Restaurant Review #208: La Frite, Sherman Oaks

Onion soup gratinee

On Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, La Frite occupies a blessedly quiet and relatively large space, but the dining room is poorly decorated and has too much incandescent yellow lighting. On a Monday night, finding free street parking was a snap and we didn't need a reservation, as there were plenty of empty tables - perhaps too many, in retrospect. Most of the other patrons were from the Sherman Oaks retiree set and/or primarily there for a drink at the bar. We had no problems with the service, but restaurant review sites like Citysearch and Menupages websites report some troubling rudeness.

The menu is long and varied, but tries too hard to please. What self-respecting French restaurant serves Chinese chicken salad with mandarin oranges, rice noodles, and fried wontons, or "Pizza South Western" with chicken, red onion, avocado, and cilantro? With items like those being offered alongside basic French cuisine, I was awfully wary of trying the restaurant's more traditional dishes, like escargot or duck pate.

The prices are scary, too, for food of a Marie Callender's caliber. Chicken Cordon Bleu comes in at a whopping $17.75, while the aforementioned gourmet snails are only $16 for a dozen. Snails, like sushi, are no place to cut costs.


Quiche Lorraine

The quiche Lorraine with ham, bacon, and swiss cheese was unmemorable, but the dressing with lettuce (err, side salad) was a rare sight to Angeleno eyes. I thought I'd simultaneously been transported to another decade and another part of the country - another part of the U.S., unfortunately, not France.


Chicken Cordon Bleu

Named after the famous French culinary school, chicken Cordon Bleu is a classic dish of chicken rolled around ham and swiss cheese. The chicken was moist and flavorful, but not spectacular. The green beans tasted fine, but looked a little sickly, like someone forgot to blanch them.


Ham, cheese, and mushroom crepe

The best dish was probably the ham, cheese, and mushroom crepe, which was warm, tasty and filling. The menu offers several varieties of crepes, such as spinach, tomato, sausage, and cheese or ratatouille. I'm not sure how I feel about putting ratatouille in a crepe, but it makes for a decent vegetarian option. The menu is somewhat meaty, but there are an above-average number of vegetarian choices, including several varieties of pasta, a vegetarian quiche, several salads, a homemade veggie burger, and a mushroom burger.


Grand Marnier souffle

Dessert options include most of the usual suspects: cheesecake, ice cream, bread pudding, and creme brulee; a few particularly dull additions: ice cream sundae, banana split, carrot cake; and several more unique options: taratuffo cake, chocolate pecan honey tart, crepes, and the liquor souffle of your choice. Trying to opt for something more interesting while also going with an old standby, we ordered two souffles--chocolate and liquor. The liquor souffle of your choice can be made with Grand Marnier, Kahlua, amaretto, Bailey's, or whatever you want.


Chocolate souffle

The souffles arrived steaming hot and had a very airy texture, making this dessert a good choice if you're already quite full from dinner. However, both were surprisingly lacking in flavor except for tasting too strongly of egg. Even the accompanying sauces couldn't redeem them.


Dining room

La Frite is an acceptable but fairly outdated and uninteresting restaurant. Even in parts of the country with less inspired dining options, La Frite would be a disappointment to most. A regular clientele may sustain this restaurant for a while longer, but all signs indicate that it's on its way out (and doesn't seem to care).

La Frite
15013 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 9143
818.990.1791
La Frite Menu

Restaurant Review #206: Boneyard Bistro, Sherman Oaks

Ribs

I decided to pay a visit to Boneyard Bistro for two reasons: their extensive beer list and the promise of sweet potato fries. Located on busy Ventura Boulevard amidst dozens of other restaurants, Boneyard Bistro is a bit hard to spot. We had no trouble parking on the street, but we may have benefited from the cold weather keeping people home. Still, the hostess acted like we should have made a reservation (which I always find annoying), but we somehow got what I considered to be the best table in the house--a corner booth next to the window.

The food is rather pricey for what it is (largely barbecue) and where it's located (things are supposed to be cheaper in the Valley, right?), so I ordered two appetizers for my meal instead of an entree. But first, they brought us mini cornbread muffins and crusty, flavorful bread accompanied by butter served at just the right temperature for spreading. I also ordered a hefeweizen beer. The beer list, divided by style, was quite extensive, but they didn't have the first two beers I asked for, which made me wonder how much of their overall list they actually had on hand. I ended up with the Avery White Rascal for $10 (a six pack of this beer is only $9.49 at BevMo!). With most bottles of respectable beer priced at $8 and up, I didn't really feel like ordering more than one. That's a lot of money for a twelve-ounce bottle of beer. On Mondays, however, beer is half-price. Monday is also fried chicken night, and several other nights have special themes as well. They serve brunch on Sundays.


