Little Tokyo Shopping Center could go Korean

Spider roll at Sushi Go 55: Go!

I'm not going to be completely alarmist and say "Sayonara" yet to the Japanese restaurants and business in the Little Tokyo Shopping Center, which I've loved since the days of Yaohan department store when there was that funky sculpture in the middle. But now that a Korean-American firm has bought the center, reports the L.A. Times, and is contemplating turning it into a Korean-themed center or a general market center with businesses like Ralph's, it does seem like the sleepy center we love will be undergoing some big changes. I'd hate to see Mitsuwa become Ralph's, but its true that there aren't very many Japanese in Little Tokyo anymore, so I suppose things have to evolve. In the meantime, get out there and support Mitsuwa, Honda-Ya, Sushi Go 55 and Hana-Ichimonme (the ramen place) and maybe the new owners will decide they're worth keeping.

From the Times: Beer and tentacles!

Not necessarily at the same time, though. L.A. Times' The Guide continues to beef up coverage of restaurants and bars. Content is improving, although the website remains tricky to navigate.

Check out our eating partner Kathy's piece on five cool places to eat octopus . But try to read it in print, where you'll be able to see her byline and my photo of the octopus salad at Sushi Go 55.

And since we're not an espresso-swilling teenager, we're happy to see Golden State coming to the former Nova Express space on Fairfax. California-sourced sausage, cheese, beer and wine...sounds good to us! Too bad the concept of street parking in that area became extinct right around the time Max's changed to the Dime.

M Cafe de Chaya: If one is good, two must be better

It looks like butter on the side, but it's "soy butter."

The new M Cafe de Chaya in Culver City doesn't even have a sign out front yet, but that doesn't stop gaggles of parents with slick strollers and lunching gal pals from filling every table on a Saturday afternoon. The second outpost of the trendy macrobiotic cafe is far easier to navigate than its cramped Melrose parent, with its nearly non-existent parking and broiling hot sidewalk tables. There's a spacious patio, lots of street parking, and a bar along one wall with plenty of extra stools in addition to the large communal table. I like M Cafe much better than most supposedly healthy places because 1) Most of the food actually has some flavor and 2) There's fish, so I don't get that panicky "what if I don't get enough protein" feeling that vegan restaurants sometimes cause.

It's a bit early for their excellent tuna burger, and I'm feeling virtuous, so I'm ready to spring for a tofu scramble with tempeh bacon and sweet potato hash. But they're somehow out of scramble, so I try the cranberry walnut French toast with maple syrup and cranberry compote. I'm not sure how they make it since there's no eggs involved, but it's a tasty, hearty brunch dish with the tangy cranberries on the side adding a nice counterpoint to the syrup, even though I could swear they're raisins. It's a little odd that although you can get a double espresso, you can't get any black tea like Earl Grey or Darjeeling, so I get a strong cup of green tea served with cunning little packets of maple crystals. The only problem with the Culver City location is that you're probably less likely to spot Jake Gyllenhaal or Sarah Silverman than at the Melrose one. Or that could be an advantage for some people, I guess.

RockSugar: Cheesecake Factory's new "Asian" concept

(photo from L.A. Times)

I have to admit I'm intrigued by the Cheesecake Factory's new RockSugar concept opening in Century City June 19. This L.A. Times story describes the restaurant's pan-Asian approach which will surely result in sweet chili sauce, sweet crispy shrimp, and other varieties of sugary soy-flavored food. The L.A. Times seems to imply that the Cheesecake Factory invented the Shaking Beef "concoction" -- but of course it's the signature dish at San Francisco's Slanted Door, which the article references as an influence on RockSugar. I'd try it, though. It couldn't be worse than the Cheesecake Factory, right?

Yet more vegan fare in Silver Lake

While ordering carne asada tacos at El Siete Mares over the weekend, we noticed that Cardone's Deli on Sunset has been replaced by a new place called The Vegan Spot. Don't get us wrong, we like some green stuff in-between liberal doses of carne asada. In fact, the post before this was about the Pure Luck, and the one after this will be about the new M Cafe de Chaya in Culver City. But there are seriously a lot of vegan places in Silver Lake and Echo Park already. (Cru, Flore Cafe, Elf, at least four Thai places, etc.) So we're just wondering, are there really that many vegans on the near-Eastside? Are there substantially more than in other areas, because the concentration of vegstaurants seems denser, kind of like the mac 'n fake cheese at some of these places.

