Ceviche Pescado, Baja Taco (shrimp + fish), Consommé “Manta”
Baja California
4749 Artesia Blvd,/Inglewood Ave.
Lawndale, CA
http://www.bajacaliforniafishtacos.com
Supposedly NY Chef David Chang’s (Momofuku) favorite Korean restaurant when he visits L.A. We had heard so much about this place, and finally decided to go.
Banchan:
Their complimentary Banchan is pretty sparse, but tasty. They were all fine, but nothing really stood out.
Leek Pancake:
This was really weird. Compared to most Pajeon (Korean Pancakes) we’ve tried in the past, this one was strangely dry(!), slightly soft, and not really crisped at all. At least it wasn’t very oily. We wouldn’t order this again.
Galbi Jjim (Braised Beef Short Ribs):
And the item that Chef Chang, J. Gold and others freak out over, Sun Nong Dan’s Galbi Jjim is a giant pot of bubbling, oil spewing madness: Hefty chunks of Slow-Braised Beef Short Ribs that is spicier and zestier than other Galbi Jjim that we’ve tried.
Even ordering it “Mild” it packs a decent heat to it, and is much spicier than the other famous one from Soban. While Sun Nong Dan’s version tastes bolder - a bit more sweet, a bit more salty, a bit more spicy than Soban’s - it’s good, and the Braised Short Ribs are tender and meaty, but I think we prefer Soban’s version more:
Soban’s is $35 (pictured above), while Sun Nong Dan’s is larger overall, it runs $46, and it has way more filler: It’s loaded with Potatoes and Rice Cakes, so it feels like Soban’s version gives you more meat (or at least the same amount), and you can skip the excess Rice Cakes and Potatoes.
In addition, the servers never stopped by, nor gave us any instruction, so we didn’t really stir the pot, which resulted in the bottom layer of this dish being burnt. 
We liked their Multi-Grain Rice:
Overall, it’s pretty tasty, but I think given the price and crazy wait times, and taste, we prefer Soban’s version. And at Soban you get their ridiculous selection of complimentary Banchan as well (reason enough to go!): 
Sun Nong Dan
3470 W. 6th Street, Suite 7
Los Angeles, CA 90020
Tel: (213) 365-0303
Sun Nong Dan
927 E. Las Tunas Dr.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
Tel: (626) 286-1234
Some friends wanted to go, so off we went. It’s been chilly so it was good to get something soup-like and spicy.
Hot & Sour Soup:
This was a solid rendition of Hot & Sour Soup. Clean, tart, peppery, warm.
Beef with Potato:
A new dish added to the menu, it’s essentially a lightly spiced, Beef & Potato Stew. The Beef was slow-cooked, with lean and fatty chunks, and the sauce was delicious. Went great with some Brown Rice.
Dongpo Pork Hock (Pork Hock Braised in a Savory Ginger Sauce, with Choice of Mild or Spicy Flavoring):
This was a standout from the last time, so we had to get it again. This large hunk of slow-cooked Pork, with a bit of the Szechuan Spicy Sauce, was pretty fantastic! Succulent, tender pieces of Pork, nicely seasoned and lightly spicy. Perfect for the chilly weather.
Sole Fillet with Scallions (Sole Fillet Boiled in Sichuan Peppercorns Spiced Broth and Topped with Scallions):
This wasn’t as good as Chengdu Taste’s version, but one of our friends wanted to order it, so that was fine. Lightly stewed pieces of Sole in a slightly numbing (Szechuan Peppercorn) Sauce.
Meizhou Dongpo (Century City)
(Inside the Westfield Century City Mall)
10250 Santa Monica Blvd. #200a
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Tel: (310) 788-0120
Meizhou Dongpo (Arcadia)
(Inside the Westfield Santa Anita Mall)
400 S. Baldwin Ave.
Arcadia, CA 91007
Tel: (626) 538-4580
http://meizhourestaurants.com/
For the Soups / Stews DOTM, it was time for another visit to Luv2Eat.
