Yogurt Patrol: Red Mango opens in Westwood

Yes, there's free frozen yogurt to be had on opening day at Red Mango, 10942 Weyburn Ave., Westwood Village from 4-6 p.m. These guys supposedly started the whole craze back in Korea, so let me know how it is.

Lately I've been liking Milano Freezer the best -- they're on Olympic in Beverly Hills and a block or so west of Pinkberry on Melrose. Better prices, nice smooth consistency and the green apple flavor is most pleasant on a hot day. They've also got gelato for the traditionalists.

I like ceFiore better than Pinkberry too -- strange name, but they've just opened in La Crescenta and Encino and will soon open in Arcadia. They do a swirl of two flavors at no extra charge, and the green tea has a good clear flavor.

Taste test: Fritzie's in the Los Feliz Ledger

Naturally, as someone who aspires to be a fair restaurant critic, I don't like removing reviews. But I'm going to take down the Fritzie's review I excerpted here and explain what happened. The publisher of the Los Feliz Ledger is one of the few small newspaper owners anywhere who is brave enough to run both positive and not-so-positive reviews. But publishing a neighborhood newspaper is a delicate balancing act, and not surprisingly, the owners of Fritzie's were not pleased with my largely negative review. I stand by my review. It's in print, so pick up a Los Feliz Ledger if you want to check it out. I think the first two sentences of my post pretty much summed it up, anyway, so I'll leave it at that.
"I hold Italian restaurants to fairly high standards, because they're usually not cheap. Fritzie's (formerly Da Giannino) was no exception -- too expensive for what amounts to pedestrian Italian food stuck in the 1980s."
I'm not out to ruin anyone's business -- I just think it's a shame that some restaurants aren't trying as hard as we wish they were.
OK, let's move on. Clearly the blog and the Ledger are two different things and from now on I'll keep that in mind. We've got one positive comment, one not-so, and I think I'll leave it at that.

My Favorite Weekend goes on a binge

What's this? An all-new jumbo sized edition of the L.A. Times' My Favorite Weekend? Is actress Lauren Graham's taste so impeccable that she rated a double-paged spread? Apparently. On the plus side, the Times has finally learned how to spell Joan's on Third, and you can't fault Graham's "never go west of La Cienega" mantra.

On the con side, can someone tell me why people still go to Mexico City?

Favorite line: "We'll occasionally go for Mexican at Malo if we're with my friends who live even farther east. They're Silver Lake people, and you have to compromise with the Silver Lake people."

Yes, we're a difficult bunch, who prefer to stay in the hood. Because after a few margaritas, why would you want to drive home from anywhere farther?

Working on Wilshire: Life, Caffe Latte and more

Anne and I decided to take a walk for lunch today on Wilshire near Fairfax, an area which could really use some better dining options. There's a brand new restaurant called Life at 6311 Wilshire, with a full bar (and happy hour!), the usual tired menu items like Chicken Penne and Ahi Tuna Nicoise salad, and a few vaguely Asian dishes. We were too skeptical too try it...anyone been?
There's a new place opening next in the minimall next to Wahoo's Taco's called Green Apple...I'm guessing slightly tart, pricey frozen goodness will be their specialty.
We ended up at the durable Caffe Latte...their food has always been fine, but the service has been going steadily downhill for the 10 years I've worked on Wilshire, and they still have a "B" rating.
...and so the search for edible food on Wilshire continues.

Coming soon: More soulless corporate restaurants!

Glendale: I know that header got you guys all excited, but just in case your mother-in-law is coming to visit next year and is dying to find the closest Cheesecake Factory, you can assure her that there will indeed be one at Americana on Brand, the upcoming Grove-esque development in Glendale, according to Franklin Ave. And a Pinkberry. And something called Brunello Ristorante, which, I'm just guessing here, is probably not a small family-owned trattoria in the vein of La Buca. I don't know, now that Glendale has its own Target, maybe it should stop while it's ahead.

Downtown: And as I reported last week in Variety, the L.A. Live complex will include the following mix of rather pedestrian eateries: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar; the Farm of Beverly Hills; the Conga Room; a branch of Celestino Drago's Il Pastaio; Katsuya; Yard House; and Rosa Mexicano, a New York-based Mexican restaurant with a David Rockwell design.

Other news from our Downtown issue: also opening later this year is Mercury Liquors in a former bank vault on Sixth Street, with a "Blade Runner"-style noodle bar upstairs and a mobster-meets-art nouveau speakeasy vibe in the downstairs bar. Also, here's an update on other spots planned Downtown. First up: fancy sushi bar and robata restaurant Takami is set to open in late July in the penthouse at 811 Wilshire.

