a lackluster burger

We've been craving burgers for a while, but we wanted to try something other than Father's Office or Umami Burger, something fresh and new. So we went to Cube on La Brea. We metroed via red line and took a bus: big effing mistake. Buses blow in Los Angeles. When we finally arrived, this valley trash practically had to beg for service. Chrissy began to get a little loud and ghetto and surprise, surprise, a server finally approached. He turned out to be the wine manager.

To start, the Fatted Calf Sicilian and Mt. Tam. The cheese was thick and creamy but lacked that funk we we like, way too mild for our liking.

Then braised baby octopus served on top of grilled endive. The octo was charred and tender, the endive bitter. This was good.


Hamburger, sans truffles, with shallots, cheese, and arugula. Paper thin, crispy potatoes. While the potatoes were interesting and perfectly edible, they were a total cop out. We want fries with our burger. And we want our burger to be medium rare when we order it that way. We had to send our burger back once, but at least the server wasn't a dick about it. The bun was totally dry which made the burger seem dry, even though it was cooked correctly the second time around. And because we're crazy for brussel sprouts, we got a side of brussel spouts braised with rosemary. This was mos def a miss. Not tender, and because they braised them, not crispy either. B-sprouts can and should be fun to eat. These weren't. Lastly, ricotta cavatelli with bolognese and a sprinkle of parmesan. This was fine, though we won't be coming back for more.


For sweets, we ordered the butterscotch and chocolate pots de creme. Our favorite, the butterscotch, was silky, slightly salty, and a bit sweet. If there's a next time, we may take a cue from the skinny girls sitting next to us and order the cookies. Highly unlikely we'll be back though. We really wanted to like this place because most of their ingredients are locally and sustainably sourced. But the food was just not cooked properly. What good is utilizing great ingredients if you don't really know what to do with them?


Cube
615 N. La Brea Avenue
Los Angeles, California 90036
(323) 939-5520

nasty bits and beer

How does one sustain oneself for a long night of karaoke and beer? By eating at Nanbankan of course! We found out about this place through a friend's rec. The jist of the restaurant is Japanese bbq or yakitori: stuff like skewerd nasty bits and other tasty bites. Here, we'll show you:


We started off with some wonderfully chewy chicken hearts and blistered shishito peppers. Don't forget the chicken necks. This was followed by some overcooked, but very tasty scallops on a skewer.

Our server nearly refused to give us the seaweed. This always happens to us when we order at various asian restaurants, but we are not quitters. We insisted. In the end, we got it. Like stewed okra or muluhiya, this is definitely a very tasty textural experience (refer to the photos below).


The seaweed dish is on the slimier side, but it was delicious.


Agadashi Tofu--you gotta get this. Marinated and fried tofu in an amazing broth.


Yellowtail kama and black cod. Sad to say we ate these before we remembered to take photos. We appreciated that these were cooked to perfection.

We skipped dessert and stuck to our stash of dates almonds and PBR at the karaoke bar.

We'll be back for the chicken cartilage.

Nanbankan
11330 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90189
(310) 478-1591

Sausages and Beer

Wurstkuche - We metroed over here: the red to the gold line. Walked in and it was packed like a butt, but we lucked out and grabbed some seats at the bar. Once we sat, the bartender notified us that we had to wait in that long line behind the brick wall and to the right to order our food. Confused, we sat a while longer and ordered some beers, taking advantage of our prime seats. Alas, there was no people watching to be done, so we focused on the menu instead. Loved the selection of German and Belgian beers. Extra points for the friendly bartenders who made recommendations to us. After getting toasty, we ditched our seats and ordered a couple of sausages: the hot Italian and the rattlesnake and rabbit. Sausages were good, but we think a lot of things are tasty when toasty. Also, we should mention how good the Belgian fries with the chipotle ketchup. Beer and fries go hand and hand for us. Loved how we could also order beers behind the brick wall, but the back is sort of cramped and the people watching is no match for the front of the house. Eat dinner somewhere before you come here. Beers and belgian fries are a must here. Sausages are secondary. If you are metroing, like we were, make sure you leave on time unless you're filthy rich and don't mind dishing out major cash for cab ride to the valley. Curfew is about midnight.


Wurstkuche
800 E 3rd St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 687-4444