Umami Mart Gift Guide
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"To live and eat in LA, it's the place to be;
You've got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat"
-
Tupac

Alright, alright, Tupac didn't say "eat". But instead of talking about hoes and tricks, he should have rapped more importantly about the bounty of food to be found in LA. Cause damn it, it is a damn fine place for eating. Here are a few of the stops I made on my recent trip to the City of Angels.

BEST FISH TACO IN ENSENADA
1650 North Hillhurst Avenue (Los Feliz)

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I try to stop by Best Fish Taco whenever I'm in town. At $1 per taco, it should not be missed. They also have shrimp, for $2. I had one of each. The fried batter is light and airy, and keeps the fish moist, and the crisp of the cabbage makes each bite a piece of crunch heaven.

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PHO 87
1019 North Broadway (Chinatown)

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As soon as I landed, Brother took me here. The spring rolls were some of the best I'd ever tasted--instead of the usually flavorless pork, Pho 87 adds a sweetly marinated grilled pork. So delish.

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As Yamahomo has suggested, always order your rare beef on the side. Dunk like shabu.

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Brother

RED CAR BAR @ COLE'S
118 East 6th Street (Downtown)

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Cole's is historically known for their french dip sandwiches, but we stopped by their bar, called the Red Car Bar, for cocktail hour instead.

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I was supremely impressed by the care they took in building each classic cocktail--down to their attention to hand-carved ice.

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Old Fashioned

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A fashionable history

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Sazerac

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Red Car Named Desire: Rye, Cynar, Luxardo, Maurin

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A magical nook of amaros, mezcal and tequila. Oh my!

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Martini

Yup, still light out.

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"To live and eat in LA, it's the place to be;
You've got to be there to know it, what everybody wanna eat"

- Tupac

Coming Up: Takao restaurant in Beverly Hills, and Robata Jinya in West Hollywood!
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5 comments

  • beef on the side just changed my life forever

    dadaDan on

  • hear hear dadaDan!

    Tomo on

  • You have to call me next time you’re in town! Once you try Ricky’s Fish Tacos (around the corner), you’ll never go back to BFT in Ensenada.

    Zach on

  • awww, i love your bro! did you guys go to the speak easy at cole’s? Varnish? love that place.

    saaara on

  • dadaDan +Tomo: Will do a post on how to eat pho… like a boss!

    @Zach- I wanted to call you but I was running around all week. I’ve heard about Ricky’s, I thought he was a cart! Will go next time and call you for sure.

    @Sara- Speakeasy was closed! The front bar was perfect though.

    Kayoko on

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