Notes and news to fill out the dog days of August:

New in Silver Lake
Silver Lake has a new Thai restaurant called Nadbob. In a nutshell: nothing to go out of your way for, but it has possibilities if you live in the area and are tired of the other Silver Lake Thai options. However, it does mean braving the parking lot of "crackhead plaza" -- i.e. the mini-mall that houses Tang Donuts and Saito. It's worth it for the sushi -- but the Thai place should probably offer a delivery option. Here's my Chowhound review if anyone's interested in more detail.
Nadpob Thai Cafe
4321 Sunset Blvd.
323-666-9000

Also coming soon to Crackhead Plaza: a new Indian place, possibly spawned from the owners of Mumtaz. But don't hold your breath -- construction on the space seems to be interminably stalled.

Residents take sides on Glendale Town Center
An interesting L.A. Times story on the proposed Glendale Town Center development lists some of the restaurants that are interested: The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang's, Wood Ranch BBQ and something ominously called "Fox Sports Grill." Same old, same old...I guess you can't expect local establishments in a pricey outdoor mall setting. It's too bad, but I'm pro-Town Center anyway -- here's why:
-I don't feel much sympathy for the Galleria, which is a claustrophobia-inducing teenybopper nightmare of a mall. The teenyboppers can continue to shop at Forever 21 in the Galleria, while the more mature folks can go to Anthropologie in the Town Center. There's plenty of disposable income to go around.
-Downtown Glendale, despite some recent improvements, still has a large blighted area. Unlike most older downtowns, there's still potential to develop the area into a pedestrian-friendly area with entertainment options, and the Town Center development will include a park and movie theaters.
It seems like Rick Caruso could solve many of his P.R. problems by agreeing to take less than a $77 million contribution from the city, and possibly by building fewer than the proposed 300-plus residential units. He could acquire the land himself while still having the city maintain the park, for example, and trim the residential portion to 100-200 units.

Is Fake Dog better than real dog?
The L.A. Weekly's Jonathan Gold reports on a Northern Chinese, a restaurant that serves Shenyang Fake Dog Meat. Apparently it's actually a tasty shredded pork dish "cooked in the style of dog," for those who miss the real thing. Northern Chinese takes this week's prize for Place Most Likely to Gross Out Your Squeamish Westside Friends.

Taste test: the Big Sur Bakery

My friend Philippe Garnier recommended I stop by the Big Sur Bakery during my weeklong camping trip, in particular to try the ginger scones. This is the third year we've camped in Big Sur, but we've never eaten outside the campground before, so it seemed like a good time to go into town for lunch at the Big Sur Bakery. It's a casual little place where all the bread and baked goods are house-made, with wood-fired pizza to boot. I had a mixed green salad with lemon dressing and split a Hawaiian pizza with my son, while my famously picky daughter had a plate of sourdough bread with a crock of country butter for lunch. My salad was full of little sprouts and microgreens as well as cooked carrots -- an odd but not unpleasant touch. The mouth-puckeringly tangy dressing was just right for me, but probably would have seemed strong to most people. The pizza wasn't just any Hawaiian pizza -- the ham was Niman Ranch, of course, and it normally comes with sliced jalapenos although we passed on those. The wood-baked crust was nice and doughy, similar to Nicky D's, and the sourdough bread was pleasantly addictive.
They were sold out of nearly all the baked goods at lunchtime, so we returned on the way out of town a few mornings later. I had a wonderfully strong coffee to help with the long drive home, and the ginger scone, fresh raspberry scone and mocha cookies were all excellent. As with everything in remote-yet-touristy Big Sur, prices were on the high side. Reports from other campers confirmed that the food at the Big Sur Bakery can be much better than at the super-pricey ocean view hotels. Thanks, Philippe.
Also of note: the ice cream parlor at the Big Sur Lodge at the Julia Pfeiffer State Park campground features Lappert's ice cream. Their Cafe Carmelo made with kona coffee is worth seeking out...according to their website, the Aloha Island Coffee Company in Beverly Hills might be the closest local outlet.

