Diner Week: The Fountain Coffee Room...hidden for a reason

(Inside the Beverly Hills Hotel)
9641 Sunset Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90209
(310)276-2251
Everyday 7AM-7PM

To finish up this week, I'll be posting about a place that I have visited many times and have always wanted to write about. The Fountain Coffee Room at the Beverly Hills Hotel is a place that will remain as long as the Beverly Hills Hotel is around. It is also a place that some would describe as "where the locals go". Now, the locals in that neck of the woods are, as some may put it, "well to do". Do not let this discourage you. The food may be on the pricier side but rest assured it is food that is better than average by a good amount AND it's a small price to pay for some who love to eat amongst the stars... who eat here all the time. I have yet to show up and not see at least some actor, model or musician hanging out and chatting about. In fact, can you spot the actor in this picture above? He's there I promise.

First let me get to the nitty gritty. Their silver dollar pancakes are the junk. They don't play around when it comes to these hot cakes. They are some of the most consistent pancakes I've ever had in my life, and somehow I don't really know what makes them magical. They're fluffy and yet have some weight to them. I'd be hard pressed to find better batter to go with the syrup they serve it up with. By the way, the sausage in the background is veal sausage. Can you say, "Oh My"?

A classic breakfast that I enjoy treating myself to is hash and eggs. But, when I really want to treat myself to this dish I come here. Their hash is out of this world. Most people's hash is on the saltier side and lacks a tremendous amount of character or something that you can walk away remembering as special. Their's defies normalcy. It could pretty much be put between two pieces of bread and eaten straight up. The spices are a mystery to my palate, but if you're looking for something kick butt you should give this a whirl.

Small menu things to mention. The coffee is awesome, they have their own signature blend, and they always make sure you're getting the good part of the pot. "How" you might ask? They thow out the last quarter of each pot. The eggs with salmon caviar are an acquired taste but are great if you feel like waking up to fish. And, the shakes are classic, some of the best in town. You know how in Pulp Fiction they talk about the "Figh-dolla shake"? Well, their's is $5.50 and worth the extra 5o cents.

Parking is at your discretion. You can either feel rich and go the valet route, or you can just park on the streets surrounding the hotel which are 2 hour parking spots (not metered). When you go in the hotel's main entrance it's to your right and down the stairway. The Fountain Coffee Room will be right at the end of the small flight of steps. It's hidden from the prying eyes of most of LA, and the residents (that's right, people LIVE there) who usually go there love it that way.

This week has been fun. We've looked into a small window of diner culture in LA that has hopefully reminded many of you that the diner age has yet to completely be faded away by the trendy "impress me" attitude of LA.

PS. Apparently, I'm not the only one wanting to talk about diner love in LA. Here's this weeks article from Jonathan Gold on Du Par's.

Free Refills: No, get the coffee which IS because it's a mighty fine cup o' joe
Entree Price Ranges: breakfast plates start at $8.50 and can hit $22 if you get extravagant, for the 2 of us we put out about $35 or a little more + tip

Diner Week: Wendy's Place...love from the other side of LAX

107 W. Grand Ave.
El Segundo, CA 90245
(310)322-3942
Tue-Fri 6AM-2PM
Sat-Sun 7AM-1PM
Mon Closed
CASH ONLY

Breakfast by LAX can pretty much suck all around. Unless you find the few gems that are tucked away within a few minutes distance by street from the airport. George's is one such place that comes to mind if you're coming from the North side the airport. But, if you're coming from the south side, THE go to place for breakfast is Wendy's Place in El Segundo.

I love this place! Loved by just about everyone in the neighborhood and even the surrounding neighborhoods (I had friends who live in Manhattan Beach that told me they love this place when I mentioned I would be writing about it). The walls are covered with Norman Rockwell painting puzzles and there's a sweet sense of a place that has somehow withstood the changing times.

The breakfasts they serve up are as All American as the Rockwells on the walls. As far as chicken fried steak and eggs are concerned, their's are one of my favorites in the Southland. I would honestly rank it in my top five. The breading is light, the meat very tender and the gravy is just the right consistency so that you don't feel like you just ate a brick. The hash browns have just a hint of meat flavor from the grill and the eggs seal the deal.

