preferred of the two we went for as their Very Berry Cobbler ($7.99 - fresh seasonal berries garnished with a rich walnut crumble topping and served a la mode) barely had crumble so it failed to resemble a cobbler but looked more like baked berries with sprinklings on top. Somehow none of it jived with either of us so we went back to the fried ice cream. All in all, the space was nice and the attention to local and fresh great. However, there needs to be some reworking of the standard cocktail menu, we believe, and some of the menu items as well. Maybe cutting down the options in the near future as planned will allow the chef and staff to hone in on making the fewer items better.

Photography by Duc Duong. More photos available on Facebook here.

714 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013 (Neighborhood: Arts District)
Pricing - $ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Bakery, Coffee
http://www.thepieholela.com/


Shut your pie hole and eat a tasty dessert! I've heard that The Pie Hole in downtown LA was just about the best place around to get pies, sweet and savory. In honor of tomorrow (my friends have designated it as "Double Pi Day" at 6/28), here's my review of the pie place that had me wanting to hold out a pie plate. I didn't know where it was until one day when my friend told me we'd hit it up after eat.drink.Americano; curious I wondered how far it would be but what do you know? It was just around the corner, quaint and nearly hidden among the Arts District buildings. I've been there twice now and have enjoyed each visit but alas, have never had a savory pie. I hope to return soon someday to give another review of their savory offerings.


So the neat thing about The Pie Hole is that they offer you the option of sitting in to enjoy your pie on little plates and wooden tables or taking it to go. I've done both and find the eating in part better just because of the environment (and no risk of pie getting smooshed in a box!). I like how they do change their menu daily but still keep around crowd favorites. From $4.50-$6.00 per sweet pie slice, it's on par in price with restaurant pies but loads better because they specialize in the stuff. One day I'll be back for the savory stuff which run just $.50 more in general.


Pictured are the Mexican Chocolate Pie and Earl Grey Pie. Both visits included ordering the latter of those two because it was just so gotdang delicious. The Mexican Chocolate was smooth in chocolate and had plenty of light cinnamon cream on top. There were also crunchy flecks of cacao nibs (I think?) that gave a texture to the creaminess. The Earl Grey definitely made me want to pour a cuppa the same next to it because it had the strong flavors of the tea. You'd think that turning it into pie form would lose some of the strength but it didn't! Topped with crushed pistachios, the slice was quickly dispensed of. Another that I've had but isn't pictured is their Maple Custard, a heavenly custard pie that reminded me of egg custard tarts (dan ta) from Chinese cuisine. Sweet with a brulee-d top, I'd say this was something you shouldn't miss. We are absolutely coming back and hopefully in time to get something savory before it runs out.

Photography by Duc Duong and Minerva Thai, depending on the visit.

923 E 3rd St #101, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Neighborhood: Downtown - Arts District)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual, Hipster Chic | Cuisine - American (New), Gastropub
http://eatdrinkamericano.com


I first heard of eat.drink.Americano from one of my friends who visited during a "Yelp's on Tap" event. It's a tad rare for you to find me venturing into LA primarily because of the traffic getting there from OC and the whole (lack of) parking situation. However, he raved about this place constantly so we decided that I had better check it out. I found it on a corner of a rundown brick building right in Arts District of downtown LA. It's charming from the outside, and I could tell from the worn metal gears-and-pulley decor above that door that I would be entering a steampunk/"reclaimed" type of place. After all, we were also in the Arts District and hipster chic clientele would not be a reach to guess at.


I walked inside and loved it. Reused glass bottles, chalk art and varied typography, old lamps hanging via thin metal arms and baring their rad filaments - how could I not enjoy this place? The interior design had a vintage feel to it with plenty of industrial decor, dim lighting, and setup just like the brick studio space it was with a "loft's" kitchen exposed to the diners. Not only did the whole environment speak to me but the food was so great that I came back not too long afterward. So yes, this review will cover two visits' worth of fare; I swear I'm not THAT greedy of an eater!


So one of the times that we went was for the American-O Craft Beer Week pairing on 05.08.13 at $22/person. I believe the portions were slightly smaller than you'd normally find them on the menu but for $22/person at three courses, it was a steal! I'm pretty sure the beers alone were worth that much. So yes, we started off with The Bruery Mischief with Classic Ceviche (fresh caught red snapper with peppers and choclo in a spicy citrus marinade). I must commend them for their pairing choices for this first course and all the following ones because they complemented each other so well. The bubbly brightness of the Mischief fit perfectly with the citrus notes of the fish. I found the snapper to be just the right texture for a ceviche, and the citrus marinade naturally "cooked" its edges just enough to accomplish that. The vegetables used gave a contrasting crunch to the softness of the fish and was well welcomed.


To hit us with creativity and a yearning for comfort food (that was quickly sated), the second course consisted of Stone Levitation with The Pilgrim (slow roasted turkey, stuffing, corn foam, and cranberry sauce). We could not help picking up a conversation after putting the first bite into our mouth about Thanksgiving. The Pilgrim embodied it so well but with plenty of fun and none of the heaviness that follows the traditional holiday meal. It was the corn foam that delighted us for its frothy corn essence, and it was the stuffing that made us close our eyes in tasty nostalgia. The small dabs of cranberry sauce creeping up the side of our shallow bowls gave enough tartness to the wholesome and juicy turkey meat to balance out the entire dish. Fabulous job, eat.drink.Americano!