Phuket Style Fish Curry Kanomjean (Vermicelli Rice Noodle with Fish Curry, served with Hard Boiled Egg, Pickled Carrots & Papaya):
Even on “Mild” this was pretty spicy. But this is the famous Curry that takes 72 hours to prepare(!), and it is as fantastic as the last 2 times we ordered it. Extremely nuanced, with lots of interesting flavors and spices, it was another great way to warm up in the chilly weather.
Stir Fried Mixed Vegetables (Cabbage, Bean Sprouts, Chinese Broccoli, Broccoli, Carrots, Celery, and Mushrooms):
Kua Gling (with Pork Spareribs, Southern Thai Style , with Hot & Spicy Turmeric Herb Curry Paste) + Sator:
The one disappointment on this visit, unlike last time’s sublime version, the Pork Spareribs tasted old, like leftovers. Otherwise the actual Turmeric Curry Paste was fantastic.
Green Curry Chicken:
Their Green Curry had a subtle nutty, creamy, tropical taste with the Coconut Milk, Housemade Green Curry base and slivers of Bamboo Shoots and Red Bell Peppers. It was comforting enough to be a “stew” of sorts, and was one of the better Green Curries we’ve had recently. I liked it more than their Massaman Curry.
Garlic and Pepper Pork:
Their Garlic and Pepper Pork was another new item we hadn’t tried before. It was pretty straightforward, but also tasty for what it was: A stir-fried dish of Pork, Garlic and Black Pepper, along with Shredded Cabbage, in a light Soy Sauce.
Luv2Eat Thai Bistro
6660 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Tel: (323) 498-5835
The chilly weather and Stews for Dish of the Month meant a visit to another favorite of ours, Mirak, and their famous Black Goat Stews!
Complimentary Banchan:
Boiled Goat Ribs:
Their Black Goat Stew is the dish to order here, but one other dish they have is a Boiled Goat Ribs dish that we’ve never ordered before. Sadly, this wasn’t close to the greatness of their Stew: The Boiled Ribs were chewy, tough, and just not very good.
Black Goat Stew:
But then it was time for the real purpose of our visit, their Black Goat Stew. Like the other visits, a huge pot is brought to the table and it begins cooking down (via a tableside burner).
The Black Goat Stew is wonderful in its subtle gaminess, super tender, Stewed Goat, and the Soup / Stew is fantastic! Warming, delicious, lightly salted, and with ample amounts of cooked down Veggies like Chinese Chives, Green Onions, and various herbs.
Their Dipping Sauces really enhance the Stewed Goat:
And at the end of the meal, something even greater than the Black Goat Stew…
Goat Stew Fried Rice:
As fantastic as before! 
The combination of the distilled down Black Goat Stew with some Seaweed, Green Onions, Kimchi, Rice and other seasonings makes this one of the best Fried Rice I’ve ever had in K-Town!
Mirak
1134 S. Western Ave., Suite A2
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Tel: (323) 732-7577
Holiday weekends really bring out the best of this city, eh? Or maybe all weekends. Why aren’t all weeks weekends?
JAGERHAUS (Anaheim)
Big thanks to @Aesthete for the tip on this place. Stopped by before Disneyland and was not disappointed. Still thinking about that spätzle. So good - strangely squeaky and addicting. I didn’t love the potato pancake (prefer it a bit crispier like they do at Red Lion). Overall, just a very fun, comfortable, satisfying experience. Nothing to drive out of your way for, but if you’re sorta close, why not?
DISNEYLAND
I would love to know if there is a better corn dog than this hot-link version.
THE TRAILS (Griffith Observatory)
After a lil hike, stopped by The Trails. Fine enough coffee and good vegan blueberry/banana muffin. I’d skip the egg sandwich or any sandwich. Always a line but plenty of tables.