By reading the posts so far, can you tell we love pancakes? There's are no exception with these cakes being spongy but firm. Somehow they're able to stay together even with gobs of syrup (yes I have a sweet tooth).

Parking is street parking. It's located in the "small towny" section of El Segundo that has a huge sign section showing the churches in the area (which were plenty). Somehow walking into this area you're taken back to a Mayberry like atmosphere complete with the the small diner that they call Wendy's to supply the right start for your All American day...or flight from LAX.

Free Refills: Yes. Oh and they have pretty decent coffee ;)
Entree Price Range: Breakfast $5 to $8 and lunch is $7 to $10

Diner Week: Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop

3839 Main St
Ste B
Culver City, CA 90232
(310)204-5728
Mon-Fri 7AM-3PM
Sat 8:30AM-2PM
CASH ONLY

Having the current status of being not as rich as I used to and figured I'd do a special week on the diners in LA. I have a tremendous love for diners being that on the East Coast they are places that are often stuck in time with cheap prices that rarely go up and a staff that'll often stay working there for as long as they live. The food, while rarely being mind blowing, is always consistent and you can count on a certain standard of coffee. Los Angeles really doesn't have too many of these places. I remember one of the last one's, "Tiny Island" on Wilshire, was torn down a few years ago. My heart sank, especially considering that nothing has replaced the spot. I think it's just an empty lot now. I've already written on some diners in LA that I feel are pretty stand out, but I wanted to focus on places a little off the beaten path and or maybe places that you have heard of but never seen.

A prime example of all I have just talked about is Tokyo 7-7 Coffee Shop in the alleys of Culver City. You won't find this place unless someone has told you where to go specifically. My best advice is to get on Main Street in Culver City and look for Bottle Rock wine bar. There you'll see an alley. Walk through the alley till you are in the heart of the intersecting alleys and you'll find Tokyo 7-7.

Though it's a very secretive spot, you'll find that the place is pretty busy pretty often. Don't worry though, the service is fast and at worst you'll only be waiting for a few of minutes. There's a center counter with about 14 tables surrounding it. It's got a certain charm to it that has been all but lost in our city with the ever changing "impress me now" attitude prone to LA.

The French toast is always rocking. Light grilled and pretty classic.

American breakfast with Portuguese sausage for flair. Their eggs are what eggs should be with very "familiar" home potatoes.

The pancakes were fluffy and chewable (some mass to them), the texture uncompromised by the butter and maple syrup.

The prices for breakfast make you wonder how they're making any money! Notice the early bird special!!!

Lunch is insanely cheap too even with Asian dishes on the menu!

One thing that made me smile was the cashier lady who was knocking it down with the abacus! Each bill that came in was calculated super fast with this thing. It reminded me that in school they had taught us how you could do just about any computation on an abacus that you could do on a calculator, you only had to know how to work the computations. She is most definitely a master.

This place is hidden from prying eyes, but has all the clientele it could ever need. They don't take card which is pretty unfortunate, BUT it's cheap enough that you might even have enough in pocket for your meal without having to make a special bank stop. Parking is a actually a whiz with the parking structures right next door that give (if I remember right) 2 free hours. Next time you're on the west side and aching for some breakfast find this alley and pull up a spot on the counter.

Free Refills: No, but the price makes it about what you'd pay anywhere for a soda with a refill if you buy 2 servings of soda.
Entree Price ranges: Breakfast is $1.70 to $5!!! and lunch is $2.50 to $5!!!

Tara's Himalayan Cuisine...one of my top 3 this year!

10855 Venice Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90034
(310)836-9696
Lunch Mon-Sat 11AM-3PM
Dinner Mon-Sun 5PM-10PM

In LA you'll find that there are many different options when it comes to eating great food. We have some of the best cuisine in the world, at least when it comes to per capita. Rare is it though, that you feel you get to find exceptional standout food that you know the proprietor should probably be charging more for. I'm not talking fine dining really cause in my most humble of opinions, those owners are seeking to make an inflated buck. I liken it to how much it costs when you go to the doctor for anything. I do want good service but I don't want to go broke over it. When I go out for food I feel like I should feel like I paid for a good meal. Not going and having the opinion of "well...let the punishment fit the crime".

