Hong Galbi BBQ House - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

I had driven past Hong Galbi BBQ House many times and mentally made a note to check it out some day. So, when Jin of Seeking Food uploaded some yummy-looking pictures of Korean pork ribs, I insisted we go for lunch next time she had a craving. This was not one of the ubiquitous all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurants dotting Koreatown. Not that there's anything wrong with that; as you know, I'm a frequent customer at such establishments.

Hong Galbi BBQ House specializes in broiled pork ribs. Lunch specials feature the ribs with rice pots or stew for about $30. Not all-you-can-eat prices, but enough to feed two people so it evens out.

Cielo Verde - Playa Restaurant Rooftop Garden - Los Angeles

While dining at Playa Restaurant for the media preview for AltaMed's 7th Annual East LA Meets Napa food and wine event, when Chef John Rivera Sedlar mentioned that all the greens and flowers used in his dishes were grown on his restaurant's rooftop garden, I was amazed.



Even better was when I found out he was allowing small groups of visitors on the roof to check it out. After climbing the ladder, which you saw in the previous post, I saw this. The view is from the next level up, looking down. The ladder I climbed is just to the right of the green rooftop.

It's not the fancy terrace-like rooftop garden depicted in many a home magazine. What it is, is a functional garden with towers and towers of plants grown in a soil substitute shoved into what space was available on an industrial rooftop in the center of Los Angeles. This was just the herb and starter plant area, the next level up was simply incredible!

Media Preview: AltaMed's 7th Annual East LA Meets Napa - Playa Restaurant - Los Angeles

I was invited to a media preview luncheon at Playa Restaurant in Los Angeles for AltaMed's East LA Meets Napa 7th annual food and wine event. It's my favorite food and wine event, not only does it benefit underserved communities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, but East LA Meets Napa brings together mostly Mexican, and other Latino restaurants, and wineries. It's a great way to explore regional Mexican cuisine, and even sample pre-Hispanic dishes.

Check out my previous posts of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Annual East LA Meets Napa food and wine events.

Playa Restaurant is owned by John Rivera Sedlar, of Top Chef Masters Season 3 fame who also owns Rivera Restaurant, known for its flower-pressed tortillas. While waiting for the others to arrive, I checked out how the flower tortillas were being made.

Sarita's Pupuseria Salvadorean Food (Grand Central Market) - Los Angeles (Downtown)

On my fourth turn at jury duty, I had to report to Los Angeles County Superior Court, which coincided with Day 2 of the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson's doctor who was accused of prescribing the medication that caused his death. Apparently, getting assigned to the downtown courthouse gets some people excited because of the nearby eats. Personally, I prefer Alhambra Superior Court -- closer to home, easier parking, and better eats.

Nonetheless, I was excited for the opportunity to check out Grand Central Market during the lunch break, and in particular, Sarita's Pupuseria Salvadorean Food.



But before we get to lunch, let's backtrack a bit to that morning.

Jury duty parking was underneath the Walt Disney Concert Hall; amazing building, a pain to find the specific entrance needed for the assigned parking. Then I had to rush down Bunker Hill to make it inside the courthouse in time.

As I approached the courthouse, I saw a media circus with video cameras and protesters gathered in front. You'll have to excuse the blurry photo. My point and shoot camera had a smear on the lens and my attempts to wipe only made it even more blurry. The hazy effect seemed only too apropos for the surreal atmosphere.

AltaMed's 6th Annual East LA Meets Napa (Union Station) - Los Angeles (Downtown)

After the fun I had during the 4th and the 5th Annual AltaMed East LA Meets Napa event, I was excited to be invited back again by Nerissa of NRS Public Relations. No +1 this time though so I was on my own. Not that that mattered too much since I ran into a dozen LA food bloggers. I told ya, it's a popular event!

And not just with food bloggers as you can tell by the crowd.

Tres by Jose Andres (Afternoon Tea) (SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills) - Los Angeles (Mid-City West)

After my brother stopped by with my adorable little niece, I was off to meet my childhood friend for afternoon tea at Tres by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills.


Tres is to the right of the main entrance of the hotel and is separate from Andres' more well-known restaurant, The Bazaar. Upon seeing the bookcases in the outside entrance, I knew I would already be charmed.

Coffee House Heyri - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

The day after my lunch at Soot Bul Gui Rim 2 Korean BBQ - Los Angeles (Koreatown), my friend Ivan came into town and was staying in Koreatown. He wanted to meet up for coffee in the late afternoon. Phew! Because I'm not sure if I was up for another round of Korean barbecue so soon. Oh who am I kidding? I'm usually up for Korean barbecue, just not that particular day. :P

In the past few years, there has been a slew of higher-end coffee shops opening in Koreatown charging premium prices for so-so coffee. They've been popular because the coffee shops themselves are much nicer than average, sometimes with private rooms, they're open late, and they have free Wi-Fi. I remembered a post on Coffee House Heyri that Jeannie of The World is My Oyster so I suggested it to my friend. Turned out, he was staying just a few blocks away.

