Since I’ve been back to L.A., I have made a few visits back to Langer’s, including yesterday for lunch. As usual, I’m not disappointed. No matter what I order to eat, I always start off with a cream soda ($2.50). I’m really not a soda drinker, but you can’t tell that from the way I down one glass after another of the cream soda. Yes, Langer’s give free refills. Every time I order this, before I hit the last sip, my server would ask if I want a refill. How could I say no to that? I’ve asked servers at Langer’s on a number of occasions to divulge their secret ingredient (what kind of cream or syrup is used), but they lips are sealed tightly. A waitress once told me that the only ingredient she can tell me is cola. I know traditionally, sweet cream is mixed with cola or your choice of soda, but I have no clue if Langer’s secret is really this simple.

My actual food order was the cup of soup and half sandwich combo ($10.95). I chose my standard chicken noodle with hot pastrami on rye. The chicken noodle soup is filled with thin egg noodles, which I’m happy about, but there are no chicken pieces at all. The lack of chicken meat is probably the only complaint I have about the soup. My friend opted for the matzo ball soup, which I had before, too. I can’t say it’s my favorite, but the matzo ball is quite big and better than some of the others I’ve had. What I really like about Langer’s food is the hot pastrami on rye. Some people just aren’t crazy about the pastrami here and are mystified why fans like myself enjoy it so much. First of all, each slice is a thicker cut than most other sandwich shops. There are some people who prefer layers upon layers of thinly sliced pastrami. If you are one of those people, then you should probably pass on the pastrami here. Due to the thickness of the pastrami here, the layers are smaller, which give some diners the impression that Langer’s is stingy with their portions. I can say that looks are deceiving. I have never been able to finish more than half a sandwich at Langer’s. The pastrami here is also surprisingly lean and well seasoned. In addition, the rye bread is very good, too. I enjoy the flavor of the rye, as well as the crunchy crust. If pastrami really isn’t your thing, there are many other choices. I recommend the brisket of beef sandwich ($14.25) and tenderloin skirt steak sandwich ($15.95).

Langer’s is right on the corner of 7th and Alvarado, right across the street from MacArthur Park. There is a parking lot on 7th and Westlake. Langer’s will validate.

Langer’s Delicatessen
704 S. Alvarado St
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: (213) 483-8050
Mon-Sat 8am-4pm

Liberty Grill opened about a year and a half ago to mixed reviews. Diners complained about the lack of originality in the menu, the high prices, the service, etc. You name it, someone has complained about it. Yet this restaurant won the 2007 Best New Restaurant by L.A. Downtown News and does have a few fans. From what I heard, some of the issues have been resolved. Thus, I figured it was safe to bring my out-of-town friends.

We started off with Katie ‘n’ Megan’s Mac & Cheese Bites ($9). In addition to just being fans of mac and cheese, one of the friends’ names happen to be Katie, so we had to order it. Her name is in the dish! It turned out to be quite good. Basically, imagine your typical macaroni and cheese scooped up in a ball, rolled around in a light batter and breadcrumbs, and then deep fried. I had previously heard that this dish was way too greasy and unappealing. All I can say is anything deep fried probably will be a little greasy and won’t be good for you, but it sure tasted great going down. That was all we cared about. We also liked that there was a little dish of marinara sauce for us to dip the “bites” in.

For our main entrees, I went with the BBQ Pork Sandwich ($12.50), Katie opted for the Pasta Pomodoro with Grilled Chicken ($15.50), and our friend, Deanna, chose the Liberty Grill’s Sloppy Joe ($11.50). We all agreed that our food tasted good, but it just didn’t seem like they were anything to rave about. The pulled pork tasted similar to others I’ve had. As I was eating it, I did realize that Liberty Grill gave a hearty portion of pork even though it didn’t really look any different from pork sandwiches at other restaurants. Liberty Grill also gave a very generous portion of angel hair pasta in the pasta pomodoro, topped with halved chicken breasts. Of all of our entrees, Deanna’s turned out to be the most surprising one. Her sloppy joe was made with Liberty Grill’s Denver Chili. This was clearly noted in the menu. Nevertheless, we were still shocked that there were beans in her sloppy joe. None of us had ever heard of beans in sloppy joes before, so this was a first for us. On the plus side, Deanna did say she enjoyed her meal.