Recently I have made one such discovery. A small hole in the wall place called Tara's Himalayan Cuisine has become one of me and Celeste's favorite finds for this year. Not only is this a great find but in all honesty it's officially one of our favorite restaurants this year period.

Me and Celeste were on our way home from work trying to find this one spot on our list of "to go" places but they were closed on Mondays and so we kept looking. This was one of the few times you'll ever hear me saying "thank you for the traffic on Venice Blvd". The traffic made it easy to spot lots of places that we weren't as familiar with and Tara's happened to be one of them. I immediately made a U-turn once I saw they were open and parked right out front. We stepped into a charming little dining area with an exposed kitchen on the right. It was cold outside that night and coming into the warm sweet place made things get better instantly.

Let me preface this by saying that in my life on this planet I have made many attempts to enjoy tea. I have thought to myself "so many people love tea...what in the world do they see in it"? To me, it's lots of smell with very little payoff. Smells great but to me tastes like hot water. I've tried many teas in an attempt to be proven wrong, all to sad disappointment. It's a bummer for me cause I feel there's this profound group of intellectuals sipping tea that I will never be a part in conversation. Until now. We sat down and the lady (whom I can only assume is the owner and possibly named Tara as she pointed out small personal tidbits about the place) was quick to offer us some tea when we mentioned how cold it was outside. The tea comes out just as shown above, with milk already in it. She told us it was Nepalese tea which was made up of black tea and a mixture of Himalayan spices ( I believe cardamom and cloves were involved somewhere in the mixture). I can not tell you how much I liked it! I had 4 or 5 cups of it. I wanted to know if I could purchase the mix from her to always have it available (no such luck). It had lots of flavor and had a bouquet that drew you in to each sip. I pass by this place and think about just stopping in for the tea alone!

But let's not get carried away about the tea only, this place is still about the food and let's get to that. We started off with a couple of appetizers. Above shown is an order of Samosas. Their's consisted of mixed potatoes, peas, carrots in a perfect flaky crust and came with their own special tamarind chutney. They were smooth in flavor and texture and pretty darn big to boot.

Our other appetizer was their chicken Momos which came with their own special tomato achar. For those of you that don't know about momos, think Indian versions of dumplings. These were steamed to perfection and packed with tender chicken and floral spices. Their achar sauce was a pleasant departure from traditional achar in that it tasted of, what can only assumed, cashews which made a lovely complimentary to the abundance of flavor.

Their Saag Paneer may very well be my favorite version of this dish. Smooth spinach with chunks of paneer but the real secret in their saag is that it has cinnamon in it. Our's came with a full stick resting inside. This along with some other secret spices added a subtle sweetness that sneaks up on you and makes this very standard plate super memorable.

Their Chicken chili had chicken that was battered in chick pea flour, and sauteed in ginger, garlic, onion, tomato and bell peppers. As you'll notice their "chili" is very far from conventional American chili which makes us think of this pot of stew with beans that has enough heat to it to melt the fillings in your mouth. Not so with this dish, but more of an abundance of earthy flavors caressing the moist chicken with just a touch of after burn.

Their Lamb sekuwa is a sizzling platter of small strips of lamb that were tandoori oven baked with ginger, garlic and a special blend of Himalayan spices with a hint of soy sauce. This plate rocked and was gone in no time flat. The lamb was super tender and very moist despite having been tandoori cooked and may I add that the pepper popped in flavor all over this stuff but wasn't overkill. The onions were tasty enough to eat on there own and overall this plate is winner in every aspect.

We finished up our meal and at this point we were elated with everything including the wonderful service. She asked us would we like some dessert and that she had just made her carrot pudding? She could have told us anything and we would have bought it we were that happy. But oddly enough carrots wasn't what I was expecting for dessert. Her Carrot pudding was crushed carrots cooked in milk, raisins, and cream. We were pleasantly surprised at how much we liked this. If you were take a bite without anyone telling you what this was you might not guess that it was made with carrots except by the color. It had a mild sweetness with a thick wheat texture. It was gobbled up.

We weren't really paying attention to prices and we knew what to expect from previous Indian types of meals. Not so with Tara's! Super affordable be thy name!