Coffee House Heyri was in a really nice converted house. But it was much too nice of a day to stay indoors so I walked straight through to the backyard. Plus, I figured it'd be easier for my friend to locate me than to wander around inside.

Soot Bul Gui Rim 2 Korean BBQ - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

These pictures have been sitting around since July 2008. So since I just blogged Scoops - Los Angeles, where we stopped off after lunch at Soot Bul Gui Rim 2 Korean BBQ, might as well get this off the queue.

Lil' sis, the oldest '87, and I decided to try out a new-to-us all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue restaurant. For $16.99, we got a choice of 14 meats including pork ribs, sliced brisket, marinated ribs, pork belly, barbecued chicken, boneless short ribs, tongue, grilled squid, barbecued beef, tripe, large and small intestine, and beef heart.

Scoops - Los Angeles (Wilshire Center)

I had blogged Scoops more than three years ago after my brief visit following dinner at Cobras & Matadors - Los Angeles (Los Feliz), but it really deserves its own and much longer post. Not that Scoops really needs much of an introduction anymore. I mean, who in L.A. hasn't stopped in for some brown bread ice cream? Avocado Guinness sorbet? Peanut butter and celery gelato? Salty chocolate? Roasted corn? Pistachio lavender goat cheese?

Oh, I could go on and on with how much I love Tai Kim's many inventive flavors.

Hae Jang Chon Korean Barbecue Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

On my actual birthday, I opted for a tried and true favorite, Korean barbecue with the oldest '87 and her middle sister at Hae Jang Chon Korean Barbecue Restaurant in Koreatown. The photos for this post were actually taken back in February, during my first visit when my dad's friend's daughter was in town.

I guess it does pay to advertise. I noticed the restaurant's ad on LA Weekly's website and clicked over. All you can eat Korean barbecue, including 19 items, for $16.99? And open until 2 a.m. every day? Definitely worth checking out.

So on my dad's friend's daughter's last night in town, we decided to go there for dinner. When I got there, I realized that I actually had tried to go once before with lil' sis, after noticing it during a visit to Kyochon Chicken - Los Angeles (Koreatown). But the restaurant looked empty so early in the day, so we defaulted to Tahoe Galbi Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown) for lunch.

It was an hour wait on a Saturday night, but we stopped off at Scoops - Los Angeles for gelato beforehand so we didn't mind.

Part of the reason I wanted to try Hae Jang Chon was for the rock slab grill. You'll see why later in the post. The waiter immediately started bringing out all the panchan (Korean side dishes). The Baechu Kimchee (Korean Pickled Napa Cabbage) and the Kong Namul (Korean Seasoned Soy Bean Sprouts) were the overly fermented kind intended for the grill.

CBS Seafood Restaurant (Dim Sum) - Los Angeles (Chinatown)

Earlier this summer on the same day that I noticed my desert rose and begonias were blooming again, I had met up with a college friend who was in town. Because of logistical reasons, we decided to meet up for dim sum in Chinatown. Everyone knows all the best Chinese restaurants are in the San Gabriel Valley, including dim sum, so I was at a loss as to where to go. I asked the Twitterverse and Christine of Folie a Choisauce suggested CBS Seafood Restaurant.

It's a bit old school with pushcart-style dim sum, but it has a free parking lot next door, which is always helpful. I also found a restaurant.com coupon ($25 off $50 coupon for $10, but I had an online code for 70% off so it only cost me $3.) so that decided it. Her parents and grandparents were also joining us, otherwise we would have never been able to eat $50 worth of dim sum.

I got there first so I ordered tea while I waited for my friend. See the pushcart in the back? I was pretty surprised actually because the restaurant is quite small and the newer, smaller dim sum houses have done away with the pushcarts, opting for taking orders off the menu.

Gui Il Bun Ji BBQ Restaurant - Los Angeles (Koreatown)

I felt like I did so much that day after making Feta Cheeseburgers for breakfast for oldest nephew and then departing from San Diego, I stopped off to see the "Images at War's End" exhibit at Camp Pendleton, then lunch with my friend at Banh Cuon Tay Ho 4 - Westminster (Little Saigon) and drinks at TeaZone Lollicup - Westminster (Little Saigon), then work, then I met up with WeezerMonkey and Starchy Marie at Gui Il Bun Ji BBQ Restaurant in Koreatown. All in one day! Really!

