March 20, 2007 3

Elf Cafe (Echo Park)

//// By in 05: Silver Lake + Echo Park

This time it’s my turn to try the organic Mediterranean vegetarian sensation (?) Elf Cafe (Joan’s previous report) in Echo Park.
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Tiny space, rustic decor and cool eclectic selection of vintage music (jazz, bollywood), and best of all there was no wait on the Wednesday night. Cinnamon spiced almond and olives are served when you sat down, very nice~
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My friend and I shared the Kale Salad with Avocado, Hemp seeds and citrus seeds ($9), it’s huge and fresh but a bit too hard to chew (feel like cutting my throat), the crunchy seed and strong citrus sauce is a good compliment, I never had such an ‘strong’ salad before. ^^;; I also got the Lasagna ($14), made with penne with hummus sauce (instead of tomato), the flavor is light but unconventional with bean pasty. Despite what a guilty comfort food it looked, it’s not heavy at all. I liked it more and more as I ate.

Gotta say the food are not amazingly tasty (but still yummy), and definitely pricey but the fresh organic clean taste is irresistable. I can see the drawing charm that made you feel like going back.

Elf Cafe
2135 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026

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March 19, 2007 6

Philippe’s the Original (downtown)

//// By in 06: Downtown LA

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A historic landmark in LA, deli Philippe’s has been serving the original “”French Dipped Sandwich” since it was established in 1908 (next year it’ll be 100 years!). Located at the edge of Chinatown, Philippe’s is a crowded spot, as you can see in the picture. It’s got a huge cafeteria-like space with long communal tables. The sawdust on the floor is totally old style.

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I got the Beef french dip sandwich with a side of potato salad. The sauce is “dip” for you. The bread is just soggy enough without breaking apart. The meat is good, juicy and tender. There are excellent home made mustard (which also sold in jars) on the table and they complement very well with the sandwiches. I love the potato salad and cole slaw sides (not in pix) a lot too. The pork french dip sandwich Jon got is also good. We ended our meal with an apple pie, too bad it’s cold as it would have been tastier served warm.

The food are cheap, great value for the quality. The interior and vibe of the place make this a unique go-back-in-time experience as well. Can’t wait to go back to try their other stuffs.

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March 14, 2007 Off

Elf Cafe (Echo Park)

//// By in 05: Silver Lake + Echo Park

Heard a lot of good things about this vegetarian place in Echo Park. It’s few shops down of American apparel and right next door to an abandoned theater on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park. The space is small with 6-7 tables only, populated mostly by the usual silver lake/echo park hipster & artist type. The interior decor is cozy and charming, I like the ambiance a lot.

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Forgot to take picture, they gave us some potato-garlic spread and toasts that were excellent! Jon got the Baked Tart with roasted pepper, the portion is a lot smaller than we expected. Jon’s comment was: it’s rather bland tasting. I wasn’t so hungry so I just got an appetizer Baba Ghannouge (Eggplant dip). It’s fresh, but the taste is a bit bland as well. The pita bread was a let down as it tasted like re-heat packaged stuffs. Overall we’re not that impress with what we got. But I wouldn’t mind going back to try the other stuffs on the menu.

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March 7, 2007 4

Sanuki No Sato (Torrance)

//// By in 17: South Bay

Once again we came to this famous soba house at Torrance. We wanted to order the Sea Urchin Udon but they were out…
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DSC03143.jpgSanshoku Wariko Soba – Trio of mini sobas consisted 1) salmon roe, 2) seasoned herring grated nagaimo yam (my fav), 3) nameko mushrooms. The bowls looked smaller than the photos suggested. Fresh clean taste, very good~

DSC03141.jpgCheese and Mochi Nabeyaki Udon, morzzarela cheese goes well with udon surprisingly! It’s chewy (with the mochi), gooey and smooth~ felt heavy too. This is so good for winter.

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March 5, 2007 2

Langer’s Delicatessen (Alvarado)

//// By in 06: Downtown LA, Favorite Food Entries

We have another entry written by guest writer Jon:

The architecture of LA’s Westlake district always reminded me a bit of Chicago’s north side. Both are close proximity to their respective downtowns and both are chocked full of architectural gems – baroque movie theaters, elegant apartment buildings, public parks in the style of Frederick Olmstead. Yet while the North Side flourished (it’s where Oprah lives), Westlake declined. Now the place is filled with pawn shops, tamale vendors, and 14 year olds hawking bootleg DVDs of The Number 23.

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In the midst of this is Los Angeles institution Langer’s Deli. The place was established in 1940s when the neighborhood was still thriving, and hasn’t really changed much since. The first thing you notice about the place is its almost Midwestern lack of pretension. No surly tattooed waiter, no trendy menu items, no self-conscious kitsch. Langer’s refreshingly unironic and they make a mean sandwich to boot.

DSCN9703.jpgTheir pastrami sandwich – number 19 — is legendary. The New Yorker declared it the best pastrami in the country. And who am I to disagree.

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The rye bread was tasty and weighty enough to support the sandwich’s contents, but not too dense to be a chore to chew. The coleslaw and Russian dressing created a nice tart counterbalance to the meat. But the key to a good pastrami sandwich – follow me here – is the pastrami. Cut thick, it had a smoky, rich, round flavor that was not the slightest bit dry. In short, as Joan said, this sandwich was “yummy.” I’m itching to go back.

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