Gold Dig #33 Nickel Diner is a regular on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. While you can’t actually get anything for a nickel, the food is more affordable than many of its pricier downtown neighbors. It has a great old-school feel, with red leather booths and vintage wall paintings of menu prices from back in the…
Category: Gold Digging
Soban Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #32 Soban is another Koreatown spot on Jonthan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. They have his picture and review prominently displayed on the wall opposite the door. You can’t miss it, as Soban is a pretty small place. Half the restaurant is filled with a handful of tables, and the other half the bar seating…
Odys + Penelope Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #31 Odys + Penelope is a grill and Brazilian churrasco spot. It’s on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, and in his review of the restaurant he says “Odys + Penelope I actually love”. It’s a large warehouse space with exposed pipe ceilings, a long bar on one side, and an open kitchen at the…
Rice Bar Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #30 Rice Bar is a rare Filipino restaurant on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. I’m guessing this has mostly to do with the fact that Filipino restaurants in LA are scarce compared to say Korean, Chinese, or Thai spots. My best friend growing up was Filipino, so I spent much of my youth at…
Park’s BBQ Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #29 Park’s BBQ is one of the Korean restaurants on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. I think he likes Korean food almost as much as he likes Thai food, as he often talks about his visits to Koreatown. As you might have guessed from the name, Park’s BBQ does Korean BBQ, where your order…
Adana Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #28 Adana is a Middle Eastern restaurant in a strange spot kind of in the middle of nowhere in Glendale. It is one of the only places on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list that is out in that area. We were going to be nearby-ish to see a taping of Conan, so we took advantage…
Vincenti Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #27 Vincenti in Brentwood is not only one of the “10 great Italian restaurants” Jonathan Gold has written about; it also makes Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. A large bar runs the length of the restaurant. Many of the patrons are in business attire and look like they might be having a work meeting….
Salt’s Cure Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #26 Salt’s Cure is a Hollywood spot on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. While some of the places on his list are street trucks or hole-in-the-wall (dare I say “dives”), this is more of a date night restaurant. Dimly lit (thus the grainy pics), bar, patio seating, and prices to match. If you’re…
Pok Pok LA Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #25 Pok Pok LA is one of the several Thai restaurants on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. Somewhat more expensive than your typical local Thai joint, it’s part of something of a Pok Pok empire, with the original Pok Pok in Portland. Inside there is a well-stocked bar. Outside is a patio area that…
A.O.C. Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #24 A.O.C. is one of Suzanne Goin’s restaurants to regularly make Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list (Lucques is another, which I haven’t made it to yet, but it’s on my list to make it to their Sunday Supper!). A.O.C. has a beautiful courtyard patio with big doors into the restaurant and bar, vines creeping up the surrounding…
Coni’Seafood Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #23 Coni’Seafood is in the middle of nowhere Inglewood. It has a tiny 4-car parking lot that you have to back up into the street to exit. But it’s often on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list, so we trekked to Inglewood to try it. It was worth the effort. The back patio…
Jitlada Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #22 Jitlada is perhaps the most well-known of the Thai places on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. It was featured in City of Gold, the documentary following Jonathan Gold as he explored LA’s culinary culture. Not only is the food awesome, but chef-owner Jazz is a super cool lady. We were lucky enough to…