We had been meaning to get together for a while and were trying to decide between an all-you-can-eat or regular Korean restaurant. I suggested Gui Il Bun Ji after seeing Christine of Folie a Choisauce tweet about it. The Yelp reviews seemed pretty good and $16.99 for a choice of more than a dozen meats, plus tons of panchan (Korean side dishes) seemed good to me.

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar - Los Angeles (Downtown)

For lil' sis's belated and my brother's birthdays, he chose Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in downtown Los Angeles at LA Live, where Staples Center and Nokia Theatre are located. Does anyone remember when venues weren't all corporate names? :/

AltaMed's 5th Annual East LA Meets Napa (Union Station) - Los Angeles (Downtown)

I had such a great time at AltaMed's 4th Annual East LA Meets Napa celebration at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles that I was overjoyed to receive my own invite the following year from Alexia at Double A Public Relations & Marketing. I got a +1 too and invited my friend Don since his birthday was coming up, but he couldn't make it. So I asked my childhood friend since she works downtown. She had a sore throat, a result of a too tight neck hold during Brazilian jiu jitsu class, and couldn't comfortably eat, but she didn't want to miss the opportunity after I raved about it so much.

East LA Meets Napa is seriously one of the best food and wine events I've attended. I love almost every food stall and it introduces me to so many great new Mexican dishes and restaurants in SoCal. All proceeds from the event also benefit AltaMed's programs to provide care for underserved areas of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

After seeing Gourmet Pigs' pictures of the gorgeous Attilla the Flan's floral creations, I was determined to hunt some down for myself this year.

Sushi Komasa - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo)

Forty-five minutes after we left our cell phone numbers and we went across the street to Matsumoto's 2nd Street Jazz - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo) for some drinks, two spots finally opened up for us at Sushi Komasa.

By then, it was 9:30 p.m. and the lines out the door had disappeared.

Matsumoto's 2nd Street Jazz - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo) (Closed)

Back in April 2008, I met up with my childhood friend for dinner in Little Tokyo. We were planning to eat at Sushi Komasa, but the line was out the door. We were told it was about a 45-minute wait. So we left them one of our cell phone numbers and went across the street to grab drinks while waiting for a table. I like this sign of our times! No waiting around to make sure our buzzer was within range or listening for our names to be called.

Matsumoto's 2nd Street Jazz is located next door to Izakaya Haru Ulala - Los Angeles (Little Tokyo). The bar is owned by my friend's former sensei. She bartended for a while there too so we had a bit of an advantage in terms of service and knowing which drinks were best.

Taste of Brazil - Los Angeles

Cousin Q first mentioned Taste of Brazil to me long ago as a non-churrascaria Brazilian restaurant in case I wanted to try it. Last September, I finally went with Tony and Mrs. SinoSoul and their friends.

I did not realize there would be live music that night. And two big tables celebrating a birthday. All Asian people too. In a Brazilian restaurant? What was going on? The combination of live music and raucous eaters meant WE HAD TO TALK LIKE THIS TO BE HEARD. And I did not like that.



Nonetheless, we persevered.

Tacos Mexico - (East) Los Angeles

In April 2009, after dining at One Sunset - West Hollywood, I still wasn't quite satisfied. I wasn't hungry, but dinner didn't quite hit the mark for me. After dropping off The Glutster, Danny of Kung Food Panda and I saw the "open 24 hours" and "Especial Martes Tacos .55" signs at Tacos Mexico and decided to make a pit stop. It wasn't a Tuesday so the tacos were actually $1.05, but that seemed just right for a late night snack.

Guelaguetza Restaurante - Los Angeles

Shortly after the devastating 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, Gourmet Pigs organized an online auction of gift certificates to Los Angeles-area restaurants with all the proceeds going to charity. I scored a gift certificate from Guelaguetza Restaurante of dinner for two that included two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, and two drinks. She bought the other gift certificate.

So in March, we decided to try Oaxacan Mexican cuisine and invited L.A. and O.C. Foodventures and WeezerMonkey to join us.

While we were looking over the menu, the waiter brought us tortilla chips topped with mole and queso fresco.

LudoBites 3.0 at Royal/T (In Bed Together) - Culver City

Since I had such a great time when Gourmet Pigs took me to Ado Ristorante - Venice for my birthday, I wanted to take her out for a nice dinner for hers. As luck would have it, LudoBites 3.0 at Royal/T was extended for several weeks and I managed to snag a reservation. While LudoBites is really quite a bit more than I would spend on a meal, I was very curious about this pop-up restaurant that had been hyped so much, especially the way Ludo Lefebvre, who was on "Top Chef: Masters Seasons 1 and 2" in case you didn't know, is reported to combine unusual ingredients. Since reservations are nearly impossible to get, I didn't want to pass it up.


I experienced literally two bites of Ludo's food at Hello Kitty's 35th Birthday celebration in collaboration with the "In Bed Together" exhibit that would replace it, so this was all new to me.