Pulled pork dumplings

The first appetizer I tried, pulled pork dumplings in a barbecue beurre blanc sauce, was fairly disappointing. The sauce was a lot more strongly flavored than I anticipated based on the description--I guess I was focused on the beurre blanc part of the description, not the barbecue. There was so much sauce that it overwhelmed the filling, and the dumplings, which were more like ravioli, were difficult to cut into bite-sized pieces. The coleslaw, however, was excellent--not too mayonaissey and nice and crunchy.


Sweet potato fries

Fortunately, the sweet potato fries lived up to my expectations. Not only were they wonderfully crispy, which is difficult to do at home, the portion was huge, allowing me to enjoy some as leftovers. I combined my sweet potato fries with some aioli that came with a friend's dish, and it really complemented the fries perfectly. I think that aioli should be served with every plate of fries.


The Classic

Boneyard Bistro serves a selection of burgers with a range of toppings such as applewood bacon, sauteed onions, and sauteed chantrelle mushrooms. All of their burgers are made of Snake River Farms American Kobe-style Wagyu beef, which is leaps and bounds above other hamburger meat. This stuff practically melts in your mouth and is totally worth the seemingly ridiculous $20 price tag. In my experience, other places that charge $20 for a burger don't even come close. Also, I've looked into ordering this beef directly from Snake River Farms, and it really ain't cheap. I think that gorging myself on a $32 double burger would probably be a better idea than ordering the stuff raw--then I don't have to risk screwing it up with my lack of meat-cooking skills. Meditrina Cafe in Venice serves a similar burger, but Boneyard's is significantly better.


Dining room

While we were dining, Chef Aaron Robins visited every table. He didn't strike me as terribly personable, but he has a behind-the-scenes kind of job after all, and I still appreciated the effort he went to to make sure all his customers were enjoying their meals. The dining room is small, with a few private booths, generously sized dark wood tables, exposed brick walls, and framed mirrors. A large flat-screen TV near the kitchen detracts a bit from the otherwise warm atmosphere. Overall, the restaurant and staff had a very friendly, down-to-earth vibe, but I felt a little jilted when our server dropped the check on our table without ever asking if we wanted dessert. I thought that perhaps they didn't offer dessert, but the website says that I missed out on chocolate whiskey flourless cake, dulce de leche bon bons, and tawny ports.

Overall, I really liked this restaurant and I plan to return for more sweet potato fries, my very own burger, and with any luck, some dessert. I think I'll pass on the beer, though, and stop at BevMo on the way home instead.

Boneyard Bistro

13539 Ventura Blvd
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818.906.7427
Boneyard Bistro Website

Restaurant Review #196: La Pergola, Sherman Oaks

La Pergola's attractive dining room

I chose La Pergola because Zagat recommended it and I needed a place with "normal" food to take my parents to. The restaurant looks dingy from the outside with a dirty old awning and a neon red sign, which is probably why I'd never considered eating there before, though I've driven past it many times. Its outside appearance is deceiving, because the interior is bright, cheery, and uniquely decorated with Italian ceramics.


Ravioli del Giardino

If the cheery decor wasn't enough to make me like the place instantly, the service really sealed the deal. The waiter, who may have also been the manager judging by his demeanor, was impressively patient with my parents' ordering indecisiveness and with explaining menu items and unfamiliar terms. My mom always has to ask the server, "What is that like?" before she feels comfortable ordering anything, even if the dish is already described on the menu.

Since my parents were hungry, I didn't hassle them with photographing their food, so you'll just hear about my dishes. I ordered the ravioli del giardino, a dish so good that I will probably never manage to try anything else on the menu in all the return visits I hope to make. The pasta tasted fresh and homemade and was filled with a puree of vegetables that somehow managed to taste like cheese. The creamy sauce was incredibly rich and I'm sure the dish contained many more calories than I normally eat in an entire day, but it was worth every bite.


Tartufo

For dessert, my dad ordered the house special. Tartufo is the Italian word for "truffle." In this case, it's also a dessert consisting of a ball of chocolate hazelnut ice cream with a chocolate coating and a maraschino cherry in the center. Though it didn't sound all that exciting to me, it was actually very flavorful. I only wished that I had been the one to order it!