Now I will say that while we had a lovely time at Liberty Grill, I do understand some of the complaints other diners have had. For instance, pricing. I saw an ad on the table for their pomegranate martini. I happened to have been watching Take Home Chef on TLC earlier in the afternoon, and they had made one. I was thus influenced into ordering one. When the bill came, I was a bit surprised to find that the martini was $11, almost as much as my dinner. Had I known, I would have just gone home and made my own. The signature entrees also might make a dent in someone’s wallet. There also aren’t too many choices. While the dessert menu looked extremely tempting with a standard New York Cheesecake and one of my personal weaknesses, the Red Velvet Cake, the $8.50 for each dessert was a complete turnoff. Liberty Grill is a very affordable restaurant if you know what to order. I recommend a visit to this quaint little restaurant, but keep in mind that it’s a fairly boring menu with some overpriced items. For downtown LA though, it is reasonably priced.

Miscellaneous:

One last misconception I’d like to clarify, the service. I don’t know if the staff changed or what, but everyone there was very courteous and professional. We had no problems whatsoever. The food arrived fairly quickly. Our waitress was friendly and smiled every time she came to our table. I noticed good service at the other tables as well.

Also, even though I heard there was valet parking next to the restaurant, it turned out to be just a vacant parking lot. We parked the car ourselves, and there was an ample amount of spaces. In fact, if we were really wild and crazy, we probably could have done a donut in that parking lot and still not hit the few parked cars that were there.

Liberty Grill
1037 S. Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90015
Phone: (213) 746-3400
Fax: (213) 746-3404

Lunch: Monday - Friday: 11:00am - 4:00pm
Dinner:Monday-Thursday: 4:00-9:00pm, Friday-Saturday 4:00-10:00pm

[Photo from their website]

R23 Japanese Cuisine and Art Gallery is exactly what a downtown, cool and artistic space serving fantastic sushi and exceptional gastronomic delights ought to be. Tucked away on the outskirts of Little Tokyo, in L.A.’s Arts District, this fine restaurant first opened its doors in 1991. Now, seventeen years later, R 23 has expanded into the galleries next door, extending their ambiance of intimate dining rooms currently adorned with modernistic paintings by Japanese artist, Ichiro, which are available for sale. The expansion also features a lounge area with a small sake bar.

The main dining room remains lined with dramatic Gauguin-inspired paintings from acclaimed Japanese artist Shiho Amano. Tables are dressed with crisp white linen and are framed by R23’s signature, custom-made corrugated cardboard chairs created by L.A. architect Frank Gehry.

R23’s Executive Chef Tobi-San orchestrates an extensive menu from the kitchen that includes two dozen nightly specialties, while Head Sushi Chef Toshi-San leads the team of four chefs at the granite sushi bar.

A substantial heap of their signature Dungeness crab salad ($21) is drenched with a perfectly balanced rice vinegar and olive oil dressing that has the clarity of a consomme and the mild heat of a hint of ginger.

You truly haven’t lived until you’ve sampled their luscious Lobster tempura ($55), featuring lightly deep-fried claws and tails, as well as vegetables, which also arrives as a generous portion fit for sharing.

Grilled medallions of Duck ($14) are stuffed with Tokyo scallion and served with crisply steamed baby bok choy.

Lavish cuts of truly sublime sushi are draped over the lightly vinegared rice and are served on handcrafted ceramic platters with abstract black, grey and red hues. The toro was so rich and oily, it was practically falling apart. In my notes, I think we paid $29.50 for four orders of sushi, including yellowtail, salmon and the toro.

Their refreshed wine list is impressive as well, with selections specifically chosen to pair with the cuisine. A nice range of cold sake, from junmai to ginjo to the finest daiginjo varieties, arrive in cunning little glass carafes with their own internal ice reservoir to keep the rice wine chilled (small is $20, medium is $25).

Be advised, this place is seriously spendy and there are no prices on the long page of chef’s specials, so don’t be afraid to ask before you order, unless you have an unlimited amount of dosh at your disposal!

It may be a little tough (but not impossible) to find R23, hidden down a small street of warehouses off East Third, but that’s all part of the adventure.

