Little Next Door

Six days ago, I went to this cute place for the first time. I have been there two times since. Needless to say, it is amazing. Go here for brunch or lunch. And make sure you allot two hours if you’re coming for more than a pastry or salad. The service is rather slow, but I enjoyed it because the atmosphere and the people have that kind of relaxed attitude. Bring a chatty friend, or a newspaper and some cigarettes.

Little Next Door is that adorable French deli and cafe I didn’t think Los Angeles was capable of having. I think it’s Europeans’ secret hideout here when they long for home; a lot of the patrons have that Euro-chic style. You can sit inside or outside on the heated patio. I would recommend first sitting inside along the wall so that you can everything in. The ceiling is high and the walls are painted a rich royal blue and everything else is very gold or brown, which I found to be very appealing… The food is displayed as if it were saying, “Yeah, you know you want some of this.” And the waiters are beautiful! What more could one want?

The food is fresh and authentic and reasonably priced and most importantly, delicious. From the deli, you can order cheeses, salads, various meatloaves, and sandwiches. For $7, I bought a serving of the quinoa salad, which was interesting… I didn’t have huge expectations, but I thought that the quinoa was bland. The beet salad with glazed walnuts and roquefort butter is tasty and worth it-get it. The celery root salad reminded me of a more refreshing cole slaw. I ordered the duck and peppercorn terrine because the entire loaf was wrapped with bacon (!), but I’m not sure how I felt about the actual duck part. It was not too salty, but the duck seemed to have a corned beef texture… Is this normal? I also had to split a large order of hot chocolate, and it was the best thing ever! There wasn’t that added-sugar taste I usually experience; rather, it seemed like they melted quality chocolate to make it.

Anyway, they have a number of daily specials. At the time, one was eggs benedict with crab and salad, which, according to a fellow diner, was very good. I’m not a connoisseur of eggs benedict, and I thought it was too rich. (Maybe it’s just a bias now, since I know how much butter goes into eggs benedict.) Another was butternut squash soup, which was worth every slurp! Not as sweet as I remember it but flavorful. I was full with a regular bowl, but it was too late, as I had already placed my order for other items… Bowls of soup I think are $8, but you’ll get more bang for your buck with the Little Next Door Deal, which includes soup, salad, a half-sandwich, and a macaron, for only $14. The chicken salad sandwich was amazing-slightly tangy because of the relish, but they also brushed some other sauce on the bun. The smoked salmon salad was pretty good, but I think the chicken was the better choice.

Dessert deserves it own paragraph but mainly because of Little Next Door’s macarons. Ever since my first macaron in Vancouver five months ago, I have searched relentlessly for sweet, chewy, and affordable macarons. Little Next Door has them… And for only $1.50 each! All flavors have been amazing: strawberry, pistachio, pumpkin, spice… Except chocolate. I wasn’t a fan of that.  The apple tart tatin was good, too, for only $7. The crust was slightly sweet and flaky, and I thought that the apples were the right amount of tart and sweet (from the glaze).  I also tried this hazelnut roll/log (I forget its name), which was light and sweet…

 

Langer’s

Restaurant: Bright, open, and welcoming. There are both tables and booths, but if you’d like, you can also sit at the counter. Pretty much your regular deli. Parking is available in a nearby lot and free with validation.

Food: Supposedly, Langer’s pastrami sandwiches are what puts it on the map, but since I’ve renounced beef and pork indefinitely…. I settled for an orgeta chile omelette, which had way too much cheese for my liking. Their blintzes, served with a nice heap of whipped cream on the side had soft centers and crisp shells–dense but worth every bite. Each order comes with three, but two people could probably share and be just fine.

 

Pita! Pita!

Restaurant: Small with a few tables in the front of the restaurant and outside. You stand in line, order, pick a table, and have your food delivered to you. Don’t come here for the atmosphere; there are few (if any) decorations reminiscent of Greece.

Food: The chicken wrap was good but could be larger. It also seemed premade–wrapped in paper, its contents were compacted, when I expected the pita bread to be a little fluffier. You get a complimentary side of fried pita chips, and those were very crisp and fat-flavored. Baklava was worth the $1.50, as it had generous amounts of honey.

