New York Deli - Century City

Not my favorite deli by any means. However, its matzo ball soup is acceptable and it's the only deli that serves Jew food within walking distance of my office. Accordingly, I do go there occasionally. If its prices were slightly more reasonable, I'd go to it more frequently. If I were ambitious enough to actually take my car out over lunch hours, I'd rather go to Nate and Al's or Pico Kosher Deli (both within 5 minutes of work, within light traffic; will review both of these places at some undetermined point in time).

Westfield Century City Shopping Center (Food Court)
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 785-0177

Mogo's - Sherman Oaks

Even though I no longer frequent this restaurant, it remains one of my favorites. Unlike most Mongolian barbeque restaurants, you get unlimited trips to the grill during dinner and have free reign over your entire bowl of delicious goodness (5 types of meat, countless vegetables and sauces). Go there when you're in the mood to munch, if you catch my drift.

4454 Van Nuys Boulevard (in the strip-mall at the northeast corner of Van Nuys Boulevard and Moorpark Street)
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
(818) 783-6646

Wholesome Pita - Hollywood

I love this place even though it's a kosher restaurant. It stays open late (11:00 pm Monday-Thursday, closed on Friday night, 2:00 am on Saturday), has kick-ass soup and shawarma, and cute Israeli employees. It even delivers to my house.

Truthfully, if not for my thorough disdain for most heksher-conscious Jews (especially my former, schmindrick, pupils...even though they're no longer my students, they're still schmindricks), I'd eat at this restaurant much more frequently.

7111 Melrose Avenue (northwest corner of La Brea Avenue and Melrose Avenue)
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 931-1116

Bon Appetit - Century City

Not one of my favorite restaurants, yet I go there all the time because it's convenient. Located on the 3rd floor of Century Park Plaza (where I work), it has decent coffee, bagels, and salads. Its breakfast items and sandwiches leave much to be desired. Aside from its close proximity to my office (19 floors down), its greatest virtues are that it delivers for free within the building and that it gives away a free lighter with every pack of cigarettes for a very reasonable price of $4.75.

Overall, there are better office-building restaurants in Century City that I will review at some other time (2029-2049 Century Park East and 1900 Avenue of the Stars are my favorites). However, laziness is a powerful motivating factor.

Century Park Plaza
1801 Century Park East (southwest corner of Century Park East and Santa Monica Boulevard)
3rd Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90067
(310) 277-7009

Sam's Bagels - Hancock Park

Their bagels are simply amazing. One bite and you'll never want to go to any of their competitors again. Their menu is standard fare for a non-kosher bagel place (so you can get any number of scrumptuous sandwiches there) and their chocolate chip bagels complement Coffee Bean beverages rather nicely. A great place to have a few blocks away, especially as a pit stop on my way to work.

150 North Larchmont Boulevard (between Beverly Boulevard and 1st Street)
Hancock Park
323-469-1249

Aroma - Studio City

This is one of the few coffee places at which I genuinely enjoy chilling. Aroma is one of the few independent coffee purveyors that has survived the Starbucks/The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf overload that is Los Angeles (but I do love Coffee Bean, just not for its character). At this wonderful establishment, you will find two outdoor patios (smoking and non-smoking), an overpriced boutique bookstore (Portrait of a Bookstore), flavorful coffee, as well as a broad array of sandwiches and pastries (I'm rather fond of the grilled salmon sandwich).

Aroma, unfortunately, closes early (11pm). That does not keep me away so much. What does keep me away is the legitimate fear that I'll run into my mother there (it's happened before and can happen again because it's in their 'hood). However, this last piece of skepticism solely applies solely to me.

Overall: definitely worth a visit if you're already out in 818.

4360 Tujunga Avenue (just south of Moorpark)
Studio City
818-508-6505

Bamboo - Sherman Oaks

The best white-washed Chinese restaurant in Los Angeles, let alone the Valley. Receives top Zagat ratings every year. Everyone I have ever taken there has been ecstatic over the quality of food and reasonable prices. Virtually everything on the menu is under $20 and their weekday lunch specials are around $7 (and include rice, soup, and salad). No matter what you order, you will not be disappointed. I usually order the szechuan chicken or beef chow fun with black bean sauce lunch specials, although the shrimp dishes also receive rave reviews. If you live in the Studio City - Sherman Oaks radius, they will also deliver to your home.

Bamboo is one of the few Chinese restaurants suitable for a date. They have aquariums, tons of artwork, use tablecloths, and have some of the nicest restrooms in the city. The service is usually fast, although you can grow impatient at busy hours and around closing time. Well worth the wait when one occurs.

