Consume Part I: Food

 

 

 

BEST SLURP ’N’ PEE Thai Slush at Noodle World. From a country renowned for its full-contact kickboxing, spicy food and pointy gold hats comes an icy-cool dessert — the Thai Slush. And nobody makes one better than Noodle World. Choose from more than 24 ingredients, from sliced pineapples, gelatin and tapioca to such imported Asian delicacies as water chestnuts, lychees, and sweet basil seeds that look like miniature eyeballs ($1.75 for three items, 50 cents for each additional item). After your choices have been put into a bowl and drenched in coconut milk, they’re buried under a frosty avalanche of shaved ice and doused with creamy condensed milk or semi-sweet Thai syrup. 46 W. Valley Blvd., Alhambra; (626) 293-8800. (Avelino C. Tuason)

 

 

 

BEST LOAF UNDER OATH The Hungry Fox brightens a dreary expanse of Sherman Way with a huge American flag and the words "Home Cooking." This haven for breakfast all day is decidedly not a place Valley people go to be seen — except, perhaps, by desert artist/eccentric Robert Fischer, a regular whose written testimonial is handed out at the counter. The house breakfast special is Tino’s Greek Island Special, with loukaniko (Greek sausage) and veggies, but the real draw is the selection of jellies and marmalades, made daily by owners Steve and Millie Skoutaris from homegrown fruit donated by customers. The Hungry Fox is a place to eat — not do — lunch, with the best gyros this side of Halsted Street and good honest meat loaf at half the price of that at the Daily Grill. 13359 Sherman Way, N. Hollywood; (818) 765-7111.(Cary Baker)

 

 

 

BEST PLACE TO WATCH EEL THROB TO THE COMMODORES Tokyo Delves’ Sushi Bar.From the outside, this hole-in-the-wall with a blue neon sign looks like a biker bar. But behind the double doors is a sushi bar, with four chefs wearing headset microphones and welcoming you with high fives. Surrounding them is a sea of glittering fish and fluorescent sharks, where you can feast on delicious sushi rolls with silly names — Pink Panther, Peter Pan, Flamingo. Each night at 7, 8:30, 10 and 11:30 p.m. watch as the room turns into a disco inferno. Groove to Kool and the Gang as rainbows of light dance across the room and the mirrored ball spins to "Jungle Boogie." Watch the Lucky Lamp select winners of a free meal. 5239 Lankershim Blvd., N. Hollywood; (818) 766-3868. (Mary Anne Modina)

 

 

 

BEST FOOD ON A TRAFFIC ISLAND Pollo a la Brasa.At Eighth and Western, in a Fotomat-size building surrounded by chin-high stacks of wood, is the best Peruvian barbecue joint on any traffic island today. The specialty of the house is chicken bathed in garlic served with salad, steamed rice, fries or boiled potatoes topped with aji, a sauce made from jalapeño and serrano chiles. Best downed with a can of Inka Cola, imported from Peru. 764 S. Western Ave.; (213) 382-4090. (Joe Sehee)

 

 

 

TURKEY: THE OTHER DEAD BIRD

Demi’s Grill.Many joints nowadays, from quasi-posh cafés to divey holes, serve garden burgers, chicken burgers (a marketing ploy; they’re usually breasts and not patties), fish burgers and turkey burgers as alternatives to ground cow. Since I bid au revoir to red meat a few years back, I’ve sampled turkey burgers, the most common option, all over this lovely city and elsewhere. At the risk of now having to face crazier lines and more-harried workers, I have chosen to reveal the finest turkey burger I’ve tried. They call it their "trophy" burger, and they are right on the money. This heavenly patty is nestled between a whole-wheat bun with just the right amount of mayo, lettuce, tomatoes and onion if you ask for them. Moist and succulent, charbroiled and not greasy, the turkey burgers have some nifty spicing and what appears to be parsley. No cheese has to cover this baby to give it taste, a trick the competition might use. I know you’re looking for a good reason to visit Mar Vista. Seek no further: Your burger messiah has arrived. 12035 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista; (310) 572-1686.(Wendy Weisberg)

 

 

BEST PHO HOME AWAY FROM MONTEREY PARK Noodle Planet.At this sedate pan-Asian restaurant, you would be well advised to study the menu. Think of it as your rough guide to a palate that’s worlds away from your own, particularly if yours was raised, as mine was, on meat loaf and mashed potatoes. (Note to the uninitiated: The spicy shrimp paste, a staple in Thai cooking, emits a funky odor that overwhelms the diner and dampens the appetite.) To those looking for a bowl of pho comparable to Mom’s or Auntie’s, Noodle Planet (its name is a misnomer — for it serves more than noodles) will seem like home or at least remind you of Monterey Park. 1118 Westwood Blvd., Westwood; (310) 208-0777.(Ellen Krout-Hasegawa)

 

 

 

BEST-DRESSED BURRITOS Marisa’s Burrito Adventure. Catering to a crowd that wants to eat well without gaining inches, Marisa’s prepares fresh, colorful, tasty dishes that contain as little fat as possible without sacrificing flavor. The low-cal burritos are as much a feast for the eye as they are for the palate and come in red (sun-dried tomato), orange (cheddar) and green (pesto), as well as traditional flour-colored, tortillas. Dieters can have their enchilada (garden, chicken basil, chicken curry or gumbo shrimp) and eat it, too. 7119 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; (213) 954-8411. (Ellen Krout-Hasegawa)