Little Sister DTLA

A year ago, I celebrated my birthday at a then-new restaurant in downtown LA called Little Sister.  While I'm ashamed of my inconsistent (or practically nonexistent) blog posts in 2016, I'm happy that Little Sister is continuing to offer some delicious Southeast Asian fusion food to those who are willing to give it a try.

Like its Manhattan Beach location, Little Sister "features East-meets-West inspired dishes served in a relaxed social environment that feels more residential than restaurant, as if you're being invited into the Chef Tin's home." [ link ]  Personally, Little Sister reminds me of a restaurant in New York -- tight, packed, and loud.  And I love it.

The dishes are primarily Vietnamese with a dash of Chinese, a pinch of Korean, and sprinkle of other Southeast Asian flavors.  Although I'm not typically a fan of Asian fusion, the wide variety of spices go beyond cross cultural divides in a way that is complementary and surprisingly pleasant.

Here're a few highlights from my meal, all of which come recommended:

Papaya Salad w/ Viet-style beef jerky, chili peppers, lime dressing, peanuts -- $12

Fresh, tangy, perfectly balanced flavors.

Steamed Black Cod w/ pork belly, shitake mushrooms, clams, jalapeno peppers, leeks, bitter greens, and fermented sauce -- $18

There's something delightfully refreshing about this fish dish.  Not only was it perfectly cooked, but it was light with just the right amount of salt.

Shaky Shaky Beef -- braised beef with watercress, baby tomatoes, burnt butter soy and tomato garlic fried rice -- $28

Goi Cuon Fresh Spring Roll -- Pork & Shrimp wrapped in rice paper -- $8

Vietnamese Coffee Flan with condensed milk creme and palmiers -- $8

Little Sister DTLA may not be an ideal venue for large parties, but it's a great place to experience well done fusion for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  If you still haven't had a chance to check it out, you really should in the new year!







cuisine: Upscale Vietnamese fusion
location: Downtown LA
hours: Daily, 9am-10pm
good for: Lunch, Dinner
websites: { LS | yelp | facebook | instagram | twitter }
attire: Casual
reservations: Walk-ins allowed, but reservations highly recommended
suggestions: Shaky Shaky beef, Fresh Spring Rolls, SGV banh mi.

BierBeisl Imbiss

Tucked away in a half-vacant plaza in downtown LA (aka, the historic Spring Arcade Building) is an awesome Austrian pub called BierBeisl Imbiss. It's awesome for several reasons.

(1) Solid Austrian representation with a modern twist.

(2) Cool decor with the exposed beams, open kitchen, and big windows.

(3) Enough steins and glasses to cover (or fill) every beer or wine.

(4) This glorious sight of freshly-baked house-made pastries.

Additional reasons why you'll want to check out BierBeisl Imbiss:

5) They're open from 8am-2am, every single day of the year (that's right, Mon-Sun, 365 days).

6) Happy hour is daily from 3pm-5pm and 10pm-2am.  HH deals include all sausages for $6, all sides for $4 and 10 oz. draft beers for $5.

7) Their location is next to the best gelato shop in LA (according to me): Gelateria Uli.  So clearly, a gelato stop is necessary post-meal. Guisados is also a neighbor.

8) While I haven't had the pleasure of spending substantial time in Austria, a good friend who has confirmed that BierBeisl indeed provides an authentic glimpse of beautiful Austria and their meaty, carby, and delicious Austrian fare.

9) It's casual, it's fun, it's hip.  Chef Bernhard Mairinger, you're doing a very good thing here.

10) Lastly, it's LA's only Austrian restaurant.

If these aren't good enough reasons, let the photos do the talking/ convincing:

A few pastries to kick off brunch, served on a sturdy wooden tray.

Not pictured is a cup of Einspaenner (double espresso with a splash of water, whipped cream, and cocoa powder).  What better way to start your morning than with great coffee and fresh, flaky, buttery pastries made in-house?

