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Genendavid 08/19/2011 5:51:00 PM
I agree! Never could understand why so many flocked here to "drink the koolaid"
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Nanette 09/03/2010 9:29:00 AM
Jonathan, I assume Il Moro WAS among your essential 99 because of Davide Ghizzoni, especially given what they are serving these days. That said, if you know where he is now, please share. I miss Il Moro's lovely ambiance, but I miss Davide's food far more!
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best restaurants 06/04/2010 3:50:00 PM
it is a very good restaurant.add restaurant
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gk 05/22/2010 1:13:00 AM
Border Grill, really? The only time I reluctantly go there is when some clueless out-of-towner drags me there. It may have been good at one time, a long time ago, but now it's just tired, its founders too distracted by their Food Celebrity empires. The food and service are just indifferent.
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darryl wilson 05/02/2010 6:34:00 AM
heard you on kcrw today, and many days in the past, great show, loved you nailing forage the way you did...even though she tried to gently say uh uh...anyway...thanks for all the great food info...
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judy 05/01/2010 7:11:00 AM
Dear Jonathan Gold (and readers), I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about FALAFEL GUY in Sherman Oaks. Sounds crazy right? But this is truly some of the best Mediterranean food I have ever had. Make sure to talk to the owner, Vic, who will tell you what to order - often off the menu. His food is fresh, all homemade, innovative, and clearly made with love. I drive there from Echo Park for the sauteed beef with onions and the eggplant/bean dish and the lentil salad and the sausage sandwich (half of which is off the menu). Generous owner. Great food.
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GARY HZOR 04/05/2010 9:06:00 AM
i listened to u on 89.3 .
I WOULD LIKE to recomend Soumarelo restaurant in pasadena . has excellent chicken .
gary
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Joy Mars 09/12/2009 2:49:00 PM
I went to Golden State today for lunch because I wanted to try something new and it was on your list.
When I went to order, something seemed very familiar. I said to the guys behind the counter, "This reminds me of a lunch place in Beverly Hills on South Beverly Drive. It's called 'The Cabbage Patch.'" They lit up and told me that the owner of it, Zamir, was their main guru and had advised them on their menu. As they spoke of him it seemed that he is known and respected in L.A.
After eating at Golden State, I must say I am perplexed that you included them on this list and left "The Cabbage Patch" out. It seems like a miscarriage of journalistic justice. "Cabbage" is the real deal. Jindori chicken, organic everything. The menu has a strong unique concept -- and the food always fresh and made with attention.
Why would you promote the clone of an original? Because "Cabbage" doesn't server beer? That's hardly a good reason.
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Joy Mars 09/12/2009 2:47:00 PM
I went to Golden State today for lunch because I wanted to try something new and it was on your list.
When I went to order, something seemed very familiar. I said to the guys behind the counter, "This reminds me of a lunch place in Beverly Hills on South Beverly Drive. It's called 'The Cabbage Patch.'" They lit up and told me that the owner of it, Zamir, was their main guru and had advised them on their menu. As they spoke of him it seemed that he is known and respected in L.A.
After eating at Golden State, I must say I am perplexed that you included them on this list and left "The Cabbage Patch" out. It seems like a miscarriage of journalistic justice. "Cabbage" is the real deal. Jindori chicken, organic everything. The menu has a strong unique concept -- and the food always fresh and made with attention.
Why would you promote the clone of an original? Because "Cabbage" doesn't server beer? That's hardly a good reason.
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bob aronoff 09/05/2009 12:17:00 AM
I'm trusting you people -- please do not gift, sell, trade or otherwise misuse my email address. Otherwise, don't accept this email. Thanks. Might be a good idea to state right at the start you don't abuse people's email addresses.
Some suggestions for your consideration
1) List all restaurants by city by restaurant name. I live in Pasadena so why waste readers' time making them read the
entire 25 screens to find their nearby eateries? If you want, have another listing that is alphabetical and link to each listing.
2) Johnathan, I think you alit on LA as if the best of the best are in LA. There are many good places outside of LA or the local food ghettos, I would think.
3) I would try to convey a modicum of costs for each spot you select, i.e., maybe a range of prices or the price for an average meal without liquor or wine -- just an average
price or range, to give readers an idea of what they are
getting into.
4) If I were you, Johnathan -- and each human being is widely different -- I'd list the LA county's health code, e.g., A, B or C for establishments you list. If no listing, make your own assessment. If the country has made two inspections, then average the two, i.e., an A and B would be an A- or a B+, however you wish to handle it.
