My Top 5 this weekend in L.A.
I spent the weekend in Los Angeles and had plenty of good food. I have come up with this Top 5 list of best foods that I ate this past weekend in the City of Angels.
#5 Miso Ramen at Santouka Ramen
My first memory of having fresh ramen noodles was when I lived in Los Angeles. With 4.5 stars and 600 reviews, I went to Santouka Ramen. The restaurant was located inside Mitsuwa Market, a Japanese grocery store in West Los Angeles that I used to frequent. I ordered the combination miso ramen that came with a side of pork over rice and a side of boiled egg. Both sides were not worth noting. I should have just ordered one large bowl of miso ramen as that was definitely worth talking about. The noodles were lightly chewy in texture and was in a tasty broth.
#4 Potato Chip Chicken at Grub
My friend took me to a restaurant called Grub located in Hollywood. It was really cute as the restaurant is in a converted house that also has outdoor seating. The most interesting thing on the menu was something called Potato chip crusted chicken which came with mashed potatoes and spinach and that is what I ordered. This dish had many textures that went head to head. There was the crunchy ruffled potato chips, the smooth mashed potatoes, and the moist juicy chicken. It was delish!
#3 Chocolate Cranberry Walnut Cookie at Magnolia Bakery
I read an article several months ago that New York’s famous Magnolia Bakery was opening a store in Beverly Hills. Many people rave about there cupcakes, but I love their mini cheesecake varieties. I have even gone so far as to buy some in New York, freeze them, and then take them on a 5 ½ hour flight back to the Bay Area. Unfortunately I couldn’t take them with me this time as there was a heat wave in Los Angeles. With temperature in the 90’s, I was not going to get very far with mini cheesecake. I decided to buy their chocolate cranberry walnut cookies to take home. These chewy cookies are not as good as the cheesecake, but they are good enough to make the list.
#2 Lobster & Crab Roll at Joan’s on 3rd
Joan’s on 3rd is a marketplace across the street from Magnolia Bakery. This shop is very European and also reminds me of the store Dean and Deluca. They sell cheese & charcuterie, baked goods, imported groceries, sandwiches, gourmet cooked food, and much more. After roaming around the store and also seeing someone with a fantastic looking sandwich, I went with their special sandwich, the main lobster & crab roll. This was full of fresh lobster and crab on a chewy roll. It was delicious! The sandwich came with a side of homemade potato chips that were excellent. Most of the time homemade chips tend to get soft, but these stayed crispy all around. It also came with a side of pickled cucumbers that had a very good Asian flavor.
#1 Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
This was the only place I had planned ahead of time to eat at and had reservations. I had only been to Mozza once before and it was so good I had to return. This restaurant is the brainchild of Iron Chef Italian Mario Batali and Nancy Silverton, of La Brea Bakery fame. You’ve got an expert in Italian food and an expert in baking bread, which is the perfect combination to launch a pizzeria. The pizza I chose had fennel sausage, panna, red onions, and scallions. I pick Mozza as having the best pizza in the country. The crust bubbles up so much that it becomes cracker thin and delectable.
So that wraps my weekend Top 5!