Apple & Grape Strudel.

Apricot & Goat Cheese Strudel (Marillenstrudel).

Sacher Torte -- a famous chocolate cake with an infamous history/ "torte war" - Wiki)

Sampler Bread Basket.

Sampler Sausage Platter comes with 3 sausages and mustard options.  

For our savory selection, we opted for the Sausage Sampler, which comes with 3 sausage of your choice, 3 types of mustard, fresh horseradish, and three types of bread (pretzel, baguette, and whole grain).

For our meats, we chose Kasekrainer (pork and beef infused with Swiss cheese), Hungarian Andouille (pork and beef with chili and paprika) and the Weisswurst (veal poached in milk, hence the white color).  All of the sausages were perfectly cooked and packed with just the right amount of flavor.  I can only imagine how tasty they'd be paired with a pint of Grieskirchner or their house BierBeisl.

You must be thinking, I didn't have any beer at BierBeisl?!  Not to worry, as I knew the minute I stepped into the restaurant that it would not be my last visit. Beer, schnitzel, and hot crispy fries will be in my next order, which I suspect will be placed very, very soon.  See you there.

cuisine: Austrian
location: Downtown LA in the Spring Arcade Building
hours: Daily, 8am-2am
links: { website | yelp | facebook | instagram }
parking: Street meters or nearby paid lots
public transpo: Pershing Square Metro Station [Red and Purple lines]
attire: Casual
price range: $10-$20
notes: BierBeisl Imbiss is the more casual sister to the once critically-acclaimed/ now-closed BierBeisl of Beverly Hills. {eater LA}  But BierBeisl is expected to re-open on the Westside with a haute cuisine restaurant, patisserie, and a beer garden.  Stay tuned.

Philippe's The Original French Dipped Sandwiches

Los Angeles is home to 3.8 million people from over 140 different countries, speaking over 224 different identified languages. It's the entertainment capital of the world and boasts a steady climate of plentiful sunshine and cloudless skies.  LA is home to the Lakers, the Clippers, the Dodgers, and the Kings. And though the debate over the true restaurant originator is ongoing, the French-dipped sandwich can call LA its home, too.

Philippe the Original (aka, Philippe's) was established in 1903 and has maintained for over sixty years, its location just blocks from the famous Olvera Street (known to be the birthplace of Los Angeles), historic Chinatown, and Union Station (the largest passenger railroad terminal in the West).  So much history within a 1/2 mile radius!

To make your afternoon of LA history all the more richer, head over to Philippe's to try their iconic French-dip sandwich, which notwithstanding its name has little to do with France, save and except, the glorious French roll from Frisco Baking Company.

Fresh out of the oven!

Breakfast menu... and delicious ice cold drinks for less than $1.

Sandwich Menu, Open daily, and now accepts credit cards.

Gift Shop inside the restaurant.

Busy restaurant counter, so be ready for the hustle bustle, especially during peak lunch hours.

Need to make a call?

Plenty of tables on the ground floor and the 2nd floor.

Salt & pepper the meat (before).

The meat (after).

Meat removed after soaking in beef broth for about 48 hours.

The final presentation -- time to eat!

Lamb with bleu cheese on jus-soaked bread.

Delicious!

Rather than the traditional beef or pork, I opted for the lamb dip.  As you may know, lamb meat can tend to be tough, but probably due to Philippe's special broth, the lamb was surprisingly tender with just the right amount of chew.  I also topped each bite with some of the famous house hot mustard and I was happy as a clam.

House coleslaw (half portion) -- simple but refreshing.

Specialty potato salad topped with cayenne (half portion) with a beet-soaked pickled hard-boiled egg.

 

This potato salad is unique -- small chunks of potato that still retain a creamy texture.

This hard-boiled egg was soaked in beet juice and jarred. I love beets and I love this egg!

Refreshing lemonade for 75 cents.

