Baby Bistro - Los Angeles

Move over Baroo, and make room for Baby Bistro. Now sharing the podium for my favorite restaurant in LA, this cottage-esque, open-kitchen establishment is the epitome of all things LA. 

The menu is 6 hand-written items with the option to add on something else +/- bread. It's designed to be a tasting for two that preserves the diner's ability to opt out with dignity and grace. Whether for reasons of appetite, allergy, budget, or personal preference, you do you with no explanation required. 

We did us so we did it all. The signature Onion Bread, Foxglove that tops every menu places a cold concoction of green bean and tomato with a stripe of creamy cheese upon a hot, fluffily-dense chewy-crumb slice. 

Unbeknownst to us, we just happened to hit their one-night guest-chef collab with Heritage, and for that we got the Cannonball Cabbage, Anchovy. It's a signature from the Long Beach farm-to-table, a sweet and crunchy slice with charred edges and anchovy cream to add umami. As expected from Heritage, the cabbage itself is stellar, I just wish the portion were a little lot bigger. 

The Scallop, Basil belongs to Baby, a citrus-bright slurp of the sweetest, most tender-textured scallops bolstered by basil. Dehydrated basil seeds add earthiness, and a substantial sprinkle of Aleppo chilies permeate with smoky sophistication. 

The supplemental Salad of Frying Peppers is a play on textures with tenderly-rubbery little-cap mushrooms that make the peppers a bit more playful. Curry leaves set a serious tone, adding dark and earth for cohesion and refinement. 

Baby's Blue Prawns, Cucumber are a close second to the scallops on the list of best things I've ever eaten. Chilies give sweet flesh sass, best consumed with the gooey contents from the head. Cooling cucumber is covered in a clingy, creamy "green goddess"-type sauce, and there's a bed of fat couscous for a hit of acid as well. 

Heritage makes a medium rare King Salmon, Green Garlic with a skin so crispy there's an audible crunch when you cut and flesh that melts in your mouth.

Dessert has Yogurt, Herb Tea with a yogurt most creamy and panna-cotta thick coated by a cool-cuke granita in a tea jelly lake. 

If I had to give a concise description of Baby Bistro (because, let's face it, nothing I describe is concise), I would say it's "LA fine dining", casual fine dining done right. The ambiance is California-casual, friendly service with plenty of chill. They serve what they want, cook what they like, and curate a wine list that contents but doesn't overwhelm. Each dish is exquisite, every ingredient highlighted, not a single flavor wasted. It stands up to anything on the east coast minus the side of stuffy serving, and it sets the standard to which LA fine dining should aspire. 

Old Fashion Deli & Market - Glendale

A deli that caters the kabob, the kind that hosts real Armenians, cranking out the kind of food that makes us the rest of us wish we were Armenians. 

There's a Luleh that's super tender that finishes not as heavy as you'd think. 

Racing rivulets of savory soup stuff and surround savory chunks of chicken thigh, the most boring meat made most enticing. 

I've had my fair share of kabob, but this stuff is something special. The marinades go all the way through the meat, and there's a flavor you just can't easily find. I never thought I'd go to Glendale just for a deli, but this one is worth every mile. 

Kimukatsu - Torrance

Tokyo Central's in-store, sit-down, stop-when-you-shop, super-specialist Kimukatsu really only serves one thing. 

The Special Pork Millefeuille Katsu Set is the sole reason to sit and savor every slice. The science of the layers seals in all the flavor.

Squint at this cross-section and you can just barely see the juices shine. 

There's also unlimited rice and cabbage as well as a flavor-packed miso soup with tender slices of belly-pork. 

Don't dismiss the side salad - the sesame dressing is delish. 

The chicken katsu is solid as well, though not quite as stellar. 

Fantastic food, small selection, just make sure the special pork is on your plate. 

Torikizoku - Torrance

Japan's most popular chain came to Torrance and changed its hours to include times I can make. 

Stuff on sticks with some sides is all you see on this menu, though they have a few daily specials as well, like this Tako Karaage. Chewy, spectacular, tentacular bits breaded by a batter that stays crispy throughout your meal. Surprisingly fruity yuzu salsa not needed. 

Skewers include a Chicken Heart makes me happy, 

Harami Beef has special sauce. 

Chicken Thigh with green onion is nice and tender, and Meatball is just minor.

