Taco Tour #4 - Sonoratown - Los Angeles

It’s still a seedy-looking strip mall, but the counters run long, the stools gleam in orange and turquoise, and the clean walls and vibrant murals highlight the obvious difference in target audience.  

$11.50 buys three Tacos to try. The three C’s; costilla, cabeza, and chorizo are a winning combination, though bigger appetites will want one of every option. Cabeza is so fatty-soft it’s almost creamy. Costilla is chewy, with cartilaginous cuts where rib meat meets the bone, but the smoky flavor is quite special. Chorizo is spicy, fiery little pieces of good-textured ground. The tortillas are so thin you can see right through them, and the chewy texture reigns supreme. Unlike the bigger options I've had so far, these are truly 3-bite street tacos and they disappear deliciously and a bit too fast.

Of all the taco places so far, this one is the trendiest. The decor is instagrammable, and it was built more recently with aesthetics in mind. The tacos are perfect pockets with amazing flavors, and both their spicy red tomato and tart green tomatillo salsas are standouts. Great for a quick meal or a much-needed snack. 

Taco Tour #3 - Las 7 Regiones - Los Angeles

A small diner-like space with a huge TV that you can't hear above the music. Casual service, professional and polite, but it still feels like you can just relax and eat. 

There's a Mole Negro Con Pollo where rivers of black mole run over a tender chicken breast and leg. Let it sit and savor for a second before you scoop up some more. The mole has so many layers working together, first the sweetness, then the earthiness, then the darkness and almost-bitter smoke that packs a bit of heat at the end. Drag the warm corn tortillas through it and don't just skim the surface.

Dab a sizzle of salsa on top, very little or a little bit more depending on your tolerance. A single drop makes your mole come alive. 

The Goat Barbacoa Taco is a must. This foot-long tube is a kaleidoscope of tenderest meat, with tendon and connective tissue stewed soft to add texture to each shreddy bite. If this tortilla isn't handmade, it sure has me fooled. Dunk in the consomme, bow your head over the bowl to catch every delectable drop. 

Oh man, this is a meal. You can't leave here not stuffed, and you'll never feel so good about being full. Don't waste a single drop of mole or consomme - the meats are good but the sauces and soups are even better. 

Taco Tour #2 - La Flor de Yucatan - Los Angeles

The building is small, almost like a stall. There's a fridge and a counter and a few folding tables outside to sit. No frills, but the tacos are thrills.

There's a Combo of 2 tacos and 1 Tamal, and it's first Tamal de Chaya I've had since my girls' trip to Belize. The masa is so soft, the chaya adds a leafy fragrance. It’s the simplest of the tamales but the subtle flavors are so satisfying I ate mine plain. 

Cochinita pibil is a soup-dripping, warm and savory with a lift of citrus. Tastes like it’s been buried and braised for days. 

This may be the only time I’ve ever had turkey taste good. The relleno negro puts sweet, black achiote on a bland bird and I am obsessed. There’s a char and a tar and a sweet earthiness much like mole but it’s cooked into the meat, not just poured on. 

I had to order in Spanish and if the spiciness of my salsa is any indication, I may be the most gringa they've ever seen. The red is tomato water and the green is tomatillo juice. But tacos like this need no sauce and they so good I almost ended my taco tour right here.

Ramen Tao - Gardena

A Michelin-mention ramen place graces a stall in a Gardena mall. 

Tucked amongst the likes of bao powerhouse Nikuman-ya and family favorite Beard Papa, Ramen Tao tosses its humble head with a roaring Spicy Red Miso Ramen that has some serious burn. The broth is so creamy and thick that it's practically a solid, and the red miso asserts a salty pungence. Still, the broth is balanced, making savory waves in your mouth.  

Same for the Jiro Tsukemen, another hard-hitting broth that clings to each dipped noodle. Skip the Jiro style, though; the cabbage cools the broth too fast and the bean sprouts make it a little bit sour. 

Umenoya makes the best chashu, but Ramen Tao competes with their broth. These miso-heavy concoctions are well-balanced yet assuredly unique, making for a ramen encounter as mesmerizing as it is memorable.

Lily’s Malibu - Malibu

We're hanging out on Wandermere for the worst reason imaginable, but there's family bonding over burritos, and I'm glad it's Lily's. 

Lily’s is where you go if you know, and you better know what the wait is at a place like this. Online orders take at least an hour and the line is always out the door. They make magic but they make it SLOW. 