Construction on the Autobar continues...if the owners were smart, they'd keep this groovy 60s sign. Who knew there were bikini dancers under that drab facade?

Restaurant news and mini-review

First of all, mini-review on the Banana Leaf, Farmer's Market. I had the mi goreng, which is fried noodles and vegetables with some curried chicken cubes on top. It tasted pretty much just like I remember from Malaysia and Indonesia, and most of the people eating there were Malaysian, which is pretty unusual for Farmer's Market -- I mean, you don't see Cajuns eating at the Gumbo Pot, right? There's a choice of mild, medium or spicy -- I got spicy, of course -- and it had a nice subtle burn to it. The fresh limeade cut the grease, which was the good kind of grease, not the greasy kind of grease. I'll be back for the gado gado and the beef rendang. I think this place will be a keeper.

And now, the news: There's a new stand in Farmer's Market called the Village, which specializes in boerek. What's that? Well, their slogan is "handmade fresh-baked brick oven flat bread made for you." They're kind of like Lebanese pizzas, with toppings of egg, spinach, chicken, etc. The side dishes look interesting with several types of eggplant, chard and bean salads.

Also, crepes are finally coming to the Eastside at Masa's, opening soon at Sunset and Lemoyne in Echo Park. A nice French fellow on the phone told me they would be open "morning, noon and night" after August 20 or so, and will serve crepes, panini, pizza and pastries. The Echo Park restaurant scene could definitely use a little fresh blood and this place sounds very promising.

Five things I know about Julia Child

1. Although the New York Times claimed she wasn't big on Mexican food, she did like to eat at La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. I think I first heard about the place in a magazine article quoting her in the '80s.
2. She liked a good In 'n Out Burger.
3. Her lemon souffle in "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" was the perfect thing to make when I was a high school girl with a sweet tooth, no other cookbooks in the house, and virtually no ingredients available besides a lemon tree, eggs and sugar.
4. Like me, she was a fan of cats and Planned Parenthood.
5. Also like me, her first meal on French soil included a green salad, which she thought was wonderful and full of flavor.

Mini-review: Zeke's Smokehouse

We didn't try enough dishes here for a full review, but at the moment, I'm not feeling like rushing back. I thought Target and barbecue could be an inspired combination. So I went to the West Hollywood Gateway center, where I fell into the black hole that is BevMo, ended up buying wine, Abita beer and port, and never made it to Target. Meanwhile, they were cooking up my half bbq chicken at Zeke's, which I got to go. I guess chicken is not the strong suit of this offshoot of the original Montrose location -- I've heard the brisket or pulled port might be pretty good. Anyway, back to the chicken, which was cottony and flavorless. The thin sauce had a touch of spice but didn't go far enough to rev up the chicken. The collard greens were fine, but the beans needed some molasses or some kind of sweet note. When I finished, I wished I had stopped at Zankou instead, so I guess that says it all. But we'll give it one more try for the ribs for my rib-devouring son and some brisket for the rest of us.
Zeke's Smokehouse
7100 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood

Welcome to Eating L.A.

Since lablogs has decided to link this site, I guess it's time to go live. Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave comments or email suggestions of new restaurants, places to try or anything especially tasty you've eaten lately. I'll be in Big Sur for the next week eating mostly s'mores, but I'll resume posting plenty of Eating L.A. news as soon as I return. When I get back, I'll post my still-developing recipe for s'mores with handcrafted mocha marshmallows and Scharffenberger chocolate.

In the meantime, check out Jonathan Gold's column on tamales from different regions of Latin America available at Mama's Hot Tamale Cafe and from street vendors in MacArthur Park. This is one of the first times the byzantine L.A. city government has legally approved street vendors to sell anything besides boring, warmed-over hotdogs -- so it bodes well for neighborhood revitalization efforts.

