Chan Dara

There's about to be a new contributer to this here blog, so I better write one more post before he gets a chance to show me up with his actual writing skills. And, for a change, this won't be about a Mexican restaurant.

I haven't been able to surmise (actually, I just haven't spent that much time looking) if the Chan Dara on Pico Blvd. is related to any of the other Chan Dara(e)s around the city, such as the House of Chan Dara on Larchmont or the Chan Darae on Cahuenga (I can tell you that it is better than the one on Cahuenga, though; that one was quite disappointing). This post is already so full of words Blogger isn't accepting as real--a sign of a good post, I'd say.

First, the decor of this place is a little overwhelming. There are more than enough colors and textures and shapes and sizes, et cetera. My dining companion hated these hanging orbs, but they were the only thing I thought to be at least slightly innovative. They do have a pleasant assortment of vegetation on the left side, if you are facing away from the street, although you can only see it through glass. Perhaps someone familiar with Thai culture could tell me if that neon squiggle means anything or if it is just a particular Thai affinity towards them--I have seen several other Thai restaurants with similar, if not exactly the same, squiggles.
I ordered the Ginger and Black Mushrooms Stir Fry with Scallops, but you can order it with chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, or tofu, as well. Surprisingly, a good number of scallops come with the dish and they were perfectly cooked. Additionally, the vegetables were crisp for a great textural contrast to the plump scallops. The dish comes with one egg roll and either white or brown rice. I got the brown rice, once again for the texture contrast. The sauce that comes with it is sweet and is most likely for the egg roll but also works well with the gingery scallops. As all Thai food seems to be in LA, the prices are a little expensive--this was $12.50.

The menu just says Black Mushroom, so I don't know if that's what it is called or if that is just what it is, 'cause it's true--that mushroom is pretty black. It is also terrifyingly weird looking. And, yet, it is delicious--once you get over the decidedly awkward texture.

They call the Vegetarian Pad Thai "Poor Man Noodles." This dish was fabulously colorful, as you can see by the above picture, and also a great combination of textures. There could have been more of the noodles and less of the carrots, however.

None food details: the waitresses (and they are all waitresses) seem to be required to wear really tall heels and awkwardly almost revealing clothing. The food comes pretty quickly, but they are slow to refill your water!

Chan Dara

11940 W Pico Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 90064

310 | 479 4461

La Talpa

This post was started June 24th; I am an appalling blogger. La Talpa has a pretty great sign and a nice motif of the sleepy-man-in-sombrero-against-(undoubtedly) painful-cactus which appears not only in the signage but also in the swell stained glass. There is also nothing like a neon arrow to announce greatness. I have no idea what Talpa means; do you?
There is very little lighting both outside and inside, and I hate using flash, so these pictures are going to be dark. The neighborhood is also kinda whatever. We went in the evening of my friend's 21st birthday, which turned out to be a silly decision since they don't have a liquor license. But she had a classy Corona with some lime and all was good. Plus, the service was excellent and the waitress ( a very grandmotherly woman) was very nice. They tell you it is good food and they don't lie.
But it's not great food. It's pretty solid basic food at reasonable prices. The quesadilla was tasty.
This mural that you can't really see is a nice landscape, but not nearly as pretty as the murals previously shown at Tacos La Flama or the murals at El Serape, which will be reviewed as soon as I am able to take some pictures.

Overall, this is more of a neighborhood stop than a destination restaurant, but it's not bad. And it's certainly less crowded and cacophonous than the nearby Don Antonio's which has mean waiters.

La Talpa Restaurant
11751 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
310| 479 9884

Tacos La Flama

Okay, I apologize about the effort I have withheld from this blog. I bring you today Tacos La Flama, the establishment which neighbors the previously discussed Chutney's. The two main things I learned from this restaurant are:

1. Some people say 'cilandro' instead of Cilantro or Coriander.
2. Less than satisfying restaurants may have beautiful murals inside.

Thus, the review of the actual food will be short. It was okay, nothing special. I had a burrito and it was sufficient but not delicious. I guess you could say it's pretty good for 'westside Mexican food,' but I think it's really lame to lower standards based on location. This is the kind of restaurant where you order and pick up your food from the counter and then you can eat at a table or not; no service, though. So, all the personality had to come from the woman of the counter, and she was less than happy, that's for sure. Moreover, their neon sign was incredibly uncreative. On the other hand, they do have some market that sells particularly disturbing-to-me cuts of meat. If you are 1) Mexican and/or 2) carnivorous, I may have just unwittingly found you a really great spot for your butchering needs. The mural, however, was stunning. So vibrant!
Do be warned that the parking at this mini mall is a mess!

2404 S Barrington Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90064

Don Antonio's

What a gorgeous photo, if I may say so myself. This photo belies the outward appearance of Don Antonio's, however. It's in the middle of whatever-land, very non-descript and then you get here and it all seems very Disney's-idea-of-Mexico. But, the neon sign is glorious and I heard they have $1 tacos on Wednesday nights. So we venture in.

First, be warned, it is fairly difficult to find parking around here so you might have to pay for valet. Second, if you go on one of these Wednesday nights, you may have a substantial wait. We were willing to sit outside, so we only waited about five minutes. It was actually very pleasant outside--a good choice. The inside had some super cheesy non-fitting aquariums (what?) and was very crowded. Outside, it was only slightly lit with candles and christmas lights, plus some nice tiling.

Okay--to the important stuff. They give you chips and salsa, as to be expected. I couldn't tell if there were two distinct salsas or if one was just way watery. Either way, they were sufficient but not great.

This $1 taco deal is fairly limited. Or at least we thought from the extremely unclear answers the waiter gave us. We each ordered different tacos. I ordered two crispy chicken tacos because I was led to believe that a soft taco was more expensive (even though that didn't make that much sense). Anyways, they tasted mediocre and were dripping with grease. I was still hungry, and, since the first two were only a dollar each, I decided to order a soft taco even if it wasn't a dollar. This taco was delicious, much better than the crispy ones. Highly recommended.

It turns out the soft taco was a dollar, as well. The waiter was crazy. He also was a bad waiter--very slow. Plus, our water was never refilled! Tsk tsk. I know we're in a drought, folks, (run-on sentence alert!) but the law is that you can't serve water until someone asks for it, not that you shouldn't ask if we want water, which I most definitely did!

Don Antonio's 11755 W Pico Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90064

I'll try to go back soon to try non-Wednesday night fare and report! Especially something with fish, since their sign says glowingly, SEAFOOD.

You get another chance to see their beautiful sign. Now from the other side, later in the evening. All together now: Oooooo.