Food GPS Reviews
I eat as many as a dozen restaurant meals a week. Most of them aren't worth repeating, or worth mentioning, but every now and then, there's a meal that's so dynamic that I can't wait to share it with people. The Reviews page is a practical guide to these experiences.
Latest Reviews
Sushi Gen: Making it Rain Uni in Little Tokyo
February 1, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Bookend tidal waves frame the sign for Sushi Gen, which proprietor Toshiaki Toyoshima opened in a Little Tokyo plaza in March, 1981. The Japanese restaurant has earned a reputation for market-fresh fish and bringing relative value to a cuisine that doesn’t normally deliver much of it. Of course, handing the keys from our meal to luxury-minded financial analyst Daniel from Effing Dericious eliminated any possibility …
Flossie’s: Making Mississippi Soul in the South Bay
January 25, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Flossie’s exterior doesn’t look like much, with a spare sign and a Yukon Square strip mall location that adjoins a liquor store and laundromat. However, Sandra Foster and late mother Flossie transformed the Torrance setting near El Camino College and Alondra Golf Course into a soul food institution, beginning by opening in 1991.
The restaurant hasn’t seen natural light in years, as a fluorescent glow bathes …
El Palacio de los Jugos: Building on Palatial Juice in Miami
January 24, 2012 at 9:00 am
My red-eye flight from Los Angeles landed as the sun rose over Fort Launderdale, and initial food thoughts on Thanksgiving weren’t of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. They were of roast pork, fresh juice and fried Cuban croquetas. My friend Ben knew just wear to find all three, at El Palacio de Los Jugos, which started as a juice stand more than 40 years ago …
Pubbelly: Hyping Pork in South Beach’s Sunset Harbour
January 18, 2012 at 3:00 pm
In 2008, just when it was beginning to look like Miami might not have much more to offer culinarily, city planners and entrepreneurs started debuting insta-neighborhoods like Midtown and Sunset Harbour. The latter, situated on South Beach’s west end, features condos, retail outlets, and a number of new restaurants, three from a single group or restaurateurs: Sergio Navarro, Jose Mendin and Andreas Schreiner. In November, …
Harry’s Pizzeria: Expanding Genuine Focus in Miami’s Design District
January 18, 2012 at 9:00 am
Miami experienced some growing pains during our millennium’s first decade, with very few compelling dining options beyond Latin or seafood. That changed with the advent of neighborhoods that seemed to sprout up overnight, like Midtown, plus New York restaurant carpetbaggers who opened mirror images along Miami Beach. However, there have been some independent thinkers. One of the leaders has been Michael Schwartz, who earned a …
Clive’s Café: Abiding by the Caribbean in Wynwood
January 17, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Wynwood clearly becomes very different place during Art Basel. Artists from around the world descend on the central Miami neighborhood, painting murals on the sides of walls. Liquor companies set up tents to host lavish multi-day parties. Galleries sell paintings, photos and sculptures by the bushel. However, not much changes at Clive’s Cafe a tiny Caribbean establishment with high value food on the outskirts of …
Por Fin: Grand Spanish Style in Coral Gables, Finally
January 17, 2012 at 9:00 am
“Ben, what’s the best restaurant in Coral Gables?” My Miami-based friend’s response arrived swiftly: “Por Fin!” Finally! That’s the English translation for the name of Carlos Centurion’s Spanish-influenced restaurant, which opened in March 2008 on Coral Gables’ ritzy Miracle Mile retail corridor. It also instantly became that night’s dining destination.
Opening chef Marc Vidal hailed from Barcelona and worked with Centurion to sculpt a Spanish base. …
El Rey De Las Fritas: Cuban Crunch on Calle Ocho
January 13, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Snacking is rarely necessary in Miami, a city that’s strong on hearty comida Latina, but one viable option remains El Rey de las Fritas a Cuban diner that’s been located on Calle Ocho, aka 8th Street, aka Tamiami Trail, over 40 years. [Many main roads in Miami have two names]. Anyway, the owners expanded to Hialeah, opened near Florida International University, and even rolled out …
Jimmy’z Kitchen: Delivering High Pressure Mofongo in Miami
January 13, 2012 at 12:00 pm
A long run along Miami Beach left me hangry (hungry + angry), and by the time we reached Jimmy Carey’s restaurant in the Wynwood Arts District, the pressure increased for Jimmy’z Kitchen to deliver on their reputation for the best mofongo in the city. They were up to the challenge.
