THE SAUCE
VALERIO ST
ROSCOE BLVD
It’s All Good House of Kabob
RESEDA BLVD
IT’S ALL GOOD HOUSE OF KABOB The name of Medh Ghasemil’s restaurant is reassuring, but the plates are proof positive you’re in the right place for Persian food. It’s All Good House of Kabob has persisted for almost two decades due to char-grilled skewers like shish, koobideh (ground beef) and chicken, which come with fluffy basmati rice. Saturdays and Sundays bring biryani, a well-spiced ground lamb patty that’s served on buttery wheat flatbread. Tear, snag juicy meat, and repeat. LALA’S KITCHEN Chef Elly Penalosa, along with her daughter and son-in-law, serve flavorful Filipino comfort food. Start with great adobo starring meaty pork belly braised in soy sauce and vinegar. Tapas involve pleasantly-chewy brisket strips that join garlic rice and fried egg. Son-in-law Carl Viray previously ran a Persian restaurant and serves beef koobideh or chicken thigh kabobs Thursday through Saturday nights. LUM-KA-NAAD Alex Sonbalee and wife Ooi bridge northern and southern Thailand at Lum-Ka-Naad
ourventurablvd.com
SATICOY ST
STRATHERN ST
Tasmanian ocean trout dressed with kelp and two-toned sesame seeds. Costs are a fraction of what Cha’s former employers charge.
here in Northridge, as well as at their Encino spinoff. Their menu is nearly 200 dishes deep. “We serve literally every dish you can get in Thailand,” Alex quips. Highlights include lanna hin-le—northern pork stew infused with curry powder, tamarind juice and ginger. Yum jing jang is a pungent anchovy salad balanced by chilies, lime juice, mint leaves and mango. Larb kua is a textural study that combines pan-fried minced and dried pork, rau ram, rice powder, and “Northern spice.” Why can’t all “salad” be this fun? METRO BALDERAS Abraham Guzmán named his Mexico Cityinspired eatery for a Metro stop and produces some of LA’s tastiest carnitas. He slow cooks the meat in pork fat on Saturdays and Sundays and doesn’t stop at shoulder meat. Tender buche (stomach), collagen-rich trompa (lips) and chewy oreja (ear) are just three cuts he uses. Build tacos with corn tortillas and housemade salsas like smoky, tangy tomatillo chile de arbol. Weekdays, Metro Balderas serves simpler Mexican comfort food. PITA POCKETS Pita Pockets is an Israeli sandwich shop from Haifa native Amin Elmor and his mother that debuted in 1997. Diners can enjoy watching most of the action from the open kitchen.
Top Thai
Chicken shawarma showcases dark meat that’s spice-stained and crisped before serving. Delightfully soft house-baked laffa bread is our preferred vessel, piled with lettuce, tomato, and rice or French fries. Drizzle on nutty tahini sauce or spicy jalapeno vinaigrette. SZECHUAN PLACE Spit fire like a Game of Thrones dragon after eating at the Northridge branch of Danny Zhou’s burgeoning chain. Spicy diced chicken has enough Sichuan peppercorns to deliver novocaine-like numbness. The Chongqing native also floats flaky sole fillets, cabbage and sprouts in a flame-red sea. Thick mung bean noodles are similarly ferocious, thanks to a perfect blend of chile oil, ginger and minced garlic. TOP THAI Noi Chatburth and her nephew sell pad Thai and pineapple fried rice, but Top Thai is worth seeking out for northern Thai dishes like khao soi, egg noodle curry soup with coconut milk, warming spices and a crispy noodle nest. Snappy pork sausage (saioua) is seasoned with coriander, shallots, galangal, lemongrass and black pepper. Crispy rice salad combines the funky joy of fermented chicken, ginger and peanuts. That’s our kind of salad.
SUMMER 2016, VENTURA BLVD
37