Let's hope there's pastrami in heaven

Our condolences to the family of Langer's Delicatessen founder Albert J. Langer, who died Sunday at 94. Langer bought a small deli in 1947 and started turning out the pastrami sandwiches that Nora Ephron called "the finest in the world and in short, a work of art."

Google map of Chowhound's Ultimate restaurants

Mapping is all the rage these days. Here's Stanley Kwong's Chowhound's 100 Ultimate Restaurants mapped on Google, broken down by price, no less. Thanks, Stanley.

And here's a map of Jonathan Gold's 99 Essential L.A. Restaurants.

Note to those whining that their neighborhood isn't well-represented: If you live in Redondo Beach or Simi Valley, you probably didn't move there for the restaurants. Does it really come as such a shock that some areas have more well-regarded restaurants than others? If you disagree, feel free to let me know. Still, I think the most under-appreciated restaurant area right now could be North Hollywood.

Taste test: Southern Thai hoedown at Jitlada

Jitlada's mango shrimp salad, below
I had moved on from Jitlada to more interesting Thai restaurants several years ago. But when I noticed a note buried at the bottom of a Chowhound post on Thai restaurants, noting that Jitlada had an all-new menu of Southern Thai specialties, I was intrigued. Naturally, the specialties were listed only in Thai -- the familiar old Jitlada menu was the same otherwise (I used to love those spicy scallops!) The Chowhound poster, Eric M. from Chicago, detailed an amazingly painstaking labor of love in which he sat for several days with the new owner Tui and translated the entire Thai menu into English. Eric called it the best Thai food he had ever had in the U.S. -- could this actually exist just a few miles from my house? I couldn't wait to try it, but I didn't want to take too many people until I found out if I actually liked Southern Thai food.
Fresh turmeric, sator beans, frogs legs with santol fruit, young tamarind shoots and palm vinegar are just a few of the rare ingredients that go into Southern Thai cuisine, which is full of fragrant curries, fresh herbs and unusual vegetables. Tui's sister Jazz told us that after they bought the restaurant a year ago, they realized local Thais, like us, had pretty much deserted the place. She helped persuade her brother to develop favorite family recipes from their native area of Nakhon Sri Thammarat province near the Malaysian border and hopefully lure back the Thai community.
Jazz and the young waitresses speak excellent English, so armed with their help and Eric's invaluable translation, we dove into the menu. We started with tumeric-seasoned soup with chicken (I think it was kài bàan tôm khĩi-mîn). Similar to the familiar tom yum gai but much less sour, the soup had a a rich chicken flavor with lightly curried note from the fresh turmeric and large chunks of chicken on the bone. Next up was Kkhûa klíng “Phat Lung,” known as a dry curry. Our beef version (below) was soupier than the one Eric had photographed, and brought Matt to tears with its searing heat. Jazz told us the curry sauce had no coconut milk -- clearly, this dish didn't give up space to anything except incredibly hot pureed chiles. It was at this point that Matt, who is always thinking up ideas for new horror movies, wanted to know if you could die from eating something too hot. In the nick of time, a shell-shaped dish of carrot sticks, cucumber slices and cabbage on a bed of ice arrived to help cut the searing heat. The arrival of the iced veggie first aid kit came too late for Matt, who had already retreated back to the soup. Finally, we tried the mango salad (yam má-mûang), which could grace the menu of any upscale fusion spot. It was sweeter and more straightforward than the usual funky, spicy Thai papaya salad -- a refreshing mix of green mango, cashews, peanuts, and fresh shrimp. I don't know if the salad is usually supposed to be mild, or if they were worried about us after the crying-into-the-beef-curry episode.
Of course the owners were curious about how we found the translated menu, and after dinner, the grateful Jazz insisted we try her exquisite homemade pumpkin coconut custard. She was adamant that we return soon for the colorful Songkhla-style rice salad, steamed mussels, deep-fried turmeric seasoned red snapper and sticky rice and mango. She also says this is the only place to get this style of food in the whole U.S. -- and if that's true, we are some lucky Angelenos.
Read about lots more great dishes at Jitlada including curry soft shell crab at this update.
Jitlada Thai Cuisine
5233 1/2 Sunset Blvd.
(323) 667-9809

Taste test: Will HappiSongs make you happy?

