Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [151]
Mike & Anne’s (off Map; 626-799-7199; 1040 Mission St; mains breakfast/lunch $7-11, dinner $13-21; 11:30am-2:30pm & 5:30-10pm Mon-Fri, 8:30am-10pm Sat & Sun) Right on darling Mission St in South Pasadena, Mike & Anne’s is a sweet and unhurried jewel with mostly local patrons clamoring for the clever but unfussy food à la chorizo-stuffed calamari or boneless shortribs with potato mousseline. Sit inside below exposed wood beams or on the patio overlooking a miniature park.
Bar Celona (Map; 626-405-1000; 46 E Colorado Blvd; tapas $5-9, mains lunch $8-14, dinner $17-30; ) Rioja-tinted walls offer a fiery backdrop for the seafood paellas and wine-braised steaks streaming from the kitchen into the candle-lit dining room. Grazers can pick their way around the tapas menu, while sangria-sipping scenesters wind down the night in the adjacent lounge.
561 Restaurant (Map; 626-683-7319; 561 E Green St; mains $18-28; 11:30am-1:30pm & 5:30-8pm Mon-Fri; ) For a preview of what’ll be cooking in tomorrow’s kitchens, pop by this popular bistro run by Cordon Bleu–level students of the California School of Culinary Arts. Dishes are inspired (grilled ono with black thai coconut rice) and the service is impeccable. The adjacent café (mains $7-11; 6am-9pm Mon-Fri) serves more informal fare.
TOP END
Madre’s (Map; 626-744-0900; 897 Granite Dr; mains $15-33; 5-10:30pm Tue-Sun; ) Jennifer Lopez obviously had a lot of fun decorating her restaurant in a style that might be termed girly shabby-chic – think flowers, chandeliers, etched mirrors and lacy tablecloths. Inspiration for the menu, which blends robust Cuban and Puerto Rican classics, came from her grandmother. Try tasty empanadas, grilled churrasco (flank steak) or J Lo’s personal favorite, ropa vieja (slow-cooked, spicy beef).
Xiomara (Map; 626-796-2520; 69 N Raymond Ave; mains $17-32; 11:30am-3pm Mon-Fri, 9:30am-2:30pm Sun, 5-11:30pm daily; ) The restrained decor is the perfect foil for the flavor explosions arriving on your plate at this humming Nuevo Latino bistro. It’s easy to dream of faraway places while nursing a signature mojito (here called a Mambo), but the food – spiced with attitude – will quickly give you a reality check. The poblano (mild chili pepper) risotto is a great meat-free choice.
Parkway Grill (Map; 626-795-1001; 510 S Arroyo Parkway; mains lunch $12-24, dinner $21-38; 11:30am-2:30pm Mon-Fri, 5-10pm daily; ) Meat-lovers will be in pig heaven at this very smart, grown-up restaurant in a historic brick building with a cool 1920s Chicago bar. Get an order of flatbread sprinkled with blue cheese, pears and walnuts while pondering the virtues of the mesquite-grilled filet mignon over the cedar-plank salmon with honey-truffle glaze. Hard to go wrong here.
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DRINKING
From funky beach pubs to underground dives, snazzy hotel lounges to designer cocktail temples and historic watering holes where Bogie and Bacall used to knock ’em back, in LA you’re rarely far from a good time. Hollywood Blvd and the Sunset Strip are classic bar-hopping grounds, but there’s also plenty of good drinking in Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, Downtown and Koreatown.
That said, LA is not really a boozeville city, in large part because of the dependence on the automobile. Drinking and driving just don’t mix, cabs are expensive and finding a designated driver is not always possible. Compared to other megacities, it’s also an early town, with alcohol being served only until 2am. If you do decide to drive, you’ll find that most of the swankier places have valet parking. The parking icon listed with each entry below, though, simply connotes that parking is available.
Beverly Hills
Nic’s Beverly Hills (Map; 310-550-5707; 453 N Canon Dr, Beverly Hills; 6-10pm Mon-Fri, to 11pm Fri & Sat) Martinis for every palate lure the cocktail crowd to upscale but fun-loving Nic’s, where the libations range from the