Plum sorbet

The plum sorbet was a disappointment after the excellent pasta and tartufo. For $7, it tasted nearly identical to a cherry popsicle, which wasn't quite the flavor revelation I was anticipating. The plum lacked the sour tang of the plum slushes I like to order from boba tea shops. Of course, there are sour plums and there are sweet plums, so a sweet plum sorbet is perfectly valid even if I didn't enjoy it.


Windowside seating with a view of the patio and Ventura Boulevard

We arrived early on a Sunday evening and were the only ones in the restaurant for a while, which I found puzzling considering how nice the restaurant was and how excellent the food and service were. As the restaurant filled up more and more the closer it got to 7:30, it proved to be yet another popular destination for the Sherman Oaks senior crowd (which apparently is a significant part of the neighborhood's demographic, judging by my other dining experiences in the area). Arrive early and maybe you'll get to have the place to yourself, too. Don't let the blah signage deter you--this restaurant is a great find.

La Pergola
15005 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-905-8402
Map of La Pergola
La Pergola Website

Restaurant Review #194: Cafe Bizou, Sherman Oaks

Sesame coated salmon with potato pancakes and mushrooms in a burgundy wine sauce

Despite having eaten at over 200 restaurants in Los Angeles, when my parents come to town, I have a hard time figuring out where to take them. My adventurous tastebuds don't appear to be genetic, so my knowledge of local Japanese restaurants is lost on them. Thankfully, Cafe Bizou turned out to be a place that satisfied both my parents' desire to eat food they were familiar with in a restaurant unique to LA and my desire to eat something flavorful and well-prepared.


Halibut with vegetable strudel and mashed potatoes in a tomato garlic sauce

We made a reservation for dinner on a Friday night and were glad we had, because plenty of people were waiting when we arrived. There isn't actually much of a place to wait though, especially when it's raining outside, which made the entrance pretty cramped. Within the restaurant, the tables are better spaced than in most of LA's eateries. That being said, we had a difficult time creating enough space for our plates, glasses, and bread basket at our table for four.

All entrees and pasta dishes have the option of adding a cup of soup of the day or a romaine salad for $1. I'm not sure if I think the extra dollar is gimmicky or a good way for folks who don't want either to save a bit of cash. For a dollar, though, the portions were generously sized.


Steak au Poivre: Sliced steak served with mashed potatoes and vegetables in a brandy cream sauce

The best entree of the evening was the salmon (lead photo). Coming from someone who doesn't really care for salmon, that's saying a lot. If I go back, I'll definitely order this dish. The other two entrees we tried were also solidly prepared, albeit less unique. The vegetable strudel that accompanied the halibut could have used more flavor in the form of cheese, butter, or even a little extra salt. The steak was perfectly cooked, and every dish was attractively presented.


Flourless chocolate cake

The dessert choices were pretty standard. Amusingly, my parents thought that flourless chocolate cake was for people with dietary restrictions, so I ordered it so they could see what they were missing out on. Moist and lightweight instead of dry and heavy, the flourless chocolate cake was superb. The tiramisu, which I normally think is a dessert menu cliche, was extra moist and had clearly earned its spot on the menu.


Tiramisu

The best part of our meal at Cafe Bizou was, well, everything. If you're a regular reader (or a regular diner, period) you know how difficult it is to find a restaurant where the food, the atmosphere, and the service are all done well. For an evening out where there's something for everyone on the menu and everything works and tastes as it should, Cafe Bizou is an excellent choice.


Cafe Bizou
14016 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
818-788-3536
Cafe Bizou Menu
Cafe Bizou Map

Hours:
Lunch M-F 11:30 - 2:30
Dinner daily 5:00 to close (oh, I hate when places say that!)
Brunch Sat, Sun 11:00-2:30

Prices:
Appetizers and Soups $3 - $9
Entrees $13 - $20
Martinis $7 Wines by the glass and the bottle, or BYOB and pay corkage

Restaurant Review #190: Gio Cucina Napoletana, Encino

Involtini di Pollo

Many Valley restaurants are crowded and noisy on Friday nights. If you'd rather celebrate the end of the work week with a quiet evening out, Gio Cucina in Encino is a great choice. While I don't agree with the old LA Times review that hails Gio Cucina as the best Italian food in the Valley, they do serve up solid food at reasonable prices and provide excellent service in a relaxed, low-key setting.