Carey built on the success of a smaller South Beach original by opening in Wynwood. A …
Butcher & Bee: Carrying the Buzz Beyond Upper King
January 11, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Charleston’s trendy Upper King Street continues to surprise me. Points of culinary interest regularly arise, pushing the boundaries of the neighborhood to the brink and beyond. All the while, Charlestonians and gastro-tourists benefit. On my most recent annual trip to a favorite Southern city, Hominy Grill chef Robert Stehling suggested another place that was new to me, Butcher & Bee. The beyond-seasonal sandwich shop …
Hope and Union: Pairing History with a Progressive Coffee Program
January 11, 2012 at 3:00 pm
In many ways, Charleston is a progressive food city, with some of the best chefs and restaurants in the Southeast, an emerging cocktail culture, and some respectable craft beer bars. What’s been missing during my 16 years of visiting the city has been a go-to specialty coffeehouse. That seems to have finally changed with the advent of Hope and Union, which John Vergel de Dios and Harper Poe opened in 2009 in Charleston’s Elliotborough neighborhood, with a name that references cross streets in the couple’s former Brooklyn neighborhood.
Charleston dates to 1670, and the city celebrates history in many forms. Architecturally, the Preservation Society of Charleston awards Cariolopolis medallions to building owners who preserve the historic integrity of their property, and John Vergel de Dios and Harper Poe got pinned for their work in restoring a building that dates to the 1800s.
The coffee bar resides downstairs, at the back of the building, in a room with concrete flooring, and a back bar with reclaimed wood beams the owners painted white. Out front, the coffeehouse has a subdued, library-like vibe, with two-tops, communal tables and wood floors. Upstairs, an airy room emanates in two directions from a well worn fireplace, with wood crossbeams overhead.
Hope and Union touts plenty of olde tyme touches, including shelves of glass milk bottles.
Decorative red lanterns hung from the wall. Luckily, they didn’t provide the room’s only light.
Hope and Union hosts all of the requisite toys necessary for producing premium coffee, including a two-group La Marzocco espresso machine, a four cup pourover bar with Hario V60s and copper piping. They carry Intelligentsia coffee, which was familiar, since that’s my neighborhood coffeehouse in L.A., but still a welcome sight (and sip). They grind and brew all beans to order, as they should.
On my first visit, a barista on a holiday skeleton crew effectively pulled a double shot of Intelligentsia black cat Espresso ($2.80) for me, which displayed sweetness and bright acidity.
They offered three different single origin coffees via 12 or 16 ounce pourover, with each option costing either $3.55 or $3.80. During my visits, the selection consisted of Anjilanaka, Bolivia; Mexico, La Perla de Oaxaca; and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe.
My cappuccino (6 oz.) on day two was pretty much spot on, with the Black Cat coming through an appropriate amount of whole milk to deliver an instantly drinkable cup that was just the right temperature. The barista even added some attractive art, which is by no means imperative, but certainly didn’t hurt perception.
Hope and Union was short on hours, since the College of Charleston was on break for the holidays, and their primary clientele was on vacation, but they didn’t skimp on effort, attention to detail, or flavorful coffee, which are all factors that will keep me coming back to St Philip Street.
Trattoria Lucca (Feast of the 7 Fishes): Harnessing the Atlantic Ocean to Fuel Italian Culinary Tradition
January 10, 2012 at 3:00 pm
We started our 2011 Christmas Eve much like we started our 2010 Christmas Eve, down the street from Trattoria Lucca at the restaurant’s complementary enoteca, sharing a bottle of wine, basking in the soft glow from reindeer candleholders, and waiting for a table at the Feast of the 7 Fishes, a remarkable family-style meal of Italian seafood from talented chef-owner Ken Vedrinski.
The traditional Italian Feast …
Ernie’s: Bringing Soul Food to a Charleston Side Street
January 10, 2012 at 9:00 am
Between Christmas and New Year’s in Charleston, a number of restaurants shut down for the holidays, but more than enough stalwarts persevere, continuing to produce satisfying food for locals and tourists alike. Ernie’s is only a couple blocks from red hot Upper King Street, and the soul food emporium clearly caters to locals, with minimal décor and hearty portions of comfort food.
The relatively plain storefront …
East/Borough: Bridging The Gap to Vietnam in The Camp
January 9, 2012 at 3:00 pm
The idea of eating Vietnamese food in a trendy, eco-friendly complex near South Coast Plaza with Little Saigon mere minutes away on the 405 freeway might seem ludicrous. And in most instances, it probably would be. However, a false start at another eatery in The Camp sent us toward the exit, and since we were short on time, another on-site restaurant would have to do, …
Carnitas Snack Shack: Bringing the Oink to North Park
January 6, 2012 at 12:00 pm
When a restaurant has PORK in the phone number, that bodes well. So does a menu that lives up to the phone number, a location near North Park’s craft beer-crazed establishments, and a mini pig mascot that’s kind of a big deal on YouTube. All signs pointed to Carnitas Snack Shack, a casual concept from chefs Hanis Cavin and Sara Stroud that promised a “Tail …
Panther Coffee: Helping to Remove Specialty Coffee from the Endangered List in South Florida
January 4, 2012 at 3:00 pm
A Panther isn’t just Florida’s state animal or the mascot for Miami’s hockey team. Thanks to Leticia Ramos Pollock and husband Joel Pollock, the endangered species also epitomizes a coffeehouse in Miami’s Wynwood Arts District that helped answer an increasingly beguiling question: where does coffee exist in South Florida that doesn’t require rivers of milk and coffee to taste good?
