after moving from LA to texas, the first thing i started to miss was the food........a few of my favorite local eateries include:
cafe brazil at the corner of venice and westwood,
versailles on venice,
el jeffe, i second el abajeno
titos tacos at washington and sepulveda
outdoor grill at washington blvd and washington pl. (best bbq by far in los angeles)
ricks truck........
pho 69 on santa monica just west of westwood is also good, along with Le Saigon also on santa monica... cheap too.
i never was so fond of tacos por favor though... just not my cup of tea.
also for a fancier lunchtime meal, raphael lunetta (of jiraffe) and joeseph citrin (melisse) co-created lemon moon on olympic. VERY VERY good (free parking validation too). only open for lunch. tad pricey but the food's great.
rick's truck?...is that the truck that use to go to the sci-arc parking lot on beethoven st....I heard of that truck...
a center for ants,...you mentioned hot dogs earlier...i like the ones that are wrapped in bacon that are sold by sidewalk vendors with their makeshift grill (on hollywood blvd. or sunset)...they serve them with grillled onions and jalapenos...
so many good mexican restaurants in l.a....it might be easier to name the ones not to go to...like television cafe in downtown l.a....on alameda...their carne asada tacos were shit...not grilled enough and the meat was tough...
strange but ture story about outdoor grill.
i was at the adjoining handy-j carwash one saturday and was standing near the carwash exit waiting for my car. one of the carwash attendents hops in a brand new mercedes coupe at the car wash exit to drive it over to the drying area. i don't know exactly what happened, but i heard the car start and suddenly rev up to what seemed like the redline. i turned to look just as the car literally launched itself out of the car wash exit and right into the wall of the outdoor grill, not more than 75 feet away. the force of the impact raised the rear of car a good 18 " off the ground, deployed the airbag while embedding the car into the wall about a foot. the engine was still redlining as the poor guy opened the door and stumbled out on the ground while another co-worker ran up and shut-off the motor. the guy that owned the mercedes was eating at the outdoor grill when it happened - i don't know if he was sitting on the roof deck where he may have had a birds-eye view of the entire episode. the wall repair and stucco patch were still visible years later.
rick's truck was great indeed. anyone remember how he was banished from the sci-arc parking lot once the cafe (angeli lite) was up and running?
one other place i loved (no longer there) was the oki-dog on wilshire in santa monica. i had the pastrami burrito there once and had to sleep for the rest of the day.
as much as I like the Outdoor Grill, the best BBQ in LA is BBQ King on Figueroa and Cesar Chavez. I think they're moving too, so try them soon before we don't know where they are anymore!
ricks truck still made it to sci-arc once the cafe was up and running, only he parked it at the north-west entrance OUTSIDE the fence....best burritos student-loan money could buy
btw, senor fish in little tokyo; another great restaurant
Hide Sushi on sawtelle just north of Olympic. The salmon is really really good. Not the best sushi in the world, but probably the best you can get at that price. Again, validated parking. (I'm big on this).
Noodles: Ramenya is not bad and rivals Asahi.
Udon: hands down best udon in LA is Torafuku on Pico next to the Westside Pavilion. The lunch deal is decent but the dinners are exorbitantly priced.
for noodles i used to love the cha-su ramen at tampopo in the mitsuwa marketplace (was yaohan) at venice & centinela. last time i was there about a year ago it was awful. is this place still taking a big nose dive?
i was thinking actually that there's a lot of good info on cities on the forums. compiling an "Archinect's Guide to _____________" would be sorta cool.
i'll try to find time tonight to compile a list and publish it somewhere online w/ google maps links.
a taco truck is the ultimate response to the LA urban enviroment. it both inhabits and navigates the built environment and becomes a part of it, transforming blank concrete into dining areas.
one of the buildings i did in my thesis project had a notch in it so a taco truck could pull into it off an alley and utilize the sidewalk while facing the street.
A Center for Ants has summed up why Archinectors need their own restaurant guide. I think it should somehow be linked on Archinect - or even maintained on archinect.
you could totally sell that as a book with cool mapping diagrams of the LA eating environment. i smell thesis brewing! imagine just driving around and eating food for your thesis....
oh, just curious. Pete's is right there by the 'SC off-campus studios, so it's one of the places we'd all hit up after studio. I didn't think anyone else knew about it. Mmmmm, all that pure delicious grease.
Has anyone eaten at either of the two Thai restaurants that Neil Denari designed? I've checked them out for the architecture but have never stayed to eat.
Are you talking about Natalie's Thai? Yah it's on Venice, i work nearby and stopped in once last summer. It has such shitty construction and detailing in the interior. It's a piece of shit joint with mediocre food and med-high prices.
the banana leaf which serves malay/singaporean food in the grove/farmer's market is quite good. as is the mexican place in the middle... whose name is completely eluding me at the moment.