a nice healthy salad at HappiSongs

Whatever you think about HappiSongs, Steven Arroyo's new Asian small plates and sake spot in the former Rita Flora space on La Brea, you have to admit the designer has the right moves. Copper tile walls, antique bicycles, vintagey-Japanese menus -- it's all very Empire of the Sun-meets-tofu fries with chipotle yuzu aioli.
But lunching with pregnant Evy, neither of us is able to try the extensive sake menu, and the selection of non-alcoholic drinks is strictly basic. The short menu hits the usual suspects -- ahi tuna, Korean shortribs, shrimp tempura, but also sports some more interesting entries. The Chinese chicken salad ($9) is a tasty version sans mandarin oranges, but with an unusual tangle of shredded daikon hiding in the bowl. Singapore noodles with shrimp ($10) aren't quite as successful -- they're a bit gummy and not very interestingly seasoned. Singapore Banana Leaf at Farmer's Market does better noodle dishes. But I wouldn't mind returning, maybe in the evening when it's time to hit the sake, to try fried sea smelt, fennel fish soup, pork belly yakitori and some Chinese broccoli with hoisin sauce. I don't know if Arroyo spent any time copying the ramshackle charm of Sake House Miro just down the street, but he's certainly updated the concept adorably. Let's hope the rest of the menu holds up, and without the service problems that sometimes mar the fun atmosphere at his other restaurants.
HappiSongs Asian Tavern
460 South LaBrea
(323)936-7622

Calm down, Pinkberry is actually yogurt...

Sort of. The L.A. Times used some of their scarce resources to send samples of Pinkberry to an independent lab, which determined that there are some live cultures in Pinkberry and that their previously published nutrition information is more or less correct (26 calories per ounce, no fat). But apparently there's not quite enough live cultures to qualify it for true yogurt status, or something, so it's still just "swirly goodness" for now instead of frozen yogurt.
I cruised around some blogs yesterday to see what people were saying about Pinkberry ingredients and the speculation and vitriol was quite startling. To the person who said "Does it have dairy?," I say, well, it's yogurt, more or less, and what is yogurt made of? To the people who think they're deriving some obscure health benefit from eating it, I say, it's no differently nutritionally than any other frozen yogurt or low-fat frozen dessert, so don't get your hopes up. And to the people speculating that it's full of Perez Hilton's toenail clippings and such, I'm glad you've got so much free time on your hands.

What's the worst food movie? Win dinner at Geisha House

Dana Harris' Variety blog The Knife has joined forces with the Dolce Group to give away a $125 gift card at Geisha House to the person who best answers this question: What's your personal best -- or worst -- of food movies? And why? (go to this link to enter).
If I were eligible, I might vote for the Hong Kong film "Dumplings" for both best and worst: the best for the lovingly-depicted scenes of making dumpling wrappers and fillings and carefully assembling them...the worst for what they're filled with!

Pinkberry Silver Lake is open!

After a warm weekend with no Pinkberry, the Silver Lake location finally opened Monday. It's already pretty full of Silver Lake folk getting their yogurt on...my daughter was dismayed by the lack of chocolate, and flounced off to Svelte in a chocoholic huff. First the Atwater Starbucks, and now this...it's getting to be like Marina del Rey around here.

Just in case you're looking for more flavors than "plain," Pazzo Gelato is currently offering some standouts including buttermilk and cactus flower sorbet.

Eating L.A. wins best individual blog!

I was very suprised when Eating L.A. won Best Individual Blog last night at the L.A. Press Club awards, up against political, fashion, opinion and law blogs. Here's what the judges said: "Writer does a great job of merging personality and topic, producing an engaging voice. Well-informed without coming across as elitist. Great showcasing of related blogs and resources. Comes across as a 'come with me' adventure for writer and user."
Very cool, because that's exactly what I was trying to do!
Congratulations also to Jonathan Gold who won best review or criticism for his Counter Intelligence column in the L.A. Weekly and to all the other winners. And no, the famously reclusive Nikki Finke didn't show up to receive her Entertainment Journalist of the Year award.

Will auds eat up "Ratatouille"?

I've bashed the L.A. Times enough, so now it's the New York Times' turn. Cute article on how Thomas Keller consulted on the upcoming CGI pic "Ratatouille." But the director's name is Brad Bird, folks, not Brad Lewis -- he's the producer. The Birds' kids used to go to the park with my kids, so I take this personally. (Online version has been corrected, but print lives on).