R23
923 East 2nd Street, in downtown L.A.’s Arts District.
Open for lunch Monday through Friday – 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,
dinner Monday through Saturday – 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 213 687 7178.
Valet parking is available, but we snagged a free spot on the street.

He was a little confused when we walked up to the restaurant, and he saw the awning in front of the restaurant labeled as Institute for Urban Research and Development. It turns out that IURD sponsored the non-profit cafe. In addition to providing excellent food and good service, the restaurant provides job training for many every year.

Once we walked into the restaurant, we saw a sign that said to wait for Mama to be seated. My friend asked, “Well, where’s Mama?” As soon as he said that, Sandi “Mama” Romero appeared. She was friendly and welcomed us to pick our own table. We pretty much knew right away what we were going to order - the two tamales combo ($7.50). Basically, we pick two tamales and then we choose among tortilla soup, salad, or rice and beans. (If you want to skip the extras and just fill up on tamales, they are $2.75 each, but if you order 3 or more, the price becomes $2.50 each.) Since it was raining outside, we both opted for the tortilla soup. I really didn’t expect such a large bowl, but the tortilla soup could have been an entire meal for me. The soup arrived piping hot, in both temperature and spiciness. I do typically enjoy tortilla soup in general, but one of my pet peeves about this soup is when the tortilla strips in the soup are already soggy by the time I have my first taste. This definitely wasn’t the case at Mama’s. In addition, I had one spoonful that almost made me feel like I was having chips and salsa. The tortilla strip was still crispy, and in the same bite, I had some tomatoes, onions, cilantro, melted cheese, and the slight kick in the broth.

I could go on and on about the soup, but let’s get to the real action. Just so you know how popular Mama’s tamales really are, I had initially picked the beef in adobo sauce. I was disappointed to hear that someone had already purchased and picked up all of the beef tamales they had! Thus I wound up choosing the pork (Honduras style and wrapped in banana leaves) and vegetables and cheese tamales (wrapped in corn husk). The tamales were as good as I remembered. The masa was so moist and delicate. While I liked the pork tamale, it wasn’t my favorite. I like potatoes but not necessarily in the center of a tamale. That definitely threw me off on this tamale. The mixed vegetables in the second tamale were not impressive (literally one kernel of corn, one piece of diced carrot, 2 peas, one mushroom, etc.) but what was impressive was how the cheese was nice and gooey. While the veggies and cheese tamale appears plain, it was actually quite delicious. This is why I like Mama’s tamales.

We finished off our meal with an orange flan ($7). Basically it’s your typical flan with a good amount of orange zest in every bite. This was a lovely ending to a wonderful meal. I think one of the tricks about Mama’s food is that they look simple, but they are packed with flavor.

Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe
2122 West 7th Street
Los Angeles, CA 90057
Phone: (213) 487-7474
Hours: 11am-3:30pm Daily

Have you gone to it yet? Will any LAFB writer or reader admit to going? Well, I figured it was time one of us risked our stomach to be able to blog about the experience! Perhaps some of our more well-heeled readers or writers could share about the food in the luxury boxes or field level seats?

Yes, it is a marketing ploy. It is working so well such that the media is talking about it and they say other sports venues are looking into it. Excerpt: Greenspun (the Dodger’s COO) said a handful of other professional sports teams have contacted the Dodgers about copying the idea, including the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers. The Milwaukee Brewers sent their stadium operations chief to check it out.

The menu is simple: hot dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, sodas and water. All you can eat for a ticket price that can range from $25 to $40 depending on when you buy it and what day the game is. The food service starts 1 1/2 hours before game time and ends 2 hours into the game. Other items can be purchased at their usual outrageous sports venue prices.

My first visit to the line yielded this …

At the risk of being insufferable with some baseball as life metaphors, I have to say it isn’t so much about the food but about sharing the ballpark experience with these fans in a place that is so LA …

I attend about 6 games a year in various sections of the stadium. I heard about this new feature and felt it was time to check it out. The fans who attend games in this section are probably not like fans in the other parts of the stadium. They are probably more hard core!

During the game, I wondered aloud about some aspect of baseball to my friends next to me and the fan in front of me who overheard happily answered. The fans in this section start-up the wave. They heckle the opposing teams right fielder. And a few brave fans in this section defend that right fielder too! Total strangers high five each other when the Dodgers do something good.