Pure Luck adds brunch, patio

The number of brunch options in the area is increasing almost as fast as the price of gas. If a tofu scramble with a stiff ale is your thing, Pure Luck on Heliotrope is adding brunch on weekends and building out the tiny outdoor area on the side of the restaurant into an outdoor eating (and beer-drinking!) area that should be ready by next week. We stopped by so I could introduce Kathy to the joys of jackfruit carnitas tacos, and ran into Paloma from The Sharp Ease working there, whom I've known since she was a baby in a basket under the table at El Coyote. We ended up with a delicious order of plantains too and tasted the Telegraph ale, Craftsman Orange Grove, Craftsman lager, and staggered out after sharing a pint of Arrogant Bastard.
Pure Luck, 707 Heliotrope at Melrose.
Other new brunches of note are at Canele, Malo, Lot 1 and Little Dom's.

Gourmet tacos in Atwater: Gentrification complete

As if Canele and 55 Degrees wine weren't enough proof, the new taco stand coming to Glendale Blvd. isn't just any taco stand -- it's Hugo's Tacos, reports Franklin Ave. We were going to take a picture on our way home from Palate last night, but Mike saved us the trouble. Hugo's Tacos is an offshoot of Hugo's Restaurant, the popular brunch spot. Hugo's Taco's already has one location in Studio City with honey chipotle salsa, soyrizo burritos, organic rice pudding and such. Whatever will the more homespun Tacos Villa Corona think?

Palate tickles Glendale's tastebuds

It's usually a good idea to give restaurants several weeks to shake out, but I had a feeling Palate Food + Wine was already firing on most of its cylinders just a week in, so we stopped by Tuesday evening. With no reservation, we squeezed in between two couples, and one of the gentlemen next to us suggested that the way to go was to have Steve Goldun, the wine director, suggest wine pairings for the small plates in small 2.5 ounce pours. Over the course of the meal we were helped by Steve, who also pours two wines he makes himself, handsome French server Alexandre, who is conversant in wine, and another, less-experienced server who is still working on his cheese knowledge, but everyone was friendly and helpful. It was a little tricky getting the plates and the pours coordinated, so make sure to specify if you want them in courses or all at once. The menu is short but attractive, and Palate is quite serious about the ingredients and preparations. There's a "porkfolio" as a starter with prosciutto, mortadella and lardo, as well as a few potted spreads for bread. The butter served with sliced radishes and fleur de sel is made in-house (pictured above left), as is the vinegar we spied fermenting in a storeroom. We started with the fried squash blossoms (right), a nice-sized pile in a light tomato sauce. Then we tried the scallops with corn pudding and chanterelles (below left), which managed to be crispy, tender, salty and sweet all at once. I persuaded Kathy to try the pork belly, a luscious, modest slab that didn't make you feel too guilty about devouring the crispy skin, melting fat and rich bacony meat. A salad of chioggia beets, apples and fennel alongside was a good tart complement to the rich pork. By then we were starting to make friends with everyone around us, from Christine Splichal and her two sons to Fred Eric. After a lovely cheese plate, chef Octavio Becerra offered to show us what's going on in back of the restaurant. (At this point no one knew we were writers, they're just all very excited to show off all the parts of the place). Octavio (shown in the cheese room, below) pointed out the bookshelves waiting for the gastronomic library, the long steel tables for impromptu wine tastings (an abbreviated menu will be available in back in the tasting room), the super-chilled walk-in cheese room where tastings will also be held, the loading dock patio, and the wine store space. It will all be ready in a week or two, he promises. He's also got ambitious plans for ordering whole animals and doing caja china roasts, having small private lunches in back and plenty more. I don't know if the residents of Glendale will be able to tear themselves away from the new Cheesecake Factory to check out Palate, but for sure people from nearby Silver Lake and Eagle Rock and other areas are going to be all over it.
Palate Food + Wine
933 S. Brand Blvd.
Glendale
818-662-9463

Japanese trends invading L.A.? Who wants to be a yurista?