I prefer the Carnitas Burrito to the Pastor, but both are pretty awesome. 

Chile Relleno Burrito, my hand for scale. Deep-fried cheesy poblano, rice all around. Just LOOK at this cross-section - a wrap never looked SO good. 

Chicken Tamal special, the masa's a little mushy and it has lumps. It’s not the best I’ve had but something about it tastes like home and you’ll eat it all anyway. 

Dip everything into their demon salsa. It's hothothot, but a few drops will add just the right hit of flavor and fire. 

Love this place - it’s my first real Malibu love. The food is good, the food is affordable, and places in Malibu are rarely both.

Spruzzo's Restaurant & Bar - Malibu

We’re down to a single slice before I can take a picture. 

There’s a Combo Pizza that looks like they flung every bowl their kitchen at and it all landed prettily. Mozzarella forms the base, which is paved with slices of sausage and pepperoni, smothered in olives with the odd slices of mushrooms, peppers, and onions poking out. 

I love all of it, but there’s a nice, clean Margherita Pizza if the combo is too much. Two types of mozzarella make a very thick base with no sauce to slide on, and tomatoes, basil are all there is. 

Very different but both delicious. These are much higher-end than your day-to-day delivery but the prices make them only a minor luxury, especially in a place like Malibu. Eat in or carry out. Either way you’ll enjoy. 

Bruxie - El Segundo

A fast-casual eatery churning out chicken n' waffles in sandwich form.

The Original fried chicken and waffle sandwich is a must. Clean chicken breast, breaded and seasoned to perfection, drizzled with chili honey and a homemade slaw that doesn't suck. Beautiful presentation, ingredients balanced to perfection. 

There's a special on the board, the Braised Beef Short Rib. The short rib is so tender, though a bit too salty for me. Swiss cheese not needed, waffle fries are fun, and grilled onions with red wine gravy and horseradish cream are pretty great. Stick with the chicken, but the beef ain't bad. 

No need to try the side of Loaded Waffle Fries. The cheese sauce is good, and you can't go wrong with bacon bits, but the waffles are carbs enough, and you don't need more than that. 

Simple concept, flawless execution. It's like the Shake Shack for chicken n' waffles, back when Shake Shack was the sh*t. 

Noodle Box Kitchen - Reno, NV

I thought I’d seen all Reno has to offer, but Noodle Box popped up next to The Discovery, and it might be the best discovery I’ve made.  

Even the drinks are irresistible. Thai Lime Tea has the flavor and creamy sweetness of the original minus condensed milk. A lift of lime takes it from dessert-like to refreshing. Vietnamese Coffee hits the spot if you're craving a caffeinated classic.

Boat Noodle Soup is the one they recommend, a bone broth with a bite. The flavor is savory beef with a slightly spicy afterburn and lots of notes of sweet, sour, and salty all adding so much depth. The slices of pork shoulder are tough and the meatballs are bland, but I do love the soup itself. 

Tom Yum is a solid choice if you're craving the sweet n' sour. It's a tangy broth with fabulous, fresh shrimp and soft, flavorful fish balls. 

Khao Soi Fried Chicken is the best thing they make. They fry up the thigh meat which has a lot more flavor than a blander breast, and the curry is so thick and sweet it's practically a solid. Pickled veggies and red onion break up the rich, creamy bites, and the contrast of cream and crisp is a feast for the senses. 

For dessert, they have mochi cakes in matcha, regular, and Ube. Try them. ALL. 

We loved Noodle Box so much we went twice in a single week. Service is spectacular, from some of the most genuinely nice people I've ever met, and though the tables are no frills, they make you feel like royalty when they bring your fantastic food. 

Jidaiya UPDATE - Gardena

 I didn't try anything new but I didn’t need to. It's still just as good. Get whatever you like. 

Karaage to start, no crunch lost in transit. I don't know if I'll ever truly be okay with dipping chicken in mayo but I can’t be okay not dipping it either.

Tsukemen like a fish market punched you in the face but you liked it. The broth is thick, the funk is fabulous. Dunk those noodles for strands of fishy-fabulous. 

Best tsukemen in town but not for the faint of heart. Many good options otherwise, will let you know if I find any more standouts. 

Happy Valley Village - Hacienda Heights

It already feels like home but it's a home I've never known. The booth-benches and chairs are all eye-sores, upholstered or cushioned with the hideous flower-print that only Chinese grandmas can find. They surround shiny tables holding deep black wok-pots of culture-revolution cooks. 