Gio Cucina is nothing more than a hole-in-the-wall on the second story of a strip mall. Parking is scant, but we were still able to get a spot at 7:00. We considered a quiet, breezy outdoor table on the balcony, but overruled it due to the plastic chairs, car dealership view, and potential to be frequently interrupted by other restaurant visitors walking past (in the end, I don't think any of these things really would have detracted from the joy of having a relatively secluded table and fresh air, and I will probably sit there on my next visit). The restaurant's interior is nothing to brag about, though it's clear that the owners put thought into making a minimalist space look as elegant as possible with lace curtains, white tablecloths and linen napkins. Though there are only about ten tables, you'll still have plenty of breathing room since they aren't crammed together Westside-style.

Our dinner started with complementary mini bruschetta topped with fresh, juicy tomatoes (all of the restaurant's vegetables are fresh), along with fresh dinner rolls and a tangy, dijon mustard-infused olive tapenade (who knew olives and mustard went together so well?). The tapenade had a strong enough flavor to still stand out even when eaten with bread, unlike some other olive tapenades I've had that taste like nothing more than ground up canned black olives. I could have eaten the bread and olive tapenade all night, and they would have let me, too--they offered us more bread twice. Alas, most of us can't eat six dinner rolls and still have room for entrees and dessert.


Duetto di Ravioli, Pollo e Aragosta

For entrees, I tried one pasta dish and one secondi. The Duetto di Ravioli consists of candy-shaped chicken-filled ravioli in a light cream sauce paired with lobster and shrimp-stuffed ravioli in a pink sauce. Gio Cucina brags that their pasta is made fresh daily. While I commend their efforts, I'm afraid that I'm not enough of a pasta connoisseur to tell the difference. I thought that the pasta wasn't cooked enough, as the folded edges of the candy-shaped ravioli were a little too chewy, but some might argue that the pasta was cooked al dente and I tend to like overcooked pasta. The ravioli fillings were very flavorful, but the sauce was a little lacking both in flavor and quantity for my tastes. On the other hand, I often find cream sauces to be too heavy, and I didn't experience any burnout on this dish.

The secondi I tried was the Involtini di Pollo, a rolled breast of chicken stuffed with ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach, cooked in a white wine sauce and sprinkled with toasted pine nuts. The chicken was moist and properly cooked (save for a few bits that got a little dried out in the oven). I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes at all, a real shame since they might have provided a little kick that the dish lacked, though it was still quite good. The white wine sauce complemented the flavors of the chicken and also went so well with the perfectly-cooked broccoli that I actually ate and enjoyed the broccoli, and that's saying a lot coming from someone who swore off the vegetable long ago. Again, I wished there had been more sauce, but I do tend to drench my food in sauce. The serving sizes of both dishes were adequate, reminiscent of healthier European portion sizes and not the gigantic American portions that are making our country obese. Of course, I like to have leftovers, and we easily finished both of our entrees with room left over for dessert. The entree prices were very reasonable, at about $15 each. Most entrees fall in the $10 - $15 range.

For dessert, I had the panna cotta with fresh raspberry sauce. The panna cotta had a perfectly smooth texture, but little flavor save for the raspberry sauce, which had a very pleasant tang. The better dessert choice was the Terrina di Cioccolato con Amaretti. A true chocolate-lovers desert, the terrina di cioccolato was the densest chocolate chocolate dessert I've ever eaten, more comparable to fudge than to cake, with a bittersweet chocolate flavor. It came with a very flavorful amaretti ice cream that had the pleasantly icy texture of homemade ice cream. I would not order the panna cotta again, but I would re-order the terrina. We were also offered a chocolate souffle, but I was skeptical since it was offered at the end of our meal, and a proper souffle takes a while to bake (I'm pretty sure our waiter was new, but he was still very good).

The service was incredibly attentive. We were given our choice of tables, bread and bruschetta hit the table mere minutes after we were seated, our drinks were always refilled promptly, and we didn't have to wait too long for our entrees. It did take me forever to decide what to order--the menu is extensive and varied. Gio Cucina also serves pizzas, soups, salads, and is open for lunch on weekdays in addition to dinner every night except Sunday. Being such a small operation, its hours are limited, so make sure to check the schedule before you go.

