There are few spots in LA where a food-loving dude in a baseball cap can tuck into crispy julienned pig ear blanketed with a fried egg. But Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s rockin’ little dinner only restaurant, behind an all- black, signless façade a few doors north of Canter’s, is just that kind of place. Five years after opening, it’s still a coveted reservation - seven spots at the bar in the rear are set aside for walk-ins. Chicken liver pate is smooth and supple, painted on toasted garlic bread and finished with a fat ribbon of caramelized onions. The hamachi tostada packs a wallop of flavor with slivers of jalapeño, crunchy peanuts, Thai basil and fried onion. For heartier appetites, there’s a Flintstones-size smoked turkey leg. The menu changes often, so come with an open mind, not to mention an adventurous palate:. Bacon chocolate crunch bar anyone?
Details like silverware tucked away in hidden drawers under the tables - very James Bond - and a recently-debuted water menu, make meals at this modern glass box looker feel extra special. So does chef Kris Morningstar’s confident and thoughtful cooking. Morningstar changes the menu frequently. Cool weather offerings might include his haute version of a chile relleno: a poblano pepper, charred to black, stuffed with zippy housemade venison chorizo, and napped in a suave corn sauce. There’s also an expertly-cooked hanger steak served sliced over bacon-onion puree and paired with soft roasted apples. In keeping with the restaurant’s setting in the central courtyard of LACMA, everything is plated with an artist’s eye. But the eater’s eye wins out - Morningstar does beautiful food, but never too beautiful that you don’t want to dig in.
There’s a reason the salted caramel flavor at this sweet ice creamery - little sibling to the Pasadena original - is the runaway favorite. Jessica Mortarotti and team make their own caramel for the recipe. The result is an intense, not too sweet, ultra-creamy, super-charged, salt-tinged caramel treat that’s crazy good. But so are the seasonal flavors like roasted sweet potato studded with homemade marshmallows. For the mint crowd, there’s the cool whoosh of fresh mint ice cream dressed up with tiny bits of crunchy cacao nibs. It’s worth upgrading to a waffle cup or cone. They’re crisp and buttery, the perfect foil to the star attraction. Other things to love about Carmela: the employees serve up samples with a smile, and you can get two flavors in one scoop. Now that’s some nice ice.
The cookies at this charming bakery are so thick, it’s like they’re saying, “You got nothing on us, cupcakes.” Look for a dozen varieties each day, including several variations on chocolate chip: with nuts, no nuts, even gluten-free. But the unlikely star of the show is the white chocolate raspberry. It’s a big golden beauty with a fresh raspberry heart, a light crispy exterior and a soft chewy interior, with that perfect doughy goodness. And it’s not overloaded on the chippies. Mint fans will flip for the chocolate cookie packed with shards of Andes mints - those classic wafers with the green stripe. To go along, there is ice cold milk from local dairy Broguiere’s. And for something totally over the top, create your own ice cream sandwich.
Even if you’re never going to order a white fish plate with toasted onion bagel at 3:00 a.m., there is something comforting about knowing that you could. And 363 days a year, you can at this vintage deli. (The restaurant is closed on Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah.) Juicy, salty pastrami is piled high on soft rye bread with a crunchy crust. Softball-sized matzoh balls in steamy chicken broth are a meal on their own. And there is loads of good stuff from the bakery, such as rich cheese rugelach and massive poppy seed hamantashen. The servers are efficient pros - some of them have been here longer than the iconic autumn leaves ceiling. And the people watching, especially in the wee hours, is A-plus.