My second and final visit to the line in the bottom of the fifth yielded this …

Other fans take far greater advantage of the menu than me. I saw one well prepared fan chug straight from a bottle of Pepto! I’m happy to report that I didn’t suffer any ill effects unlike this Slate.com writer.

The Dodger brain trust must be very happy as this section which would probably be hardly full on a typical Tuesday night had barely an empty seat. And these fans add to the buzz of the Dodgers being the hot ticket in town because the bulk of us stayed all the way to the bottom of the ninth!

In the end, the joy of being there isn’t really about the food (you’ve just seen the pictures and you have probably eaten it yourself) but about sharing a love of the game. And the good feelings isn’t so much about the love of the game but about seeing the cultural array of a city come together to cheer for a Taiwanese pitcher (Hong-Chih Kuo), rooting for hard working guys in the twilight of their careers (Garciaparra and Kent), admiring make it against the odds youngsters (Russell Martin) and going crazy about a 6′4″ 290 pound 22-year-old white kid (Broxton) who could throw a ball through a brick wall in the 8th inning and then admiring the way a wily 36-year-old Japanese closer (Saito) finishes off the game in the 9th.

In case you were wondering, the Dodgers won that night 4-1.

Two buck tamale!

Hat tip to Erin’s Kitchen for the information on the LA Tamale Festival. Since I don’t live too far away, I decided to check it out.

Check out the LAFB post about last year’s Tamale Festival.

The event is on 7th Street near MacArthur Park.

Like any festival, there are colorful items sold in vendor tents.

Got to wash down those tamales with some ethnic drinks! The drink I had was $2 and was a blend of red punch and sweetened condensed milk and ice.

The chefs hard at work making things for hungry customers. There are, of course, other things besides tamales.

I got my fill of tamales and bought some extra (TEN!) to take home for future lunches and dinners. Tamales cost $2 or $3 depending on type.

The festival continues the rest of Saturday night and on Sunday.

WHEN:
November 10, 11 & 12, 2006
Friday: 3pm - 8pm
Saturday:10am - 9pm
Sunday 11am - 6pm

WHERE
MacArthur Park - Mama’s Hot Tamales Cafe
2124 West 7th Street, Los Angeles, Ca 90057
Between Parkview & Alvarado Street on 7th Street

Señor Fish
618 Mission Street, South Pasadena 91030
Locations in Eagle Rock (Señor Fresh), Alhambra, and Downtown
(626) 403-0145
Under $10 per person

Daily 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Bottom Line: If you’re jones’n for fish tacos, there is no other choice.

“Always fresh, never fishy,� is a mantra more commonly associated with your favorite sushi joint than your corner taco hut, but Señor Fish may very well be bucking that trend. Sharing an unassuming strip mall with a Laundromat and House of Coffee (now the soon-to-be Señor Fish annex), this bare-bones, no-nonsense Mexican serves up what some consider to be the best fish tacos in Los Angeles.

Little can be said about the interior, except, perhaps, that it does not look like much has changed since it opened over 10 years ago: Worn, yellowed press review cutouts pepper the walls. A sterile, washed-out orange hue of formica gives the room some color, while a lonely soda machine sits perched atop a frail, crooked, wrought-iron buffet. It appears, thankfully, that the kitchen is in better shape.

A plastic or paper plate appears at your table less than five minutes after you order. The fish tacos are hot, crispy and moist, served with a well-balanced complement of lettuce, tomato, spicy Baja salsa, and sour cream – though more toppings are available at their fixins bar – and the rice is nice and fluffy. Order their famous Callo de Hacha (scallop burrito), but be wary of your eyes being wider than your stomach; it’s a tasty gigantic wrap easily large enough for two meals, though the combination of perfectly crispy, deep-fried scallops, lettuce, tomatoes, and mexican rice may be good enough to cloud your sense of delayed gratification.

What is most impressive, however, is that nearly every dish costs less than $10 – when was the last time you could eat shrimp and scallops without breaking the bank? Sure the service is non-existent and the digs could be updated a bit, but this means that you’re really only paying for the food, and good food, at that. No wonder take-out is a popular option. This is a perfect “cheap eats� destination for the adamant foodie, because the food is the star and you’re just there to eat up.

My sushi fiend friend recommended we meet up at Frying Fish in Little Tokyo.

