Baran's 2239 - Hermosa Beach

A tiny space with impeccable service, constantly abuzz as drinks and conversations flow. It's not a place to get drunk and rowdy but also not so suitable for intimate heart-to-hearts on a Friday night. But boy, is it a fun place to eat. 

The menu is pretty focused yet impressively varied for a place this size, and service is so attentive; one item at a time with a change of plates after every dish. They must have the fastest dishwasher in town.

I guess the cuisine is "new American", but there's inspiration from all over. Yakitori Meatballs are our opening course, sizable skewered spheres packed with delightfully tender chicken and pork. The charred onion tare is deep and dark, and the crispy chicken skin on top is just a great idea. Unfortunately, someone here has a heavy hand with the salt, more than my palate is primed to tolerate. I recognize that it's a personal preference, but I will say that for me, the more delicate flavors were buried.

My friend declares the Maple Apple Salad the best salad she's ever had, and I don't disagree. The frisee brings the texture and crunch, the radicchio adds a sharp contrast to sweet apples, which jive so perfectly with cheese and sweet pecans. The dressing is very present, and it's exactly the right amount.  

We take a risk with the Blue Crab Spaghetti, which is not their strongest dish. The crab is briny, the sauce supposedly a miso butter with a slight burn and a lot of lemon. A refreshing dish on a summer night, but the amount of lemon overpowers much of the dish. 

The Indian Egg is one of the more creative concoctions I've had to date, and that gooey soft-boiled yolk is divine as it oozes all over. The sausage is heavy on the salt, but if you eat a few cucumber slices in every bite of the lamb and egg, the yogurt tempers the heavy meat, and the cukes neutralize the salinity to make the flavors fuller. 

Salad aside, this Smoked and Fried 1/2 Chicken might be my favorite. The batter is perfectly even and absolutely exquisite, the smokiness permeates every piece, and the soy gastrique is just so good, the chef's kiss balance between salty and sweet. I wish they sold those pickled Fresno chiles by the jar. 

We couldn't resist the Coffee Toffee Pudding, and it is an adorably understated cup of comfort, a not-sweet cream, covering a warm and gooey cake beneath. Whoever sugared this dessert was not the person who salted the food, and I prefer the simplicity for sure.  

I liked it, but there were some mixed feelings overall. Plenty of potential and a couple of standouts, but the salt and the lemon soured the experience some. I do love the concepts and creativity, and I would also like to see a little more polish overall.

Peasants Feast UPDATE - Solvang, CA

What's better than lunch at Peasants Feast? DINNER at Peasants Feast. What better than dinner? TWO dinners. 

There's a Snap Pea salad with a kick of horseradish that bites back, and I loved the lemon peel that added some extra zest. 

I've never been truly impressed by a caesar salad, but their Copenhagen Caesar is right up there with Ryla. The dressing was so creamy on lettuce so fresh and anchovies so juicy. 

Rockfish Tacos are a lighter choice. Chunks of fresh fish pair well with salsa and a shredded slaw. I love that the tortillas are hand pressed, but they are a bit thicker than I'd like. 

This Sea Urchin Carbonara is a delectable creamy, bacon-bliss. The sea urchin is just a topping, about which I have no complaints. 

A slab of Pork Chop Schnitzel drapes over a bed of beans, and the thin but generous meat makes a mighty meal.  

How can a simple side of Mac & Cheese be this good? Little orecchiette ears sport thick coats of a rich, 3-cheese sauce, and herbed breadcrumbs add just the right crunch. 

Even the kid's menu fried chicken was great for all ages. The batter is a bit bland but probably healthier so no complaints. 

Best restaurant in Solvang, and I know this without even having to try the others. Would literally come back to Solvang just to eat here again. 

Cobi’s - Santa Monica

Just the idea of take-out from Michelin's newest Bib Gourmand makes my heart flutter, and I swear it skipped a beat when Cobi's appeared on Doordash. The food travels well despite the distance, and those soup-stews pair perfectly with pouring rain.

The first thing I notice is that they charge Santa-Monica prices for Santa-Monica portions, which means you get noticeably less than South Bay likely due to the exorbitant overhead. The Green Papaya Salad for example, is a lighter option. A sensible portion for an appetizer, the container is maybe half full. It’s a fresh salad, a balance of savory, spicy, and sweet. The papaya packs plenty of crunch, and the chili dressing is spicy but edible. 

