Street Cred

At her new Hollywood restaurant, Susan Feniger puts the cart before the hors d’oeuvre

Comments (0) By Jonathan Gold Tuesday, Sep 8 2009

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Feniger’s poke, made with sushi-quality ahi, tossed with perfectly ripe bits of avocado and served on a hot cake of crisped rice, is in fact better than other local versions; so are the crunchy pani puri, hollow, thin-skinned ping-pong balls of batter filled with pulses and drizzled with a thin curried broth; and the fried, nut-laced Indian semolina cakes. Would that kaya toast be better in Singapore? Probably — the best versions are tinted green with pandan leaf, while the pale one is not — but it’s delicious nonetheless. Did the pho measure up to the best pho in South El Monte? It kind of didn’t, even if it was made with a beautiful oxtail broth, and the bloggy grumbling may have driven it off the menu.

Street is at its best when Feniger riffs, when the ramen is powered not by a traditional tonkotsu broth but by an unusual yuzu tartness; a “new Jerusalem bread salad’’ becomes a clever take on the Middle Eastern bread salad fattouch spiked with feta and bits of Jerusalem artichoke (which of course has nothing to do with the region); when the Korean-style mung bean pancakes are studded with bits of anise-braised pork belly. Thai miang kham are exquisite, but Feniger’s take on the do-it-yourself Thai bundles is clever roasted coconut, heart of palm, tamarind jam and minced lime, among other things wrapped in bits of collard instead of the traditional betel leaf.

Anne Fishbein

Paani puri

Location Info

Map

Susan Feniger's Street

742 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038

Category: Restaurant > Asian Fusion

Region: Hollywood

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Half the menu is vegan-friendly, although you probably wouldn’t notice that fact unless it was important to you, and at least as much attention seems to have been paid to the roster of rare beers, spiced lassis and herbal coolers as to the short but appropriate wine list. Don’t miss Feniger’s parfait, a layered concoction of espresso gelatin, chocolate mousse and cream, sweetened with special halvah imported all the way from Canter’s Delicatessen.

STREET: 742 N. Highland Ave., Hlywd., (323) 203-0500, eatatstreet.com. Open daily from noon for lunch and dinner; from 11 a.m. for Sunday brunch. Full bar. Valet parking. AE, MC, V.