The Ragazzi Room IS fo shizzle. The cream of potato soup there is the perfect thing on a cold day.
I like Natalie Thai.... of course I was distracted by the bar, but it worked for a social night out. And it livens up the landscape on Venice. I think that it's a mistake to ask for perfection from every building we see- Natalie Thai is much more asthetically pleasing than the buildings around it, so it's actually bringing the average quality in the area up.
As far as the farmer's market goes- the crepe place is greeaaaaat.
Oh and cafe metropol has 2for1 beers during happy hour (at least they used to I haven't been for awhile) and a good hamburger and side salad. Sci-Arch'ers probably already know this.
I can't stop commenting on this thread, it's taken over me!
And one more thing, Sepi's in westwood (near In-N-Out by the UCLA campus) has okay subs. But on Tues night there are 25 cent beers if you get tokens from the Bud Light girls. I think they have 4 beers on tap from which you can redeem by using the tokens. Get there early cause they run out quick!
good food for LA archinect'ers
after moving from LA to texas, the first thing i started to miss was the food........a few of my favorite local eateries include:
cafe brazil at the corner of venice and westwood,
versailles on venice,
el jeffe, i second el abajeno
titos tacos at washington and sepulveda
outdoor grill at washington blvd and washington pl. (best bbq by far in los angeles)
ricks truck........
rambutan thai and pho 79 (vietnamese) in the same strip mall just east of parkman on sunset
both are excellent
truly
pho 69 on santa monica just west of westwood is also good, along with Le Saigon also on santa monica... cheap too.
i never was so fond of tacos por favor though... just not my cup of tea.
also for a fancier lunchtime meal, raphael lunetta (of jiraffe) and joeseph citrin (melisse) co-created lemon moon on olympic. VERY VERY good (free parking validation too). only open for lunch. tad pricey but the food's great.
rick's truck?...is that the truck that use to go to the sci-arc parking lot on beethoven st....I heard of that truck...
a center for ants,...you mentioned hot dogs earlier...i like the ones that are wrapped in bacon that are sold by sidewalk vendors with their makeshift grill (on hollywood blvd. or sunset)...they serve them with grillled onions and jalapenos...
so many good mexican restaurants in l.a....it might be easier to name the ones not to go to...like television cafe in downtown l.a....on alameda...their carne asada tacos were shit...not grilled enough and the meat was tough...
strange but ture story about outdoor grill.
i was at the adjoining handy-j carwash one saturday and was standing near the carwash exit waiting for my car. one of the carwash attendents hops in a brand new mercedes coupe at the car wash exit to drive it over to the drying area. i don't know exactly what happened, but i heard the car start and suddenly rev up to what seemed like the redline. i turned to look just as the car literally launched itself out of the car wash exit and right into the wall of the outdoor grill, not more than 75 feet away. the force of the impact raised the rear of car a good 18 " off the ground, deployed the airbag while embedding the car into the wall about a foot. the engine was still redlining as the poor guy opened the door and stumbled out on the ground while another co-worker ran up and shut-off the motor. the guy that owned the mercedes was eating at the outdoor grill when it happened - i don't know if he was sitting on the roof deck where he may have had a birds-eye view of the entire episode. the wall repair and stucco patch were still visible years later.
rick's truck was great indeed. anyone remember how he was banished from the sci-arc parking lot once the cafe (angeli lite) was up and running?
one other place i loved (no longer there) was the oki-dog on wilshire in santa monica. i had the pastrami burrito there once and had to sleep for the rest of the day.
as much as I like the Outdoor Grill, the best BBQ in LA is BBQ King on Figueroa and Cesar Chavez. I think they're moving too, so try them soon before we don't know where they are anymore!
in Culver City.
my house for curry and all things cake-related. yes.
ricks truck still made it to sci-arc once the cafe was up and running, only he parked it at the north-west entrance OUTSIDE the fence....best burritos student-loan money could buy
btw, senor fish in little tokyo; another great restaurant
Hide Sushi on sawtelle just north of Olympic. The salmon is really really good. Not the best sushi in the world, but probably the best you can get at that price. Again, validated parking. (I'm big on this).
Noodles: Ramenya is not bad and rivals Asahi.
Udon: hands down best udon in LA is Torafuku on Pico next to the Westside Pavilion. The lunch deal is decent but the dinners are exorbitantly priced.
for noodles i used to love the cha-su ramen at tampopo in the mitsuwa marketplace (was yaohan) at venice & centinela. last time i was there about a year ago it was awful. is this place still taking a big nose dive?
how about taiko in brentwood for udon?
daikokuya on 1st street in little tokyo and sanuki no sato on western and 182nd in gardena --the udon is made in-house!
for the record, best thread ever.
someone need to compile all these suggestions...