Gotta love grilled Quail Egg,

and palate-cleansing cabbage and onion salad with lots of bonito flakes for flavor. 

Don't skip dessert - the Melon Soda Float is magnificent. Served in a sizeable stein, it's best for sharing but either way, it'll supply all the sugar you need in a month. 

They serve an exceptional Hochija Pudding here. The roasty-toasty tea notes are the star, not overshadowed by sweetness. Ice cream is unnecessary, and it almost feels like a filler for a standout that should be a standalone. 

Good food, good fun. Nice for a little lunch or a later night nosh. 

Kuya Lord - Los Angeles

For me the food at Kuya Lord was indescribable...or maybe just unpronounceable. 

Because I have a lot of words for the string-tied, herb-filled Lucenachon, a Filipino porchetta with skin that cracks like a splintering plank of wood when you break it and makes melty crunchies with the liquid fat at meat beneath.

Inihaw Na Sugpo Sa Aligue is a mouthful...of beautiful blue prawns with such gooey, spicy heads still on, just oozing with garlic chili sauce. 

Lechon Kawali is lovely, all belly, good skin. Dip in vinegar for best results.

All trays come with Java Garlic Rice, which pairs well with any protein. The ropy noodles of the Pancit Chami have a fantastic texture and a fragrant sweet n' fishy finish. Housemade Achara is best between bites to break up the big meats.

Everyone's had a little lechon, but Kuya Lord goes above and beyond. The porks are perfection, the prawns are a marvel, and the sides are satisfying as well. I dare say this is the best Filipino barbecue in LA, one I'll be frequenting in pursuit of porchetta. 

Yang's Kitchen - Alhambra

Touted on LA's 101 best list and episodically headlining Eater LA as one of the SGV's best restaurants, Yang's very small kitchen sits on an Alhambra street surrounded by several powerhouses of Chinese cuisine. 

The first thing I thought when I glanced at their brunch menu was that it was not what I would expect. 

Despite the description of Asian fusion, there's nothing Asian about this Chicken Liver Mousse except the handful of chopped green onion. The mousse itself is rich and fatty, minerally savory with a hint of sweet, meant to be lavishly smeared across crusty slices of LA's best (Bub & Grandma's) bread.   

Yang's Fried Chicken Wings are so simple, skin stretched taut across firm flesh, finished simply with salt and pepper. 

Most people who don't like salmon have never had good salmon, and the Salmon & Ikura Bowl will silence any scorn. The salmon is melt-in-your-mouth quality, and the yuzu miso marinade makes it sing. Add gooey-fish poppin' bubbles of fresh ikura and a side of soft-boiled soy egg, and you've got yourself a feast. 

There's a basic Breakfast Plate for those who are just craving a good morning meal. The eggs have beautiful yolk, the super-crispy hash brown cake is the best in town, and the hanger steak is incredible.

There are more Asian-oriented items on the menu like sesame noodles and mochi pancake, but the westernized vibe is there. It feels to me like a representation of an upcoming generation of Asian children raised by more modern parents who celebrate their children's calling and might even support a chef. Instead of just kids who grew up running the family restaurant, future generations are combining classical training with what they learned from grandma, and if Yang's Kitchen is any indication of what's to come, the results will be spectacular. 

Atta Girl - Hermosa Beach

TIL SoCal is one of the five Mediterranean climates. And what better way to celebrate than with a menu full of food?

If you didn't have the Classic Hummus, did you even eat? This lovely chickpea classic is accented by a pickled cauliflower and a squeeze of citrus.

Roasted Spiced Eggplant has caramelized peppers to sweeten the smoke. Both dips are served with their signature buttermilk pita, a pillow-soft puff with an aroma that sates your soul. 

Can't get enough of that pita so use it to wrap up some Grilled Lamb + Beef Kofta. I've never had a meatball melt in my mouth like this one, and the side of impossibly crispy potatoes dips well in creamy garlic. 

It's just Wild Mexican White Shrimp on stick, but it is a delicious shrimp with lovely sides such as quinoa, and I love it all the same. 

If this is lunch, I MUST try the dinner. That menu has even more to it, with extra mouth-watering mezzes and a small section of promising pastas made in-house. If anyone asks where to eat by the beach, Attagirl is where it's at.