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Gio Cucina Napoletana. Though the food had some imperfections and didn't blow me away with its flavor, the dishes were still solidly prepared and I really appreciated the wide variety of menu options (including things I don't normally see on Italian menus). The service was excellent, the prices are very reasonable, and while the atmosphere isn't really nice enough for a date, it's pleasantly unpretentious and down-to-earth. You don't need to dress up to dine here, and you can bring your kids (and if you're sans-kiddos, don't worry--despite the family-friendly atmosphere, there weren't any issues with screaming or out of control children).

Gio Cucina Napoletana
15826 Ventura Blvd # M (on the north side of the street)
Encino, CA 91436
(818) 905-7446
Gio Cucina Website
Gio Cucina Menu
Lunch: M-F, 11:30-2:30
Dinner: M-F, 5:00 - 9:30, Sat. 5:30 - 10:00

Restaurant Review #186: Friedel Caribbean Cuisine, Studio City

Mango beef

In the mood for a lazy dinner, but something different from the usual pizza or Chinese delivery, I ordered Freidel Caribbean Cuisine through a food delivery service called LA Bite (formerly Freeway Food). Using this service, you can place your order online and get food from restaurants that otherwise wouldn't deliver to your neighborhood; however, you'll pay a steep delivery fee (call the restaurant first and ask if they'll deliver directly to you!) and encounter higher than average minimum orders (for Friedel, the minimum order is $30). The food arrived as scheduled, but the scheduled delivery time was an extraordinary hour and twenty minutes on a Sunday night at 7:00. When the delivery doesn't come straight from the restaurant, it will naturally take longer, but not fifty minutes longer.


Festival bread

Unfamiliar with Caribbean food, we ordered more food than we needed to get a better feel for the cuisine. An appetizer of deep fried festival bread had a similar sweet corn flavor to a hush puppy, but with a smooth, chewy consistency.


Jerk chicken

Authentic jerk chicken is coated in a rich spice mixture, not drowning in sweet sauce, while mango beef (lead photo) doesn't contain anything that tastes like mango, but is still a pleasantly sweet dish with flavorful meat.


Curry chicken

Curry chicken wasn't memorable for much other than having fatty chunks of meat.

Entrees are reasonably priced at $9 - $16 each for a generous, filling portion of entree plus sides of rice, plantains, and cabbage. The restaurant offers a real variety of vegan and vegetarian dishes, most of which use a soy meat substitute (a few are veg only, while only one contains tofu). If I were to eat from Freidel again, I would go to the actual restaurant instead of ordering online, and I'd probably try some new dishes, though all but the curry chicken would be worth repeating.


Freidel Caribbean Cuisine
11320 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91602
818.763.8100


Tags: Caribbean Food Studio City Ventura Blvd. Los Angeles

Restaurant Review #182: Big Sugar Bakeshop, Studio City

Big Sugar Bakeshop is a tiny new bakery on crazy-busy Ventura Boulevard in Studio City. It's so small you'll miss it if you're driving by at more than five miles per hour, but unless it's two in the morning, you probably won't be going much faster. The bakery has no parking, so you'll need to fight the masses for a meter on Ventura or a free spot on a nearby side street.


Chocolate cupcake

I stopped by the place hoping to satisfy a cake craving and pick up a gift for a co-worker. I sort of accomplished my mission. The display case offered no more than 20 items, far fewer than I expected from viewing their website (their menu is longer than what you see on display--I should have asked about that). They had three cupcakes, so I got one of each. I wasn't terribly impressed by them and didn't think they were worth $3 apiece. They were lightweight (I guess for $3 I wanted a dense cupcake) and the cake part was dry. The icing was superb, however--light, fluffy, and not too sweet. I had to whip up my own batch of buttercream frosting afterwards to finish off a craving induced by the vanilla cupcake. (Yes, my eating habits completely revolve around my cravings.) There aren't any tables, so don't expect to dine in. They have ribbon if you need your item to look gifty, but their packaging doesn't even begin to compare to Boule's (though their pricing does). The cupcake boxes have nifty cupcake holders to keep your cupcakes from sliding into each other on the drive home.


Vanilla cupcake

The gift selection was adequate, but could use more options. Right now, you can purchase well-designed cards for about $4.50 each, flavored gourmet honeys, obscenely priced tins of hot chocoloate (yours for only $22.50!), Kschocolate bars for $4.50, butterscotch sauce for ice cream, designer cloth napkins, mugs, luxurious hand lotions, and various other items.