I can appreciate smaller portions but wtf is this? 

Beef Rendang for $22 in a container barely bigger than the free side of sauce. The beef is flavorful, deep in chilis and spice, but even with all beef, minimal liquid, and zero filler, I can’t imagine anyone happily paying this much for so little.

No complaints about the Nasi Goreng. This rich fried rice with egg is as good as any. Add pork belly for extra cost and extra savor. 

Their signature Butter Chicken is by far their best. The silky tomato masala is the consistency of cream, with tender cubes of chicken that melt in your mouth. It’s the only dish that lives up to the hype. 

Drag these chewy, tortilla-thick Roti slices through all the sauces. It also comes with its own sweet and creamy curry to dip.

The portions are small but the food is rich and filling. Three people ended up satisfied with no leftovers but no hunger pangs either. I don’t know enough, (actually, I don’t know anything), about Laotian food to comment on authenticity, but if this is it, I want more. Good, it is, Bib Gourmand, I’m not so sure. Good food but definitely not good value for the price. 

Adana Restaurant - Glendale

Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand, but Chen-chelin gave it a star. 

Michelin cares too much about the frills and can't appreciate cheap thrills. Just the side of Hummus and Salad that comes with the lunch have earned my heaping praise. The salad is a lesson in splendid simplicity, and the hummus has a seasoning and consistency that are just perfection. You don't know how good hummus can be until you try it at Adana. 

Have you ever seen a grape leaf so green? These Dolmeh are stuffed with rices and spices and everything nicest. It's mostly rice on the inside, but there is so much more complexity to the flavor beyond the rice and vinegar of the Greeks. 

Armenia Eggplant Dip. It's dark and thoroughly baked, with none of the sliminess feared by the eggplant-adverse. There is a deep smoke to this dip, and the red pepper adds its sweetness while tomato cuts through any bitterness or acid. 

Koobideh Kabab is moist and meaty without being heavy, a lovely lunchtime luxury.

The Abaloo Polo is "just chicken", but the marinade of spices gets all the way through. It's the only kebab that Jonathan Gold has ever praised, and it'll make you forget every other kebab you've ever had. And opt for the cherry rice every chance you get. 

The presentation isn't the prettiest, but they do quite well in those take-out boxes, and once you take a bite, it doesn't matter. I never thought I'd find roasted meat exciting, but this is some of the finest food you'll ever have. 

Aptos Trip Day 3 - Mentone

Big things are expected when a man from Manresa drops a new restaurant in Aptos Village, and Mentone didn’t disappoint. It was only a couple of years before Mentone became synonymous with Michelin and earned a coveted Bib Gourmand. 

You’d never know by the menu, which is literally the most understated thing I’ve ever read, but this Franco-Italian bistro is fire. 

Focaccia. Fennel, sea salt. 

A dough full holes so perfectly aerated that you can bite through the entire slice and only touch the perfectly chewy center once. The fennel is so fragrant, an anise-kissed breath brushed with sea salt. Even the world’s pickiest toddler ate an entire order.

Root Vegetable Carpaccio. Kohlrabi, radish, walnut oil. 

Did a Chinese tiger mom stand there while they wrote this? Yes, it’s just plate of razor-thin, laser-cut radish at a glance, but the depth of this dish is indescribable. Each slice carries a significant smoke, and a few folded bits send ash up your nose for a savory quality that makes it almost a vegetarian wagyu. The walnut oil adds an oomph to it all, especially the chopped bed to barely-pickled turnip beneath that faintly channels Chinese mustard.

They do powerful things with vegetables here, and that appetizer is just a preview. The Pansotti is a ravioli resembling a flattened wonton filled with almost-puréed green stuff, a strong leaf like a fresh-cut spinach-grass. Walnut pesto, another understatement of the century; a cream sauce made with crack for a confidently nutty, soupy success.

These dishes will not soon be forgotten, but it’s pizza that makes them popular. The Sardenaira is soaked with ripe tomato sauce, seasoned with salty olive. A single squiggle of sardine permeates an entire slice, and I’ve never know a crust so chewy. This one has so much spring, your jaw will literally rebound.

Imagine a spicy pepperoni pizza for grown-ups as the Soppressata steps up. Salami sizzles and Calabrian chilies pack the heat. Cheese and sauce are pure perfection, but still the crust is key. 

