Last Saturday, the courtyard of Le Jardin in Hollywood was hopping, as a multicultural crowd of foodies heavy on the millennials sampled Thrillist’s choices for the best foods in LA. Instead of the upscale celebrity chef restaurants we usually see at food events, more accessible local spots were featured, leaning a bit towards stoner food.
We loved the Buttermilk-brined fried chicken sliders with homemade aioli from Poppy + Rose, Crave Cafe’s Nutella and sugar crepe, and Baldoria’s Spicy chicken & waffle tacos with whiskey maple syrup. Baldoria was voted “Best Brunch” and proved that chicken & waffles weren’t just a fad. We were also enamored with the fresh breads and ginger date molasses cookies from Larder Baking Co.
Cava Grill, winner of “Best Vegetarian,” wowed us with roasted seasonal veggies, a bright red hummus and brown rice. Of course, Aqui es Texcoco’s lamb tacos are a longtime favorite of ours. A new favorite is definitely Carmela Ice Cream’s homemade ice cream. Although they also served classic Chocolate, and Salted Caramel, the gentle florals of the Lavender Honey are what enchanted me.
The “Best French Restaurant,” Le Petit Paris, served a skirt steak cooked in shallots & red wine and served with a mound of mashed potatoes. Blue Ribbon Sushi garnered the longest lines with their fresh salmon and spicy tuna hand rolls. Tatsu Ramen had a very exciting assembly line of ramen offering four different styles, which were then paired with Sapporo beers. In fact, we spent so much time watching them make ramen we missed a few of the other restaurants. It will just give us something to look forward to.