Yurista sounds like something you might catch if you ate the wrong thing in Uruguay, but apparently Yuri Japanese Cafe is looking for a few good Yuristas to fill Yuri rolls at a new fast food Japanese concept near Melrose and La Brea.

And if there weren't already more Beard Papas than we really need, EaterLA reports on Fulfilled, a new Japanese filled pastry shop in Beverly Hills. I've been eating those imagawayaki red bean pastries since I was a kid, but I can't imagine them being the next big thing. Perhaps Fulfilled will mainly cater to the Japanese shoppers on Rodeo Drive.

Eating L.A. nominated for best individual blog

I'm happy to say that for the second year, Eating L.A. has been nominated by the L.A. Press Club for Best Individual Blog. (It won last year!) Congrats also to Jonathan Gold who was nominated for criticism, Ted Johnson from Variety among those for best news organization website, the staff of Laist, Amy Alkon, Luke Thompson, and everyone else who was nominated. (Entries are voted on by a press club outside of California.)

Lot 1 "closed for upgrades"

I was going to give Lot 1 some time to get it together before I tried it, because early reviews have varied widely -- several reviewers liked the food but thought the space could be a lot more pleasant. And even though I don't always drink with dinner, not even being able to bring a bottle of wine is a little frustrating. Saturday night I noticed it was dark at prime dinner hour, and the phone message says the restaurant closed for upgrades over the weekend and expects to open on Tuesday, May 20. Just to be safe, call ahead (213-481-8400) if you're ready to try chef Josef Centeno's new Sunset Blvd. venture.
Lot 1 -- the good and the bad (Chowhound)
Lot 1 -- mostly just the bad (Chowhound)
Lot 1 -- awesome, but pricey (Yelp)

How to judge a cupcake

Vanilla's lovely display
First of all, if you're asked to judge a cupcake competition, you might want to ask how many cupcakes you'll be trying. Even when the judges at the Cupcake Invitational were told "about 30," we didn't have a sense of what that would entail until we were completely stuffed and told we were only half done with the blind tasting.
Second, consider what you might like to drink with cupcakes and take some with you just in case. Maybe coffee, or milk? Or iced tea? In any case, realize that wine and cupcakes when it's 100 degrees at 1 in the afternoon might be just a bit much. root beer cupcakes on the right were a little strange

KTLA's Sam Rubin asked what we thought the criteria should be. "Frosting." "Cake - dry or moist?" "Ratio of frosting to cake!," the judges agreed.
While some of the usual suspects (Joan's on Third, Auntie Em's, Dots) were not participating, 10 of us bloggers and foodwriters (and Sam) got a chance to try cupcakes from some lesser-known places. My favorite cupcake -- and I'm usually not really a big chocolate fan -- was the Mandarin orange chocolate cupcake from Essential Chocolate Desserts in Culver City, which reminded me of Baskin Robbins Mandarin orange chocolate sherbet. My second favorite was the Key Lime from Vanilla Bakeshop, and I think my third favorite, raspberry lemon curd, was also from Vanilla. Theirs were among the prettiest, too. maple cupcakes
The event was put on by Drink.Eat.Play, which is affiliated with Cozmo Deck, and puts on food events around the country. I'll post the winners later today.
Here's a another report from Caroline on Crack, featuring the strange pistachio/pineapple cupcakes.
And here's one from Lesley Bargar's new food blog for Los Angeles Magazine.

