The 10 Best Things I Consumed in 2019

As 2019 draws to a close, it’s time to wax poetic on my 10 favorite things that I ate and wrote about this year. Here are the winners:

Mashed Avocado with Watermelon Radish, Sprouts, Grape Seed Oil, Red Pepper Flakes and Lemon on Pumpernickel from Alfred Coffee (it’s only served in the Silver Lake location)

10. Avocado Toast from Alfred Coffee. Although usually referred to as a vegetable, an avocado is actually a fruit. This fruit and bread combo is the best in the City.

Brown Butter Mochi from Porridge + Puffs

9. Brown Butter Mochi from Porridge and Puffs. “Aloha” is Hawaiian for hello, goodbye and love. I aloha this dessert.

Focaccia from Triple Beam Pizza (and served at Hippo)

8. Focaccia from Triple Beam Pizza. Saying that a delicious, can’t-get-enough-of-it food is “like crack” is the most overused expression in food bloggerdom. This focaccia bread is like heroin.

Sweet Corn Cappellacci with Funghi Misti and Fresh Thyme from Hippo

7. Sweet Corn Cappellacci from Hippo. Q: What does corn say when it receives a compliment? A: Aw, shucks. The Corn Cappellacci at Hippo is much better than this joke.

Iceberg Salad with Grilled Thick Cut Smoke Bacon and Danish Blue Cheese from APL

6. Iceberg Salad from APL. This is the first time a salad has made my annual list. But in all fairness, it’s basically a giant, thick slice of smoked bacon and gobs of incredible Danish blue cheese, accompanied by some lettuce.

Fried Chicken from Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken

4 (tie). Fried Chicken from Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken. Three words: Finger. Lickin’. Great.

Smokey Frid Chicken from Plan Check Kitchen + Bar

4. (tie). Smokey Fried Chicken from Plan Check Kitchen + Bar. Also finger lickin’ great.

Morning Bun from Tartine Sycamore

3. Morning Bun from Tartine Sycamore. I agree with Ellen Degeneres who said “I don’t think I really need buns of steel; I’d be happy with buns of cinnamon.” While Tartine Manufactory closed this month, these awesome buns of cinnamon, caramelized sugar and orange zest can still be found in LA at sister restaurant Tartine Sycamore.

Pastrami Reuben from Freedman’s

2. Pastrami Rueben from Freedman’s. I love Ruebens so much that I married one (although technically my wife’s maiden name is spelled Rubin). This Pastrami Rueben is not as good as my wife, but is pretty awesome nonetheless.

Dry Aged Tomahawk Chop from APL

1 . Dry Aged Tomahawk Chop from APL. Smells like foie gras. Tastes like truffles. Costs a fortune but worth every penny. It’s the best thing that I consumed and wrote about in 2019.

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Filed under Downtown, Echo Park, Highland Park, HIstoric Filipino Town, Hollywood, Mid-City, Santa Monica, Silver Lake, West LA

My Spirit Animal

In a calorie-counting city like LA, I'm not sure that "Hippo" is the best name for a restaurant, especially one where you want to ravenously eat every single thing on the menu. But I have no doubt that flocks of famished foodies and hordes of hungry hipsters will be migrating to this wondrous watering hole for many years to come.

Hippo is a small plate joint and the cuisine is largely Italian with a bunch of other things thrown in. I recommend you start your savory safari with the Wax Bean Salad and the incredible Burrata flown in from Lazio, Italy. The complimentary Foccacia imported from sister restaurant Triple Beam Pizza is wildly good.

For mains, I recommend the Sweet Corn Cappellaci Pasta and the very un-Italian Barbecued Pork Country Ribs with Bok Choy, Scallion Salad and Sesame. The Custard Tart with Poached Peaches, Candied Lemon Zest and Crème Fraîche is a great way to end your fabulous adventure.

Hippo is located at 5916 1/2 N Figueroa St, Los Angeles (in Highland Park).

Cool Wax Beans, fresh Serrano Chile, Roasted Hazelnuts and Frenchie Vinaigrette
Burrata di Bufala imported from Lazio, Italy with Fett'unta
Yellowfin Tuna Carpaccio with Onion Soy Vinaigrette, Upland Cress and Chive
Griddle’d Cauliflower with Cauliflower “Tahini” and Walnut Raisin Caper Relish
Focaccia baked at sister-restaurant Triple Beam Pizza
Sweet Corn Cappellacci, Funghi Misti and Fresh Thyme
Tagliolini with Duck Ragù
Custard Tart with Poached Peaches, Candied Lemon Zest and Crème Fraîche
Hippo "Tiramisu" with Almond Olive Oil Cake soaked in Coffee and Spiced Rum and a Espresso Mascarpone Cream
Hippo is actually an acronym for the Highland Park Post Office, which previously resided in the restaurant's location

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Filed under Highland Park

Knives Out


In our youth-obsessed society, it’s nice to be reminded that many things get better with age. Wine, whiskey, leather boots and cast iron pans all improve as they mature, as do certain cuts of beef if they are “dry-aged.”