If you're a cupcake aficionado, be sure to check out the newly launched Cupcake Finder LA.

Big Sugar Bakeshop
12182 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818.508.5855
Tue-Sat 10am - 6pm
Sun 11am - 5pm
Closed Mon.
Website


Tags:Cupcakes Los Angeles Studio City Bakeries

Restaurant Review #176 - Anajak Thai, Sherman Oaks

Chicken dumplings

I recently was invited to Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks for their 25th anniversary celebration. To honor the occassion, the restaurant is serving a special menu highlighting some of their best dishes (which I got to try for free). The menu is a $25 set menu and features a sampler plate of three appetizers, two soups to pick from, three entrees to pick from, and one dessert (see end of article for details). You can take part of this event through December 24.

When I first arrived at the restaurant, there was a bit of confusion due to a language barrier with our server, but owner Ricky soon came out to introduce himself and all was well. I explained to him that I couldn't eat shellfish, which is featured heavily on the anniversary menu. He really eased my mind by going down the menu with me and telling me which dishes he would make without shrimp and which dishes he would replace entirely. I was quite happy about this since I usually avoid certain Thai dishes altogether out of fear that they will forget to make them without shrimp or because the language barrier makes it too difficult for me to communicate my needs in the first place.


Mee krob (back) and kratong tong (front)

First, I finally got to try mee krob, which is normally made with both chicken and shrimp but in this case only had chicken. Contrary to Eric Cartman's opinion, mee krob is really very good. It is light, airy, and crispy with a flavor a bit like kettle corn. Since it isn't at all heavy, it makes a perfect appetizer.

The crispy little pastry cups you see in the foreground are called kratong kong and contained a mixture of chicken, corn, and peanuts in a sweet sauce. I would order both of these appetizers again.

The chicken dumplings were clearly homemade -- the wrapper and the ingredients weren't as tightly packed as they are in the industrially produced variety.

I also had a tom khar soup (sometimes spelled "tom kha") which is a tangy, spicy, coconut-milk -based soup with chicken and mushrooms. It tasted similar to other tom khar soups I've had but a bit lighter. The chicken was a little bland, as if it had been cooked separately and added to the soup rather than being cooked with the soup, but this has been the case with every tom khar soup I've ever eaten.


Cashew chicken

This dish really wasn't any different from a cashew chicken you would order at a Chinese restaurant, as far as I could tell. The dish could have used a bit more sauce, but the roasted cashews helped compensate.

One thing that I really enjoyed about all of the dishes I tried is that they seemed much less greasy than the Thai and Chinese dishes I am accustomed to. The entrees also came with a small bowl of brown rice instead of white. Anajak seems to be a good match for health-conscious Californians.


Filet of sole with ginger sauce

The fish was a little disappointing because it was somewhat overcooked, but it still had a perfect grilled flavor and a delicious sweet, gingery sauce. Don't worry--the fish comes without its head and skeleton.


Bananas foster (not on the regular menu)

The bananas foster were a little hard to eat because the fried outer shell of the banana was a little tough and the banana was underripe, making it difficult to cut off a piece with a spoon. That didn't stop us from eating the whole thing, of course.

Overall, what I liked about Anajak is that it's a bit more upscale than your average Thai place (particularly in the Valley). It is still by all means a comfortable, casual restaurant, but it's clean, has low lighting, and a noteable absence of neon lights. Also, all of the food is attractively presented and doesn't feel heavy.

I consider myself an excellent judge of character, and while I was a special guest on my visit, I got the vibe that the owner is a genuinely warm person who truly cares about his food and his customers. He chatted with us at length about wanting to get Westerners to try new Thai dishes that they aren't familiar with and invited us to come back anytime so we could try more food. His warm personality and passion for Thai food are clearly what has helped Anajak be successful for so many years.

Tags: Los Angeles Restaurants Food Restaurant Reviews Thai Food

Anajak Thai
14704 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
818-501-4201


Here's the special anniversary menu:

Appetizer
Anajak Thai Cult Status Sample Platter
A sampling of their greatest hits!
Mee Krob Chicken, shrimp and crispy rice noodles tossed in a sweet &
tangy tamarind sauce.
Sushi Tempura California rolls flashed fried in a lacy tempura batter,
with soy sauce and wasabi.
Kra Tong Golden pastry cups filled with ground chicken, corn,
peas and carrots. Served with a plate-licking peanut plum sauce.

