Friends & Family - Hollywood

It seems they’ve scaled down their baking since the raving Eater LA article, but their mid-day, mostly-sold spread still looks quite enticing. 

The Morning Bun is best, simply sugared with a crisp shell housing a hundred tunnels of chewy croissant-like dough within.

Powdered sugar flits over the airy layers of the Raspberry Fairy, and the filling flirts with raspberry flavor for a gel that's more like a whisper. 

There's a glazed lemon-large muffin that's more memorable than the plainer one, and a just-good peanut butter cookie as well. 

I can hardly ever drive to Hollywood, and I don't think I'd go for baked goods alone, but I'm happy to have stopped by while I was parked next door. This bakery is clearly among the better ones in a city with a deep pool of talent, and I'd add that morning bun to my breakfast bests. 

Roasted Duck by Pa Ord - Hollywood

"Los Angeles' best roasted duck". Yeah, I'm not so sure. I liked it just fine, but I can't imagine no one does it better. 

For starters, it took them over 30 minutes after opening to even have the duck. Haste makes waste and in their case, it seems haste doesn't make the greatest duck. 

The Single special is a perfect portion for an "I could eat" day, and the dips take the duck from okay to good, between the thick gravy and slight-bite soy. The skin is too oily to crisp, and it's the jade noodles that are the real star, with a very veggie hue and an earthy savor I can still remember. 

I don't know how much duck was ready, but the Spicy Basil Duck Over Rice has maybe 3 chunks, and the rest of the sad little bits look plucked them from a stock that's already been sliced to the bone. There are no real chunks of meat, and the rest is rather dry green beans with few wisps of basil. 

It's a duck spot, but the Fried Pork Belly is the best thing they make. Crispy with no discernible grease, rich and savory with just enough fat for flavor.

Thai Crab Rolls are quite nice, spongy-soft, cushiony crab.

The Papaya Salad is a good one as well, as the flavors taste like they've been pestled, and the spice level is quite authentic. Even the mild had me working up a sweat.

I've been wanting to eat here forever, and it's quite the trek to Hollywood so I had hoped for something a little bit better. I didn't leave hungry, I didn't leave angry, but I did leave rather disappointed. Thai Town has so much else to offer that I'll probably never circle back here again. 

Bridgetown Roti - Hollywood

There are two kinds of people: those who can deal with traffic and those who cannot. And then they marry each other. I will drive anywhere in anything to get to my food but my husband will not. And then he knocked me up so here he is, driving me to Bridgetown Roti. 

After a single bite of the Chicken Curry Roti, he declared, “I would drive here anytime to eat this again.” He has never before uttered these words because I have never known anyone who hates Hollywood more than he does. So try the chicken curry here. The thigh meat is tender and soaked in an ethereal spice mix, full of island charm…and whatever powerful witchcraft can propel my husband back to Hollywood. 

The Red Pepper Goat Roti is a hard-hitting, spicy, goat-gamey stew-wrap of shredded meat that melts in your mouth. 

Soothe the burn with a bite of the creamy Mac and Cheese but beware the hint of ghost pepper that sneaks up oh-so subtly. 

Cool down with the Jerk Cucumber Salad as well if you wish. The vinaigrette is quietly refreshing and delivers a satisfying crunch in every bite. 

But if you do nothing else here, be sure to snag the Wings. A jerk brine followed by a jerk sauce sinks the flavor in and with that sweet sear of honey…well, there are no better wings in the world. 

I don’t need to tell you how special this place is. Arguably the first real roti in SoCal, they’ve already carved out their niche. Every item on their menu will sear itself into your memory, and their house-made mixes of powder and curry will make them a legend. 

Auburn - Los Angeles

Sorry every other restaurant, I think I’ve found the most beautiful in LA. It is undoubtedly Auburn, where sculpted, slanting white ceilings illuminate shades of light wood and beige for an aesthetic simultaneously classic and chic, a minimalist dream in a maximalist city.

The menu is one that is approachable, neither minimal nor max but just enough, full of familiar fine dining ingredients so it’s comfortable with creative combinations to keep it exciting.

The Amuse Bouche starts things off as a palate primer, a tartlet of gorgeous cream. It’s a clean parsnip purée, a smooth and uplifting cloud with a whisper of white carrot flowers and sorrel cream. 

A Crispy Pig Ear is airy and fried, fatty yet lightened by a sprinkling of pepper and salt. You’ll never settle for just a chicharron after a bite of this.

A steaming loaf of House-made Bread is supposed to last a little longer, but spread on an herby emulsion of avocado butter, it disappears bite by crispy-crust, chewy-middle bite. 