5) I would have an area map,i.e., LA area and pinpoint each of your selections by number, 1 through 99. Now if someone is traveling in various sections of the city, they could whip out your map and see which restaurants are located nearby. They would necessitate running off a listing of all your restaurants or if we had laptops, to zero onto a spot in no time flat.
Well, enough of my thoughts. You do as you wish but I do think if you are looking for readers, following some of these suggestions would and will increase readership, no
doubt.
All the best to Johnathan and the Weekly!
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John 09/02/2009 11:05:00 AM
You complainers and pretenders make me laugh. Jonathan Gold has more taste and culture in his left pinky fingernail than all you haters. It's a list of 99 places, it can't include everything.
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peppermonkey 09/02/2009 3:37:00 AM
you guys are all idiots! jonathan gold is by far the best food critic in the US. He's the only non korean i trust for ktown recommendations. He knows little nuances and details about my people's food that only a korean would know. Only someone who made a serious effort to understand the food and the culture behind the food would know such things. And he does this for all the different types of cuisine represented in our diverse county. Everyone's tastes are different, and of course there will be a few places that I will not think are so great, but overall he's right on the money. Its gotten to the point that I will not try a new restaurant unless he gives the approval.
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AHS 09/01/2009 11:28:00 AM
I wish I didn't have to flip through dozens of pages to see the list. . . it would be really helpful if LAWeekly made JG's list more web/phone-friendly and convenient. Whatever disagreements I might have with the entries themselves will have to wait until I actually make it through all of the individual pages, which could take a while. Maybe that's the idea?
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Scott 09/01/2009 4:22:00 AM
Jonathan, I love your writing... but details, please! Where is the "LOW-RENT RAMEN IN BEVERLY HILLS"? I want to eat lunch there.
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Nick 08/31/2009 1:16:00 AM
Greetings,
I would just like to say thanks for the first ever actual useful article in LA Weekly. The place I work at gets this paper and usually it's horrible, except for the backpage coupons for strip clubs, and a decent music article here and there.
I will be checking out Langer's, Bulgarini Gelato, Casa Bianca, Fab Dogs, The Hungry Cat, Kyochon..the rest is BS on the list.
Also, I think the writer would have knocked back some of the more pretentious critics if he dropped in Galco's Soda Pop Shop for the hell of it.
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Max 08/29/2009 1:11:00 PM
I just have one specific comment, and it regards inaccuracies in the entry "Kogi". All of the basic stats listed at the end of the entry - the italicized information - is wrong. More accurately, it is incomplete. Yes you have to keep track of the trucks on Twitter or their website, no they don't serve alcohol at the trucks, and no the trucks do not provide anywhere to sit. HOWEVER, the trucks are not the only place to get Kogi: the Culver City bar The Alibi Room serves it. This is not a knock-off, bandwagon-jumping, Korean-BBQ taco place, this is original, brand name Kogi BBQ. Chef Roy Choi is usually there two or three times a week. The menu is actually bigger at the Alibi Room than it is on the trucks (Korean Spiced Fries and a Salad option are just two of the exclusive options), there is a full bar (meaning alcohol) and seating (meaning it's not Takeout Only). Perhaps best of all, you don't have to track its location - it never changes: 12236 Washington Blvd, in Culver City. It serves food Monday through Saturday, 6pm-Midnight.
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Sullivan 08/28/2009 11:39:00 PM
Your list is ridiculous Jonathan. You embody the too oft true critique of Angelinos: that they are a shallow lot, obsessed with themselves and the pseudo-culture they imbibe/create. You powder puff. Your list has precious little to do with good food and is more about showcasing you�re too-cool-for-school chef name dropping. I could take you. You�re the kind of guy that would put Swingers on the list (aka Jack Rabbit Slim�s) but not Bay Cities Deli next door. You�re the kind of guy that would put Babalu on the list and not Taco�s Por Favor (or Father�s Office). Pansy. (Your favorite movie scene is no doubt the opening scene from American Psycho.) Look � you took a swing at Ramen California, and you�ll prove to be the dangling fool for it. The signature dish is right in your liberal carrot-hugging wheelhouse. Hypocrite. (You remind me of Uncle Monty in the movie Withnail & I.) But what I�m REALLY mad at is that I�ve only been to 16 of the 105 (not 99) places mentioned � so I have absolutely no idea what I�m talking about, as well as about 100 hours of homework to do because to you. I could still take you � Monty.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXESFT2sRQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQx4qiEmRQ4
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Melissa 08/28/2009 10:03:00 PM
Come on, you know the saying about opinions and assholes. JG is LA's biggest false profit singing the mostly same old tune.
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Diana 08/28/2009 8:15:00 PM
Mr Gold,
Could you please be perfectly honest and list the places that:
A) are run by your personal friends and/or people who have radio shows on which you appear regularly.