El Caserio: a trip to Ecuador via Italy

El Caserio: Eat at the sign of the dwarf

Silver Lake seems to specialize in restaurants with no signage, like Pho Cafe and Cliff's Edge, or restaurants that can be challenging to find the first time. The new upscale version of longtime Ecuadorian/Italian restaurant El Caserio is also tricky to find, even if you know that it's located in the former insurance company office next to the Hollywood freeway's Silver Lake Blvd. on-ramp. Just turn right on London -- when you see the lawn gnome holding an "Open" sign, open the ornately-carved heavy wooden door, and you're there. The office building has been transformed into a pleasant space with a large glassed-in patio.
One of just a handful of Ecuadorian restaurants in all of Los Angeles, El Caserio's specialties are similar to some Peruvian dishes, but with a twist that often involves peanut sauce. The Ecuadorian dishes don't do a fusion thing with the Italian food -- there's a separate pasta section of the menu, and desserts like cannoli and tiramisu. Despite the blown glass chandeliers and full cocktail menu, Ecuadorian cooking is still homey and rustic no matter how you tart it up.
We started with super-crispy fresh empanadas, stuffed with chicken, beef and cheese, perfect with some spicy aji sauce. Other Ecuadorian starters include humitas (corn and cheese tamales) shrimp ceviche, and a soup called locro de papas, with potatoes, feta cheese and avocado. As in Peruvian cuisine, potatoes are ubiquitous -- if you haven't had a saltado before, it's an Asian-influenced stir fry of shrimp or beef with a soy-based sauce, sauteed with onions, tomatoes and French fries. Strangely enough, it works, although with a scoop of buttery rice on the side, it might approach starch overload. Saltados are also available with tallarines, akin to Italian tagliatelle noodles, instead of fries.
For a real Ecuadorian experience, try the Seco de chivo. The boneless goat isn't at all gamey, more like a tender pork dish, and is served in a beer-laced red sauce that's a bit too salty, but about right after it's mixed with the rice on the side. Llapingachos con fritada are one of the more unusual Ecuadorian dishes: potato patties are served with pork ribs, garlic and onions, topped with an egg over easy, topped with peanut sauce. There's a full cocktail menu mojitos, caipirinhas and the like; fruit juices and South American sodas.
El Caserio is a fun change of pace, but it comes at a price comparable to mid-range Italian restaurants in the area. Pastas are $12-16 and main courses $14-28, so don't expect a funky "ethnic" experience -- this is Ecuador/Italy deluxe.
El Caserio, 401 Silver Lake Blvd., 213-273-8945

Flor Morena becomes Michelangelo

The Silver Lake round of musical chairs continues...Chowhound poster Scurvy confirms the last and apparently most reliable Flor Morena rumor. Michelangelo, which has been looking for a nearby spot since they announced they would be closing at the end of May since their landlord terminated their lease (EatingLA 3/14), has settled on the Flor Morena space. Update: I spoke with the owners, who tell me they hope to get the new space fixed up as soon as possible to keep up the continuity for their customers. They're hoping to eventually acquire the full liquor license that was originally approved for the space.
Lot 1 gets a thumbs up
Of course, Josef Centeno, who just two months ago was rumored to be taking the Michelangelo space, has quickly opened Lot 1 in Echo Park. Clare, who has been keeping tabs on the space, posted a favorable early review of Lot 1 on Rainy Days and Sundays.

Palate looks ready to roll; Newsflash: Cheesecake Factory crowded

Hordes of hungry mothers storm the Cheesecake Factory

First, the obligatory Americana report.
Observation 1) The line snaking all the way down the sidewalk for the Cheesecake Factory before opening on Mother's Day was kind of pathetic.
Observation 2) The patio at Katsuya looks pleasant, but who wants to eat expensive sushi at noon with the sun beating down? Katsuya seems like more of a nighttime spot.
Observation 3) Eleven o'clock is kind of late to start opening restaurants on Sunday. People might like to have breakfast before they shop. We ended up at Cafe Primo, a decent enough cafe that got completely slammed since it was the only place open, resulting in an angry horde of shoppers yelling at the cooks "Just hand me my bagel, right now!" (OK, that was me, but everyone was doing it.) Enough of the Americana. I suppose you could eat at the crepe stand or the Jody Maroni sausage stand if you're desperate, but better to eat somewhere else if possible. Palate Food & Wine is in the former Cinnabar space on Brand

Anyway, Octavio Becerra's Palate on Brand looks ready to open any day now. There's a grape theme, with giant shiny grapes hanging above the booths and photos of grapes screened onto the wall dividers. So yes, wine is the focus, and there's even an "eno-gastronomic library," according to this report from EaterLA.

