Milk

Milk makes their own chocolate ice cream sandwiches. Or get a hand-dipped Nutty Buddy, chocolate-dipped mint ice cream bon bon, or a freshly made cookie. Milk is amazingly delicious and I'm glad I don't live any closer to it.

Milk
7290 Beverly Blvd
(323) 939-6455

Cafe Tropical

The guava and cheese pies here are legendary in some circles and deservedly so: the crust is flaky and guava jam balances the cream cheese filling just so. For a dessert it's not overly sweet and is the perfect accompaniment to a steaming cup of fresh cafe con leche. The Cuban sandwich is filled with ham, lomo (roasted pork), melted swiss and a thin slice of pickle, all hot-pressed till flat between two pieces of crusty bread. Stop by on a sunny weekend afternoon, grab an outdoor table and watch the Silver Lake musician types stroll in to start their day.

Cafe Tropical
2900 W Sunset Blvd
Silver Lake
(323) 661-8391

Elite Restaurant

Following my trip to Vietnam I was really craving a bite of seafood wrapped in a rice flour so I headed out to Elite again to sample some of the dumplings that I'd missed last time. I was in luck on this trip and got to try the wonderful red clam and shark fin dumplings that they had run out of on my last visit. Aside from these, shrimp hargow was another favorite dish as were the rich slices of roasted pork belly. Nicole and I both agreed that we'd pass next time on the roast duck. I might prefer the sense of discovery that comes with the passing steam carts at some of the larger dim sum houses, but it's the food at Elite that will keep me coming back.

Elite Restaurant
700 S. Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park
(626) 282-9998

Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea

How it took a coffee house from Chicago to see the huge potential for a cafe at Sunset Junction I do not know, but it's our gain. Open just a week (since last Friday), Intelligentsia was already doing a booming business yesterday afternoon. Cafe tables spill out of the front door onto the sidewalks of Sunset, all the better to sit and watch people (and their dogs) sauntering by. Intelligentsia has been voted best coffee in Chicago and you can tell they take it seriously. My cappuccino was as smooth as they come.



3922 W Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles

Yuca's on Hollywood

The new Yuca's is all that you loved about the old location minus having to stand in a liquor store parking lot to place your order. Dora took over the old Casa Diaz space--conveniently located across from American Apparel so you can pop over to buy some red tighty-whities while you wait--and is gradually introducing the tried-and-true Yuca's menu to former Casa Diaz patrons. She's onto something as each time I've been since she opened a few months back, the line gets just a bit longer.

Aside from the improved seating possibilities, those of you who can't make it up to the old Yuca's on Hillhurst before they close around 6 may now have a shot at eating some of their delicious food as they're open till 8-ish at the new location. (And they might even be open later than that on some nights.)

As for la comida, it was as good as ever. I had my regular cochinita pibil burrito (though I must be sure to request that they not pile in rice next time, something they do not typically do at the Hillhurst location.) MJL had the scrambled eggs in mole which he also enjoyed (though alas, it does not photograph well). For the public transportation-minded, it's a quick walk up from the Sunset/Vermont Red Line station.

Yuca's
4666 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles (Los Feliz)

Clifton's Cafeteria

A lot has changed in LA's downtown since Clifton's opened near the corner of Broadway and 7th St seventy years ago. The same stretch of pre-WWII movie houses are still standing, but in various states of repair. I'm pretty sure the Mexican apothecary shop next door is new to the area, give or take 20 years. What hasn't changed is the chance to get a full meal of so-retro-it's-cool-again classics as mac & cheese (no shaved black truffles here), creamed corn or stuffed peppers. This restaurant is a relic in more ways than one. Once a small chain or restaurants which were each individually and exotically decorated (the last one that closed had a South Seas theme), this particular location is done up as a High Sierras/National Park lodge including various stuffed moose, deer and pheasants as well fir trees and a waterfall or two. In fact, Smokey the Bear himself might feel right at home if he didn't mind eating off of a tray. The food is more of a walk down nostalgia lane than a gustatory experience (I was particularly excited to see that they serve Texas Toast) but I highly recommend it if you're ever downtown and looking for a uniquely LA diversion. Clifton's is something of a treasure.

Clifton's Cafeteria
648 South Broadway
Los Angeles
213.627.1673

Larkin's

Located in a ramshackle Craftsman cottage on Colorado Boulevard, Larkin's has found in its location what must be the perfect expression of its Southern, soul food-inspired menu. Fried catfish, an heirloom tomato salad with fried okra, a hot skillet of creamy mac and cheese, spicy jambalaya, sauted collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy--all the hits are here, expertly done. For now it's BYOB (the excellent Colorado Wine Company is just down the street) and the waiter will gladly uncork your bottle and pour into clever Mason jar glasses. Sure you're within a stone's throw of the 210 Freeway, but pausing for a moment after dinner on Larkin's front porch you can almost hear the long chirp of cicadas and smell the sultry air of a Southern summer night.

Larkin's
1494 Colorado Blvd
Los Angeles (Eagle Rock)
(323) 254-0934