This is by far one of those places that has tremendous quality and service all at "I'm stealing from your children prices". They have the incredible combination of not your completely standard fare (but familiar enough), great prices, they DELIVER, have wonderful service, take card, and to boot are hidden enough as to not have the place be packed all the time and yet positioned as to attract the many who sit in traffic. Serendipity has blessed me again!

PS. Here's the menu...remember they deliver! And on another side note, Tara's only uses fresh, locally grown produce and spices direct from Nepal. They really "do" authentic!

Free Refills: Yes...get the tea and fall in love!
Entree Price Ranges: Lunch is $5 to $7.50 and dinner $6 to $11.50 (but most are $9 or less)

Dolce Isola...even the simple things from The Ivy are to die for!

2869 S. Robertson Blvd
Culver City, CA 90034.
(310)776-7070
Mon-Sat 7:30AM-6PM
Sun closed

A recent addition to the Culver City empire of restaurants is the Ivy's Bakery store front by the name of Dolce Isola. Being that The Ivy is such a place of note and that just the mention of it conjures up pictures of celebrities hob nobbing on the front patio. It's no wonder that this place shouldn't become a hit amongst common folk such as myself, as well as the rich and famous.

The focus of Dolce Isola is first and foremost as a bakery so you'll find fresh breads and cakes to delight the eyes as well as your taste buds. But don't be fooled, their sandwich selection is something very special... and be sure to check if they have a special sandwich of the day!

Both our sandwiches are what I've always imagined the perfect picnic sandwiches to be. The Dolce club consisted of fresh roasted free range turkey, baby lettuce, tomato, avocado, bacon and their mayo must have infused with a HINT of horseradish. All items were very fresh and the bread was a firm, toasty crispness on the outside and soft on the inside. In short AMAZING. I would grab this in a heart beat if I ever couldn't decide what to get. It was simple, but even perfection can be simple.

Celeste enjoyed their caprese sandwich, made up of fresh tomato, fresh mozzarella di bufala(aka-REAL mozarella which is made from water buffalo milk), basil, light dijon mustard and a little olive oil. With the crunchy softness of the bread, the flavors of each item came together beautifully. Also, it was refreshing to taste fresh soft mozzarella from water buffalo milk, such a difference...if only more people knew.

Here are just SOME of their baked items, additionally there were several more platters out in the open to tempt you. Celeste got a Latte to go with our selections, and I wouldn't normally mention her coffee (sorry no picture) , but she and I found it to be pretty spactacular, and she LOVED the foam (which is really saying something, cause normally she finds it tasteless and an annoying barrier between her and her drink) .

We chose the carrot cake, which if I remember correctly was the Capri cupcake of the day, a dense, double cupcake sized bit of goodness. I myself am always hard pressed when it comes to cake as I'm not such a cake guy, but this was exceptional. The cream cheese frosting was SUUUPER creamy..."like buttah". As for Mitzi's Earthquake cookie, I barely have a clue about what's inside of it. I know that eartquake cookies are made from the same basic dry ingredients as Devil's food cake, and they have a sugar coating that when they're done cracks and reminds you of the ground after an earthquake. What Mitzi's recipe calls for I don't know, but these things were killer. It seemed like a little bit of toffee as well as walnuts were tossed in but don't quote me on it instead just buy one figure it out...they're only 75 cents a cookie.

Here's their array of gelato and sorbet which makes for a great finish for any meal here.

We got a small cup of their Pecan praline and while not the best in town it's most certainly up there for smoothness and creaminess. This was very nice in that it wasn't too rich and the pralines were crushed very small, and the base vanilla flavor it was mixed into was just perfect. Indeed a perfect way to cap off this great Saturday afternoon kick back meal.

With their hours, this is a great way to bring something special home to a loved one or yourself on a weeknight, a means to arrange a perfect picnic, or have a nice low key meal on location. A big plus is that you can order many baked goods including bread, cakes that can serve intimate or huge parties (this screams weddings) as well as their to-die-for jams, chutneys and sauces. My one sadness with them is that they're not open on Sundays and they close at 6PM on the other days. I mean Sundays would be ideal for this place as they'd make a killing. Other than that, I find this place to be a new hotspot for me whenever we can make it. And make sure to hop on in because, for many, this could be the closest you will ever get The Ivy!