The last course of the pairing menu was their Oskar Blues Old Chub with Braised Oxtail Slider (slow-braised oxtail sliders with Fontina cheese, wild arugula, and juicy mayo). My friend had waxed poetic about this slider, and I trust his judgment. While ordering it on any other given day will yield you two of these sexy sliders, this pairing menu granted us one but it only needed to give us one to win our hearts. I dare say this may have been the best slider I've had in my life. Someone remember this day as the day I wrote this; I (half) hope that I will continue to rescind this statement as I find more and more orgasmic food. I think it was the cheese smothering the wild arugula that really sealed the deal. Not only was the slow-braised oxtail oh-so-succulent but the additional flavors really married it all together into a handheld heaven. Our waitress afterward convinced us to order her favorite, the Soft Shell Crab Sandwich ($12 - served with wakame seaweed and saffron aioli on an English muffin), which ended up being the perfect palate cleanser after the hearty oxtail since the crunchy whole soft shell crab had a refreshing seaweed salad on top. I can see why this would be a favorite too.


The first time I had come, we had a light meal of just two items and two beers but even those were fantastic. We first ordered their Steak Tartare with Mustard Ice Cream ($13 - filet mignon with housemade Dijon mustard ice cream served with sliced bread) which was very good in execution and design because the ice cream kept steak cold as a tartare needs to be. The mustard's natural spiciness gave nice highlights to the tenderness of raw beef, and I just loved the concept of making a Dijon mustard ice cream in general. That was followed up quickly by the Mushroom & Eggs with Bread ($12 - Shiitake, Oyster, & Crimini mushrooms sauteed in housemade demiglaze with poached egg and sliced bread), a dish so savory and saucy that bread seemed too holey to hold it all. There was a generous amount of mushrooms (though I wasn't sure if all the listed mushrooms were represented evenly), and the poached egg was a good touch. I enjoyed the sprinkling of microgreens on top too for some color to the dish. Overall, I'd have to say that eat.drink.Americano is surely to become one of my favorite places to dine, and its intimacy would make it the perfect spot to drop by and talk about ideas instead of people.

Photography by Duc Duong and Minerva Thai.

10438 National Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90034 (Neighborhood: Palms)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual, To-Go | Cuisine - Vegan, Vegetarian, Asian
www.theveganjoint.com

I came upon this restaurant merely by happy accident actually because I was in the area for a work-related event. My co-worker's friend was the driver, and we had planned to eat before the actual event happened since we didn't know when it would really end. She happened to be vegetarian so I pulled out my Yelp app and got to work finding an amicable enough place that was both tasty and compatible to her needs. We came across this well-reviewed place and thought we'd drop in!


It was a cute little place indeed with a homey feeling to it. We went to sit down in the side room which was empty at the time (a Tuesday afternoon). I liked the overall color scheme as it was fitting with the fare. I decided to order a Thai iced tea to see what that would taste like with a vegan twist (no cream, you see). It was quite sweet and different from what I'm used to for Thai iced tea but not unpleasant. It was definitely a lot more usual-tea like and sugary.


My entree was their spicy noodle soup, a feel-good bowl that was sure to make any sick person feel better due to the spices and home-y style (but I wasn't sick). The flat rice noodles were plentiful as were the pepper flakes. In the hot-and-sour soup there were bean sprouts, tofu, soy fish, ground peanuts, green onion, and cilantro. I enjoyed the texture of the soy fish which had been given seaweed as the faux fish skin. Because the spiciness got to me eventually, it took me a long while to finish the bowl but the Thai iced tea helped!


My friends grabbed a box of their carrot cupcakes to go which happened to be from another bakery nearby. The frosting was definitely sweet on it but the cake was deliciously moist. Overall, a fairly decent vegan place and it seemed like they knew their regulars there. Give it a shot if you're in the area!

Photography by Minerva Thai.

1757 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041 (Neighborhood: Eagle Rock)
Pricing - $/$$ | Dining - Casual | Cuisine - Japanese

So after seeing a small art gallery/show with some friends all the way in Eagle Rock, we got hungry and wanted to get food. Yelp told us that a well-rated Japanese restaurant was nearby so off we hiked to find the unassuming Masacasa (the sign was a vinyl banner!) in a plaza. It was quaint and nice inside with enough seating for, say, less than 20 people. The staff was Japanese and greeted us all nicely in such language. They were nicely accommodating. There was lots of art on the walls that gave a nice vibe to the place, and I really liked the chopsticks they had!


I ended up ordering the chicken katsu curry (how does one resist such crunchy goodness?) which came with some salad and miso soup! I found the salad dressing very plain but the mashed potato salad was deliciously smooth and flavorful. There was also some kind of vegetable in it that lent a unique texture - hard to describe but I thought of jellyfish for some reason. The miso soup was a bit bland unfortunately. As for the chicken katsu curry itself, the cutlet was a lot thinner than I was used to. They either had a small chicken breast or pounded the bejeesus out of it before breading and frying. There ended up being too much rice for me but the curry was good with a tad bit of spice to it. The waitress hadn't asked what level of spiciness I wanted so I guess this was the regular. It sated me, sure, but nothing extraordinary.


My two friends had tofu curry (soft tofu! not firm!) and chicken teriyaki plate. The curry was the same as the one I had had. The chicken teriyaki was actually quite good, particularly because I don't like my chicken doused in teriyaki sauce when having this dish. I mean, who likes smothered chicken? It almost drowns the other flavors but this one had it modestly enough where I could taste the succulence of the chicken slices themselves and enjoy the grilled texture.