14010 Ventura Boulevard
Sherman Oaks
818-788-0202

Twain's - Studio City

I used to sit outside this place in high school (and college breaks, for that matter) smoke cigarettes, and drink mediocre coffee. The place is basically a glorified Denny's (eggs, burgers, pasta, desserts...nothing wonderful, nothing terrible). They might close briefly at some exceptionally late hour, but it is a safe bet for late-night dining in the 818. The late-night clientele is eclectic - tons of younger people alongside LAPD officers on the night shift grabbing a bite to eat. I'm sure I'll wind up there again on some crazy night, with my usual cigarettes and coffee, to munch on some passable pancakes. Twain's is a cash-only establishment, but they do have an overpriced ATM inside. However, because it is in suburban Studio City, panhandlers are less of an issue than at other establishments that do not take credit cards.

12905 Ventura Boulevard (at Coldwater Canyon Avenue)
Studio City
818-760-9577

Hamakawa - Little Tokyo

Honestly, there is no place I enjoy dining at more than this non-descript sushi establishment in Little Tokyo. Everything my friends and I have sampled on the menu - toro, albacore, salmon, shrimp, yellowtail, spider rolls, soft shell crab, miso soup, asparagus tempura, chicken teriyaki, and more - has been absolutely impeccable in both taste and quality. I've been to NoBu and Sushi Roku before and genuinely give this place higher marks. The sushi chefs are even really cool (Abe, Mark, and I have our own set of inside jokes). The two primary reasons why this places stands out above all others in terms of food quality are quite simple - exceptionally fresh seafood and amazingly tasty seaweed.

The ambiance is not as high-brow as you would expect from such a fine sushi establishment, but that's easily forgivable in exchange for their moderate prices (I end up ordering around 6 items and my tab usually comes out around $40). The restaurant also has a VIP room that is usually filled with Japanese businessmen, although I prefer to sit at the sushi bar (there are also tables in the main dining room).

The main drawback of the place is the shadiness you confront between your car and the restaurant (there is some skeezy nightclub on 2nd Street that brings in its share of hooligans).

209 South Central Avenue (between 2nd and 3rd Streets)
Little Tokyo
Open late - call for exact hours because they are inconsistent
213-625-8125
(and yes, the receipts do say "South Central" on them)

Fryman Canyon Park - Studio City

Located in the Studio City section of the Santa Monica Mountains, this park has several trails that wind their way from the foothills all the way to Mulholland Drive. There is a small stream in the middle of the urban anomaly, as well as pseudo-desert and wooded terrains. Although there are several costly estates that border the parkland, it is still an incredible nature preserve. Great views of the San Fernando Valley abound and you feel truly isolated as you wander around the place. Fryman Canyon Park borders the protected TreePeople lands and is fairly vast in size (from slightly south of Ventura Boulevard up to Mulholland Drive, and from slightly west of Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Coldwater Canyon Avenue). Additionally, the park has a wonderful overlook as part of it on Mulholland Drive (a little over 1/2 mile west of Laurel Canyon, on the north side of the street).

Directions:
Take Laurel Canyon Boulevard to Fryman Road (2 traffic lights south of Ventura, 3 traffic lights north of Mulholland) and head southwest up to the top (the entrance is near Dona Pepita Place). You can also turn right off of Fryman Road at Iredell Street and enter the park there. A third entrance is located at the Fryman Canyon Overlook (described above). Unfortunately, the park is closed at night (although not heavily patrolled by Rangers). It is better to go during the day anyway because the terrain is somewhat treacherous provided you've not previously explored it.

LaLa's Argentine Grill - Hollywood and Studio City

It is a lot like this other Argentinian restaurant (Gaucho Grill) that I will review at some later point. LaLa's has a relatively healthy menu with reasonable prices. The majority of the items are under $10. Poultry is the focus of the menu, although they have some salads as well as beef and fish dishes (such as steaks and swordfish skewers). The location on Melrose saddens me because it is in the same location as the now-closed Chopstix (similar to Chin-Chin, but better). Bread and an oil/herb dipping sauce come free-of-charge with every meal and are delectable. Additionally, the outdoor seating section at the Melrose location provides a refuge from which to observe the trendy/counterculture passersby on Melrose.

7229 Melrose Avenue (at Alta Vista, just west of La Brea)
Hollywood

11935 Ventura Boulevard (between Colfax and Carpenter)
Studio City

The Pantry - Downtown

Former, and beloved, Mayor Richard Riordan owns this historical landmark that should never go out of business. Incredible pancakes (both the buttermilk and buckwheat ones), superply priced steaks ($13.95 for a NY Steak with mashed potatoes and sourdough bread fried on their flavorful grill...must have with their house steak sauce), scrumptous desserts, and more.

