Night + Market Song - Silver Lake

Wow, I am impressed. I didn't think there would be a place in LA I could hate more than Hollywood, but there may be nowhere worse than Silver Lake. My initial impression Night + Market Song wasn't exactly sweet. My last Song didn't go so well at Saladang so I wasn't exactly eager for another, but there was a birthday party to through LA traffic we came. 

We got there 15 minutes early and showed up 20 minutes late. No valet, no parking lots along an entire strip of restaurants and bars that are undoubtedly the hot spots of Silver Lake.

I was shooting fire out of my ears by the time we actually sat down. I was fuming from finding parking and about to faint from the sweltering half-mile walk. The standard Som Tum did nothing to cool my rage.

Fortunately the Coconut Sticky Rice was a buffer for my hypoglycemia, and unlike the high-strung party guests, it didn't clash with anything.

The Moo Yang Nom Khon lightened the mood even more - it's hard to pick a fight with fatty grilled pork in a festive tunic of turmeric.

The Pork Toro is an even fattier, browner version of the previous. A variation on a theme that works. This one is simpler, just slabs of fatty pork grilled as-is, dipped in something hot.

The Pla Meuk Tod Gratiem was better as a concept. The baby octopi were chewy and chile, but they were soggy by the time they hit the table.

Like the Silver Lake strip it sat upon, the Grilled Corn with Curry had potential, but it was as successful as this area was classy. The thick layer of powdery sweet curry is grainy and crude, and it didn't disguise the rock-hard, undercooked ear of corn beneath.

The Salmon Poke was a special...a-specially out of place. Deliciously smooth and fresh, it was a breath of fresh air; simply soyed among the heavily spiced, raw among the heavily cooked.

I didn't know anyone at this party so the family-style sharing got awkward really fast. The fight for the Panang en Neua was fair, fast, and absolutely necessary. The soft chunks of beef tendon are heavenly in a sweet panang curry, and I almost stabbed someone to snag a square of flaky, crispy roti.

They can't have my roti, but the Pad See Ew Gai is all theirs. It's a staple, but I don't recommend this one as a fallback. The soggy rice noodles with dry chicken and rock-hard Chinese broccoli seems like it was made for the 'muricans.

The Khao Pad Pu was better, a common fried rice with a hint of crab. 

The starches weren't all that special...with the exception of the Khao Soi Nua. The noodles were softly al dente and tasted like they were rolled by hand. The curry soup with tender tendon and hangar steak sent sparks, and half the soup was gone before I could even take out my camera.

I can only describe this strip of Silver Lake as "what Hollywood wouldn't have". It is a regurgitation of all that is pretentious-but-pretending-it's-not except it's ill-equipped to handle the sheer volume of Silver Lakeans desperate for entertainment on a Friday night. I've heard it's a lovely place to live, and I'm sure the bars add life to your night, but I'm certain I won't be returning, even for the tasty Thai until they build a freaking parking lot.

Saladang Song - Pasadena

The restaurant is beautiful; simple tables and wicker chairs in an open atrium. Cue the eastern instrumentals with platters of food held high by servants in loincloths. 

Beautiful music may play in my head, but Saladang is not a song I plan to sing. The menu has seen better days, with half the appetizers unavailable, tackily taped over with tiny pieces of paper. Their famous Papaya Salad was fine, but I didn't go all the way to Pasadena for a papaya salad to be just fine. 

At least they do the Red Curry right. The texture is the right thickness, and the predetermined level of spiciness burns sweet.

The Mango Sticky Rice was made with an imposter. I guess Thai yellow mangoes aren't in season because they used regular. They were the nice, pulpy kind, but they weren't sweet, and the discordant pairing with sticky rice was unfortunate.

The curry was photographed through a suncreen-covered cell phone camera so the photo does it no justice. Unfortunately, the papaya salad tasted about as colorful as the blunted lens made it look, and even my favorite dessert was done all wrong. I love Thai food, and I was fully prepared to love this place, but sadly, Saladang is not my Song. 

James Republic - Long Beach

Every city has a forgotten borough. New York had its Brooklyn, Boston has its Brookline and Jamaica Plain, and Los Angeles has its Long Beach. Quiet in the shadow of the South Bay's domestic bliss, hippy-dippy Long Beach is often overlooked.

The truly commendable restaurants seem few and far between, but James Republic makes a staunch stand for the best brunch award. I hate hotel restaurants, but this is one serves farm-to-table fare, and damn, they know what they're doing. 

Even the drip Coffee is praise-worthy. You think the rich, medium-to-dark roast is good? You haven't lived until you try it in a mason jar with ice.

Coffee goes so well with the Cronut, which lacks the upscale pretentiousness that usually follows this NYC-transplant dessert. They keep it simple, with none of the soggy, soaking pasty creams that most other bakeries use. The vanilla glaze encases chewy, fluffy croissant dough, probably the best dough I've ever had. 

The Carnitas Benedict curb a carnal craving with an ice cream scoop-sized ball of slow-cooked braised pork. The sope is basically a Mexican muffin, and unlike the Spanish Armada, the English lose. James Republic also remains one of few places that knows how to poach a proper egg.

I may be a southern girl at heart, but North Carolina never fed me Chicken and Waffles this good. The maple gastrique infuses maple syrup minus the sticky fingers. So much chicken with so much waffle can get icky, but the sharper pickled watermelon rind with sweet peaches and crisp arugula lightens the load, and the creme fraiche is a cool-down.

I almost don't want to talk about Long Beach to all the other "boroughs" because I feel like James Republic is their best-kept secret. They cut some of the best flavor bouquets I've had to date, and once word gets out, even more foodies will come flocking.