Living in Southern California, we enjoy rich ethnic diversity. Those of
us who explore culture through cuisine are very happy about that.
Located in West Los Angeles, Yabu, which has a devoted following and is a
good example of a neighborhood Japanese restaurant. Because Yabu has a
much larger, sister restaurant in West Hollywood, when you call to make a
reservation, you will be asked to confirm that you want to eat at the
Pico restaurant.
You do.
There are lots of chain restaurants with Japanese names, but Yabu's kitchen prepares authentic Japanese comfort food. Serving lunch (Mon.-Sat.) and dinner (Mon.-Sun.), the restaurant is perfect to drop in for a quick bite at the sushi bar or with family and friends to hang out at one of the tables tucked into the corners of the room. Order cups of hot green tea, ice cold bottles of Japanese beers or hot (or cold) sake and try out new dishes as you enjoy easy conversation and good food.
"How many hipsters does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"
Not only were we celebrating our nation’s birthday this past weekend,
but the birthdays of two of our closest friends as well, one born on
the 4th, one on the 5th. Since nothing says summer like burgers and hot
dogs, we all rendezvous'd to "The Stand" in Encino to get our grilling
fix with no preparation or clean-up necessary on our part.
Though I've lived in Los Angeles for two decades, I still don't consider myself an Angeleno. Mostly because we rarely do anything that's considered interesting or hip in this vast and ever-changing metropolis. We have our own wine cellar – well it will be someday, but right now it's an office with cases of wine stacked in it – and a kick-ass Rock Band set-up, so we're pretty much self-entertained. It's hard to pay for drinks when you have so much waiting for you at home. However, every once in awhile I feel the need to explore our horizons and wander out into the City. The Man goes along with "the plan" because he has no real choice in the matter. Putting up a fuss just wastes energy in a fight you aren't going to win. Lately, our excursions have centered around vintage Hollywood venues, which are regaining their popularity due to an "old is cool" mentality sweeping the city. We're not only old-fashioned, we like our drinks that way too, so the new classic cocktail culture is giving us a reason to step out once again. Being a fan of Hollywood history, I am slightly embarrassed to admit that there are many old school, infamous places I've never been to like Musso & Franks, The Polo Lounge, Chateau Marmont and Spago. Didn't have any money when I moved here. Still find it hard to spend $12 on a martini. There is however, one place I can now cross off the list: Yamashiro.
I know I’m really late to the game on this one, but I finally went to
Fraiche in Culver City. I’m not going to lie, it wasn’t just chance that
kept me from trying it. It’s not that I don’t want to give Culver City
a chance. I do. And I have. I’ve been to Wilson – terrible and
terribly expensive (good riddance). I’ve been to Akasha (and will
probably go back)—I highly recommend the lamb sliders, but it’s a
little expensive for me. I’ve even been to Royal/T where, although I do
like the idea of eating in an interactive art gallery, the food is only
so-so and there are way too many children running around. But my mom
would not stop raving about Fraiche. So I
decided to swallow my bias about Culver City and try it. Plus, Matt and
I really needed to go on a date—for both of our sakes.