*needs
a center for ants?: damn straight.
i was thinking actually that there's a lot of good info on cities on the forums. compiling an "Archinect's Guide to _____________" would be sorta cool.
i'll try to find time tonight to compile a list and publish it somewhere online w/ google maps links.
i've never been to LA but i can't help myself with it comes to food threads...
<a link="http://www.chowhound.com">www.chowhound.com</link>
I'd be more than happy to compile an "Archinect's Guide to Dining LA", but where shall it go?
ooh! this is exciting. brilliant idea. what makes an archinect's finds different from say, a chowhound's? or any other food enthusiast?
consideration of the space/environment - my biggest complaint with 90% of the restaurant reviews i read.
proximity to some sites to visit...
a taco truck is the ultimate response to the LA urban enviroment. it both inhabits and navigates the built environment and becomes a part of it, transforming blank concrete into dining areas.
one of the buildings i did in my thesis project had a notch in it so a taco truck could pull into it off an alley and utilize the sidewalk while facing the street.
A Center for Ants has summed up why Archinectors need their own restaurant guide. I think it should somehow be linked on Archinect - or even maintained on archinect.
el jeffe, genius.
agreed. i think the way these reviews are informed makes them distinct from other food-related reviews.
there should also be a bar guide!
LA for Archinects
you could totally sell that as a book with cool mapping diagrams of the LA eating environment. i smell thesis brewing! imagine just driving around and eating food for your thesis....
cheddar bacon fries at midnight at pete's!!
and i have about 15 free "cheeseburger combo" coupons for the farmer boy's on 8th and alameda!! fried zucchini...drool.
oooh, I think I'm going to be sick
(it's pg rated, yet still obscene.)
Oh man I have been eating out too much. Thank you LA.
geezopeez - are you a trojan in the off-campus studios? Man, Pete's and Ragazzi Room were the best when I spent a year off campus...
The chili cheese fries are the best at pete's.
:( I moved from LA to nyc for school. this thread is really making me miss home :(
rationalist --not a trojan nor a student, just an eastsider dwelling in the area.
oh, just curious. Pete's is right there by the 'SC off-campus studios, so it's one of the places we'd all hit up after studio. I didn't think anyone else knew about it. Mmmmm, all that pure delicious grease.
sunday at the park...
Has anyone eaten at either of the two Thai restaurants that Neil Denari designed? I've checked them out for the architecture but have never stayed to eat.
shit. i thought you meant 'landscape architect' archinecters.
damn, i gotta loosen up!
those thai restaurants (I think one is on Venice blvd, no?) is not designed by Denari, more like a rip-off
Hey I know the kid whose's parents own petes. Ragazzi room is foe shizzle.
Here's a couple suggestions:
titos tacos: washington and venice
Grand Casino: (great pastries, and awesome sandwiches) Venice and Main
Daikokuya Ramen: J-Town (post WWII style Japanese Diner w/ American theme)
Bossa Nova: (Sunset and La Brea) Brazilian
Bamboo: Venice Blvd and Motor(?)
The Grove Farmer's Market Area
DAMN I'M HUNGRY!
sameolddoctor,
Are you talking about Natalie's Thai? Yah it's on Venice, i work nearby and stopped in once last summer. It has such shitty construction and detailing in the interior. It's a piece of shit joint with mediocre food and med-high prices.
the banana leaf which serves malay/singaporean food in the grove/farmer's market is quite good. as is the mexican place in the middle... whose name is completely eluding me at the moment.
I don't get what the fuss is about Tito's. The salsa is good, but those hardshell tacos are sooooo overrated.
The Ragazzi Room IS fo shizzle. The cream of potato soup there is the perfect thing on a cold day.
I like Natalie Thai.... of course I was distracted by the bar, but it worked for a social night out. And it livens up the landscape on Venice. I think that it's a mistake to ask for perfection from every building we see- Natalie Thai is much more asthetically pleasing than the buildings around it, so it's actually bringing the average quality in the area up.
As far as the farmer's market goes- the crepe place is greeaaaaat.
why make me search for this?
Mexic City in Los Feliz
Their mole verde is bomb
A Center for Ants?
I must disagree with you about the Mexican food place at the Grove Farmers Market. However the Brazilian buffet and Bryan's BBQ Pit is good.
Oh yah, has anybody been to Gaby's Late Night Cafe on Venice? Good, cheap mediterraen food with $10 hookah per table.
Oh and cafe metropol has 2for1 beers during happy hour (at least they used to I haven't been for awhile) and a good hamburger and side salad. Sci-Arch'ers probably already know this.
I can't stop commenting on this thread, it's taken over me!
And one more thing, Sepi's in westwood (near In-N-Out by the UCLA campus) has okay subs. But on Tues night there are 25 cent beers if you get tokens from the Bud Light girls. I think they have 4 beers on tap from which you can redeem by using the tokens. Get there early cause they run out quick!
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