Sawtelle is a popular place in west LA that is like Little Tokyo where there are a slew of Japanese dining and goods establishments. For lunch, I went to this random place called Tatsu Ramen. Since I rarely go to Sawtelle, I figured it’d be good to at record what I’ve eaten. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog. Sawtelle is an area in the westside with a plethora of Japanese restaurants primarily in the middle/low budget tier.

Culver City is suppose to be an up and coming place food, but this particular Culver City gastropub has been around for around 4+ years. From the reviews and my initial impression of the menu, I thought Waterloo & City would be a good place to try. I’ve always drove past here on my way to the marina, and I’ve always noticed a full parking lot. This is restaurant #9 on my LA food expedition.

Lombardi’s or Grimaldi’s? That’s the age old question when it comes to pizza in New York City. Grimaldi’s is the other gourmet pizza place that often rivals Lombardi’s (see my post of it here). Grimaldi’s opened up another new location in Los Angeles (El Segundo), and I went to try it out. This is restaurant #8 on my 2014 LA food expedition. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog.

As a borderline 2 month anniversary of my abysmal attempts at eating a LA restaurant every week, I decided to try out this place called N/Naka in Palms. The owner of this kaiseki-style restaurant, Chef Niki Nakayama, is very meticulous with the menu and presentation in her dishes. Reviewers like to compare this place to Urusawa (a very high end Japanese restaurant which is on my list before the end of the year), and they also often say the food is by far the BEST Japanese restaurant in Los Angeles.

Dim sum is the Cantonese Chinese breakfast staple on weekends in LA. Lots of people flock here to wait in long lines for delicious goodness. I’ve had many dim sum places throughout my life, so the question is this one any better than the other ones I’ve been to. Let’s find out. This is restaurant #6 on my 2014 LA food expedition. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog.

In Koreatown, there is this home style sober-up joint called Myung Dong Kyoja. It features dumplings and noodles and is ideal for those late evenings after you’re completely plastered out of your mind and need to recover. Unfortunately I wasn’t intoxicated at all, but it was cold and was in need of something soupy. This is restaurant #5 on my 2014 LA food expedition. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog.

I remember Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods visiting this restaurant. And since I’m a huge fan of him and his experiences, I wanted to give this a try as well. Red Medicine from my understanding is Vietnamese-cuisine-inspired but not necessarily Vietnamese by any means. Don’t go there expecting traditional Vietnamese dishes fused with new American elements. DO go here expecting to get interesting concoctions where everything is not only pretty looking but also very edible.

A colleague of mine, who is an avid wine drinker, mentioned this place in the Santa Monica mall as a place with good drinks and good eats. I’m not a wine purist since I usually drink wine like beer. But he’s on a quest to educate me. This is restaurant #3 on my 2014 LA food expedition. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog.

Per word of mouth, there’s supposedly 1 uncontested BEST Korean tofu place in Los Angeles … Beverly Soon Tofu. Anthony Bourdain, from the CNN show Parts Unknown, also visited this place with Chef Roy Choy and described this place as “tongue-searing, ass-burning tofu soup that will make you forget every bad thing you ever thought about tofu.” My personal favorite is Lee’s Tofu down in Gardena, so I thought I’d check this place out and compare.

I’ve been craving for seafood the last few weeks or months, and I didn’t feel like driving to Whittier to go to Portsmouth. I looked up Eater LA, and I found L&E Oyster Bar on their list of 2014 essential LA restaurants at #26. This is restaurant #1 for my 2014 LA food expedition. Note for 2022 migration: this is an old post from my other defunct blog. I recall back then this being a super hot spot in greater Los Angeles area.