A Food Review of LA

{Katsuya Brentwood}

{The Crawfish Festival in Long Beach}

{The Counter in Santa Monica}

{Gyenari in Culver City

{Chaya Brasserie in Beverly Hills}

{The Beachcomber at Malibu Pier}

{Cafe Brasil in Culver City}

{Ford's Filling Station in Culver City}

{Ketchup in West Hollywood}

Since I just posted on a recent trip to LA, I wanted to focus on a lengthier trip there I had last summer where I was able to eat at a lot of different places, some better than others.  


I'm going to admit this right now- my only previous exposure to Katsuya was from watching the Kardashians and all those other reality show starlets eat at the famed Japanese eatery.  I somehow decided their business must mean good food so we made dinner reservations for the Katsuya in Brentwood (11777 San Vicente Blvd.) as opposed to the more star-powered Hollywood location.  It was by no means a cheap meal and the scene might not be for everyone, but the food was spectacular.  I could eat the tuna and crispy rice rolls in my sleep (I'm sure people have dreams about them).  The shrimp tempura roll, dragon roll, eel roll, and crispy albacore were other favorites among our group.  And any restaurant that has a decadent chocolate lava cake on their dessert menu is a winner in my book.  We left stuffed but happy, and I made a successful effort to return there on my last trip for an equally as delightful meal.  Pizzeria Mozza, however, did not live up to the hype as Katsuya did.  The service was mediocre, they were out of several of the pizzas, and the quality did not live up to the price.  With so many competitive Italian-style pizza restaurants opening up these days, Mozza is not a unique concept and it did not live up to my expectations.


A few other food favorites in LA: 
The Park on Sunset (1400 Sunset Blvd)- a good place to stop by before a Dodgers game as we were doing, the Park has great classic dishes (think spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread) specializing in seasonal ingredients with a twist.
Cafe Brasil (10831 Venice Blvd)- a great spot on Venice Boulevard in Culver City- choose your meat/fish from the grill and it comes accompanied with rice, beans, plantains, and salsa.  The fresh fruit juices and drinks here are not to be missed, particularly the Passion Fruit.
South Beverly Grill (122 S Beverly Dr)- the Happy Hour in the piano bar guarantees a fun time- the menu is great- don't leave without having the mini crispy chicken burgers.  
The Long Beach Crawfish Festival- okay so this is only an annual event, but if you happen to be in town when it's taking place, I recommend a trip on the 405 to go see it.  There's crawfish, amazing grilled corn on the cob with tons of different sauces to try, zydeco bands, and lots of other entertainment.