"los angeles restaurants" news and stories

There's always a new restaurant opening in Westwood, whether in Westwood Village or further south along Westwood Boulevard. I'm not sure why the turnover in the area seems higher than in other places, but I suspect it has to do with very high westside rents battling against a very budget-conscious college market.

The most recent opening I noticed is Fresh Corn Grill, a few blocks south of the campus area on Westwood Boulevard. We stopped in for lunch.

Sushi is a hot topic here at Slashfood, whether we're talking about types of fish, my personal distaste for overly creative rolls, ore "reviews" of various sushi bars around the globe. Recently, Dakota asked which place has the best sushi in LA, and the May 2006 issue of Los Angeles Magazine has their top ten choices. Agree? Disagree?

1. The Hump, Santa Monica Airport, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop, Santa Monica, CA (310) 313-0977, www.typhoon-restaurant.com
2. Katsu-Ya, 11680 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA (818) 985-6976
3. Matsuhisa, 129 North La Cienega, Los Angeles, CA (310) 659-9639, www.nobumatsuhisa.com
4. Nishimura, 8684 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA (310) 659-4770
5. Shibucho, 3114 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA (213) 387-8498
6. Sushi Gen, Honda Plaza, 422 East 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA (213) 617-0552
7. Sushi Tenn, 2004 Sawtelle Boulevard, West Los Angeles, CA (310) 473-2388
8. Tama Sushi, 11920 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA (818) 760-4585
9. Urasawa, Two Rodeo, 218 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA (310) 247-8939
10. Wa Sushi & Bistro, 1106 North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA (310) 854-7285

Sushi Sasabune is famous in Los Angeles for omakase. The restaurant used to be located in a tiny shack (quite literally, a shack) on Sawtelle Boulevard in West LA, with fluorescent lighting, flimsy tables and chairs, and no atmopshere whatsoever. But night after night, Sasabune was bursting at the seams with devoted fan of the fresh fish.

Sasabune has finally moved to a much larger, cleaner, airier space on Wilshire Boulevard (the space used to be a Todai - thank God it's not there anymore). We went recently to check out Sasabune's new digs, and to see if the sushi in a larger, higher volume operation would be the same.

It's Cinco de Mayo (that's "5th of May" if you took French in high school), so don your sombreros, head out to the local cantina, and start the fiesta! LA is a veritable goldmine of Mexican joints, with everything from upscale Border Grill to the taco truck on the corner (though we're not sure the taco trucks have blended margaritas). Here are eight places around LA to celebrate the victory of the tiny Mexican militia at Puebla. Get there early, since places will fill up fast on a Friday afternoon.

1. Baja Cantina, 311 Washington Boulevard, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292, (310) 821-2252, www.bajacantinavenice.com  - Get there early. Last year, I drove by it, and kept driving because the line was full of guys in Mardi Gras beads and straw hats waiting to get in.
2. Cabo Cantina, 8301 W Sunset Blvd (@ Sweetzer), Los Angeles, CA 90069, (323) 822-7820 - There is also a second location on Wilshire Blvd on the Westside. That's where Monkey was having his margarita!
3. El Carmen, 8138 W Third St (@ Crescent Heights), Los Angeles, CA 90048, (323) 852-1552 - It's dark and moody inside, with creepy masked Mexican boxers on the walls, but their selection of tequila is incredible.  
4. El Cholo, 1121 S Western Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90006, (323) 734-2773, www.elcholo.com - El Cholo also has a Westside location at Wilshire and 11th in Santa Monica. It is very popular. If I were you, I'd go there now. No, really, now.
5. El Coyote, 7312 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036, (323) 939-2255, www.elcoyotecafe.com - Margaritas are HUGE, food portions are HUGE, but the girls are tiny.
6. Lula Cocina Mexicana, 2722 Main St Santa Monica, CA 90405, (310) 392-571, www.lulacocinamexicana.com  -
7. Spanish Kitchen, 826 N La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90069, (310) 659-4794, www.thespanishkitchen.com - I've never been, but all my friends love the place. A bit expensive, and sort of hipster-ish, but fun nonetheless. 
8. Velvet Margarita, 1612 N Cahuenga Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028, (323) 469-2000 - Like Spanish Kitchen, it's a wee bit of a hipster place, so dress nicely. The giant margaritas in fresh pineapples are sort of touristy, so stick with a regular one on the rocks and you won't look like a plebe.

My little pet monkey and I went for drinks and few light foods for Happy Hour a few days ago. The place we went is in downtown Los Angeles, at the base of a high-rise that has the name of a bank on it. The restaurant is part of a large restaurant "empire," this one focusing on steaks. While the restaurant isn't extraordinarily busy, the bar is always crowded with a downtown business and legal set at happy hour, who indulge in martinis and discounted mini-burgers, hummus with pita, and French fries. The food is very decent, and the drinks are delicious. The best part of the bar is that much of the seating is on an outside patio amongst the high-rises.

Where is my monkey having a Mandarin and Soda?