Galcos Soda Pop Stop, Highland Park

Galco's Soda Pop Stop, Highland Park

Galco is a fantastic shop in an old grocery store on York Blvd that specializes in hard-to-find soda pops from across the country. The store is completely filled with palletes and shelves of obscure colas and pops from across the country. I even spied some Mexican Cokes (made with real sugar, rather than corn syrup like the domestic stuff). I stopped in today and picked up 6 bottles of my family's favorite, Sun-Drop, a carbonated lemon-lime soda bottled in North Carolina which is still only otherwise distributed in little towns in NC, VA and TN. I asked for a recommendation on root beer (they carry around 40 different varieties) and was directed to Red Ribbon Home Brewed Style Root Beer from Natrona, PA. Not overly sweet (also made with real sugar), it was perfect with the Italian sub sandwich I ordered at the deli counter in the back of the store. Galco's also carries a wide selection of beer and some old time candies like Pop Rocks and Nestle 100 Grand bars. You can also pick up old-fashioned seltzer water in the refillable glass squirt containers. There's a $15 deposit on the bottle but I think I may give that I try next time I stop in. I don't know if there's another store like this one in the country so we're lucky to have it right in our backyard. The owner is super friendly and intimately knowledgable about the products he carries too.

Galco's Soda Pop Stop
5702 York Blvd
Highland Park

Orris, West LA

My friend Susan was in town from Australia for a conference at UCLA this week so it presented a perfect time to finally try Orris on Sawtelle. At the waiter's recommendation we started with the fried shishito peppers with prosciutto and parmesan. Squash blossoms stuffed with shrimp mousse and olive tapenade was a perfect use of squash blossoms which are pleniful at the farmer's markets right now. Snapper carpaccio with ginger was perhaps my favorite dish of the evening. The ginger dressing was perfect on the warm, sashimi-style snapper. Dungeness crab cakes were tiny but tasty; there are three to a serving, each about an inch in diameter and they are served on a whole-grain mustard sauce. Since I was still a bit hungry we finished off the meal with an order of fried chicken a la japonaise and a side of potato dauphinois. The chicken nuggets were simply fried and served with a spicy sauce. The potatoes were rich and gooey in their cream sauce. As the little plates of food kept arriving the restaurant patio where we were seated filled up as did the interior of the restaurant until the place was totally hopping. We whiled away our Wednesday evening, Susan drinking dark Asahi beer (she the government subsidizes the wine industry and that beer is relatively expensive in Oz) while I tried both a French and Italian rose followed by a Cab/Shiraz blend from Australia. We finally opted for a dessert of flourless chocolate cake with coffee gelato before finally rolling to the car. The bill was $111 plus tip so it wasn't a cheap night out but well worth it for the feast we had.

Orris
2006 Sawtelle Boulevard
Los Angeles
(310) 268-2212

B&G Oysters Ltd, Boston

Across the street from The Butcher Shop and with the same owners, B&G is a top end seafood restaurant with a casual sophisticated vibe and an awesome patio. Fresh oysters can be had from spots all along the New England coast and from Canada as well. Michelle took me here the night I arrived in Boston and I had one of the best versions of a lobster roll I can remember. The clam chowder with hunks of bacon was fantastic as well.

B&G Oysters Ltd
550 Tremont St
Boston
617.423.0550

No Name Restaurant, Boston

Though right on the waterfront, this is no tourist trap. You have to walk down a lonely stretch of closed docks and follow the arrow to No Name, which is filled with locals and others who have probably been coming here for years. We snagged one of the formica tables with a view across Boston Harbor towards Logan where I had a sweet, perfectly cooked boiled lobster with butter. The seafood chowder is apparently renowned but I didn't think it had all that much flavor. Boston Cream Pie for dessert was a must and this one was perfect.

No Name Restaurant
Fishermans Wharf
15 Fish Pier St W (Cross Street: Seaport Boulevard)
617 338-7539

The Butcher Shop, Boston

I ate here twice, the first time Michelle and I stopped in for wine and a house-made charcuterie/cheese plate which was excellent. We had a glass of the Bugey Cerdon sparkling rose which I would like to find here in LA. Later that week I returned with a colleague and had dinner at one of the high tables along the window. We each had the tenderloin which was a superb piece of meat. Fine dining in a very casual but cool atmosphere, the bill was $150 for two including something chocolate for dessert.

The Butcher Shop
552 Tremont Street
Boston
617.423.4800

Hama Sushi, Little Tokyo

Buddy convinced me to branch out a bit from my favorite sushi joint, Saito's, so we headed down to Little Tokyo to a place he had been once before. The inside of the tiny restaurant is mostly taken up by a u-shaped sushi bar, manned by two chefs. The waitresses brought us each steaming hot towels and took our drink order and returned with a tall, cold bottle of Sapporo to share. Over the course of the evening we downed albacore, toro (the good one at $10 per order rather than the cheaper version at $5), snapper, hamachi, more hamachi and some miso soup with clams. Did I mention the hamachi? It was the melt-in-your-mouth variety as was the albacore and toro. (It seems you can hardly go wrong with these in most sushi restaurants). The final tab was around $80 plus tip which is about what is to be expected for excellent sushi. Lucky for me I had forgotten my wallet (Oops!). Thanks Buddy. Get you next time?

Hama Sushi
347 E 2nd St
(213) 680-3454

Lou, Hollywood

I finally made it to Lou a few weeks ago. Buddy and I rolled into the parking lot on a Monday night and I was discouraged to see drapes completely blocking the view of the restaurant interior. Thinking the place was closed, I hesitated to give the door a try but lucky for us, a peek through the curtain revealed a cool and darkly subdued dining room, with more than a view people seated and eating. So don't be fooled by the curtain if you go. You can't see a damn thing until you force your way inside.

Lou is about wine and small plates of food. We sampled a rose and the charcuterie and cheese plate, gravlax, frisee salad with goat cheese, heirloom tomato salad and a peach crumble for desert. Everything was good, though I would have liked to see a couple of simple entrees on the menu in addition to the appetizers. I would go back again to sample some more of the wines, perhaps after dining on a proper meal elsewhere in the neighborhood.

Lou
724 N Vine St
(323) 962-6369