More restaurants to try: Mexican

I've been neglecting Mexican food lately, as I usually feel like going Asian. But there are a few places I've been hearing about that I'd like to try. Here's the rundown:
La Parrilla - for some reason, I've never been to this East L.A. institution, but I've heard the things to get are the guacomole, the queso fundido con chorizo, and the grilled meats.
2126 E. Caesar Chavez Ave.
Mi India Bonita -- everything, I guess
4731 E. Olympic
Tacos Baja Ensenada -- fish tacos!
5385 Whittier Blvd.
Mercado La Paloma - tacos at Taqueria Vista Hermosa
3655 S. Grand Ave.
Gallo's Grill - grilled steak and chicken
4533 E. Cesar Chavez

Guest post: What's wrong with Silver Lake restaurants

A Chowhound poster named Arlene summed things up pretty well during a recent discussion of what's happening with the old Autobar in Silver Lake. Even though I'm not vegetarian, I'd have to agree with most this assessment.
"Couldn't agree more about Edendale Grill and Blair's. What's up with that? A hundred bucks easy for a couple to go to either of them and the food, well, it isn't all THAT! As a vegetarian, I just loved being at the Edendale Grill and having only side dishes. Gee, let's see, a party of four for $300 and I ate a potato and some broccoli. Same thing at Blair's. Had their one pasta dish that didn't have any meat, fish, or poultry in it and it was totally mediocre. WHEN is Silver Lake going to get a decent restaurant that most of us who don't cook could go to two or three times a week. The Astro and the Coffee Table just aren't getting it anymore! Da Gianino's on Hyperion, much more pricey than ever before and the menu is a hundred years old. Forget the Zen, they have a new sushi chef that doesn't know how to do sushi, for all you sushi eaters, according to my sushi loving friends. The Flying Leap, great hangout for the guys, but the food is still just okay. There's of course always the Burrito King with it's delicious history of trying to expand too fast and ending up with just the original on Hyperion, but two bucks for breakfast isn't bad! The take out Chinese on Rowena and Hyperion, okay for quick carry out, just like Round Table on Glendale and Pizza Hut on Hyperion. Can't agree on the Nicky D's, although only one visit there, so we'll try it again. Could've been a bad night. The Casita del Campo, or whatever you call it down there on Hyperion where all the auto shops begin, old and tired. The rest, well you know the story. As for the ice cream in the neighborhood, whatever happened to Myrna's and why the new place. Not as good as Myrna's and has that total franchise look to it. HELP us someone!!! Just a nice little restaurant that isn't a million bucks! How about in that nice little house on Rowena that was for lease a while back that was supposed to be a commercial place, right near the chiropractor's office and the soon to be closed Cottura, next door to the Sol la luna store that was having a going out of business sale for a year and a half! Just a nice little place and someone could make a killing here in Silver Lake. And yet... we continue to yearn for someone who would just come in and make some good food in just a basic environment that wasn't trying to be all retro modern moderne chic and everything else that is supposed to be cool these days. After all, it's ALL about the food... remember that, Edendale Grill and Blair's. The neighborhood has given up on you, at least everyone I've talked to down at the Dog Park, so perhaps a change in the menu and pricing and we'll all be back."
My fantasy restaurant for Silver Lake goes something like this: Nicky D's pizza moves out of its quaint little rickety cottage and into a nice space with a large patio, something like the Coffee Table. They keep the wood-burning pizza oven, gelato and beer and wine license but add homemade pies and cobblers, a few pasta dishes, some imaginative salads, a few small plates for snacking as well as some basic, well-made dishes of the mac' and cheese or meatloaf variety. An excellent selection of beer is featured, as well as a few reasonably-priced wines. Children are welcome, but it also stays open late for the after-movie crowd. And, prices are very affordable, in the vein of Luna Park in L.A., Chow in San Francisco or numerous places in other cities. But with rents what they are, I guess it will never happen.

Here's the menu at Indian Sweets and Spices, showing various types of dosa, uttapam and idlis.

Shopping trip: India Sweets and Spices

I haven't had much chance to browse the food selection at India Sweets and Spices in Los Feliz, although I've had dinner there a few times. In addition to every type of lentil and masala spice mix imaginable, the store carries lots of types of henna for mehndi designs, some traditional clothing, a video and CD section, British candies and baked beans and those little breath-freshening colored candies with coriander seeds inside that you get at Indian restaurants. At the restaurant next door, I picked up a nice mango kulfi (Indian ice cream) popsicle and some burfi sweets for later. Lately I am obsessed with the burnt milk flavor found in Indian and Mexican sweets.
India Sweets & Spices (Atwater)
3126 Los Feliz Blvd.
Los Angeles

My current obsession is Indian desserts, especially burfi, shown here.

