Top 3 eats in Los Angeles

Top 3 eats in Los Angeles

On a trip to Los Angeles, I had to eat something amazing. It wasn’t even a question. I had a few places in mind and I went to all of them. I tried to get a variety- best burger, best sushi, best molecular gastronomy! It was cool to try all of these new foods, and all of the restaurants were pretty kid friendly. I had a great time at each place and I had a few favorites along the way.

1. The Bazaar is a great place to go for a meal of fun. When you first walk in, you can tell that you are in for an unusual dinner. The furnishings are just like the food- quirky and playful, such as an LED chair that lit up! The way your dining experience works is that you order a series of tapas (small dishes) to share at the table, as well as drinks. We ordered about 10 tapas for 6 people (2 kids included). As for the drinks- you may know I am still underage for drinking, so I ordered a virgin drink, which was available upon request. I ordered the Magic Mojito, a magical drink with a magical way to be served! There was cotton candy on top and a waiter poured something over it that made the cotton candy deflate and dissipate like a cloud (below left)! My brother ordered a virgin pliska. It was in a glass that was shaped like a pipe and had dry ice in it that made it look as if it were actually smoking (me, tasting it, below right).

One of the coolest things about this restaurant is the modern tapas side of the menu- things that featured lemon air (what?!?) and molecular gastronomy (even more what?!?). Molecular gastronomy means that the chefs used science to rearrange atoms and make something new with the same ingredients. We ordered an olive plate. The left side of the plate was traditional- served with anchovies and cilantro. The modern olive side of the plate plate showed off some really cool olives. They are made of olive juice and molecular gastronomy was used to make them into spheres!

Not only that, but they gelatinized the outside so that when you bit into it, it was like biting into a small soft boiled egg- ooey-gooey and good! Another one of the tapas is the brussels sprouts. The best thing about the brussels sprout salad is the lemon air on top. Almost like foam, the lemon air acts as a dressing and the lemon flavor enhances the experience of the foamy topping. After all of the delicious tapas, we switched rooms, taking a trip to the dessert room (yay!).

In the dessert room, we ate some really good dessert… not molecular gastronomized, but instead they were delectablized! Not too sweet, but still- so good! For caramel and vanilla lovers, we ordered a mille-feuille, a layered dessert. The layers went like this: pastry, vanilla, caramel and repeated twice, topped with another pastry, but this one was smothered in powdered sugar (see the first photo below). We also ordered a macaron tart-pretty much a giant macaron filled with raspberries and vanilla cream (see the third photo below). Both were delicious and the macaron tart was refreshing, while the mille-feuille has more of a fancy style which warms your mouth. Overall the food and service were all very, very, very good and I’m not even sure if I could criticize the food at all!

2. We’re not a big fast food family, but we heard that In-N-Out serves some great burgers and fries. We were in California, and In-N-Out was the first Californian drive-thru ever. Not only that, but when business was just picking up, Harry Snyder (founder of In-N-Out) went to the meat and produce markets every day so that his food could be fresh and natural… and we heard that the chain still prides itself on the same claim today- fresh and natural ingredients. They are obviously doing something right, because the burger was delicious! I had a wonderful time, but there is one thing to be warned of… the long, long lines. The drive throughs are often the most congested bit, but if you pass by the line of cars, you can usually walk to a less crowded counter in the restaurant. In-N-Out is a classic place, with limited items. What I recommend is a shake, burger and fries. The shake was thick, which made it hard to sip, but worth it. The thickness showed that the shake was made of real ice cream. The burgers are so yummy and I love the crunch you get with the raw onion (not as bad as it sounds- it’s really good!). Though it’s a simple place, the focus is on the food and it tasted great! It’s no wonder that In-N-Out claims to be what a burger is all about!

3. One day, my mother, in her earlier years, was searching for the best sushi in Los Angeles.She would go to place after place and none seemed perfect, until she found Echigo. The traditional style of sushi they serve is unique to only the best sushi-makers. The rice is warm, the fish is cool, and the soy sauce has that perfect tang. That is what makes up the perfect piece of sushi, and that is also what happened to be sitting on my plate. They make a point to serve only traditional sushi and they stick to the basics, focusing on technique. The scallops melt in your mouth and something as simple as abalone is made into a masterpiece, right in front of your eyes, at a counter. Though it may be hidden above a Pizza Hut in a strip mall, Echigo sure has what it takes to make great sushi. To find the hidden sushi place, go to 12217 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles. Once you finish eating, you’ll know. This is the best sushi place of all.

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Dora