At APL in Hollywood, Chef Adam Perry Lang, whose monogram is the moniker of his marvelous steakhouse, knows a thing or two about dry-aging meat. Lang expertly ages his beef in a specially built basement refrigerator for months, producing steaks and chops which are extremely tender, smell like foie gras and have an incredible other-worldly flavor. This is a luxury item like truffles and caviar, with a price-tag to match.

APL also serves tasty chicken, fish and pasta, but unless you don’t eat red meat, you’re making a mistake by not getting the dry-aged beef. The other must-order dinner item is the Iceberg Salad with crumbled Danish blue cheese and a big, thick slice of grilled smoked bacon. It’s the best wedge salad I’ve ever consumed and the perfect intro to a magnificent meat fest. For lunch, APL serves some of the best BBQ in town.

APL is located at 1680 Vine Street, Los Angeles (in Hollywood).

Little Gems Salad with Avocado “Goddess”, Puffed Grains & Seeds
Iceberg Salad with Grilled Thick Cut Smoked Bacon and Danish Blue Cheese
Spaghetti with Bianco Dinapoli Tomatoes
Brick Half Chicken with Sage, Cranberry Relish and Lemon Herb Dressing
Broccolini with Parmesan Cheese
This is what the dining room looks like.
This is what the knives look like.
This is what the dry aging meat in APL’s cooler looks like.
This is what the BBQ served at lunchtime looks like.

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Filed under Hollywood

Bubbe Chic

Dining at Freedman's is like eating at your Jewish grandmother's house, except Bubbe has upped her food game and is throwing a dinner party for Eastside hipsters. The chopped liver is a mousse with figs and hazelnuts.  The latkes are shaped like Belgian waffles. And the to-die-for glazed brisket is cut tableside with an electric knife by a heavily tatted and mustachioed man. 

Freedman's has a fun bubbe chic vibe with spectacular vintage wallpaper and olde tyme light fixtures.  An impressively stocked bar serves cocktails named "Deli Calling" (Future Gin, Orange Liqueur, Yellow Mustard, Lemon, Cel-Ray and Herbs) and "Full Sour" (Aquavit, Dry Vermouth and Pickle Brine).  To end your meal, the traditional black and white deli cookie has been reimagined with fudge and toasted marshmallow. It will have you kvelling!

Freedman's is located at 2619 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles (in Silver Lake).

A fish carafe of water on every table
Pastrami Reuben with house-cured pastrami
Matzo Ball Soup
Chicken Liver with Fig and Hazelnut
Potato Latke with Cured Ocean Trout and Creme Fresh
Grilled Gem Salad with Chicken Skin Breadcrumbs and Bottarga
Gnocchi Parisienne with English Peas, Horseradish and Mint
Black and White Cookie with Fudge and Toasted Marshmallow
Guava Cheesecake (inspired by Bubbe’s trip to Hawaii?)
The wallpaper is phenomenal

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Filed under Silver Lake

Puffs ‘n Stuff

No longer just for Dickensian orphans or misbehaving blonde girls who trespass at the home of bear families, porridge takes center stage at one of LA’s coolest new eateries.

Porridge + Puffs was previously a Silver Lake pop-up but now resides as a full-fledged restaurant in an airy and bright space in Historic Filipinotown. Here, talented chef Minh Phan creates beautiful gourmet bowls of hot rice cereal, utilizing the fresh seasonal ingredients she finds at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market each week.

You can get order your porridge numerous ways including a version adorned with Grilled Black Eyed Pea Miso, KnK Fruit, Ginger, Numbing Spice Braised Pork Sausage, Chayote in Black Bean Sauce and Rose Onion Pickles. I like mine with Sweet Soy-braised Chicken, Turkey and Mushrooms, as well as Crispy Shallots, Celery Pickles, Edible Flowers and a Hibiscus-shiso Pickled Soft Egg. Whichever porridge dish you select, make sure to get an order of hot chewy rice-flour beignets called “Puffs,” for dunking.

I also recommend the crunchy Asian Herb Slaw with Rau Ram, Shiso, Holy Basil, Peanuts and Sesame. Wash it down with a sweet and vinegary Hibiscus-Rose Shrub. And for dessert, the Brown Butter Mochi with Miso Caramel will leave you saying “Please sir, I want some more.”

Porridge + Puffs is located at 2801 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles (in Historic Filipino Town).

Asian Herb Slaw with Rau Ram, Shiso, Holy Basil, Peanuts and Sesame
Poultry and Mushrooms Porridge with Sweet soy Braised Chicken, Turkey, Mushrooms, Crispy Shallots, Celery Pickles, Seasonal Edible Greens/Flowers, Mirepoix Rice Porridge, and Hibiscus-Shiso Pickled Soft Egg
Yakimiso and Sausage Porridge with Brilled Black Eyed Pea Miso with KnK Fruit, Ginger & Aromatics, Numbing Spice Braised POrk Sausage, Chayote in Black Bean Sauce, Rose Onion Pickles, Sprouts and Negi Rice Porridge
Spaetzle with Peanut Sauce, Roasted Mushrooms, Fennel, Pickled Cucumbers and Pickled Trail Mix
Naked Puffs
Brown Butter Mochi
Coffee Cake with Halva
HIbiscus-Rose Shrub
A happy place

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