Here are the ten most devastating dishes I ate in L.A. County in 2007, regardless of cuisine or price level. Three of the dishes didn’t previously appear on Food GPS, since I wrote about certain restaurants on assignment. The Top 10 is listed by restaurant, in alphabetical order.
1. Al-Watan – Mix Tandoori
Al-Watan’s decor barely registers, with mirrored walls and tile floors. Thankfully, chef-owner Mohammed Mumtaz’s Indo-Pak cooking left a stronger impression, particularly the Mix Tandoori ($11.99). A sizzling platter of oily, caramelized onions supported a mountain of tandoor beef and chicken. The spice-crusted bird and cow meat included big hunks of smoky Chicken Tikka, orange from the tandoor, plus the succulent, casing-free minced beef sausages known as Seekh Kabab, and beyond-tender marinated hacks of beef known as Beef Boti Kabob. The meats that touched the platter developed a phenomenal spice crust, and the meats on top of the pile were nearly as good. With each bite, the flavor kept building until I was in gastro-ecstasy. I thought I had eaten good Pakistani food before. Guess not.
2. Attari Sandwich Shop – Ash
In the early days of Attari, Parvin Sadaghiani sold a hodge-podge that included sandwiches and live birds. In early 2006, daughter in law Ayla Heravi joined the family business. Attari is now open later and serves kebabs, but one dish that hasn’t changed is Parvin’s Ash ($4.50). The barley based stew was staggeringly delicious, especially considering it’s vegetarian. Ayla said, “It’s not thin, so we don’t call it soup.” Ash contains fresh herbs, white and pinto beans. A tangy derivative of yogurt called kashk is drizzled on top, joining twin pools of grilled mint oil and a pile of caramelized grilled onions.
3. Bashan – Seared Barramundi
Chef Nadav Bashan and wife Romy opened their eponymous Mediterranean restaurant in the unlikely Northern L.A. hamlet of Montrose in September 2007. Since Nadav Bashan last cooked at Providence, I was not surprised that he knew how to prepare and source seafood. Seared Barramundi ($28) was accompanied by roasted quarter-sized cuts of Jerusalem artichoke, an underappreciated and underused root vegetable that’s nothing like a regular artichoke. The plate was also strewn with cipollini onions, roasted whole until sweet and browned, along with cubes of chorizo and quartered shrimp. The generously portioned fillet of Australian fish featured crispy skin and flaky white flesh. The plate was dotted with a green herb-infused oil. This was one of the more thoughtful and delicious dishes I ate in 2007, seafood or otherwise.
4. Dai Ho Kitchen – Beef Stew Soup Noodles
Taiwan natives Jim and May Ku have owned a “Chinese fast food” restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley since 1987. Beef Stew Soup Noodles ($8) are the top selling noodles during cooler months, for good reason. The beef chunks were cooked until tender in an addictive brew of sesame oil, ginger, hot sauce, soy, sugar and homemade chile sauce, for heat. May buys freshly made egg noodles, then adds raw spinach leaves before pouring the soup over the top.
5. Hamjipark – Pan Broiled Squid With Noodle
Hwa Shin Kim and daughter Eunji opened this fashionable offshoot of their bare bones Pico original in 2003. The high-energy Korean restaurant’s signature dish is barbecued pork spare ribs, which arrive spice-slathered and sticky on a sizzling platter. As good as they were, I preferred the Pan Broiled Squid With Noodle ($17.99), springy vermicelli noodles set atop a bowl of chile-soaked cephalopod. Tender tentacles, abdomen and tail meat were stir-fried with sweet onions, mushrooms, zucchini and red pepper strips. To extinguish the heat, invest in a bottle of sweet plum wine, kept cool in a nearby glass-fronted fridge.
6. Hummus Bar – Hummus Sabich
Specializing in the Middle Eastern garbanzo bean dip, this spot opened in December 2006 in Tarzana Village, a strip mall in a neighborhood with a large Israeli community. Chef-owner Ziva Ovadia makes everything but the pita fresh daily, including silky, substantial hummus. There are several possible toppings, but none better than with Hummus Sabich ($9.99), roasted eggplant, tahini sauce, thin-sliced hard-boiled egg, parsley and olive oil. The cuts of eggplant were especially terrific, with almost caramelized skins.
7. Il Grano – Heirloom Tomato Salad
Naples native Sal Marino is fanatical about market-fresh ingredients. Every July, to mark the opening of tomato season, he utilizes over three-dozen varieties of heirloom tomatoes from his private garden. A plate of heirloom tomatoes – red, yellow, orange, green, and burgundy – was lightly dressed with olive oil, sprinkled with black pepper and topped with a dollop of burrata, mozzarella’s creamy centered cousin. The starter was simple, naturally flavorful and totally timely.
8. La Casita Mexicana – Adobo Spiced Sea Bass
In the past, La Casita Mexicana only offered fish during Lent. Thankfully Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu recently added sea life to the regular menu. I ordered a white board special: adobo spiced sea bass fillet ($10.95) cooked with nopales (cactus strips) in corn husks and served with a mound of white rice topped with sliced jalapenos. I peeled back two husks to reveal a spice-marinated fillet of flaky white fish. Cooked in husks, the fish retained its moisture and was absolutely succulent. The nopales were plesantly rubbery, and still benefited the dish.
9. La Serenata de Garibaldi – Deshebrada Estilo Durango
Jose Rodriguez and his wife Aurora have a three restaurant chain that stretches as far west as Santa Monica, but it was at the first link – Boyle Heights – that I experienced Deshebrada Estilo Durango ($15.50). The astounding shredded beef was dressed with diced potatoes, crumbled chorizo and a creamy chipotle sauce. The plate was decoratively rimmed with chopped oregano. I received a basket of fresh-pressed corn tortillas – red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag – allowing me to build my own tacos.
10. Ludobites @ Breadbar – Smoked Salmon With Tangerine Gazpacho
Chef Ludovic “Ludo” Lefebvre’s “eclectic culinary adventure” was available at Breadbar through December 21. While several dishes lived up to Ludo’s reputation for innovation, I was particularly impressed by the Smoked Salmon With Tangerine Gazpacho ($7). Fillets of silky smoked salmon were topped with tiny edible flowers and Petrossian trout roe, which provided salty little bursts. It quickly became clear that dipping the smoked salmon in the “tangerine gazpacho” was a waste, so I picked up the dish and began drinking the cool yellow soup, which was phenomenal, loaded with sweet tangerine pulp.
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