Five Four Blog

The string of mediocre restaurants in downtown Los Angeles continues  with Colori Kitchen.  The restaurant seems to be opened over a year ago but the food tastes like something you would get at Costco and the service is not something to desire for.  The moment we walked in the restaurant with no reservation the problems started when they panicked because they didn’t know where to seat us even though there were 4 to 5 empty tables.  After the hesitant seating I ordered minestrone soup and spagehtti pesto both of which they ran out for the day, how do you run out of soup on a rainy day.  Minestrone soup is made up of water and vegetables, how hard is that to make that?  After settling for my third choice it took 15 minutes to get our first glass of water and then we were followed by poor dish after poor dish.  I am still baffled why downtown restaurateurs can’t figure out how to make great food and have great service????

Burrata and Bruschetta

 
Spaghetti Arrabiata

To

Insure

Proper

Service

The only thing that doesn’t make sense about the true meaning of TIPS is that if it means To Insure Proper Service shouldn’t you be giving to the person before your meal or service?

Brazilian BBQ doesn’t seem like a place that a vegetarian would like to go, but what many people don’t know that the salad bar at Brazilian BBQ’s restaurants are amazing, and my favorite one in Los Angeles is M Grill.  Located in Korea Town on 2nd floor of an unassuming K-Town strip mall, this is could be the hidden gem for vegetarian’s at a predominantly meaty restaurant.  The salad bar consists of plethora of fresh vegetables including a flavorful potato salad, and a “Hot Section” which has garlic rice, black beans, fried banana’s and some amazing mashed yucca.  The meal also comes with this to die for hot cheese bread, which you will go through baskets of it without even noticing.  If you are ever in a situation where you are forced to go to a restaurant with a lot of hefty meat eaters, M Grill is the place to keep everyone happy.  The added bonus is that it is priced better than Fogo de Chao, has a very friendly staff, and convenient parking lot attached to the strip mall. 

This was just plate # 1!

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Little Tokyo is finally being filled with some new options, because for a vegetarian Japanese food just doesn’t work.  The second location(original location is in Eagle Rock) of Spitz is on 2nd street next to the American Apparel store and a host of new eateries that are coming to the neighborhood.  They claim to be the “home of the doner kebab,” I am not sure what that means, but I had a falafel plate, served with fried pita chips and hummus, and a botlled water for $9.  The food was fresh, plentiful, and priced right if you are looking for a lunch on the bigger side.  You can also get the wraps or sandwiches a la carte for around $6 which is still pretty filling.  The service was also very quick, helpful and chatty which is nice once in a while.  There is a guy that wears a bandana that is very friendly and helpful when trying to figure out what to eat.  They also sell beer and wine, and seem to have a good selection, plus they are open to midnight which is rare in downtown.  This is definitely a good place for the east side of downtown to fulfill your falafel cravings and some good competition for Falafel Express.

Fried Pita Chips are really good, and definitely never tasted ones like these!

Indian food in downtown Los Angeles has been pretty bad for many years, but with Saffron introducing a fresh new concept to Indian fast food I am hoping that this new style of Indian dining becomes very popular.  Saffron is very similar to other ethnic fast food chains like Panda Express because the menu is small, food is simple and the price is reasonable.  For around $8 you get a two vegetables (or two meat dishes) rice, naan, and a bottled water.  The meal is actually very big for lunch and you can easily get their Saffron lunch bowl which is only $5.  If you want to give Indian food a try without spending the big bucks this is a nice easy way to start.

In the spirit of places to go eat at in Hollywood when you are piss drunk, Kitchen 24 has opened!  I have been meaning to eat here for the last couple of months after a night out but haven’t been able to make it out there till this past Monday.  The good part about Kitchen 24 is that you don’t have to be piss drunk to actually eat the food, because the menu has a good variety and tastes pretty good.  The prices are also reasonable which is great in these hard times, I think this place is going to be pretty popular for a long time.  The only problem is that the place is designed very poorly and doesn’t feel comfortable, but the service is very friendly and attentive to the diner’s needs which is more than I expected. I definitely plan on eating here again, drunk or not!

Mac N’ Cheese

Veggie Burger w/Spicy Garbanzo Patty and French Fries

The Nickel Diner is part of a new wave restaurants hitting downtown Los Angeles, and for the most part this place is a winner.  The food is great if you are looking for a heavy All American traditional type of breakfast or dinner.  I went there for Saturday brunch and tried some great egg dishes, french fries and an item they called “Stuffed Avocado” but it was really sliced avocado’s with a salad, tasty nevertheless.  The good part about this place is that it is open till 3:30 AM, breakfast is served all days, and it doesn’t seem like you have to wait to long to get a table, but that might change as more people move into the neighborhood.  The weakness of the Nickel is that it has the usual poor service of downtown eateries and the Main street location has a long way to go for me to want to eat there past 7 PM.  The neighborhood is definitely still going through the gentrification process so I would recommend this place as a daytime eatery.

 
Shoestring Fries

Hangover Helper (scrambled eggs, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, onions, avocado, salsa and potatoes)

Stuffed Avocado Salad