Free Refills: No
Menu: I'll do better than give you a range. Here's the menu from the day we went.

Industry Cafe & Jazz...Ethiopian Culture meets American Culture

6039 Washington Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 202-6633
Sun-Thurs 11AM-Midnight
Fri-Sat 11AM-1:30AM

Being a musician, and more importantly a bassist, who plays both electric and upright, I find that it becomes an everyday occurence to see myself gravitating to people who share a love of the same things. Since upright bass is synonomous with Jazz, it's no coincidence that I've been to plenty of jazz clubs here in LA including all of the prominent ones that the big players get featured at.

In Culver City there's the blink-and-you'll-miss-it restaurant called Industry Cafe and Jazz that features great jazz, great Ethiopian food (as well as some soul food bites). The beauty of the place is that it's open pretty late. I find it to be a beautiful marriage of great cultures. It's been said that Jazz is the only true musical heritage we have. It was born here in America and is every bit American as the hard working people that it was birthed from.

I won't go into huge details here, but I'll tell you in a nutshell that the food is wonderful and is served by people who aim to please. The types of food are standard Ethiopian fare but don't let that fool you if you've never had Ethiopian. There's much to be said about their incredible culture and even more so their food! Rich in spices and textures, it's a foodie's delight!

Here's one of their standard but very well done meals all on injera (wouldn't really be Ethiopian without it). Shown are the collard greens on the left, salad on the right, lentils and chick peas on the top and bottom, and in the center are their lamb tibbs and chicken tibbs. The meats were super tender and mouth wateringly savory.

Just wanted to show you a little bit of a closer shot of the lamb tibbs. Why? Cause I wanted to give it an honorable mention amongst all the lamb tibbs I've had including in all of Little Ethiopia (where there happened to be a festival this past weekend...had to make a mention of it as it was an unexpected treat to walk through).

As for the jazz, you can't go wrong in LA and they get some great players popping in to throw it down. They also have poetry and some special events that support the community. Parking is street parking, and luckily if you go for dinner (after 6) all parking is free. Treat yourself to some culture soon...ours and theirs!

PS. I'll be back again soon to write up about the soul food if it's happenin'.

Free refills: No
Entree Price Range: $8-$11 for the Combos, $9 and below for everything else

Cheebo's...In honor of our current sky

7533 W. Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323)850-7070
Mon-Thu 8AM-11PM
Fri-Sat 8AM-12PM

The sky still has it's fresh layer of orange thanks to the fires that have crisped the south land. All that orange has reminded me of our very own Cheebo restaurant here in Hollywood. If you've ever been patrolling down Sunset you'll know that is quickly one of the most memorable places on the strip thanks to it's orange artsy exterior.

Inside your eyes are treated to pop art laden walls while your butts are treated to "getting-to- know-all-about-your-nearest-neighbor" seating. And though the seating is sometimes tight it's always been a friendly environment...maybe Cheebo's attracts all the right people.

While perusing their menu you'll notice it's quite eclectic and for the most part healthy. They strive to use organic, all natural, nitrate and hormone free products, but this doesn't mean flavorless. In fact, most of their plates exude a natural in your face experience. Take their Cheeborrito for instance. While possibly one of the simplest items on their menu, they have paid attention to make sure the the bacon is chopped and spread evenly throughout. They give you 3 extra items of your choice to accompany the eggs, hash browns, bacon and salsa already inside the tortilla.

I'm not going to mention everything on their menu though most of it I could easily write about. I will however make mention of two often bought items. One being the Porkwich. Their description of it is "slow roasted organic pork, pickles, roasted onion, manchego cheese, tarragon may on ciabatta". My description, "pork holiness nestled between artisanal bread". This is one of the "slamminest" (non BBQ) pork sandwiches on the West side. By the way, I love the chips that come with this plate (as well as many of their other plates), they're freshly made and never too salty.