With a name like that, the food has to be authentic, and the shared plates are fantastic. There's a platter of smoky Hong Kong Red Sausage to start, softly savory and a little bit sweet. 

Cucumber and Wood Ear is a cold dish, fresh veggies sprinkled with sesame and nuts. 

Liang Pi is a southern treasure, thick, wide cold noodle-like strips so impossibly chewy they put al dente to shame. 

The presentation is so pretty, but they taste much better than they look after they've been mixed at tableside. 

Don't skip the shared plates, but the Stew Goose why you're here. Cleaver-cut chunks of bony bird are covered with tender meat, and gnawing is the only way to get it. The soup itself is so savory, and you can choose green beans or Chinese sauerkraut for free. The sauerkraut adds minimal sour, and its acid amplifies the meaty stew. There's also an endless list of optional add-ons, all of which are awesome. Green beans go delightfully soft as they boil in the broth, potatoes and frozen tofu soak up so much soup, bean curd sheets and vermicelli add the texture.

The fresh cornmeal buns are not to be missed as they’re made to order, stuck to the side of the pot and steamed in the vapors of stew. Eat one of these but have a Steamed Bread Roll as well. Those green stripes are spinach, and the fragrance it adds is indescribable.  

This meal and this style of dining creates the feeling of family as young and old crowd around. Dig in and don't be shy - let the stew seal the generation gap that only grows with time. For some, it's just another bowl of soup, but for the culture-revolution generation, the nostalgia is strong. It's a memory from before their life got better, and it's a tangible sample of history for their children who want to understand them more.

Pane Bianco - Los Angeles

With all the buzz around the pizzeria, another Bianco can't be bad. 

Enter Pane Bianco across the way, a one-stop shop serving slices and sandwiches for those who have to go. 

I'll admit I was put-off at first. Usually the fine-dining comes after the casual cafe passes the test. But one slice of the daily special and I am fully sold. Beautiful greens of bitter broccoli spigarello stand up to sweet fennel sausage, crisped up with shallots and punctuated by olives and fresh sliced garlic bits.

Beautifully balanced sandwiches are sizeable, even the simple Burrata will make you a memory. The focaccia bread has an audible crunch, and the burrata is chewy-gooey with roast red pepper. 

Soft sheets of Mortadella are sliced so thin. The savors are subtle, but they go beautifully with a semi-sweet spread (I think it was apricot?) and sharp arugula on top. 

Eat your pickles - the shallots have a bite, the banana peppers make a sandwich pop, and the green beans are just so great. 

What I love about both Biancos is that they just serve good food. Not trying too hard to be weird or new, not trying to reinvent the wheel. Their wheel is still round when they're done; it's just the most polished wheel you've ever seen, and you can't help but sit in awe. Anyone can make a sandwich, but Bianco has this innate ability to pick the perfect ingredients, make them more perfect, and balance them so brilliantly that you'll never see them the same way again. 

Go Get Em Tiger - Los Angeles

To kill time before the Biancos come to life, there a couple of coffee shops at The Row. 

Cheesy name aside, they brew a lovely Cappuccino and there's ample seating at the counter and various tables, inside and out. 

Their own recipes are realized at Cadoro Bakery, and I just might go corporate spy to steal the one for this salted chocolate chip cookie. Thin, chewy but cooked, chocolate not too sweet, offset by a sprinkle of salt. 

I never used to consider coffee shops for anything other than work, but places like this have popped up more and more in my mind as well as in my landscape. I love my morning cup of coffee, and places like this only make me love it more. 

Prime Pizza - El Segundo

The name is lame but the pie is palatable. 

Floppy, almost-foldable slices of New York pizza in a portion you can eat at a price you can afford. This one is round with half cheese, half sausage. I like a little more cheese, but this amount isn't incorrect. For those who like the thicker crust, there's a Brooklyn square option as well. 

Just don't get the Buffalo Wings. They're slimy rubber dipped in sauce. 

Grimaldi's was better, and it's a letdown after Pizzeria Bianco, but their concepts were higher end and much more pricey. Prime Pizza brings an accessible assortment of affordable slices to El Segundo, perfect for a friendly stay-in or easy family night.  

Quan Hy Restaurant - Westminster, CA

Quan Hy may be the fanciest casual restaurant I've ever seen. The decor is modern, space-creating crossbeams, shiny tables, bright and cheery. There's a real koi pond on the way in and you can eat your meal next to the most beautiful tank of fish. 