There's nothing fancy about this place.  The food is served on recyclable paper plates and cafeteria-style trays.  There are pieces of paper (intentionally) scattered on the ground that resemble hay.  But all of that will be soon forgotten when you taste Philippe's original dip with its slow-cooked meats soaked in flavorful broth, generous slabs of cheese, and crispy-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside French bread.  The dip can be complemented by your choice of sides (soups, salad, coleslaw, beet-pickled egg) and washed down a refreshing beverage.  And after a few bites, you'll start embracing Philippe's unique atmosphere (if you haven't already), which exemplifies homey comfort.

 And that moment, that experience, could also become a part of your own history. 

See you at Philippe's, friends!

cuisine: American
location: Los Angeles, CA
hours: Daily, 6am-10pm
websites: { Philippe's | yelp | facebook | twitter | instagram }
attire: Casual
parking: Free lot behind the restaurant and across the street; Street meters
payment: Cash and credit card

Maccheroni Republic

I'm a bit late getting on the Maccheroni train, but here I am!

Maccheroni Republic has two alluring attributes that warrant at least an initial visit: (1) handmade pasta and (2) BYOB with no corkage fee. *

* Word on the street is that they are obtaining a liquor license soon, which will likely force us to bid adieu to the BYO + free corkage perk.  Whether true or not, you have all the more reason to check them out sooner than later!

Let's start with the basics.

• Maccheroni Republic is an Italian trattoria located in downtown LA.  Look for the McDonald's on Broadway, but know that the entrance is not on Broadway, but around the corner, tucked behind some lush shrubbery.  
• This place serves excellent pasta dishes, while uniquely retaining the comfort of eating in a friend's [Italian grandmother's] home.  
• Parking is available on the streets (meters; free after certain hours) as well as an adjacent parking structure ($5).  
• BYOB without any corkage fee - oh, yeah! 

• There is indoor seating available, but opt for patio seating.  The ambience is cozy and inviting, especially with the glimmering lights that welcome the warm summer breeze.  It's all very romantic... for the romance between pasta and I, which is gradually blossoming.

$10 lunch deal is awesome! Must return.

Daily homemade, handmade pasta.

Non-pasta items.

Violetta Di Melanzane -- baked eggplant rolls, stuffed with mozzarella -- $9.50

This appetizer comes with about six small eggplant rolls and plenty of cheese -- so much cheese that after awhile, that's all I could taste.  So if you love mozzarella, you'll love the violetta di melanzane.  Would I order it again?  Probably not.

Spaghetti Vongole -- spaghettini with Manila clams in a garlic, white wine broth -- $13.95

Spaghettini pasta is thinner than regular spaghetti, but thicker than vermicelli or angel hair pasta.  I liked its use with the ample vongole (clams) and broth.

Tortelloni Burro E Salvia -- spinach & ricotta tortelloni with Parmesan sage sauce -- $14.95

A closer look inside.

The fave of the night was the tortelloni (the difference between tortellini and tortelloni is the size of the pasta; the latter being bigger.  And for most folks, bigger is better).  Delicately stuffed with the perfect balance of spinach and ricotta and tossed in a sage sauce, this is what defines pillow-y goodness.

There are many other diner favourites such as the black and white pasta (bianchi + neri) and the linguine ai fruitti de mare.  Whatever you choose to eat, remember to supplement it with (BYO) wine!  Have a great weekend, ya'll.






cuisine: Italian
location: Downtown LA
hours: M-F: 11:30am-3pm; 5:30-10pm; Sat: 5:30-10pm (dinner only); Sun: 4:30-9pm (dinner only).
websites: { yelp | facebook }
price: $10-$20
attire: Casual
parking: Street meters or nearby lots
reservations: no
notes: Forgot to bring wine?  Don't worry, just head to Buzz Wine Shop on Spring.  Also, the best time to check this place out is a weekday night.
other reviews: { j.gold | gastronomy | darindines }