By all accounts, the movie is fetching, and I hear it's "tracking very well with foodies." I didn't know foodies were a very big cartoon audience, but what do I know? I'm sure the Birds (they live in Tiburon, so it's not a far jaunt), and the Lewises will be assured rezzies at French Laundry for all eternity now but do cartoon-loving kiddies really care if Keller carefully helped design the baby onion ragout? I'm thinking, not so much.

Lots of beer, lots of bloggers

Erin from Erin's Kitchen, left; Tara DeLis of Citysearch, right, and Library Bar beer sommelier Christina Perozzi, background right

Along with a slew of other bloggers, we were invited to try out the Library Bar downtown on Sixth St. Tuesday night. Well, duh, it's right near the Library. It's a cute place with low ceilings, book-lined walls and plenty of couches and nooks to hang out in. The star was beer sommelier Christina Perozzi, who compiled a tasting list presented on library card tags where you could write your impressions. Standouts were the Blanche de Chambly-- I always like Unibroue's beers, and the Inversion IPA from Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. Unfortunately my stamina gave out before I got to Unibroue's cherry beer.
We found out that some bloggers are on the move, as Deep End Dining's Eddie Lin is moving to Austin to work on his book and take in some barbecue. And Erin from Erin's Kitchen is moving to New York to go to grad school in international studies, surely a field with a better future than foodblogging. We met not one but two local beerbloggers, several Downtown bloggers, some guys from something called UrbanDaddy that's not actually for dads and a whole lot more. And we had some excellent beer -- some of the new Downtown places are making a better effort with their beer lists, which Eating LA heartily applauds, since lately we've kind of become Eating and Beerdrinking LA.

Speaking of which, nice story in the L.A. Times on Santa Barbara brewpubs -- first San Diego, now Santa Barbara -- will L.A. country perennially be left behind in the brew department?

Downtown onslaught: Cedd hooks up with Neal

Cedd Moses told Eating L.A. that he's doing his new restaurant on the first floor of Seven Grand, his Downtown whiskey bar, with Neal Fraser of Grace and BLD. The spot was once Clifton's Silver Spoon Cafeteria, but Moses' new restaurant will be rather more upscale, emphasizing steaks and game. Moses says the original murals from when the building opened as a jewelry store are still intact. Game downstairs, whiskey upstairs...sounds muy macho!
Moses also says his redo of the venerable Cole's should be ready by January for the French dip originator's 100th anniversary. Fraser will also consult on the Cole's menu -- keeping the French dips but adding braised meats, prime rib and artisanal mustards for tavern-type feeling. A patio will be added outside (panhandlers, sign up now), and he says they've found one of the original cocktail menus from back in the day. Moses promises the interior will remain more or less intact but with a good scrubbin'.

Correction of the day: No, she's not a rice dish

From the L.A. Times: Edith Piaf: A caption under a photograph of actress Marion Cotillard in last Sunday's Contents misspelled the late French singer Edith Piaf's last name as Pilaf. Cotillard portrays Piaf in the film "La Vie en Rose."
...I'll have the roast baby sparrow with a side of pilaf, please.

Taste test: Mandarin Chateau

Finding edible Chinese food in Chinatown is harder than it sounds. I usually go to Full House -- it's open late, it's lively and it's pretty good if not spectacular. A lot of people like Hop Li, but we found it utterly forgettable. I've heard a few recs for Mayflower, but haven't tried it yet. So last night, we tried Mandarin Chateau, which was listed as an old Shanghai favorite in Linda Burum's recent LA Times article. It was a little surreal at first -- the well-lit space was completely deserted at 9:00 on a Friday night. I was about to decamp to Full House but Matt persuaded us to stay -- I think a completely private dining experience actually appeals to him. The minimalist room was updated maybe about the same year they built the restaurant called Epicentre -- the only decoration is a lighted strip zigzagging around the walls that resembles a Richter scale. The waitress obligingly points out some recommended Shanghai-style dishes, so we get a dish called shredded pork, salted vegetable and bai-yeh (photo above). It's made from bean curd skin (that's the bai-yeh) cut in a way that resembles egg noodles, mixed with bits of pork and some green bits that look like scallion or chives. It comes in a mild broth and the overall sensation is one of a stir-fried wonton soup, or a dry chicken noodle soup. In any case, it's tasty and soothing, with a very mild flavor and an addictive texture. I guess if you couldn't eat noodles, this would be the next best thing.
Spicy eggplant and shredded pork (left) is a standard dish, but nicely done, and Shanghai fried noodles are a little greasy, but sometimes you just need noodles. Other Shanghai dishes hidden on the large menu, which otherwise looks like average Chinatown fare, include Lion's Head Meatball and Juicy Shanghai Steamed Dumplings. Maybe this place is packed at 6 pm on a Sunday, but it's very odd to eat all alone in the dark, deserted Mandarin Plaza. Still, for Chinese food in Chinatown, it's a promising spot.
Mandarin Chateau
970 N. Broadway
Mandarin Plaza
(223) 625-1195

L.A. Times to start food blog

Buried in the LATimes.com memo published at LAObserved is the news that the Times will be starting a food blog this month. Let's hope it skews more Frank Bruni, less Drive By Dining.