 

Baby Blues Bar-B-Q

Restaurant: Small and informal. This is definitely like any other hole-in-the-wall. The waitstaff were very down-to-earth and welcoming, however. They did mess up my order, but I had no trouble getting it fixed, and it came to me at a reasonable time. 

Food: The slow-smoked chicken was really juicy and, most importantly of all, not burnt. Grilled catfish was good and tender but not the most compelling thing at a barbecue place. The pulled pork was good with the apple vinegar that they provide on the side. Brisket was good but definitely better with the barbecue sauce. For sides, the cornbread was delicious, corn-on-the-cob was decadent–it had cheese and butter all over it–if you’re into that kind of stuff. The place is best known for its sauces: BBQ and PORNOXXX. You can’t go wrong with those.

 

Papa Cristo’s

Restaurant: Hole-in-the-wall but very open and spacious. Parking is provided in a backlot. There is a restaurant, as well as a store and bakery with delicious baklava.

Food: The lamb gyro was very tender and flavorful–and only $5.99! Make sure you put plenty of their yogurt sauce in there. The Turkish delight or lokum was also noteworthy; we purchased the one with pistachios and had a hint of rose water.

 

Cafe Crepe

Restaurant: Cramped and busy during an early Sunday afternoon, but we were seated promptly. It was casual, and the food came quickly. Waitstaff was nice and attentive.

Food: The chicken in my chicken and swiss cheese crepe was dry. For a sweet crepe, we ordered their chef’s crepe, which consisted of bananas, applesauce, and ground cinnamon; this was nice but more tart than sweet, unfortunately.

 

Saddle Ranch Chop House

Restaurant: Tourist style theme restaurant (One is in Hollywood, the other is literally 10 feet from the entrance to Universal Studios Theme Park).  Lots of mannequins dressed like they needed somewhere to put all the costumes now that Clint Eastwood directs movies.   Loud and rambunctious, it’s a good place to bring the kid who has a Woody doll or to get large fruity drinks out of a carafe, but not exactly the kind of place you would take a date.  Late night the place tries to turn itself into a bar, highlighted by drunken people trying to ride mechanical bulls (yes, it’s plural).  The bar was used (or probably advertised) in an episode of Sex and the City as a.) an example of an LA bar (other LA landmarks in the same episode: the Hustler store) and b.) a place for a middle aged sex crazed woman to show off her assets at the weekly bull riding contest.  Obviously, that’s how an LA cowboy bar and restaurant operates.

Food: Decent greasy chop house fare.  Greasy buffalo wings, every other thing is deep fried, and the steaks could use a little love.  Still, it gives some nice southern options (mostly the sides) and does breakfast at dinner.  Large fruity drinks are served in small and large (in single person carafes) and, if you want to add an extra buck, ”smokin’ ” (I always hoped that that I could condense more than one bad thing for my body into one action).  Say it’s your birthday, and if you’re lucky, the waitress will walk out with a huge metal tray of brownies and cookies topped with a 10-serving metal martini glass full of a foot and a half of cotton candy.  That’s just enough sugar to make someone want to get on a mechanical bull.

–IHeartAttack

 

Morton’s – The Steakhouse

Restaurant: Old fashioned pretentiousness is the word.  Lots of beautiful, expensive dark wood mixed with dark lighting and an air of money and good old wine.  Come dressed to the nines and ready to spend a dime.  The downtown location is popular at lunchtime with the business suit crowd and gets fairly busy.  Try the bar for less of a wait and, as with most Downtown restaurants, a nice happy hour.

Food:  Perfect steaks, amazing burgers, and delicious accoutrements.  The only bad side I’ve had there is mashed potatoes which were a little lumpy.  The baked potato (seemingly always available) more than makes up for this shortcoming.  Going at lunch is a great deal with great lunch specials.  Monday leads to a delicious Kobe beef meatloaf while Thursday leads to a popular (and well priced) prime rib.  Go early if you want the prime rib on Thursday, at a mere twenty dollars, the beef sells out fast. 

–IHeartAttack