ADANTE COFFEEHOUSE (Echo Park)
A really nice, no-fuss coffee shop for the area. The honey latte is great, but the iced matcha latte is my favorite.
PASTA SISTERS
At around 3pm, ordered ahead for pick-up, and it was estimated to be around 20min, which was pretty accurate.
Everything was so solid. Out of the pastas, I probably preferred the pappardelle with the mushroom and cream. The cream was almost milky and refreshing. First Lady Mochi preferred the tagliatelle FWIW. That dang sandwich is so good, too. The strip of olive oil spread on the bread. The disolvingly soft mortadella. The nut of the cream cheese. OOF. Gimme gimme more.
GUS’S FRIED CHICKEN
After conflicting reports re: fried pickles, I had to stop by to defend my honor. And honor, I did defend. They are indeed spears! May have been chips at one point, but that is the past, my friend. Now, they are glorious, too hot to handle, spears. Get 'em while they’re hot (they’re always hot).
Slick reportin’!
If you ever hit up Jagerhaus again, you should try their schnitzel, they really shine in schnitzel to me (if you area fan of super thin schnitzels, which I am personally).
Man…those brats and their homemade sauerkraut, reminding me I need to get back out there soon!
Seeing the pickle spears is also a treat, if I hadn’t been so full I would’ve gone and tried to pick some up, I guess the key is not ordering a dozen dishes at Pasta Sisters =P
Dine LA @ Church & State
Warm crusty baguette with soft salted butter and a couple gougères.
Warm olives
Salade Lyonnaise
Butternut squash and chestnut soup
Flat iron steak and frites w/ béarnaise sauce ($10 supp)
Poached salmon w/ lentils, carrots, and pickled red onion
Cranberry brioche, caramel, crème anglaise
Chocolate coffee custard, vanilla chantilly
Overall, a very nice DineLA experience. We left very full and satisfied with the service and quality of food.
#C.O.D.
This place’s menu reads like some end of year food trend list.
Crudo check.
Uni check.
Shishito peppers check.
Kobe sliders check.
Lobster roll check.
Poke check.
Kale salad check.
Grilled octopus check.
Pork belly check.
Crab toast check.
Crispy brussels sprouts.
The only thing missing are boba bone marrow cup cakes.
spicy tuna crispy rice
This was a miss, not spicy, not crispy, and bland, needed some soy sauce.
hokkaido scallop carpaccio - yuzu kosho, smoked sea salt, ponzu sauce, olive oil
Fresh and sweet
garlic noodles - egg noodles, parmesan, green onion
A pretty generous portion for $10 bucks. Good, but doesn’t top crustacean’s.
truffle uni pasta - shaved truffle, green nori linguini, creamy uni sauce, fish roe
Very rich and the fresh green nori pasta had a great chew, reminded me of a poor man’s abalone pasta from n/naka.
Dinner for four at Zelo - http://myzelopizza.info/
Large beet salad (Fresh Beets ~ Roasted Walnuts ~ Blue Cheese, Served on a Bed of Greens with Shallot Balsamic Vinaigrette) - one of my favorite beet salads as it’s delightful in the simplicity and freshness.
Large broccoli and black bean salad (Broccoli ~ Black Beans ~ Mushrooms, Served on a Bed of Greens with Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette) - decent but lacking pizzazz.
Three slices of corn pizza (Fresh Corn ~ Balsamic Marinated Roasted Red Onions, Mozzarella ~ Smoked Mozzarella ~ Topped with Fresh Chives) - my favorite, though I’ve yet to try the spinach pesto or the wild mushroom one that only shows up as a special.
Three slices of four cheese pizza (Mozzarella ~ Fontina ~ Provolone ~ Parmesan ~ Tomato Sauce) - very good but not one I crave.
One calzone special (Roasted potato, gorgonzola cheese, mozzarella, tomatoes) - wonderful crust, good filling but potato chunks were rather large and some were not cooked through.