The meal officially starts with Persimmons, sweet and gooey chunks of sugary silk cut by coal-char. Creamy cheese curds offset the sugar with a pinch of salt, and oxalis adds some bitter acid to make all the flavors pop. 

Where the persimmons are bold and heavy-hitting, the Japanese Sea Bream is a wet whisper. The slices are pure butter, and they melt in your mouth with a citrus breeze and a hot pinch of espelette pepper.

A block of tender Black Cod sits on a delicate plate of glass. A dark spinach releases a puff of smoke from the eel and highlights the briny clams.

Meaty Beets are bold and carry a heart-of-the-fire smoke. The sweet and salty blood-red mirrors the sweet and salted plums, and toasted seeds with red cabbage essence add an earthy quality against an uplift of shiso.

Veal Sweetbreads have the texture of almost foie gras as they give in to a brown butter base. Foldable discs of wild mushrooms draw attention with their aromatics, and a base of starchy celery root anchors an assertive trotter ragout.

A bleeding slice of Sonoma Duck floods its juices in a palatial burst. An amazing piece of meat but almost overshadowed by a boldly roasted kohlrabi with peppery seeds of mustard.

A Snake River Farms Ribeye sleeps under a cover of nori in a bed of rosy red wine. A side of oxtail is cooled by turnips, and charred grapes lend  some sugary smoke. 

A pungent cheese course transitions away from the mains. The Epoisses bubbles and gurgles over a nutty floor of sunchokes and seeds.

A dessert of Pichuberry sounds like something you’d catch on Pokémon Go,  but rest assured, it is a catch. Seedier than a cherry tomato, more sour than a wild-bush cherry, this course finishes light and tart with a cold sorbet.

A signature dessert of Yogurt with mushroom caramel showcases the incredible talent of their pastry chef. The mushrooms climb through the caramel ooze to permeate a smooth and sour yogurt. This combination is as indescribable as the flavors are unforgettable.

The meal ends on a high note as a sandwich of instant-melt meringue refreshes the palate and signals a calm conclusion to a masterful meal.

I’ve done a lot of fine dining now, but few places have the wow factor of Auburn. Auburn has done what precious few can; they’ve mastered the subtleties of balance and harmony, and their menu reflects an understanding of flavors and their unique effects on each other. Their dishes are bold with the right application of restraint to make the flavors fly. They are creative and innovative but they don’t skew so far from the righteous path that their combinations become unclear. I barely noticed when Auburn opened, but this menu will make you look. I’ll be looking at you, Auburn,  and I can’t wait to  find out what else I’ll see. 

Gwen - Los Angeles

Where do you take the man you love for his birthday? To a house of meat. A meat-house. No way this will fail. 

Gwen doesn't fail. Gwen can't fail. Prime butcher cuts of meat, expertly sliced and diced, a Charcuterie so good I forget to take a photo. A tender, lighter ham, a firm and fatty duck speck, a plush and salty salami spread, and a trio of sausages sliced thin, each with its own unique signature of savor. The fouetté is lighter with garlic and white wine, the Spanish chorizo has some spunk. The pork and fennel is gentle, and every bite just makes me mental. 

For a light surf n' turf warm-up, the Oysters are worth a gander.

We're in a meaty mood, and the Bone-in Ribeye is 34 ounces of heaven. Each bite melts in your mouth, and there's so much fat it could be a low-grade wagyu. Then again, foraging for an edible bite isn't very fun: two of those slices were just fat and the bone makes up quite a bit of the weight.

There's a side of Roasted Beets that I thought would cut through all the fat, but I'm not a fan. It's a lighter, silky root vegetable by nature, but they drown it in horseradish cream which leaves a bitter aftertaste.

There's a Panna Cotta for a little more aftertaste. A smear with much more cream than jelly, a cold, almost sweetmilk that takes me back a tiny town in Tuscany ten years ago. The panna cotta there tasted like this, and this is the first time I’ve tasted it again. They add their own special touch, with a streak of caramel and a refreshing uplift of apple. 

Little extras from the kitchen: a Lychee Dragee, a sweet fruit jelly and a Macadamia Nut Truffle with a chocolate crunch. 

I like Gwen. I don't love Gwen, but I like it. If you want a slab of meat that's guaranteed to be good, Gwen is a guarantee. I'm not sure how their seafood is, but I don't see a point in trying things they don't specialize in, especially not after those beets. Great steak and glamorous dining. Fun cocktails, good service. Bring a parent or a more conservative guest with a cautious palate and they'll love you forever, guaranteed.