No, this is definitely not the bar from Yee Mee Loo. Apparently it's in storage.

NY Times does Sgt. Recruiter

The NY Times, which sometimes seems to cover L.A. almost as much as the L.A. Times, drops in at Sgt. Recruiter on Hollywood Blvd. this week. There are some odd observations -- a gaggle of pony-tailed moms are somehow equated with "loud look-at-me types," while a blond philosopher offers that "it's not repulsive." Well, no, I should hope not. The author is Samantha Bonar, who has written some of the worst offenders of the L.A. Times' always-repulsive singles/"Tell" column. I'm sure she's a lovely person, but that column has got to go.

Fresh & Easy to add British items after all

I pooh-poohed people who were looking forward to digestive biscuits and treacle when Tesco's Fresh & Easy first opened around L.A., but apparently enough people asked for British items that they plan to add more, according to the Orange County Register's story on changes at the chain. They've already got back bacon and chicken tikka masala, but now they're planning on adding other unspecified items as the concept gets some tweaking. Oddly enough, people wanted more sausage (?), so they're adding more types of meats and improving the signage. It should be interesting to see whether this is a band-aid on a bad concept or whether with enough tweaking, the stores will eventually appeal to more shoppers. Our opening week report from November is still getting comments, so clearly people are still getting used to shopping there.

Bev Hills goes green

Over on the near-Eastside, we have pizza coming out of our ears. The Westsiders, they get nice healthy salads. In Culver City alone, they've got Tender Greens, Leaf and the Point. Clearly the perennial lines out the door at Tender Greens were not lost on restaurateurs, and now Greenleaf has opened in Beverly Hills. I wasn't able to get to the opening but I plan to stop by soon at lunchtime for a steak sandwich salad, antioxidant orchard salad or lemongrass chicken salad, which sounds sweet and summery with lychee vinaigrette, grilled citrus chicken with toasted coconut, jicama and mango.

Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop

9671 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills

(open 11-4 Monday through Saturday)

Let's protest the proposed beer tax, too!

I can't believe Assemblyman Jim Beall of San Jose has the nerve to propose a $1.80 surcharge per six-pack of beer to fund anti-alcoholism programs. That's like, what, a 40 percent increase or something? And what about vodka or wine coolers, don't they contribute to alcoholism? Why target beer, and why such a huge proposed tax? It's guys like this that give Democrats a bad name. There's probably not a chance in hell this one will pass, since it seems so colossally misguided, but just to be sure, click on Beall's name above to contact him and let your beer drinking voice be heard.
If you're going to be a food activist, don't stop at tacos!
In the meantime, I recommend trying a fine Southern California beer such as Alesmith's Horny Devil.

Grace turns 5, hooray!

Neal Fraser, center, with Modern Spirits Vodka's Melkon, left, and Litty, right.

How many upper-tier restaurants can you name that opened five or more years ago and haven't experienced any glitches in food, service or reputation? It's just a handful, and Grace is definitely a member of that club. We stopped by the Beverly Blvd. restaurant's fifth anniversary celebration Monday night, where we were plied with delicious mini pulled pork sandwiches, bacon-wrapped scallops, foie gras mousse, truffled grilled cheese sandwiches, and some buttery, garlicky shrimp concoction I could eat every day. A large hunk of the city's restaurant writers were there to congratulate Neal Fraser and Richard Drapkin on their success. Fraser said the renovation of Cole's Downtown, for which he's consulting on the menu, is coming along slowly but surely, with opening targeted in the late summer/early fall range.

Devilish little tequila caramel milkshakes -- just a shotglass is enough!

On leaving, we tried a perfect sugared doughnut with a welcome salty edge, and a deceptively dangerous caramel/tequila milkshake shot. Grace really knows how to send you out with a bang. Tonight, the new anniversary tasting menu with five courses for $55 kicks off. Call 323.934.4400 for reservations.

