Sal's Place is a genuinely special restaurant, a warm, vibrant place with top notch service and…read morefantastic Italian food. My girlfriends took me for my 40th birthday, and we had a wonderful dinner, an idyllic live laugh love moms' night out with lots of pasta and red wine. Parking was a pain in the ass, as there was no valet and street parking in the neighborhood was heavily restricted. We all found metered parking that we had to duck out and refresh after two hours because the meters ran until midnight. Highly recommend not driving here, for parking and also for drinking reasons. The restaurant is cool and idiosyncratic enough that it got a write-up in the New York Times, with the headline "A Scrappy Pop-Up Restaurant Shuttles From Coast to Coast." It apparently started in Provincetown, Massachussetts, and wandered over to West Hollywood in 2023, opening for six months out of the year when Cape Cod slows down for the winter. Reservations are exclusively made by telephone, and payment is cash only. These quirks are minimally annoying and 100% in keeping with the intimate, small business vibe of the restaurant. The atmosphere was enchanting, cozy and welcoming, with a bit of underground supper club energy. I kind of like that you can't find this place on Resy. Service was excellent. I didn't get our waiter's name, but it really felt like he was hosting us. It helped that he gave us meatballs on the house and topped off our wine when we were running low, full pours that he left off our bill. The wine was lovely, a Chianti that went well with everything. The food was delicious, starting with the complimentary focaccia, served with seasoned olive oil for dipping. The bread proved useful with our appetizers, both the shrimp scampi and our free meatballs. The shrimp scampi was snappy and flavorful, swimming in a rich sauce with garlic, lemon, and capers, an extra slice of bread on the side. The meatballs were just right, savory and tender, made with veal, pork, and beef in a pomodoro sauce. We ordered two of the three salads on the menu and I'd highly recommend them both. The endive citrus was bright and zesty, with mixed greens, pistachio, fennel, feta, and orange. Sal's caesar was bold and satisfying, with romaine, shaved cauliflower, panko, and pecorino. We passed on the entrees in favor of getting three pastas, each of them essential to our dinner. The lobster alla vodka was an ideal seafood pasta, al dente linguine with lobster, peas, and basil in a great vodka sauce. I felt similarly about the shrimp puttanesca, linguine with plump shrimp, roasted red peppers, anchovy, and olive. The winner, though, was the pappardelle with oxtail ragu, which was one of the night's specials. A transcendent meat sauce pasta, with supple pappardelle, a mouthwatering ragu, and plenty of thin-shaved salty cheese on top. If this is available, order it. Heck, order two, just to be safe. We shared tiramisu for dessert, and it came with a candle for my birthday. It was a stellar tiramisu, and felt like the right way to end a bountiful Italian meal. I know my husband would enjoy Sal's Place and am already scheming to go back. I want to get another dinner in before it heads east for the summer.

Food was good. The…read morelady/hostess/owner was lovely. Sam the server was nice but nosy and condescending at times. The girl that switches out the table paper needs to be given a new position because she lacks professionalism but she was fast at her duty. I'm assuming the server and table paper girl are related to the owner because they had an entitlement to them.

10/10 I had this place at smorgasbord before and have been…read morelooking for them . Imagine my surprise they have a store !!! In usc village to say the least !! Perfect location .. welcoming staff when you enter . Menu very understandable Outside eating area over inside

We stopped for lunch here while attending the Festival of Books. Big mistake to come during lunch…read morebecause there was a long line, no seating inside or on the nearby patio, and a 30-minute wait to get our food. We were all hungry but decided to commit, stand in line, and brave the wait. We had a big group, so our friends scoped out the area, and we were able to find a table to accommodate us around the corner. Although there was a rush, the staff held on to their composure and still offered great customer service. After a 30-minute wait, we got our food. I ordered the Lil' Softie and added lettuce to get my greens. The burger was a plain Jane, but I didn't mind. I made it a combo and added a drink and tots. Everything tasted great, and the tots had the perfect amount of crunch. Sadly, I was so hungry that I forgot to take a pic of my food. Overall, a pretty chill burger spot with cool staff and a fun ambiance. If I am ever in the area, I will def stop by again since everything was delicious.

