ben a.'s Profile

Best BBQ I've ever had. This was a nice way to cap off a 3 day uhaul drive from LA to the DFW area. I threw brisket, sausage, ham, and the bacon/jalapeno things onto my plate with a fully loaded baked potato and peach cobbler. Honestly, I've been dreaming about this meal ever since. The brisket was juicy, the sausage was spicy and the bbq sauce was just right. The peach cobbler is the stuff dreams are made of- and comes in a nice little serving so I didn't load up on dessert.

Seriously recommended- then again, I tend to always love places that charge you by the weight of your food...

This is the best taco truck in Echo Park, but where have they run off to? Does anybody know? It's been about a month since they were at their usual spot on Logan :(

I'm still dreaming of the delicious Beef and Cheese piroshky I had during my 2 night stand with the city of Seattle. Oh Piroshky, lets run away and get married. I'll build you a beautiful house complete with a white picket fence and a heatlamp to keep you warm and tasty...er toasty.

I've been here several times and always enjoyed myself, but my most recent visit was to take part in the wonder that is Wine and Dine LA. Ciudad's 4 course W&DLA menu included an amazing "Summer Fruit Composition with watercress, pistachio, lightly smoked speck ham, olive salt, and saffron citrus vinaigrette." This was seriously good stuff. In particular the thinly sliced peaches on top of the prosciutto was a fantastic contrast between sweet and salty.

The second course was the meat and potatoes course and it was fantastic. It was sprinkled with specks of pancetta that really brought a unique flavor to everything.

My favorite course was the epic "Mission Fig and Cabrales Blue Cheese Tart in savory black pepper pastry with frisee and sherry fig syrup." The crust of this tart was insanely delicious- all butter and sunshine. The Blue Cheese at the bottom of the tart was at first a shocking flavor and then soon a real delight when combined with the sweet and subtle slices of fig. I'm not a big fig guy, but together with the amazing crust and blue cheese this tart was incredible. I only wish I could have eaten it all. It was waay too big for one person.

The final course was the cheese course and I think this was my only real disappointment. First, I'd have prefered a cheese course earlier in the proceedings- perhaps as the second course. The cheeses selected were pretty ho hum. Mostly sheep and goat stuff and one that I'm pretty sure tastes like old people. Gross.

We also got the paired wines with our meal and, while 4 glasses of wine at dinner was a bit excessive, I found the selection to be mostly fantastic. I particularly enjoyed the dessert wine with the cheese course... it was like drinking alcoholic maple syrup. Awesome.

All in all, Wine and Dine LA gave me a great 3rd or 4th look at Ciudad and I got to try some stuff that I would have never ordered if it wasn't part of the pre fixe menu. This just helped to reinforce my already held belief that Ciudad is one of the best places to eat in Los Angeles today.

I've worked at the Howard Hughes Center for close to 2 years, and it sure is nice to have a new place to grab lunch from! I'm a big fan of the Italian sandwich and the El Diablo chicken sandwich. Both the Au Gratin potatoes and roasted potatoes are excellent sides. It is a bit pricey, but this place is a lot nicer than most of the other offerings at Howard Hughes.  

The line is kinda wacky though. They take your order, then you walk 10 feet away and pay for that order. Whats up with that?

I dig this place. Sure the sushi isn't the best or freshest, but the prices really are reasonable and I'm a fan of $1.50 Kirin Draft. The place always has lots of tvs all over the place for watching the Dodger or Laker game and the staff is very attentive. I understand the place might be Korean run, but my waiter last night was speaking straight up Japanese to me...but, if anyone goes to Little Tokyo thinking they're going to get an "authentic" experience, they're going to the wrong place. This is Los Angeles. We mix things up.

eh.

I just spent the weekend in Seattle and this tour was absolutely the highlight. Fascinating stuff from a really cool and interesting tour guide named Deiter. We took the "underworld" version of the tour, which takes place at 8pm and provides a more "adult" look at the Seattle underground. I would definitely recommend this version for anyone who isn't offended by hookers and opium dens.

Only reason this isnt 5 stars is that I wish it was a longer tour that showed more of the underground. As it was, it ran a little over 1 hour and we saw 2-3 underground facilities.

I wish they stayed open a bit later, but their selection cannot be topped and their prices are decent.

The place does smell a little funky though... but its the price we must pay for shelves full of alcohol as far as the eye can see.

Plus, they sell socks at the counter. Thats kinda awesome. More stores should do that.

Seriously the worst Vons I've ever been to. While most Vons are in the process of being remade as a more upscale shopping venture, this Vons is permanently entrenched in its gross ghettoness. There are no upsides to this place. The produce is gross and the selection is poor. Even the parking lot is retarded.

Worst. Vons. Ever.