The other favorite is their pizza. The crust is soft on the inside and a little less soft on the outside, the cheese is smooth with lots of "string" character, the toppings are very fresh, and it's consistently like this. It comes out on a wood plank and is good enough for one (with an appetite) or two people (if you're eating light) . Their pizza is by far above average but obviously more artisanal and therefore wasn't on my pizza week postings. That's not to say it isn't absolutely fabulous and worth ever cent you pay for it, it's just not your traditional pie (to some it's even better than tradition) . Pictured above is their Alfredo Slab, a white pizza with ricotta, ham, spinach and mushrooms. It's one of Celeste's favorites and I think has been ordered by someone in our party almost every time we've been. Now if you're going for take out, you may want to to order their famous "slab" which is a 3 foot slab of pizza that can be sectioned off for toppings.

This is just a sampling of the many glorious items they have to offer and though I only mentioned day time meals they will blow your socks off as well when it comes to dinner. I really do wish I could name off all the plates that are special, but I think you'll just have to go and discover for yourself. Oh man, before I forget, they have a killer Arnold Palmer...it's seriously my favorite. It's fresh lemonade and not your typical tea to boot!

Parking can be weird depending on when you're there. It's a safe bet to park on the street around the place but just pay attention to the signs...it is West Hollywood after all. The staff are pretty on it and though the place has some serious hustle and bustle to accompany the noise level, it's generally a pleasant experience always. When you do decide to go, try and grab a spot on their patio on a sunny day, it always reminds me about how nice it is to enjoy Hollywood.

PS. celebs go here...often... & FREE WIFI.

Free Drink Refills: Yes
Entree Price Range: Breakfast/lunch $7 to $20 and dinner is $10 to $24 with one special plate (28 day dry aged Prime all natural NY strip) setting you back $35

BIG PS. I have a winner for the ticket give away, thanks to all of you who gave it a shot. Keep checking the site for more opportunities (sometimes they're not the subject of the post) and BIG HINT, I'll have another REALLY REALLY soon.

India's Clay Oven...romance is in the air...maybe it's the spices

7233 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323)936-1000
Sun-Thur 10:30AM-10:30PM
Fri-Sat 10:30AM-11PM

I miss seeing people. I miss meeting people. At heart many people say that they could never label me as "not outgoing," but they forget about the time when they first met me and I was quiet. Observant. Wanting to impress, so I chose my words more carefully. Then as time went on I became quite the animated outspoken person that they know me as now, but that only came with spending time with them. My wife Celeste can vouch on everything I just said. I think this mentality is what keeps me the way I am when I visit restaurants. I'm never one to start talking to people I don't know right off the bat. I'll go, and try and be as inconspicuous as possible. I almost desire to be forgettable. Maybe inwardly I want people to work hard to get to know me. Who knows? I try and recall when Celeste (my wife) met me. Was I this hard to get to know? Oh that's right...she pretty much blew me off the night I met her...so at least you can conclude that I was not assertive (it was with persistence that I gained victory) . Anyways, these were things I pondered last time we went out to India's Clay Oven. I still love the fact that I go out on dates with her.

India's Clay Oven isn't a romantic spot per se but I've found that romance is what you make it and where you bring it. Dare I say it can be at a bus stop if you make it right. The place is nice and cozy though and rocking LA's Indian food scene for about 17 years now. They gotten raves from LA Times, LA Weekly, LA Magazine and Elmer Dills from channel 7 and they bring their A game to each customer that comes in, so much so that customers keep coming back. While dining there you may notice them welcoming people by name cause people return, and return with friends. The best type of viral marketing.

One of their items they're especially known for are their samosas. They are without a doubt something special. Lots of samosas suffer from blandness and too hard or thick of a shell. This is not the case with these. They have a knack for being super consistent with how light the outside is and how smooth the potato is with the peas enhancing the subtle spices. If you go in, these are a must try. Not to mention they're pretty hearty sized and a good price.

This time around, we also grabbed an order of Lamb Boti kabab, the Paneer Korma Curry and a plate of Murg (Chicken) Buryani. The Lamb Boti had pretty massive chunks of lamb that came out sizzling on a platter with sweet onions. We drizzled some lemon on it and the explosive flavor on each bite was a knockout. The lamb was moist bearing some sweetness from the onions and the spices were pungent in all those wonderful clay oven ways.