Pulled pork that beats any of the barbecue spots...

We love taco trucks but let's be clear about the issue

Tacos Arizas truck in Echo Park, at Sunset and Logan

Don't get us wrong. EatingLA loves tacos and taco trucks and thinks there's room for everyone to survive. But I have a feeling that the vast majority of people who have signed the petition at Saveourtacotrucks don't understand that the ordinance applies only to unincorporated areas of Los Angeles. Jennifer Steinhauer got in right in the New York Times story and so did Time magazine, but some of the local articles and TV reports have been much more vague about the scope of the law.
This new law, which would impose a $1000 fine if trucks don't move every hour, is mainly targeted at East L.A. Not Boyle Heights, which is in the city of L.A., not Echo Park, where hipsters and taco trucks collide, or Highland Park, or West L.A., or other areas within city jurisdiction. I believe trucks operating in city neighborhoods are still subject to the $60 fine for not moving every hour, which many choose to pay as the cost of doing business. Let me know if that's not the case.

El Prado pours heady brews in Echo Park

It seems like just a little while ago I was complaining that L.A. had a terrible beer selection, that Father's Office is all well and good for Westsiders but where can near-Eastsiders get a decent beer? Then the York opened and then Verdugo, not to mention Lucky Devils and Pure Luck. Now Echo Park has lucked out with El Prado. So far, due to a series of licensing mishaps that befell the old El Prado, it's beer only. Seriously. If you don't want beer, there's water. And apples. But it's darn good beer, dispensed from eight austere brass taps behind a long wooden bar by a few charming beermaids. If you like hops, there's San Diego's Green Flash IPA. If you're kind of a lightweight when it comes to heavy hops or strong ale, there's Affligem, which is lighter and fruity and yet nuanced and flavorful. Even nicer, there's a few snackies to help the beer go down, like quail eggs with dukkah seasoning and cured short ribs. When the license gets straightened out, there might be wine. For now, it's open Thursday-Sunday after 8 or so, with a fairly uniform clientele of heavily bearded guys and girls with cute haircuts, all under 32 or so. Rejoice, Eastside, your hops are finally here.
El Prado
1805 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park

Zen Burger: Fast food vegging in Hollywood

I always thought there should be more healthy fast food places, but I'll have to reserve comment on Zen Burger until I taste it. Zen Burger, which opened in New York last fall, is coming in late summer/early fall to 7950 Sunset, near the corner of Hayworth. The prices are certainly right -- about $4 for most items -- but something about faux-beef and faux-chicken sometimes rubs me the wrong way. Here's a review of the New York outlet from the Midtown Lunch blog.

Square One Dining gets new owners; vows to stay the same

EatingLA is sorry to hear that Phil, Robert and Hayden at Square One Dining have completed the sale of the restaurant, and will be moving on to other endeavors. But the good news is that the new owners, John Himelstein of Gingergrass and partners D'nell Larson and Manao Davidson plan on keeping everything basically the same. For now, the only change they're planning is staying open on Mondays, so you never have to try to remember which day they're closed.
Robert and Hayden are taking off on a jealousy-inducing tasting tour of the Pacific Northwest, while we hear Phil is cooking up a project with Let's Be Frank. Thanks to all of them for launching this great neighborhood restaurant, and let's keep up the good work.

Desert Rose nears completion in Los Feliz

We stopped by Desert Rose on the corner of Hillhurst and Prospect, where workers are finishing up a huge outdoor patio in front of the restaurant. The inside is looking nearly done, but one of the partners I spoke with was fairly taciturn. Full bar. French and Italian food. Opening targeted in "three weeks." That's all we got. Not sure why it's called Desert, or Rose. And there's a "help wanted" banner in front, if you're looking.

In back, Cruzer Pizza already seems to be open, tucked into a tiny take-out space. Can Silver Lake/Los Feliz handle all this new pizza? Garage Pizza is opening soon on Sunset and Fountain, and another place is opening on Hoover near Melrose. We've been really happy with Tomato Pie so far, so we haven't tried Andiamo yet.