First Course
-Thai Won Ton Soup clear chicken broth soup with homemade
pork wontons, shrimp, barbecued pork and fresh Thai herbs.
OR
-Tom Khar Soup rich coconut milk and chicken infused with lemon grass,
galangal and dried chiles.
Vegetarian-based soup upon request.

Main Course
-25th Anniversary Chicken Half grilled chicken glazed with Anajak
Thai's addictive sweet and spicy pineapple sauce. Served with brown or
steamed rice and fresh veggie stir fry.

-Bangkok Shrimp Jumbo prawns brushed with a garlic-lime sauce and
grilled to perfection. Served with Thai-style fried rice and steamed broccoli.
OR
-Night Market Noodles-Vegetarian noodle dish tossed with a special
recipe chile garlic sauce and topped with fragrant Thai basil.

Dessert
Thai-Style Bananas Foster
Spring roll-wrapped ripe bananas, fried until golden
and then drizzled with chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar.
Served with coconut ice cream

The Artisan Cheese Gallery, Studio City

Going to a cheese store for the first time can be intimidating, but getting over your trepidation is worth the effort. Whole Foods wraps their cheeses in a plastic whose flavor seeps into the cheese, ruining all the outer edges of pretty much anything you purchase. Plus, their cheeses are expensive and you can't try before you buy, which results in lots of wasted money (and cheese!). Trader Joe's uses a different plastic, and has a few above average cheeses, but their selection is limited and doesn't contain anything that is likely to blow you away.

Cheese store cheese just tastes different. Not only is it cut fresh and wrapped in paper to preserve its flavor, but you're also likely to end up with cheeses that are totally new to your tastebuds.

The Artisan Cheese Gallery is a small store that sells all kinds of cheese, about ten different made-to-order sandwiches featuring various cheeses and Breadbar bread, and a multitude of gourmet products ranging from olive oil to truffles to flavored peanut butter (with samples!) to tortas de aceite (a famous old-recipe cookie from Spain). They do cheese platters for parties if you give them advance notice, and once a month for $35 they have limited-seating cheese tasting events which sometimes involve wine and/or chocolate (purchase tickets in advance or they might be sold out).

Artisan Cheese Gallery sells around 300 cheeses, so try to go in with a few hints about what kind of cheeses you do and don't like, or even what textures you do and don't like. The employees will take it from there, feeding you slivers of scrumptious cheeses until you find ones you like enough to take home. They'll even make a maybe pile if you're not sure. This is also a great time to ask all your cheesy questions, like "How do I know when to eat the rind?" or "How do I prevent my cheese from getting moldy?" Make sure to give them a ballpark figure for what you're looking to spend, or you may find yourself at the register with multiple hunks of $17 cheese (this has never happened to me, of course).

To give you an idea of the kind of variety you'll find in a cheese store, here are some examples of cheeses they sell that I have tried:

Wasabi goat cheese-a bit odd on it's own, but great with sourdough bread
Chocolate goat cheese - The true definition of a dessert cheese, this one contains walnuts and raisins and is sort of like cheesecake without the crust
Monte Irebo-a goat cheese from Spain with a very pungent rind. The cheese's texture and flavor is similar to brie.
Prima Donna - a cow's milk cheese from Holland. I believe it's a gouda. I like this one a lot.
Balarina Goat Gouda - a very hard cheese from Holland that reminds me of parmesan in its texture and nuttiness. Inexpensive and durable--great for traveling on a budget.
Tore de Bordeaux - a goat cheese whose rind is coated in herbs de provence. Pricey, but worth it.
Capo del Montalban - A Spanish cheese that looks like manchego, but tastes better.

As you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of goat cheese. But if you think goat cheese is only that crumblyish stuff that comes in logs, think again! There are many other cheeses out there made from the same tangy milk.

Artisan Cheese Gallery sells a variety of generously-sized sandwiches for around $9 each. I love their grilled cheese: thick, pillowy bread and warm, gooey cheese. All sandwiches come with thick slices of sweet pickles and a fantastic truffle. They even have a few tables so you can eat your food there.

It's a bit hard to spot and hard to park at--just keep this in mind the first time you go, and don't give up if you can't find it or park right away.

The Artisan Cheese Gallery
12023 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604
818-505-0207
Mon. - Sat. 10:30 AM - 7 PM
Sun. 8AM - 4PM (that doesn't sound right to me)

As of October 2006, their website has buggy popups so I don't recommend it.