For such a wonderful place, however, it does have drawbacks:
-Cash only (the local beggers know this and always hound you outside).
-Sometimes has a long wait (as is expected for great food at 3 am on a Saturday morning)
-Traffic can be hellish during rush hours and Laker games (if you must go there during these times, take streets instead of the 110).

877 South Figueroa Street (at the corner of 9th and Figueroa)
Downtown Los Angeles
213-972-9279

Brent's Deli - Northridge

There are few things for which it is worth the trek out to Northridge. Brent's Deli qualifies as one of them. I've been to the best delis in Manhattan and can honestly say that I prefer this place to all of them. It has the feel of a traditional deli without being overly Jewish. Translated: it has a large Jewish clientele but is not kosher, so the composition of your meal is not dictated by lame dietary restrictions. I recommend the matzo ball soup, the pastrami and corned beef (order extra-lean), the blintzes, and would trust just about anything on the menu (but would be less inclined to eat the low carb crap). Better than Nate & Al's and Art's (let alone anywhere else). Brent's always receives top Zagat ratings to boot. The only drawback is that it is often crowded (try to go at off-times when everyone and their grandmother isn't there).

19565 Parthenia Street (between Tampa and Corbin)
Northridge
818-886-5679

Hot Wings Cafe - Hollywood

A place that specializes in chicken wings and, during happy hour, cheap beer. The food there is nothing that special, but it is comforting to know that I can affordably find these items within 1.5 miles of my house. The ambiance leaves much to be desired - it feels like a clean hole-in-the-wall in a trendy neighborhood with a lot of drawbacks. I've never ordered their sandwiches and their wings qualify as edible, not wonderful. You leave the restaurant feeling full and reasonably satisfied, but not ecstatic. They also have a few televisions should you decide to go there during a major sporting event. Personally, I'd rather order delivery than go there.

Main drawback:
The place is in the middle of the "shtetl" - way too many Orthodox Jews live in the direct vicinity of the place (right by where I used to work). Not a big deal for most people, but I'm some sort of celebrity to those disturbed youth.

7011 Melrose Avenue
(Just east of La Brea)
Hollywood

Cactus Taqueria - Hollywood and Pseudo-Koreatown

My absolute savior when really hungry late at night. Quality Mexican food at most excellent prices ($1 for a taco, $5.50 for an enormous fajita burrito). Everyone seems to love the carne asada, pastor, and chorizo. The pollo could be better. No matter what you order (except for maybe tripe), you should be happy with what you get. I will no longer go to a Baja Fresh, La Salsa, or Rubio's if I'm near my house.

I don't even know when they close (I've been there at least as late as 3:00 am before)!

950 North Vine Street (just north of Willoughby, between Santa Monica and Melrose)
Hollywood

4370 Beverly Boulevard (between Western and Normandie)
Pseudo-Koreatown
CLOSES EARLIER

The Knitting Factory - Hollywood

I went to The Knitting Factory in Hollywood to see my friend Bushwalla's (http://www.bushwalla.net) show. Since I enjoyed the show, I'm going to give a rundown of the pros and cons of the venue.

Pros:
-Spacious
-Multiple performance rooms
-Moderately priced drinks ($6 for a pint of Sam Adams, $3 for a kamikaze shot), modern decor (loaded with visual displays and eye candy).

Cons:
-No real outdoor space (multi-story strip mall where they keep smokers in a zoo-cage like rectangle)
-Deathly hot inside(how can they justify a $10 cover and sufficiently costly drinks when they don't even bother to turn on their air conditioners?).
-Limited seating (they have some couches and tables, but mostly open floor space)
-The neighborhood around Hollywood and Highland (has improved in terms of safety, now just Disney cheesy)
-Acts do not go on stage at their scheduled times.

Overall: If there's a show there that you really want to go to there, then go. Otherwise, save your money and go to an actual bar instead.

7021 Hollywood Boulevard (between Highland and La Brea)
Hollywood
323-463-0204

Grand Avenue Bar - Downtown

The best thing to come of this Laker loss was discovering the bar where I watched the game. A friend of mine had the sense to ask a police officer about where we could find a good sports bar Downtown (the cop was actually protecting us at the time...there was a suspicious package scare in the neighborhood, not too far from Staples Center).

The bar had a decent food menu (under $10 for standard bar fare such as burgers and chicken wings), moderately priced drinks ($5 beers, plus a slew of Laker-themed cocktails at the same price), and tons of televisions (both larger projection ones and smaller wall-mounted ones). The tables were sufficiently spread apart, there was a pool table off to the side near the entrance, and a diverse clientele.

Overall, a great find in any Los Angeles neighborhood, especially Downtown.

506 South Grand Avenue (between 5th and 6th)
Downtown Los Angeles
213-612-1532
Weekday "Happy Hour" from 4:30-7:00 pm