I don’t have much in the way of sushi recs, but may be able to help with Mexican food! What part of town are you staying in/how’s your transportation situation?
If you like seafood, I’m just gonna go ahead and suggest board-favorite Holbox to start with regardless…
Since you’re in LA, you must do a lunch taco truck run.
Marisco Jalisco (Seafood - taco de camaron, poseiden with aquachile on the side, mixta)
La Unica (birria de res and birria de chivo quesataco or vampiro)
Carnitas El Momo (carnitas, mixed mulita of buche, carnitas, chicharron)
Hit up all 3 places in one go since they’re close to each other. Order all of the above and split it with one other person or your stomach will explode.
Let me know if you need help with other places like Koreatown, Thai Town, SGV, South Bay, Little Saigon/OC, Mexican Food, or just things to do/see.
I should be a tour guide on the side
Wouldn’t be a problem. That place is perpetually empty for some reason despite their cult status and Michelin star. I couldn’t even convince my friend to go there…he said Yelp reviews weren’t glowing like places such as Sasabune…
Btw, if you are gonna do that taco run, I might be interested in joining
Maru-san refuses to play yelp’s game, so yelp puts his one-star reviews at the top of his yelp page. Don’t believe the yelpsters. Mori is solid. Beyond solid.
Sitting in front of Maru-san is the closest thing I can think of in LA of being guaranteed a fantastic omakase here in LA.
Oh that’s good to know! Still waiting for a call back. One of the people there called and asked if I knew Maru-San as I requested him and I said “no, just a friend recommended me.” Then he said he’ll call me back later today
unless things have changed, kiriko does not typically offer their lunch “omakase” (by which i mean their lunch combo, served piece by piece at the bar) to solo diners.
but it’s still not always possible. on our last visit there was no one sitting in front of him but he was exclusively preparing the sushi for a large japanese group sitting at a table.