The Mint – Night Club
February 20, 2010 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
REVIEW:
Not too large, not too small, this venue is the perfect size for hearing your favorite local band or the regular jazz acts it hosts. The acoustics of the space is quite good. The Mint is a beautiful old bar with a speakeasy vibe, with dark wood paneling, dark leather booths, velvet drapes, and chandeliers. She celebrated her 70th birthday just a few years ago and is a part of LA history. According to the club, “Back in the day, the likes of Stevie Wonder, Willie Dixon, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles and more graced its stage and more recently, Ben Harper, Macy Gray, The Wallflowers honed their craft and kicked off their careers playing this Los Angeles night club.”
The cover runs around $20 to $25 on Fridays/Saturdays, but they also occasionally have a free jazz night on Mondays. The venue is not large and at times it can get crowded, loud and humid. There’s a two drink minimum to grab a table, but the service is excellent and the staff friendly. The drinks are fairly priced for what you would find in Los Angeles. The bar food is quite good, especially the garlic fries and deep fried calamari and mini sirloin burgers. There is plenty of parking on the street, but they also have valet.
6010 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(323) 954-9400
La Gondola
February 20, 2010 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher – Meat
This is the best kosher Italian restaurant in the Pico-Robertson area. A perfect start to dinner are the Avocado Egg Rolls, the Spicy Tuna Tartar, or the Chicken Tenders served with a side of peanut sauce. Move on to one of their many soups, including a hearty matzo ball soup or rich minestrone. They have many salad choices, including a highly recommended Chinese Chicken Salad and Warm Duck Salad. The rest of the menu consist of a long list of traditional Italian pastas, chicken, beef and veal dishes.
Where they really excel is with their ribs, tender, melt off the bone goodness dipped in their specialty glaze. A full menu of wines is perfect for any pairing. Prices are decent for a good kosher restaurant and the service is attentive.
The only big negative to this restaurant is the lack of street parking in the neighborhood.
6405 Wilshire Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 852-1915
www.lagondola.com
Milk N’ Honey
February 18, 2010 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher – Dairy
REVIEW:
My favorite dish here is the cheese blintzes, thin crepes filled with lightly sweetened cheese and garnished with fruit. For dinner you can’t beat the eggplant parmesan or one of their many pasta dishes, calzones or seafood specials. The portions are generous. For a nice kosher restaurant, the prices are about average, in the $15 to $25 dollar per dish range. The yellow walls and white tablecloths and many candles make for a warm and inviting ambience. This is a great place for a first date or to bring the family for a nice Sunday dinner.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 858-8850
http://milknhoneyrestaurant.com/
RABBINICAL SUPERVISION
Rabbinical Council of California (RCC) / Cholov Yisroel
HOURS
Sun-Thu 11:30am – 2:30pm
Sun Thu 5:00pm – 9:45pm
Sat night – 1 hr. after Shabbat
Got Kosher?
October 26, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
The first pretzel challah I ever had was from Got Kosher. If you’ve never had pretzel challah, you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s a water challah that has a brown soft pretzel crust.
I’ve also had them to go for Shabbat dinner and the food was excellent. What they shine at is braised lamb shanks (fairly priced), their garlic mashed potatoes, sushi, and cheesecake.
From their website:
8914 W Pico Blvd
We are dedicated to raising the bar of Kosher food and ready to go when you are. From our pre-packaged sandwiches & salads to our signature sausages & sandwiches & other daily specials.
We do not use preservatives, MSG or fillers. We use only natural, fresh ingredients and organic as much as we can or when they become available for the Kosher market. We strive to bring the best that Kosher cuisines of the world have to offer.
We specialize in featuring unique kosher foods of the world. For example, we are proud to carry Boutargue (Tunisian Caviar) In Tunisia, they don’t leave home without it! A true and rare delicacy to find here on Pico. In Tunisia they take the roe of the Grey Mullet and sundry and salt cure them after which they are compressed and encased in beeswax.
We also feature several other smoked fish. From traditional, yet exceptional, smoked Norwegian salmon and White Herring to smoked Trout from the Pyrenees mountains and our Smoked Mediterranean Tuna.
Established in 2004Started four years- ago, GotKosher? serves a myriad of institutions with daily deliveries of kosher sandwiches and salads–institutions like UCLA, USC, LAX, Kaiser Permanente Hospital, 7-11 stores and more. The Beverly Hills School District buys their sandwiches, as do multiple Jewish day schools. Just recently, LAX selected GotKosher? as the kosher purveyor with the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 858-1920
Delice Bistro
October 11, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
I’ve only had the opportunity to have Sunday Brunch at Delice Bistro. My eggs were perfectly poached. The coffee was good. The wait staff was attentive and friendly. The price was around $15 a person (including drinks) which was okay for a kosher brunch.