One slice of Zucotto Cake (chilled, whipped chocolate cake,;with whipped cream & crushed biscotti layer & ladyfinger crust) - this is the most unassuming looking dessert and is insanely good!
A soda, two hot teas, as well. Came to $71 with tax before tip.
Great food, wonderful company, earnest but scattered service.
Are those black rice fan tuan? Is that you unique to the restaurant? I never such a thing existed (and I sorta would like to try it, since fan tuan is like one of my most favorite breakfast items ever).
What do you think of The Boiling Crab? Partner and I tried it a few wks ago for the first time (we had lobster and maybe fish and chips?). I thought it was totally mediocre.
You get your choice of black or white rice with the fan tuan at Huge Tree Pastry. I can’t speak to the uniqueness of the black rice, but I loved the flavor. They have a variety of fillings, but I got the vegetarian one which had pickled mustard greens - so good. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them here too, @paranoidgarliclover.
Food is ok, we usually stick with the shrimp and mussels, it’s just one of those places that my kids love…
Great report. Can’t wait to try Mirak. On Sun Nong Dan, it is my personal favorite version of that dish. The Soban version is more refined and richer. But I always order the one at Sun Nong Dan extra spicy, and it’s one of those spicy/sweet experiences that stays with you for several hours.
Hi @Haeldaur,
Thanks. 
Oh no doubt. For 2 of our friends who went with us to Sun Nong Dan, they liked their version of Soban, whereas the rest of us liked Soban’s more. But that might be because I don’t like extra spicy dishes. 
Both versions are quite good.
We haven’t been here in years. How was it?
Had a birthday meal for a family member at Republique tonight. Food was quite good, but the pricing is just out of whack compared to the quality. Lots of examples come to mind, but the most comically over priced thing is half a chicken for a $39 list price. Chicken is good, not incredible. Not better than Pollo a la Brasa. Not better than Dino’s. Not better than Marouch. The best part is really the fingerlings and spinach.
Another huge rip off was the crudo. Price was 28, but it was comically small. And even at the small size, half of it was pineapple. It was diced up hamachi, not recognizably different from what you’d get at Sweet Fin.
Salted caramel chocolate cake was a letdown. Top layer of fudge was too thick. Not nearly enough caramel. I don’t think this was a good chocolate cake, period.
The best thing at this meal was the charcuterie. It was a special board. Luscious duck liver mousse, excellent rillette, and a brilliant selection of cured meats, mustard, pickles, and crusty bread. I would go back here just to split a board for 2 with someone and maybe one pasta.
The place is jam packed–so I can’t blame them for charging what they do. But I won’t be back for dinner unless someone else is paying.
i feel the same way about cassia
I hold Cassia in a higher esteem, but I understand what you mean. At the $150/pp price point, I expect to be wow’ed. I expect to have at least one dish stop me in my tracks to marvel at how excellent it is. The problem with Republique, for me, is it never reaches that point. Everything is good, nothing I have had is truly great.
There are certain things at Cassia that I think are actively great. The charcuterie fried rice, the lamb dish, the pig tail, the snails, and the laksa all come to mind.
Bun Bo Gan from Thanh Thai in Monterey Park.
Also had a pickled veg Fan Tuan (not pictured) from Shi Hai in Arcadia which I thought was really good, nice variety of filing elevating what usually ends up being very bland
Breakfast today at Barbacoa y Birria Estilo Taxco, Guerrero. Barbacoa taco with all the fixins’ and consomme.Highly recommend their horchata, rich, thicker consistency than the usual fare.
Love Black Goat stew! Any other places specializing in it?
Hi @Sgee,
There was one other place on 6th Street I think that we used to go to. I liked it more than Mirak, but it closed. There’s one next door to Park’s BBQ, but I’ve had numerous friends tell me it’s nowhere near as good as Mirak.
Let me know if you find other places as well. Thanks.
