Upon recently reading the Los Angeles Times list of its top restaurants, I must admit to being disappointed. First, they did not separate their recommendations geographically. I’m not usually too interested in restaurants in Alhambra and Cucamonga. I rarely eat east of the 405 freeway.
Then there is the way in which they make their selections. No criteria are listed, so I don’t really know how they decided. Nevertheless, I have a couple of comments on two of the selections.
I doubt many of my readers are old enough to remember the song the Ink Spots made famous: I love coffee I love tea; I love the java jive and it loves me…". Well, that’s me. I love coffee and coffee houses. My favorite coffee house is Luxxe on Montana. There’s a Luxxe in the Palisades, which also has good coffee, but no inside seating and no snacks to go with the coffee. The Luxxe on Montana has comfortable seating and wonderful snacks.
The coffee shop given the top rating by the Times, which will remain unnamed in this article, is also in Santa Monica. So, I went there. The coffee was OK, and the pricing reasonable, and the friendly young Turkish couple running the place were nice people. But the ambiance was not comfortable, there was very little indoor seating, and there were no snacks to go with the coffee. There were packaged sweets to take home (too much for a snack with coffee). I don’t agree with the Times on this one.
Then there is the top hamburger pick. That award went to Hank’s in the Palisades. The hamburger at Hank’s consists of one or two thin patties, always cooked medium, no matter how you order it. Yes, the sauce and bun are good, and you can get onion rings instead of French fries (the only reason to go there). A much better hamburger can be found right around the corner at Cafe Vida (the busiest restaurant in the Palisades). Vida serves up a thick patty that can be ordered medium rare (the way I like it) and is quite juicy. Bonus: comparing prices with tax and tip, the burger at Cafe Vida is $5 cheaper.
Cafe Vida is not the only place where you can get a more delicious hamburger than the one served at Hank’s. There are several in Santa Monica. Even the hamburger at Patrick’s Roadhouse in Santa Monica canyon is thicker and juicier than at Hank’s. Maybe it’s a matter of taste, because the burger at Hank’s tastes primarily of the (good) sauce, not the meat. I like to taste the meat.
I didn’t see my favorite Mexican restaurant listed: Lares on Pico. When I was there last week, I saw a banner announcing its 50th anniversary. I was there for the opening, and it is no coincidence that Lares has been in business that long. They know how to do Mexican right.
P.S. I see the Draycott in the Palisades has a new French menu. It looks wonderful.
Merv Hecht's latest book "The Instant Wine Connoisseur" 3rd edition is available on Amazon.
