Very tasty steamed dumplings. It pays to get there early as the space is small, they run out quick and close their doors soon after to break between lunch and dinner.
Luscious Dumplings, Inc.
704 W Las Tunas Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 282-8695
The name’s generic, so pay attention to the address. This little shop in Monterey Park has excellent water dumplings (shuijiao), though they only have two types. The steamed dumplings are good, too. They don’t have pan-fried potstickers, though. Sun loves their scallion pancake and there are a few other small plate dishes that are worth checking out.
Noodle House
958 E. Garvey Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 280-0831
I’m finally taking the time to explore my own little corner of the neighborhood. It’s surprising what’s around at walking distance. This is a decent, affordable Mediterranean place. The rotisserie chicken is especially good (and affordable to boot). Add to that hummus, tabouleh, grape leaves and SEVERAL lamb options, all of it rarely exceeding $10 per person, and you’ve got a serious option for a meal, lunch or dinner.
They’ve got two other places that I take are more sit down style, as well.
Gaby’s Express
3216 Washington Blvd. (Corner of Lincoln)
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 823-7299
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 769-8888
website
Sun and I began our Dine LA Restaurant Week experience with this restaurant situated within the Hollywood Golden Age ambience of the Roosevelt Hotel. Both of us opted to have the frisee lardon salad, which apart from the endives and pork belly also had a nice quail egg, sunny side up, on top. The pork belly was ridiculously good.
For the main course Sun had the pan-seared diver scallops while I went with a 6 oz. filet with both bernaise and bordelaise sauce (I wanted to try both and they obliged) The steak by itself was already tasty (style is similar to Ruth Chris — heavily buttered), but I have to say that the bordelaise was the better sauce (double dipping was also good, but very heavy in the gut).
Dessert for Sun was a crepe of some sort. I have to admit I didn’t pay much attention as I was preoccupied with my chocolate malt bars, a very pedestrian name for a very good dessert.
To sum up, we ate too much, but we couldn’t help it. I’d go back for the frisee lardon alone.
150 S. Barrington Avenue
Brentwood, CA 90049
(310) 440-5553
website
Absolutely lovely place for dinner with friends or for intimate nights. The seafood appetizers are amazing, but better yet would be to order the tasting menu, a five course meal especially prepared for that day. It’s better to call ahead and reserve, not because it might get crowded, but because you want to say you’re coming and to make sure the tasting menu would be available for you. Being a small place, they don’t carry much inventory, so if you get there too late, no tasting menu for you.
I’m not a fan of the saketini that this place is named after… I’m not even a fan of martinis so why would I be? But the food is absolutely wonderful, both in taste and in sight (the presentation is beautiful). This is a definite must try, and you’ll probably try, try and try again.
Multiple locations in Los Angeles.
All you can eat churrascarias make you want to gorge yourself on as much meat as possible to justify the price you paid. Charging you by weight makes Pampas Grill the ideal solution. They were originally just at the Farmer’s Market but now that they’ve opened one at the minimall on Overland and Venice it has been a very happy happenstance (Best Buy, Gamestop, Kragen, CPK ASAP, Ralph’s and hell, even a Radio Shack… it’s a nice play to shop for a boy).
The meats are decent but not on par with places like Fogo de Ch?o and By Brazil (although I would actually rate their garlic beef as better than the one I had at Fogo de Ch?o), but you don’t pig out and you pay way less. It’s a good deal and tasty to boot. And for the vegetarians, an all-salad plate costs less per pound than a mixed plate (while an all-meat plate gets you a pricy rate so do yourself a favor and bed the plate with rice or something).
1615 Cabrillo Avenue
Torrance, CA 90501-2820
(310) 787-7520
A reason to drive to Torrance is this Brazilian churrascaria. The meal is affordable and the meats are excellent. It doesn’t have the variety or the finer meats like filet mignon that a place like Fogo de Ch?o would have, but it certainly delivers on what it has with equal quality and taste.
A Brazilian churrascaria with a fancy name and an equally fancy price tag. It’s a good restaurant, and the variety of meats is amazing. But $53 for dinner is just a bit much. Mind you, it was $50 for a churrascaria in New York back in 1998 when the dollar was stronger, so this is a bargain compared to that, but still, with restaurants like By Brazil for all you can eat and for more managed appetites by paying by the pound in a place like Pampas Grill, I see little room to justify going to Fogo de Chão unless someone else is paying for it. 
Multiple locations in the Greater Los Angeles area
Don’t eat here everyday unless you plan on science to catch up and figure out how to unclog arteries and dissolve the fat from your heart. Unfortunately, if you love soul food, this is easier said than done.
The fried chicken is amazing. The catfish is tasty. Any of the main dishes, really, are homecooked goodness. But the sides. My oh my, the sides. From the cornbread to the buttered corn, collard greens, beans, and the ridiculous yams, it is all so, oh so good.
Mmmm.
Multiple locations in Southern California, New York City and Hawaii
The lure of 99 cent Kirin draft during happy hour (5:00 – 6:30) and even during lunch was bait enough. That the meat would be half off just made it a feeding frenzy. This is a Japanese restaurant where you cook the meat yourself from a coal-fired grill in the middle of your table (most visitors to Korean BBQ know the drill). They’ve got steak in a variety of cuts and marinades, they’ve even got a variety of tofu and vegetables to grill if you’re not much of a carnivore. There’s also stuff cooked by the kitchen (like chicken karage, a favorite of mine because for all the foreign syllables this is, plain and simple, fried chicken).
Did I mention the 99 cent Kirin draft?
I have been to Gyu-kaku several times now and each time it is a celebration in dining with friends. And in the end, you can even order S’mores and toast the marshmallows yourself.
July 15th, 2008 at 5:45 pm
Things aren’t as good as before… they changed the menu up a bit and things got a bit saucier and with more filler stuff on the plate. Not as elegant. That was a few months ago. I might go back to see if things have improved, but probably not this year.