Restaurant Review #122: Sawtelle Kitchen, Sawtelle, West LA

According to Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less, people remember an experience as negative or positive depending on two things: how good or bad the experience was at its peak, and how they felt at the end. This theory does a good job of explaining why I do not have fond memories of my experience at Sawtelle Kitchen, even though it's pretty good at what it does.

Restaurant Review #121: Sanamluang Cafe, North Hollywood

Indian curry noodles with beef

If you're never been to Sanamluang Cafe before, you may be thoroughly confused when you walk in. Do I seat myself? Do I order at the counter? Is there a real menu with words, or do I have to pick one of those numbered photos and hope for the best?

I read good things about Sanamluang Cafe on Chowhound. Anyone who maligns the Valley for not having good food has

Restaurant Instincts

You walk into a restaurant you've never eaten at before. You don't like the decor, and the hostess seems standoffish, but someone recommended the place to you. Do you stay, or do you leave?After a few bad meals, I now unapologetically err on the side of leaving. The most recent example of this was my trip to the Hare Krishna temple's restaurant on Venice in Culver City. I'd heard that they served

Restaurant Review #120: Joie Luck Kitchen, North Hollywood

Orange peel chicken

In Van Nuys, there are really only two kinds of food you can get delivered: Chinese and pizza. Given these two options, I'll generally choose Chinese. The grocery store can supply me with cheap, decent pizza, but the same doesn't hold true for Chinese.

Joie Luck Kitchen is not the best Chinese food I've ever had, but I still like it.

The orange chicken is a bit on the

Food Photography Tips

Here are some things I've learned from experience about taking better photos of food.1. Don't use a flash. In a restaurant setting, it's distracting to other diners. It will also generally make your food look garish.2. Don't shoot from a bird's eye view. Get down and dirty with your food.3. In low lighting, a miniature tripod, beanbag, or perhaps something on the table can be used to steady your

Restaurant Review #119: Siam Chan, West LA

Japanese food abounds in the West LA neighborhood just west of the 405, but Thai food is scarce. Choose between the always empty Talay Thai on Santa Monica Blvd. near Corinth (on my to-dine list in spite of its emptiness) or the kind of sketchy looking pink hut behind the 20/20 Video.

The pink hut is Siam Chan, easily identifiable by the jocular red letters spelling out "Thai Food" across the

Restaurant Review #118: Sushi Mon, Santa Monica

What's that in my yellowtail roll?

Dining options in downtown Santa Monica are limited. Not that restaurants aren't plentiful, but good restaurants? Good restaurants that are open for lunch? Well, that's another story. So we decided on Sushi Mon, formerly known as Shige, formerly known as Shabu 2. That's a big warning right there, I know, but I like the space, and I like sushi. There have to be

Restaurant Review #117: Electric Lotus, Los Feliz

Tables for two are pretty small, but romantic

I'd been wanting to go to Electric Lotus for a long time--and at the same time, I had been wanting to not go. I was attracted by the idea of Indian food in a hip setting. Based on the Zagat Guide's description (this is the part where I incur Jim Leff's wrath) , I envisioned myself sitting on swanky, shimmery blue cushions on the floor while I

Restaurant Review #116: Gr/eats, Sawtelle, West LA

Seafood paella

I really want to like this restaurant. It's quiet. Charming. Peaceful. There are fresh, colorful flowers on every table. The service is attentive, and so polite and friendly that you'll think you've been transported to the midwest. The not-too-loud, not-too-soft music is the Cranberries, David Bowie, and other American artists imitated very convincingly in what is probably

Restaurant Review #115: La Bottega, West LA

Insalata Ravella

I did takeout at La Bottega, so I didn't get the full restaurant experience. You can usually tell a decent amount about a restaurant without actually eating your meal there--after all, you can still see what the place looks like, time how fast they can put a meal together, interact with at least one staff member, get a feel for the pricing, and taste the food.

From my brief

Restaurant Review #114: Kinchan's, Sawtelle, West LA

Shiitake ramen

Everyone has their favorite ramen house on Sawtelle. Non-grocery store ramen is new to me, so I've been on a mission to try them all--a mission that coincides nicely with my mission to eat at just about every restaurant on Sawtelle.

Ramenya is closed on Wednesdays, so I ended up at Kinchan's. It made no difference to me, really, since I hadn't tried either before.

I got the

California

I intentionally don't write reviews when I'm out of town. I want to keep my site tightly focused, and when I'm on vacation, I don't want to work! However, I just can't stand letting these good restaurants go unmentioned, so this post will be an ever-expanding list of my favorite non-LA restaurants.In CaliforniaSanta Barbara1. The Palace - You'll wait in line outside, but the line moves fast and