Michelin has disappointed me more than once, but Mentone did not. Mentone manifests mastery with a manner most modest and refined. I’ve had so much fine dining, yet Mentone still makes things I’ve never seen. I can still honestly say I’ve never had a better [fill-in-the-blank with literally anything I ate] than the one I got at Mentone. 

Heritage Barbecue - San Juan Capistrano, CA

Texas 'cue in Capistrano plucked from local celebrity and overall obscurity by Michelin's Bib Gourmand. It's a gift and a curse, having places like this one so close yet so far away. Instead of a sleep-in Saturday, we're out the door at 9 AM for lineup at 11 to compete for the meat.

They have a bit of everything, so check out this crazy tray. Big bites like the Beef Rib and Brisket are big on flavor and silky with marbled fat. Smoke is no joke for a star of dixie, and I will say they're a lot less smoky than my mail-order from Texas institutions like Truth and Snow's. Overall just fabulous, but under-all not as big as Texas. 

They may be big on beef, but don't forget the pork. Their Pulled Pork is perfection, an arguable equal when all is said and done. 

Ribs fall off the bone, and the seasoning has some style. Sides like this crazy-good cavatappi Mac & Cheese are boosted by chicharron, and the fluffy-fresh Biscuit is incredible.

I wish they had some sausage, but they have the Swedish Meatball instead. It looks real pretty, but it's loaded with salt and little else. That pretty gray gravy is more of the same, and I can't believe they skipped sausage for this. 

Roast Vegetables are our side, and they really made this into something special. The bed of gooey cheese makes it rich, and the smoke does a dance on the palate. On a menu full of rich, heavy things, I would have been fine with just plain veggies, though I do love what they did with these. 

Their overall smoke isn’t as strong but they do deliver a taste of Texas. It's a sampling of a Lone Star tradition from San Juan Capistrano, a standing Socal reminder that when it comes to food, you don't mess with Texas. 

Badmaash - Los Angeles

Badmaash. The best restaurant I will never visit again. The food is a breath of fresh, spicy air, and their fusion items are touched by genius. It's impossible not to enjoy your food but you won’t have time to savor it. Their tables have a 45-60 minute time limit even WITH a reservation that starts before you open the menu so be prepared to scarf it all down. They’re not shy about asking you to leave.

Started with the street food, but these Crispy Yogurt Puffs leave an impact that is far from casual. Soft chickpeas make their bed in a rich but airy yogurt that softens a spicy sting. Crispy contrasts soft, and you're left with a lasting impression long after these little bites are gone. 

Try the Butter Chicken Samosas. They're exactly what the say they are, but that sweet, creamy  curry surrounding tenders shreds of chicken is probably the best butter chicken I've ever had.

The Chicken Tikka Poutine is a signature dish, and I love the creativity. It's fusion at it's finest; masala and chunks of chicken tikka spice up the fries, and cheese curds groove with a gooey gravy.

You don't get Indian food without naan, though their Chili Cheese Naan is too good to call a side. The naan is simultaneously crisp and soft, and cheddar chases the chilis to leave a delightful burn. 

The Spiced Lamb Burger. This is the best thing on the menu, maybe the best burger in LA. Maybe the best burger EVER. The lamb is so flavorful, the patty is so moist, the spice mix is so smooth yet so unforgettable. I ate this last, and I was so stuffed, but you can't stop eating something like this. It'll take you to another place... which seems to be where they want you anyway.

Desserts are where our meal falls apart. I actually recommend them, and it's quite rare for me to recommend dessert. The Rice Pudding is on the lighter side so you can have something sweet without feeling gross. This one is creamy with coconut milk and it’s almost as much of a relief as the mango lassi after the spicy burn.

Their Mango Mousse is light and more mango than mango itself. Beautiful and absolutely perfect...but we wouldn't know. It started tasting pretty sour when we were asked to leave. My friend was only halfway through that, and you do NOT interrupt a pregnant woman (due next month!) halfway through her dessert.

I don't care what your excuse is, Badmaash. You made my very pregnant friend to get up so someone else could sit down one hour and 15 minutes into our meal. I guess I should thank you for the extra 15 minutes considering your very unreasonable time limits on your tables (which you did NOT mention, ever), but I think you just got greedy. Instead of caring about your customers you started turning tables to turn your profits, and you really let a little Michelin get to your head.

Badmaash. It’s supposed to mean bad ass and I profoundly agree. The food is totally bad ass, but the restaurant is run by an ass.