More to come.
8581 W Pico BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 289-1702
Schwartz Bakery
October 11, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Schwartz Bakery carries the best hamantaschen and rugelach. The rest of their cookies and pastries are acceptable; I feel that their cookie dough base is a little bit bland and bready. Their potato knishes are big, heavy and quite filling. It will literally sit in your stomach. Their boreckas are also heavy and not to my taste. Their challah is delicious.
What I do love and where they really shine is in their deli section. The fresh salad bar uses the best ingredients and is modestly priced. This great bargain makes Schwartz Bakery one of my favorite lunch spots.
The one area that I most wish would improve is the quality of the coffee. The coffee is horrible. Because of the free wifi and it’s closeness to my house, I prefer to hang out there with my laptop to write (the great American novel) or to meet up with people rather than at the Starbucks or Coffee Bean. I am always disappointed by the coffee.
In terms of hanging out at Schwartz Bakery, there is no scene and that makes it a refreshing change from a regular coffee shop.
The service is excellent and the staff there is always friendly, helpful and prompt.
8622 W Pico BlvdLos Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 854-0592
Delice Bakery
October 11, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher – Dairy / also Parve Desserts
REVIEW:
I prefer the pastries and breads at Delice as compared to Schwartz’ Bakery down the street (although Schwartz has a superior hamantashen, amazing fresh salads and free wifi). Delice serves a large assortment of crepes and quiches for breakfast and have decent coffee. The pâte à choux used for the cream puffs is excellent. The custard in their napoleon pastry is to die for. Their cheese, potato, spinach and cheese borekas are light and flaky. The fresh baguettes have a nice chewy texture inside a light crisp outer crust. If you love their baguettes, their sandwiches are a must to try. The cakes and tarts are beautifully designed. I’ve had most of the cakes and they are all of the best quality and delicious and I believe they are mostly parve. The cakes can be a bit pricey, but considering that they are fresh and kosher and use good ingredients, the price is understandable. The breads are quite good and reasonably priced. I’ve had the challah, the olive bread, and their sourdough and have been pleased with everything. As you might have guessed, I like Delice and am a frequent customer.
My only complaint about Delice is that sometimes there can be a long line inside and because they only have one or two people behind the counter, it can be a wait. The staff is friendly and the owners are often there working as well.
Delice is good for brunch any day of the week. It’s a great place to meet up with someone and they have outdoor seating and it’s fairly quiet.
8583 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 289-6556
Nagila Meating Place
October 8, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher – Meat
They wrap their slow roasted lamb shawarma in an amazing authentic laffa bread ( an Iraqi pita that is of medium thickness, slightly chewy) and stuff it with a spicy s’chug hot sauce, hummus, tahina, and israeli salad. It’s rumored to be as good as what you can get in Israel. The portions are so generous that it’s enough to share with a friend or have leftovers for another meal. Order it to-go to beat the lunchtime crowd.
9407 W Pico Blvd,
Los Angeles
(310) 788-0119
Nagila Kosher Pizza and Salads
October 8, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher – Dairy
The best kosher pizza in Pico-Robertson can be had at Nagila Pizza. The menu is 100% vegetarian, and the list of toppings include a vegetarian pepperoni. I have heard criticism about kosher pizza, that the mozzarella cheese is sub-par and has a different elasticity (because it does not use animal rennet). Even so, Nagila’s cheese pizza is better than most available in the neighborhood. Of course, it can never compare with non-kosher gourmet pizza like Abbott’s Pizza Company’s, California Pizza Kitchen or anyplace that has a true New York thin crust.
Go for the pizza, but stay for the falafel and salads. Nagila Pizza has a reputation for having one of the best falafel sandwiches in Los Angeles. They also have an excellent vegan shwarma served in an authentic laffa (Iraqi chewy pita) bread. The only downside is the scarce street parking and they don’t offer free refills on drinks.
9411 W Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90035
www.nagilapizza.com
(310) 788-0111
Toppings Yogurt
September 25, 2009 by The Editors · Leave a Comment
Kosher-Dairy
While the owners themselves are not Jewish, this shop attracts a Jewish clientele. All of the yogurts and toppings are certified kosher. It’s self serve and you pay by the ounce for the yogurt and the toppings. They also have coffee and Belgium waffles on their menu. The quality of the yogurt is good and compared to Pinkberry’s the tart plain is icier and less creamy, but still quite good. It’s perfect for satisfying late night yogurt cravings. Saturday nights are strangely crowded with an Orthodox crowd. Adding to the charm, it’s a family business run by a husband and wife team. The staff is always friendly and helpful. They offer free wifi.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
(310) 652-6455
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