The Paneer Korma curry is without a doubt one of my faves there. It's not completely smooth which is great for the flavors of this dish. Sometimes Korma has the tendency to be a little too creamy where it weights you down early on in your meal. Their's is rich but not heavy and laced throughout with cashews and onion. It's lightly spiced and quite memorable when you have it. The paneer itself is firm and it's mild flavor complemented. I could eat at this plate once or twice a month and be totally happy.

The last words on India's Oven is that the surrounding area is street parking, and after 6 they have valet (if you know the area you know why) . To complete a night of makeshift romance, after you've grabbed your dinner you can head over a couple of doors to LA's best and I think only dedicated movie revival house to catch a double feature.

In the end, I think that this site is my form of getting people to know about me without me having to deal with my shyness. Thanks for partaking in my conversation.

Free Refills: Yes but they also have rocking India's Special beer (as well as other assorted Indian beer)
Entree Price Range: $9 to $15 (one item being $19) and combination plates run $16 to $19

Jaragua...new kid on the block can play with the big boys

4493 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(323)661-1985
Open Everyday Noon-10PM

Over this weekend we found a new spot that's totally worth a mention. Jaragua is located on the Saladorean strip of Beverly (between Vermont and Western) at the the far West end of the block. We had seen when it was in the process of opening a short while ago and made sure to mark it on our "go to" list. What really enticed us initially was the fact that it was a Salvadorean spot that was obviously trying to step it up to finer dining (most of the restaurants on that strip are mom and pop spots that are more about the food than the appearance...to say the least).

The interior is, as you can see, more of a family dining type of atmosphere.

We were promptly seated and ordered quickly. We started off with their traditional appetizer platter which had sliced green plantains, fried yucca, one empanada, fried plantain chips and a patelito. Let me start right off the bat and say that their empanada that they gave was pure bliss in my mouth. I had never had a banana and cream empanada and this thing rocked. The yucca was lightly fried making it much easier to enjoy as it's subtle flavor wasn't hindered by heavy batter. The plantains were perfectly ripe making them bold in their sweetness and the pastelito was a baby fist sized ball of meat and vegetables. A wonderful platter and would be worth going back for alone..but it gets betters.

What kind of Salvadorean restaurant would be complete without pupusas? None. It was about 6 inches in diameter and (the one we got) filled with revuelta. Revuelta is a mixture of chicharon, cheese and beans. While not the best I've had, it was completely worth it as everyone's revuelta pupusas taste a little different and are thereby pretty customized. Their's was nicely made with meat of notably good quality, wasn't too salty and also good as it was also a decent size.

Ah...Salvadorean tamales, always a treat. Celeste got for herself one chicken and one pork. Now, she could have gotten one and been just fine, cause the things were huge...almost twice the size of your everyday tamale. That said, I'm glad she did though, because if she hadn't, we wouldn't have known that they use different flavoring for the masa for the different types of meat. If you haven't tried a Salvadorean tamale, you really must. The style of masa in the first place is considerably different (it's smooth and moist with a sweeter flavor) , and there's always one green olive (pleasantly mild) , and a couple potato chunks. Even if you share, make sure you at least try one the next time you have a chance, no matter where you are!

The entree we got (and should have shared!) was their Pollo Encebollado which came with traditonal rice (carrots, fava beans and peas mixed in). I think an entire onion was used and every ring was tasty. This was a massive plate of food with a quarter of chicken and all the vegetables within. The chicken was tender and moist and the onions added lots of character to it. A little bit of citrus zing rounded out the sauce that everything was sitting in. What a great plate of food this was and they whipped out pretty fast to boot.

They have parking in the back and there's plenty of street parking in the area. The staff was quick and very courteous, though I did have one small problem with the waitress who brought us our check (not the waitress who was helping us for everything else). She brought the check out and actually waited right there by the table for me to sign my bill. Kind of rude...but I think she was new...in fact I'm almost positive she was. Overall I look forward to going back as the prices were really good and I'd love to support a local newcomer that I feel deserves a chance to get going.

Free refills: No

Entree Price Range: Sampler platter was $7, main entrees are $9 to $14 (remember lots of food!), and tamales are about $2.25 as well as the pupusas.