Two chefs work in the middle and place their completed masterpieces onto the conveyor belt. To see it in action click here.

Here is my favorite item: simply salmon!

The place was very busy as every seat around the conveyor belt was filled. It was a typical LA crowd with people of all ethnic groups. Definitely too loud for serious conversations or couples looking for a romantic night of looking into each other’s eyes. But there were definitely couples there who obviously share a love for sushi.

The three of us polished off 13 items. Here is a list of some of the items that I really liked: salmon of course, yellowtail hand roll, cooked eel and spider roll. There are many other options for the sushi lover.

Total tab: tax and tips was $61.

Sorry the photos aren’t super sharp. I’ve finally entered the 21st Century as the pictures were taken with my camera phone.

To finish off the evening, we went outside to watch the film crew of Numbers in action. How LA can a night on the town get, eh?

Frying Fish
120 Japanese Village Plaza
Little Tokyo
Los Angeles, CA 90012
213-680-0567

So when I drew the jury duty stick last week, I found that no matter what parts of it I was NOT looking forward to–the sitting around, the imagining my work piling up on my desk to monstrous heights, the $15 paycheck–there was one part I was looking forward to–the hour and a half lunch and the chance to do a little downtown exploration.

Stepping out the door at 12:30 I suddenly realized what I missed so much living here. I miss the CITY-ness of being in a big city. The tall buildings and the urban squish and the people all outside, going places, or just hanging out. There it all was, from the mausoleum-tower of City Hall to the fortress of the Times, proudly proclaiming itself in gigantic letters like something out of Gotham City.

Recently, the Los Angeles Times did an article on great bargains in L.A. One of the features was a pie from Pitfire Pizza Co., which the article mentions allows the dough to rise one and a half to two days and then fire it in a special ceramic-bottomed oven. So as I walked by the Times building, wondering where to go, and then suddenly spied a Pitfire Pizza beyond a construction area it seemed like serendipity and I decided to try it out.

The restaurant itself looks like a typical restaurant you would find in an up and coming urban area that’s full of loft apartments and young artsy professionals. The design suggests a wherehouse, spacious, spare and airy but very neat and modern as well.

There was a line out the door to order and almost every spot was filled, so that seemed like a good sign. The creators of Pitfire Pizza envisioned a place where friends could get together and eat meals made from scratch with fresh ingredients at a reasonable price. They state on their menu that they are “obsessed with flavor” rather than profits. They profess a commitment to local, seasonal ingredients purchased from area farmer’s markets. They claim that the morning’s market specialties will be on your plate by afternoon.

Looking at the menu board above the registers, you can see their commitment to seasonal ingredients by the list of summer specials which include several dishes made with market heirloom tomatoes.

I am not a huge fresh tomato fan, so I chose instead to order the Pacifica, which was a pizza with goat cheese, roasted garlic, house-cured tomatoes and pine nuts ($7.50). That day they were featuring a watermelon lemonade ($1.75) so I ordered that.

You order at the register and then they hand you a number on a stand and you go find a table. All of the booths and tables on the main floor were taken so I made my way up to the loft-like second floor. It’s darker up there, and not quite as nice, but it’s also a lot quieter and would be better if you want to have a more intimate conversation with a friend or two. After a while, a waitperson will bring you your meal.

My pizza was delicious. The crust, as promised was soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy at the edges. The ingredients definitely seemed fresh and there was a decent amount of cheese, but too much so that the other flavors were overwhelmed. The pine nuts were a little strange, and I could have been perfectly happy without them, but they didn’t detract from the experience. I was disappointed in the watermelon lemonade, which tasted like a Jolly Rancher. I guess I was hoping for a more natural, subtler flavor from a place that touted it’s fresh market ingredients.

One of the things I really appreciated as well was the size of the pizza. It was not too big, but enough to make a whole meal for one person or great for sharing between two people along with a salad.

Pitfire Pizza also has salads, soup, pasta, panini,and desserts. Also, if you want to order in at the office or have a group event, they have box meals available, which include pizzas, pasta, salad, fresh bread, and “crazy cake.”

Pitfire Pizza Co.
5211 Lankershim Blvd.
North Hollywood
(818) 980-2949

108 W. 2nd St.
Downtown L.A.
(213) 808-1200

http://www.pitfirepizza.com