Places I've been meaning to try

I really need to get to Renu Nakorn in Norwalk. It's supposed to be the best Thai restaurant in Southern California, or used to be anyway.
Here's a few other places I'm contemplating:
Meilong Village - Chinese in San Gabriel
Luscious Dumplings - Chinese in San Gabriel
Casa Bianca - pizza in Eagle Rock (no, for some reason I still haven't been there)
Saladang Song - Thai in Pasadena
Golden Village - Burmese in Whittier

and when I win the lottery: Josie - Santa Monica

Other suggestions welcomed.

Review: A trip downtown to Daikokuya

I tore myself away from the old standbys of Suehiro, Sushi Gen and Mandarin Deli last night to try Daikokuya on First St.
The food: Although their savory ramen would be even better on a cold winter night, we enjoyed the place quite a bit. I had the "signature dish" of pork ramen -- which is actually the only type of ramen available. The broth was very flavorful and the noodles were quite hard to stop eating. The pork slices were kind of plain but the hard-boiled egg gained extra flavor after sitting in the murky broth for a while. My companion had the cold ramen noodles topped with sesame sauce and various veggies and meats, a better choice for a summer evening, and he declared it very agreeable (can you tell I just saw "The Village"?). We started with the super greasy, super yummy oniony gyoza (potstickers). Oh, and they also have rice bowls with teriyaki, salmon and such, and a few sushi rolls, as well as untranslated Japanese desserts.
The room: As Jonathan Gold says, this place looks like it's been there forever, even though it hasn't, and you kind of expect someone like Bukowski or Philip Marlowe to swagger up to the counter (they have booths too).
The people: We had a full view of a Keith Richards-type guy and his model-esque, yet skeezy, girlfriend, who alternately sucked face and fed each other ramen noodles and edamame -- cute, yet somewhat gross as well.
The tab: $26 for two including a beer and a coke and a lot of food.

Daikokuya (Little Tokyo)
327 E. 1st St.
Los Angeles

Review: A light-ish dinner at AOC

My friend has been wanting to try AOC for months, so last night we finally made it to sit at the cheese bar. We decided to go light with mostly salads and had a wonderful time chatting with the cheese lady (curly blonde hair).
The food: We had a cheese plate with Roaring Forties blue from Tasmania, incredible; and a goat -- maybe Valencay -- that wasn't on the menu but was one of the best chevres I've ever had. The third choice, a very runny stinky French cheese whose name I've forgotten, was a little funky for me but my friend enjoyed it. We also had-- the haricots verts with hazelnuts, proscuitto and burrata -- I've never had burrata but it married very nicely with the proscuitto;--the duck confit salad with radicchio, peaches and pecans. The juxtaposition of the salty, slightly chewy duck with the roasted pecans was pretty amazing;--and the roasted cavolo nero. I love this dish of slightly bitter black cavolo (like raddicchio, I think), which gets sweet and mellow when roasted in a ton of olive oil.
We drank a carafe of Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose so I could pretend I was in France, but it didn't taste quite the same on U.S. soil.For dessert, we had a dulce de leche terrine with some kind of nut brittle topping -- it was good, but could have used a fruity or bitter chocolate sauce or ice cream as all the flavors were similarly carmelish.
The room and service: The restaurant was full and lively but the noise was not overwhelming. Service was excellent -- she went over each cheese with us, asked exactly what order we wanted the dishes in, replaced our plates with clean ones, etc. I highly recommend sitting at the cheese bar when this woman is working. I do think that it probably helps to show an interest in what you are eating and drinking.
The tab: $80 for two including a small carafe of wine, three small plates and a cheese plate, and one dessert. We weren't stuffed, but it was well worth it for the quality of the food.
A.O.C.
8022 W. Third St.
Los Angeles