The couple previously worked in Portland, …
Erizo Cebicheria: Creating Contemporary Showcase for Baja Seafood
December 30, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Erizo Cebicheria is one of the latest concepts from rising chef and tireless Baja proponent Javier Plascencia, and it’s just one of the places that Street Gourmet LA founder Bill Esparza introduced us to on a culinary tour of Tijuana during the inaugural Baja California Culinary Fest.
The recently expanded Baja Fish House and Market resides next to sister establishment Caffe Saverios. The space features …
Tortas Wash Mobile: Sandwiches that Outlive its Tijuana Car Wash Roots
December 30, 2011 at 12:00 pm
Concepts don’t get much simpler than Tortas Wash Mobile, a sandwich window that dates to 1964 and specializes in one thing: carne asada tortas. The name comes from a nearby car wash that housed the first location. The original Tortas Wash Mobile remains; the car wash is gone. The location we visited on a culinary tour during the inaugural Baja Culinary Fest adjoined the House …
Mariscos El Mazateno: Traveling to the Tijuana Highlands for Magnificent Seafood
December 30, 2011 at 9:00 am
A winding drive into the hills near Tecnologico – the Tijuana technical college – once again led us to Mariscos de Mazateno, a nine-year-old restaurant that showcases Sinaloa-style seafood from Mazatlan. A 2009 visit sparked my interest, and it was only a matter of time before we experienced a full-force foray. The return trip, which was part of a culinary tour that centered on Baja …
Baja Sonora: Bringing Sonoran Tacos to the West
December 29, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Our most recent trip to Tijuana featured a well structured itinerary, but we did have one night of free play, and that inevitably involved multiple taco stops. We started at Baja Sonora, a taqueria that culinary trip organizer Bill Esparza suggested for meaty tacos reminiscent of what’s available across the Gulf of California. The bright space seemed ready for franchising, complete with a cactus logo …
Javier Plascencia and Fellow Chefs Make Mision 19 the Place to Be During Baja Culinary Fest
December 29, 2011 at 12:00 pm
The reason our bus left Union Station so early on a Friday afternoon was so that we could make it to a pair of marquee Baja Culinary Fest dinners in up-and-coming Tijuana. About 30% of our gastronomical tour group attended a game-focused feast at Miguel Angel Guerrero’s restaurant – La Querencia – but the bulk of bus goers opted for dinner at Mision 19, the …
Ted’s Bakery: Catching a Haupia Pie Wave on Oahu’s North Shore
December 23, 2011 at 12:00 pm
The North Shore of Oahu is probably best known for death defying, big wave surfing, followed by beaches and farms. Further down the list, but no less important, are culinary touchstones like shrimp trucks, shaved ice shops, and thanks to Ted Nakamura and Ted’s Bakery, haupia pie.
The bare bones bakery features a surf mural on the front wall, with tables outside.
Ted’s sells Danishes, cookies, Portuguese …
Ola: Bringing Life to the Beach at Turtle Bay Resort
December 23, 2011 at 10:00 am
It was a busy morning of touring farms on Oahu’s North Shore, complete with stops at Waialua Estate and Marine AgriFuture, so by the time we arrived at Turtle Bay Resort, most writers in our international contingent were ready to devour local produce, seafood and meat at Ola, a five-year-old, family-run restaurant with a name that that hints at “life” overlooking the Pacific, “ola” being …
Chef Mavro: Tapping into Hawaii’s Finest Ingredients
December 23, 2011 at 6:00 am
Unfortunately, all good trips have to come to an end, and that even holds true in Hawaii. Still, there are some great ways to ease into a sendoff, and our final dinner at Chef Mavro certainly qualified as stellar, with impressive food from wire-to-wire, excellent company, and a warm setting.
George Mavrothalassitis opened his eponymous restaurant 20 years ago, earned a James Beard Award in 2003 …
Leonard’s Bakery: Going the Extra Miles for Malasadas
December 21, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Surfing for the first time resulted in tired shoulders, scuffed knees and bloody, rock-raked fingers, but more importantly, some memorable rides and views of Diamond Head. After the final ride, which nearly took to me ashore, my hunger somehow surfaced again. The van that took other writers back to our respective hotels dropped me along a canal, which left me no choice but to walk, …
