Ciudad
445 S. Figueroa St. (between 4th St. and 5th St.), Los Angeles, CA 90071; 
www.ciudad-la.com
30% off lunch or dinner
max party: 8; dine-in only; not valid with happy hour menu, prix fixe menus, or with any other offer
must use your passcode by: Apr. 1, 2010
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger had already staked a claim downtown before the rush to get a mod Latin restaurant on every corner hit the area. Like good pioneers, they snagged a prime location, in the courtyard of Union Bank Plaza, with an outdoor patio and skyscraper views. The menu here hops around Latin America, from Mexico and Peru down to Argentina, and even crosses the Atlantic to Spain. These “Too Hot Tamales” (so dubbed by the Food Network) have done it again with a jumping place whose decor and food are big, bold, and as festive as Cinco de Mayo. If Detective Sergeant Joe Friday were still around, you would hear him say, “This is the ciudad — Los Angeles, California — and this is how we eat today.”
menu musts
Peruvian ceviche (mahimahi and avocado)
Argentine empanadas with wild mushrooms and chipotle sauce
Ono poblano tiradito (seared poblano, avocado, chile sauce)
Niman Ranch pork carnitas, white-cheddar corn grits and kale
Barcelona chocolate cake
sweet seats
Go for the four-top in the corner of the cavernous dining room. The L-shaped bar is more casual and closer to the alcohol and televised sports.
chew on this
Weekdays are a bargain with a $10 Quick Lunch served in the bar. Stay long enough and you can fill up on tacos ($3) and half-price house drinks ($4.50) during happy hour (4 PM–7 PM).
hours
lunch: Mon.–Fri. 11:30 AM–3 PM
dinner: Mon.–Tues. 5 PM–9 PM; Wed.–Thurs. 5 PM–10 PM; Fri.–Sat. 5 PM–11 PM
Sundays (tapas only) 5 PM–9 PM
price range of dinner entrees
$24 (artichoke and samfaina vegetable fideo pasta) to $34 (Argentine gaucho steak)
Sounds pretty rad! Who wants to go? Must go by 4/1!
Posted via web from pearl’s posterous
Jonathan Gold has put together a great to-eat list for LA Weekly. It’s lovely and amazing and makes me oh-so-hungry!
99 Things to Eat in LA Before You Die
On the list:
- Urasawa’s Fugu
- Bulgarini’s Goat’s Milk Gelato
- Shanxi Knife-Cut Noodles
- Newport Seafood’s Spicy Lobster
- Romanesco
- and MORE!
So who wants to go eat??
I only discovered Kyochon Chicken last year, but I’ve been hooked. I get cravings for these delicious little chunks of tender and juicy marinated chicken battered in some sort of special rice coating that crisps up after it’s been deep fried and has just the slightest tinge of curry wafting under your nostrils and over your tastebuds. These are usually nothing short of glorious and I really don’t want to know how bad these are for you.
Kyochon Chicken
Freshia Market
Torrance, CA
Now this is really inspiration more than anything else. =) Time to do another Deep-Fry-day!
Above picture is of Deep Fried Oreos.
Posted via web from pearl’s posterous
Ok, this place is definitely going on the list of “places to check out”. Deep fried skewers! The above is deep fried shrimp, head-on.
Posted via web from pearl’s posterous
I’ve never been here, but this looks delicious!
The charming 3rd Street bakery Kiss My Bundt, which we have featured a few times in this blog (since its bundts and cupcakes are so tasty) is in a bit of trouble. Due to the recession and the rising cost of ingredients such as milk, butter, sugar and Belgian chocolate, the little bakery is struggling to stay afloat.
Last week, investor Erin Hill sent out an e-mail saying in part:
Chrysta [Wilson], the owner of the bakery, has been fighting valiantly since things got tough in January, but hasn’t been able to build the business fast enough. So it has come down to the next few weeks, in which she has to sell about 5000 mini bundts to raise the money to keep her doors open into the Christmas season, when business will hopefully pick up.
It’s surprising news, since the bakery has become a favorite with a lot of dessert-loving people I know and is often mentioned on popular blogs. Wilson even has a “Kiss My Bundt” cookbook coming out over Thanksgiving.
– Jessica Gelt
*sigh* standards of living going down means less fancy yummy things available to us. it’s almost like we’re heading back to the days where salt and silk were traded as valued commodities. ok, we’re not going to get to THAT point, but it’s heading down that path. :(
Posted via web from pearl’s posterous
¶
Posted 21 November 2009
§
Westside
‡
°
You live in Torrance/Gardena/Beach Cities and you need to eat! Where do you go?? Here’s a quicklist of a few of my favorites in the Torrance/South Bay area.
Shinsengumi Hakata Ramen
Gardena, CA
Ramen cooked to your exact specifications in savory pork-flavored broth. You say you want it hard, thick and strong? Done.
Musha
Gardena, CA
A favorite. Izakaya style (Japanese tapas) dining. Favorite menu items: rib eye and stingray fin you grill at the table, cheese risotto served out of a gigantic wedge of cheese, and the sweet tofu/cracker dessert.
Original Pancake House
Redondo Beach, CA
My favorite breakfast place in the South Bay. Best eggs, best bacon, huge and amazing omelettes.
