The editors at Eater Los Angeles dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here’s the very best of everything the team has eaten this week.
Spumoni from Bar di Bello in Silver Lake
The month August
boasts, randomly, National Spumoni Day, so why not go into one of Silver Lake’s hottest new bars for a nightcap and a dessert that gives Old Spaghetti Factory nostalgia? Bar di Bello’s gelato isn’t made in house but it is precisely layered and topped with a homemade pistachio crumble that adds another jolt of salty-sweet to the semi-frozen slab; swirls of cherry syrup and one well-placed soaked cherry finish the presentation. If you’re like me, you may eat by color: first polishing off the more saline pistachio strip, then the earthy chocolate, and finally the bright strawberry, should it not melt in your plate first as you slowly savor each bite. More inventive spumoni riffs have existed before in Los Angeles; still, this one does the basics right. 3300 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 109-110, Los Angeles, CA 90026. — Nicole Fellah, Eater editorial manager
Capriccio from Lorenzo in Beverly Hills
My summer of veggie sandwiches continued at Lorenzo in Beverly Hills, a daytime-only sandwich shop slinging its creations on bubbly focaccia that glistens with an olive oil sheen. After sitting down for a picturesque afternoon tea at Monsieur Dior down the street, I wandered into the counter-serve restaurant for a more filling sandwich: the Capriccio gets layered with creamy stracciatella cheese, crisp baby arugula, verdant basil-almond pesto, slightly sweet sundried tomatoes, and crunchy toasted almonds. It gave a salad-between-bread vibe, which felt ideal for me as someone who yearns for a leafy green with every meal. Next time I find myself back in Beverly Hills, I know where I’ll be stopping for lunch. 9529 S. Santa Monica Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Kanom jeen nam ya from Chao Krung in Fairfax
Chao Krung, one of the oldest Thai restaurants in Los Angeles, is introducing a new curry night every Wednesday beginning on September 2. The restaurant’s curry night offers a trio of curries to select from (my advice: get all three) with unlimited fermented rice noodles known as khanom jeen and raw vegetables such as bean sprouts, bitter melon, and sliced green beans to customize each bowl of noodles. I previewed its curry night and nearly shed a tear when I tried the nam ya curry, a trout curry from Southern Thailand that’s spicy, funky, and reminded me so much of my grandma that the nostalgia felt overwhelming. The other two curries — a nam prik curry with a thicker consistency and nuttier, subtly sweet coconut flavor and a green curry packed with eggplants and Thai chiles — also remain worth ordering. But that nam ya curry is the one I want to return to every Wednesday, topped with extra pickled mustard greens. 111 N. Fairfax Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90036. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Naengmyeon from Kang’s Kitchen in the Rio Las Vegas
I’m always curious how Korean food ends up in mainstream locations, like a Vegas resort. Earlier this year I had a gobsmackingly good dinner at Cote, a New York transplant restaurant that lives up to the hype. Kang’s Kitchen (no relation) occupies a humbler slot inside the Rio, a resort that’s undergoing a full remodel under the Hyatt banner and frankly should get more attention for its transformation. I stepped in for a light lunch of ice-cold naengmyeon on a sweltering day (and fantastic kimchi), and was surprised by the overall excellence of the bowl. The first sip sans vinegar or mustard is always the best way to reveal a naengmyeon broth’s provenance. Sometimes it can be cloying or underseasoned, and this one toed the line between refreshing, sweet, and beefy. The chewy arrowroot noodles aren’t the in-vogue buckwheat that you’ll get in a classic Pyongyang style, but these are more satisfying for those who grew up eating this more typical preparation with slices of pickled radish and cooked brisket strips. The naengmyeon and diverse banchan have shown me enough that I need to come back for a full barbecue dinner. 3700 W. Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103. — Matthew Kang, correspondent, Eater