Even more beautiful is this tray of Banh Beo. Softly-steamed little finger-food rice cakes topped with crumbles of shredded shrimp. Dunk deeply in fish sauce, eat, repeat. 

I'll always try the Bun Bo Hue, especially in Westminster. The broth has layers of flavors and holds so much depth. Gnaw on the pork knuckle while you enjoy tender slices of beef.

The Mi Quang is a great dish - wide yellow noodles with whole shrimp and slices of pork, savory and simultaneously on the lighter side. 

The Goi Mit is the real deal - it's worth the one-hour drive. A cold jackfruit salad is so refreshing, a shredded texture mixed with shrimp and strips of pork. 

If I ever did a food crawl through Little Saigon, the jackfruit salad would be first on the list...Then I might skip every other spot because everything here is good enough if not better. 

The Vintage 1979 - Garden Grove, CA

Oh this is cute. SO cute. No sarcasm - I am genuinely enchanted.

Super Instagramable space with comfy chairs conducive to conversation and the prettiest drinks.  The vibe is retro and the posse of plants with all the mix n' match chairs really make the colors pop. The colors are unreal in this sea-breeze thing, and my Ube Latte is gorgeous. It's an amazing alternative to regular coffee shops and perfect for people who want to talk without the pressure to drink something stronger. Why not pay a little more for a nicer drink - it's already so much just for the garbage at Starbucks. Beware - these drinks are very filling - mine is an entire potato with milk. 

Each drink makes an ample dessert, but they make some pretty pastries as well. This Earl Grey Mousse is judiciously sweetened, fragrant like the tea with a texture like pure silk. 

Oh my, this is all so pretty. I can't get over the modern-princess vibe, and I'm a little bit appalled at how much my usually-cynical self wants to come back just to sit here again. Truly give it a try - this may be the sweetest place I've ever seen. 

Canaan Cafe - Lomita

This spot is cursed. Kotosh is king in this plaza, and no other restaurant has been able to hang on. Muodu came and went in a blaze of glory, doling out steamers full of the best soup dumplings SoCal has ever seen. I’m willing to bet even San Gabriel felt the threat. 

But food that good isn’t profitable, I guess, because ownership changed hands and the same crew made the switch to small-batch dim sum. Service was slow but everything was heated to order so it did turn out much nicer than what the rest of the South Bay had. Bad timing, though, there was no way to they could tread water when Michelin-marked Lunasia moved into Rolling Hills. 

So now we have Canaan Cafe, bringing traditional Chinese-Taiwanese classics to the South Bay from their Artesia and West Covina roots. 

Straightforward dishes like this spicy peanut-and-hoisin Dan Dan Noodle will hit the spot when you want them, though the sauce is good but nothing special and the noodles themselves are meh.

You can't get excited about the Steam Shanghai Dumplings after Muodu, but these will do well. They're not DTF, but they're a lot cheaper too. 

Everything else is fried. The Canaan Special Fish Fillet is fish that could be fresher, but the frying is perfect and so is the salt and pepper. 

Salt & Pepper Pork Chop is always a favorite, and theirs is solid. 

Orange Chicken is a decent option as well. Made correctly, good flavor. 

Stir-Fried String Bean with Garlic is just that. It's the right vegetable to offset all the fried stuff. 

Alright, I tried. I really wanted to love Canaan but it wasn't at all exciting. The food is good, make no mistake, but I needed it to be better. 

Broadway Cuisine - Los Angeles

Eater LA and Time Out called it one of Chinatown's best, and tbh, I'm not sure where that one came from. The service is authentic, though not too impolite, and it's a ghost town at weekday lunch. The menu is mostly Americanized Chinese, though the dishes aren't poorly made. 

Lunch specials are a better deal, and the portions are more reasonable to finish, and this Beef with Black Mushrooms & Bamboo Shoots. The beef is more tender than rubbery, the mushroom is clearly rehydrated, but the carrots and snow peas are fresh. There's also a small bowl of a simple, chicken broth with slivers of egg and veggie bits. 

Mapo Tofu is served vegetarian, but it really needs the meat. It's just tofu in sauce with an undetectable amount of spice. A reasonable plant-based protein, but not one I need to have again.  

Sadly, there's not much authenticity to be had in Chinatown as Union Station bulldozed the original and the highway pushed Chinese people to the valley and the north. We only ended up here because Dad wanted to check out Chinatown, and this was the easiest place to eat. I don't think I'd eat here again - I do hope there are better places nearby.