Gold Dig #9 Baco Mercat has a very LA bar feel – dimly lit with high exposed-pipe ceilings. It also has tasty food, in particular the Baco, which is the signature flatbread sandwich invented by chef-owner Josef Centeno. Several of the Josef Centeno Group restaurants make appearances on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list,…
Category: Gold Digging
Langer’s Deli Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #8 Langer’s is a NY-style deli… only it’s in LA! It has been around for something like 70 years, and it’s safe to say it’s something of an LA institution. Jonathan Gold actually said “Langer’s servers the best pastrami sandwich in America.” Wow, BOLD statement… so of course it makes Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best…
Tasting Kitchen Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #7 Tasting Kitchen is one of the few restaurants on the westside that appears on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. In his words, it is “not cheap”. None of his westside picks seem to be. Nonetheless, the wait for this place is long. We decided to go without a reservation, and were told they…
Sqirl Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #6 Sqirl is a tiny minimalist space. A few white counters and blackboard menus on white tile walls. There’s also a small patio seating area, but it wasn’t open when we went. Everything in the place looks clean and fresh. Owner Jessica Koslow is one of the biggest names on the LA food…
Sapp Coffee Shop Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #5 Sapp Coffee Shop isn’t really a coffee shop. It’s a Thai restaurant. Perhaps they prefer to call it a coffee shop because “restaurant” might seem a bit high-brow, which this place is not. It’s more of a local hole-in-the-wall. With the deceiving name I might never have even checked this place out,…
Petit Trois Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #4 Petit Trois is a French bistro by Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo. It is a regular on Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants list. Jon and Vinny have a handful of restaurants all within about a 3-mile radius in the Fairfax area. In addition to Petit Trois, there is Animal, Son of a Gun,…
Chichen Itza Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #3 Chichen Itza is a Yucatecan restaurant. Well, actually it’s more of a stall, in the Mercado La Paloma. I was glad I went to check out Chichen Itza if for no other reason than discovering the Mercado La Paloma. It’s a cooperative marketplace filled with craft and food stalls that is great to wander around…
Attari Sandwich Shop Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #2 Attari Sandwich Shop is in Westwood, in an area that is now recognized by the city as “Persian Square”, with an official sign and everything! It serves – you guessed it – Persian food of the sandwich variety. It is one of the cheaper places to frequentlly make Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants…
Plan Check Restaurant Review
Gold Dig #1 Plan Check is on Sawtelle, but somewhat past the Little Osaka strip of restaurants. It sits on a corner, and draws your attention because it seems to sit strangely by itself in the neighborhood but is also regularly packed with people, often taking advantage of the LA weather to fill the outdoor patio…