My girlfriend is always complaining about the lack of organic burger joints. I mean sure, if you dig around, you can probably find a place that has organic beef and does a burger, amongst a dozen other things. But a real burger joint, focused on healthy organic food, well that’s a beast of a different color.

Enter O! Burger. Organic meat, organic buns, organic home-made sauce, they even have organic date shakes!

Yum!

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Akasha, the newest addition to growing downtown Culver City, instantly brought me home to New York, specifically, to the cobblestone streets of the meatpacking district. It was the ambiance that did it: the attractive clientÚle, the “we’re chic without trying” decor of exposed beams and pipes, the dim lighting, and of course, the wait. Even with a dinner reservation you’ll be directed to try a cocktail at the bar until your table is ready. And the Velvet margarita, made with organic tequila and blood orange juice, is worth that wait.

The menu options incorporate organic and local ingredients with a great selection of seafood, salads and pizzas, to name a few. I saw braised short ribs and had my selection, I’ll rarely turn them down, and I’m glad this meal was no exception. The short ribs were beyond delicious and I cleaned my plate in seconds. The meat fell to pieces and was complimented perfectly with the parsnip-potato puree (glorified mashed potatoes) and the Asian style sauces. We ordered a side of the onion rings, which were amazing. I’m not sure why, but the usual fast-food selections are always better when prepared in a nice restaurant and paired with a smoked paprika dipping sauce, for instance.

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While we’re all familiar with the LA County Restaurant rating system (you know, that big blue letter all restaurants post in their window?), our brethren down south in Orange County don’t have quite the same system.

In fact, they really don’t have much of  system at all, according to a new Grand Jury report, via the OC Register. Instead of using letters, they only need to have a sign that says they’re either “in substantial compliance,” or waiting for re-inspection. Very clear and straightforward, no? Inf act, the sign itself is so easy to overlook, most patrons in restaurants werecompletely unaware thy even existed.

So while the OC still conducts very stringent and regular inspections of restaurants, it’s the results that are pretty much kept under wraps, a move many see as favoring the businesses rather than the consumers.

So if you live in the OC, don’t you want to know just how clean that kitchen is?

Photo by johnkoetsier

I approached La Cabana, which is in Venice, with a few different wants; To enjoy the margaritas, to get drunk off the margaritas, and this may be pushing it, but to eat some decent Mexican food. That’s right, it was Friday night and I cared much more about the drinking than the eating. A fun and festive atmosphere wouldn’t hurt either. I was a bit cranky when we walked in because we were running late. They don’t take reservations so I knew we would have to wait. The restaurant was what I expected. The place was dimly lit and the dark booths were crowded. It was about 8:30 and they hostess told us the wait could be about an hour for six of us, so we high-tailed it to the bar. The minute we walked through the back door my mood was infinitely brighter; the party was on the patio. I wondered why anyone would even want to sit inside.

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With Cinco de Mayo gone and done with, it’s now acceptable to be French once again (F- if you thought Cinco de Mayo was independence from Spain or *GASP* the US).

While it’s pretty much an accepted fact that the French made cooking into an art form, did you know our fair city has a large and vibrant French community?

And what better way to celebrate French culture than by delicious crêpes? Although traditionally from Brittany, crêpes are enjoyed as a street food throughout France, and have made a slow but steady inroad in the States for a while now.

Turns out Metromix has put together a fairly handy list of crêperies throughout the Southland. So treat yourself to a taste of France. And if I can offer one suggestion, it’s the crêpe complete: normally made with buckwheat flour, it’s an egg, a slice of ham and some GruyÚr… Yum!

Photo by Harris Graber

I am Japan-a-file.

I know, you barely know me and already I am gushing embarrassing secrets about my personal life. This particular secret, my love for Japanese things/people/foods/snacks, cannot be blamed on me. I come from a long line of Japan loving Latin-Americans.

Blame it on my Mom if you want, she was the one teaching ESL to Japanese exchange students during my impressionable years. Blame it on my long lasting friendships with several spicy Japanese girls and boys from my art school days. All this bashful fascination aside, I didn’t even like Japanese food until I was in college. To this day I fear Sashimi like falling down a long flight of concrete stairs.

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Chef Erin Marroquin’s passion for herbs and spices is reflected not only in his superb cuisine but in the name he gave to his restaurant: Aroma.

Aroma opened its doors in 2005 in Silver Lake, a part of Los Angeles which was economically viable for a chef who admits to spending any money he earned. The same year the Los Angeles Times proclaimed it number one in the best new restaurants category. Since that article, according to Chef Edin, his restaurant has been packed on Fridays and Saturdays.

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I’ve picked up sushi from nearly every strip mall within five miles of my apartment since moving to LA. Sometimes I am simply too lazy to trek to one of my favorites, so I settle for something nearby. I figure if I stick to basics then I can’t go wrong. This weekend I had one such night, and went no farther than across the street to grab dinner.

Miyako is small, with tables and chairs set up just inches apart from each other, and I was surprised to find the restaurant was pretty crowded. I scanned the menu and placed an order. For two miso soups, one dinner salad, and four sushi rolls our total was $40. This seems fine for a dinner for two, especially considering I could only finish half.

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Winos, take notice - there’s a place in Venice you may want to check out (or stay away from, depending.) It’s Primitivo, a wine bistro/tapas bar on Abbot Kinney. With a wine list that is literally hundreds of wines long and a tempting array of hot and cold tapas and desserts, it is nearly impossible to leave Primitivo without a glassy-eyed, sleepy wino smile.

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My family, especially my mom and step dad, love The Good Earth Cafe. This is the staple of the household. This is like oxygen, this place, as second nature as the kitchen table. When my mom suggested the Good Earth to review on Cityzine, she might have well said “hey, why don’t you blog about our backyard”. After taking off the rosy goggles of routine, I remembered that this is one tasty, satisfying little place that serves a healthy does of all the classics. Soup and salad, sandwiches, burgers, (and great, freshly made veggie versions), breakfast scrambles and hot cakes, fajitas and burritos, pasta, casseroles… the menu’s kind of like a healthy, used-to-be-a-hippie version of a late night diner.

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