Take a trip to Shanghai; also wine and ice cream!

A big shoutout this morning for Linda Burum's piece on Shanghai dining in the L.A. Times. Burum has been writing about ethnic cuisines in L.A. for at least 20 years and really knows her stuff.

Also, poor journalists and other regular folk will be happy to Leslee Komaiko's piece about how some restaurants are trying to offer more wines under $50.
The wonderful Peter Birmingham, now at Il Grano, has found 100 under 60 for his wine list. It's about time!

Don't usually read USA Today, but here's a nice story on regional ice cream flavors by way of the Huffington Post's new Living Now section. I like that it mentions Blue Moon -- I remembered being transfixed by the very blueness of that flavor when my mom briefly helped out in a friend's Chicago ice cream parlor. It also mentions Lappert's, which makes excellent ice cream and now has a store in Palm Springs. Their coffee flavors, including the Kauai pie with Kona Coffee Ice Cream, Toasted Coconut, Chocolate Fudge and Toasted Macadamia Nuts, are quite amazing.

Cupcakes refuse to die

Glycemic index, be damned...Audrey Davidow has a nice story on people who quit their jobs to bake cupcakes, and other tales from the burgeoning L.A. bakery scene. Of course, since it's an interesting story about L.A., it's in the New York Times.
Also in the NY Times...Bon Appetit editor Heather John gets married in the Napa Valley.

And as for the L.A. Times...well, not so much to read, but the website does seem to be looking cleaner and less frustrating to navigate. West magazine tells us that apparently it took the Grove to teach us ambulatoryily-challenged Angelenos to learn to walk. Probably true, but kind of sad. But hey, who's looking forward to Americana in Glendale...maybe this part of town will get its own Cheesecake Factory!

Gee, thanks, Hadaka!

Ok, I guess you got my attention now. Hadaka Sushi "gone naughty" sent over a special yellow Hadaka condom to promote the Sunset Strip sushi spot...I'm not really into a place that recommends encasing yourself in rubber before you walk in the door, but there must be some people who are. If nothing else, it should provide fodder for journalists desperate for a story about menu items like the Californication roll (it doesn't even have Chili Peppers in it!), the Happy Ending or the Pearl Necklace...eeww, is all I can say. The famous "body sushi," where you eat sushi off a girl's stomach, is available for a few thousand clams in the "adults only" private room....As opposed to the family dining room, where you can order Glory Hole and Doggy Style rolls for your kids?

Intelligentsia, Gaucho's Village and more

The new Los Feliz Ledger is out, with my review of Gaucho's Village, the Brazilian "all you care to eat" place in Glendale. We might head back there this weekend for my carnivore son's birthday and take some pictures, but in the meantime, here's a sample:
"Soon the meaty parade begins. Waiters arrive bearing spits which they carve onto the plate. Filet mignon? Sure. Garlic steak? Ooh, that one’s nice. Lamb? Not the most flavorful, but sure. Polish sausage? Wow, this is starting to seem like overkill. Brazilian sausage? Hmm, that one has a nice spicy flavor. Meats are nicely cooked but on the plain side.
A bevy of sequined dancers samba away while diners contemplate their cholesterol levels—don’t worry, the band won’t forget to play 'The Girl From Ipanema.' It’s kitschy, but fun nonetheless."
Also, in the restaurant news section (as usual, scroll down past the doggie news), we revisit the Yuca's changeover and talk to Craig Min, owner of Lamill Coffee coming to Silver Lake Blvd. Min hopes he will be ready to open in late summer, with an interior designed by Rubbish's Scott Mangdin. He plans to introduce several unique extraction methods for the premium coffees and he will also offer breakfast, lunch and dessert items. The dessert chef for one of L.A.'s top restaurants (hint: they already serve Lamill Coffee) will help out with sweets, and Min promises the cafe will be open late enough to let people stop by after dinner for dessert and a tisane.