B) List any place you have not actually eaten at in the last year?
Some of these spots have been going downhill for years. While I respect your Pulitzer and your career, I think this list is way off in many places.
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Garrett 08/28/2009 4:05:00 PM
You people complaining need to get real. L.A. is a big city. The guy can't include everything on it. Some of these places are pretty good. Avoid the expensive ones he mentions. Actually avoid expensive ones in general. La Casita Mexicana is great. Go to Bell. It's worth the short drive east. Also. I'm going to checkout that hot dog place he mentioned outside Helms.
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Shon 08/28/2009 8:07:00 AM
No ASANEBO??? the best sushi bar in Studio City??? or possibly all of LA???? BLASPHEMY!!
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Tony 08/28/2009 6:10:00 AM
I believe La Terza changed names months ago.... but anyway, the real beef here is the continued adoration for AOC and Lucques. These would be average to mediocre restaurants in San Francisco. My experiences there were huge letdowns, including a macaroni dish in a cast-iron skillet that was dried out and stuck to the pan, to say nothing of flavorless. El Huarache is a dump and the food was terrible the night I ate there; Chung King was beyond redemption. Other than that, there are good eateries listed here, but not much beyond the usual suspects most L.A. foodies know well by now. I look forward to Jonathan's next big find....
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Timber 08/28/2009 5:40:00 AM
Please refrain from including "Gjelina" until it decides to identify itself to and welcome people from the neighborhood. I live three blocks away and have spoken to them about putting up some sort of sign to identify themselves and got a rude response that amounted to "Crosstown foodies only - no locals".
They think they're too hip for the neighborhood? Phooey! When in Venice, go to Joe's, Lilly's or Axe. Hal's for the bar scene, but the food is atrocious.
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leslie 08/28/2009 3:38:00 AM
Hi
Glad that Eagle rock and Highland Park have some on the list, but this list is soooo long - it strikes me as silly. (you must be up for waiting for Auntie Emm's and Casa Bianca)
can that be a complaint? why yes, it can...someone used the words exhaustive.... thanks.
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Brian 08/28/2009 3:29:00 AM
I haven't finished reading this exhaustive list but so far so good in my opinion. I love Gold's writing and take on things. His annual list always factors in to our dining choices so we keep a copy in both cars. I read the other comments and I don't get it. I think these people would only be satisfied with an Infinity List.
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lovemonkey 08/28/2009 2:59:00 AM
Terrible list. I was so excited to find some new places to visit in the Valley and was let down again. The sushi in the Valley puts Westside sushi to shame and this guy is writing about "Street"? It may be artsy and have a cool chef but the food sucks. There are more listings for Montery Park than for all of the SFV. Your readers are all old now, average age is 45-50 and guess what...they have moved to the Burbs. Get a clue. I'm only 33 and I've moved to the Burbs.
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kate 08/28/2009 2:08:00 AM
What about The Griddle on Sunset @ Fairfax. Seriously, the best pancakes ever and this should have been included!
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Greg 08/28/2009 1:30:00 AM
All of the restaurants and only two in the San Fernando Valley? If he likes Langer's, then he would love Brent's Deli in Northridge. Our side of the mountain has great restaurants and maybe Mr. Gold should venture his way more past Ventura (Blvd) to see what the 818/747 have to offer. And yes (because of the Westsiders) we are a part of the City of Los Angeles and should be considered in "LA Weekly." Or change the name of the publication/website to LA Westside Weekly!!!
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larry 08/28/2009 1:29:00 AM
Europane is OK--but just OK. I never set foot in the place unless I'm meeting one of my friends who happens to like it. The food is nothing special and the dining area is small, crowded and noisy. To me, the ambiance is as if someone put a bunch mismatched tables and chairs in a tiny Laundromat.
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larry 08/28/2009 1:21:00 AM
My trip to Square One based on Jonathan Gold's recommendation led me to conclude (after being in doubt for some time) that he knows nothing and cares nothing about food. His selections seem to be entirely based on a restaurant's alt/found object atmosphere. The food at Square One is pedestrian and unremarkable at best. I've had better breakfasts at Denny's.
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larry 08/28/2009 1:08:00 AM
Oh please. The bacon doughnut at Nickel Diner is wretched, foul-tasting ball of grease.
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stwsr 08/28/2009 12:26:00 AM
Geez! This is practically the same exact list that's been in existence since 2000! Gold needs to start reviewing rather than living off his reputation.
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Jim 08/27/2009 11:27:00 PM
Ok. I am retarded; the lettering is for credit cards. But what about the pricing of each restaurant?
