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If you love the food at the Katsu-Ya restaurants but want to skip the sceney/uber-trendy ambiance for a night, then The Izaka-Ya is just the place! Chef Katsuya Uechi brings you all of your favorite dishes such as the Crispy Rice w/Spicy Tuna and the Seared Albacore w/Crispy Onion… plus a few mouth-watering extras. I can’t get enough of my staple favorites like the Shishito (Japanese Small Green Peppers) and the famously addictive Baked Crab hand rolls… sooooo delish! But one thing that you may not think to order (and you definitely should!) are the mini Kobe Burgers. They are ridiculously wonderful. The place is small and crowded with probably a dozen or so tables plus the sushi bar. They have portable chalkboards with all of the tasty daily specials and the room is always packed and loud. I definitely recommend this place, but make a reservation if you can… or expect to wait!
Formerly The Coffee Shop on Sunset Blvd, Hadaka Sushi has opened its doors and I just checked it out this week. The theme here is “Sushi gone naughty”. The place is dimly lit and some of the tables spell out S E X. All of the food has sexual names such as the “Forbidden Crispy Tuna Rice Cakes”. I had these, which I loved by the way! The sushi is actually surprisingly good. I also tried The “O” Face, (a spicy Pussy-Cat roll topped with rock shrimp tempura tossed in a chili aioli), also very good. And I loved the chili-seared Albacore Sashimi with crispy shallots and pumpkin seed oil in a garlic-ponzu sauce… my personal fav! Check out the “Sex Beads” (edammame tossed with sweet garlic ginger glaze). They have many more fun sushi choices such as the “Doggy Style”, “The Threesome”, or the “Happy Ending”! They have specialty martini’s which also have sexual innuendos such as the “Bisexual” (fresh pressed ginger with fresh lime juice and passion fruit sorbet), or the “Bunny Ranch” (Mint and raw cane sugar). There is also a private room which holds 15 people and charges $1500. For this price you can actually eat the sushi off of a woman’s body! I didn’t try this out, but it sounds….interesting to say the least!! I think this place is different and definitely worth checking out.
This is one of my all-time favorite restaurants in LA. I love to eat tapas-style, sharing small portions of everything with friends so that I can taste a lot of everything! This restaurant is heaven. Brick walls with a very New-York feel to it. You can sit downstairs at the bar and choose from over 50 wine pours by the glass!! AOC stands for Appellation D'Origine Controlee, (Controlled Appellation of Origin) which is the top category in the French system for controlling wines. AOC products must be held to a rigorous set of clearly defined standards and must be aged at least partially in the respective designated area. So you know a restaurant taking on such a name must be worth its salt! And trust me, their parmesan stuffed, bacon-wrapped dates are what dreams are made of!!! They also have arguably the best cheese selection in town. This restaurant offers so many fun and mouth-watering French and Mediterranean foods...I always leave with a full belly and a big smile :) Definitely make a reservation...way ahead of time!
Oh I can not express in words how much I love this place. It reminds me of the restaurants in Florence that I ate at every night while I was living there years ago. The tables are jammed together so don't go there if you're claustrophobic! However, DO go there if you LOVE great food. Very authentic Italian food. They always have a long list of specials which the waiters rattle off to you through their thick Italian accents. I'm always impressed that they can remember it all each night! If you are there when they have the pumpkin ravioli special you are in for a real treat. Probably the best ravioli I've ever eaten. Make a reservation, the restaurant is small and fully packed every night.
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DON ANTONIOS - 11755 Pico Blvd., La (310) 312-2090
LD – 11am-10:30pm Mon- Thurs, 11am-11pm Fri & Sat |
The BEST sangria served in big fish-bowl wine glasses. (Careful, they pack a punch!!) Great home-made crispy chips and deliciously spicy salsa. Their crunchy tacos are my favorite! Make sure to sit in the "Cave"! David is the best waiter there...in fact, I go in there so often that he just brings my food out whenever he sees me! He doesn't bother to take my order...now that's great service :) The staff is always friendly and prompt...I probably eat there twice a week!
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