my hojicha addiction continues to fuel me as I got the hojicha milk soft serve and a Sakura mochi…read more The soft serve is the Hokkaido milk flavor and they have a really strong concentrate of hojicha syrup put on top! I find the syrup rly good, a little nutty chocolatey, but some may find it too strong and bitter, possible burnt taste. I find it good, but bc it's a concentrated flavor I can see others not being a big fan. The sakura mochi is rly good! Very floral flavor and I liked it a lot, but the texture of the mochi was a bit off. I think it's bc I went around 8pm (an hour before they close) so the mochi was probably not as fresh as it could be, but that's on me. The location is shared with a boba tea place (yi fang) so if you wanted ice cream and boba as a late night treat, perfect opportunity!! That's why my sibling and I like to come here for a sweet treat variety and they have some nice seating around. It's also the arts district so it's nice to just walk around the area as well to chat with whoever ur with. I usually get street parking, but allegedly you can park in the the apt structure and get parking validation for 2 hrs (?)

Been wanting to try their soft serve for a while. When a friend came to visit on January 7th, we…read moredecided to finally give Mochi Ya Ren a try after an early dinner. Well...the experience turned out to be a big disappointment. I won't be returning. - The girl who served us, didn't make us feel welcome. She made us feel like we were more of a nuisance or bother rather than a valued customer. - The Matcha and Hokkaido Milk soft serves were mediocre at best. Go to Tea Masters for Matcha soft serve. Their Matcha soft serve is extremely better. The Hokkaido Milk soft serve had an artificial after taste. - Beware, their soft serve is a complete rip off. It's hollow on the inside.

Serving fat trimmings trying to pass it off as brisket, would be a major start…read more Serving day old St. Louis style slabs of ribs (re-heated) as freshly cooked. When it was clearly dried tasting like jerky (tough). And stating it was intended ti be that way. Serving hot links on cheap white bread slathered with muster to cover up the bread being stale, judging from the hard non-toasted crust of the bread.

Ribs in LA is an awesome Pop-Up truck! Out of all the BBQ choices there are, THIS is the one for…read moreme! The food is delicious and service is excellent. Husband and wife team, Fred & Nyesha, are personable and great people! Now, here's are my favorites: pork ribs, brisket and OMG! The Beef Rib is AMAZING when it's available! (I think the beef rib is most available on weekends but I keep hope alive during the week. You might get lucky. LOL). Tender meats and never dry. The rub they use (Fred's own recipe) is perfect. I always get my bbq sauce on the side because I don't like my meats drenched or swimming in sauce. The sauce is their own and it's good too but the thing for me with BBQ is when it's REALLY good, you don't need any sauce. This BBQ is THAT BBQ if you feel me. lol. My favorite sides are the greens, beans and Mac and cheese. Oh yeah! And the peach cobbler is a TASTY treat! All homemade delectables! Also, their daughter's Hibiscus Punch is good too! The only drawback is when you are fiendin' like an addict for their food, you have to wait until one of their business days to get it. lol. They are in different locations during the week (but the upside is that they are regularly at their weekly locations - UCLA, Westchester, and USC and usually a Saturday in View Park). But they are only at the locations from 12 noon to 2pm (lunch). Makes me crazy when I forget the day that's most convenient for me or I get busy and not gonna get there in time. Saturday hours are a little longer (till 4pm OR until they run out). Check them out on their IG page @RibsinLA for their schedule. My dream for them is to have a Brick and Mortar store so I can get it anytime the mood of my tastebuds hit me! Try it. You will not be disappointed. Ribs in LA is a Chef's Kiss!

What an AMAZING 6-course meal with Chef Aaron's take home kit! It's been a long time since we've…read morehad a meal from a restaurant especially during COVID that we are raving about. I just so happen saw it on Tock and thought I'd try it out because the menu sounded good and we want to support our local businesses as much as we can! Chef Aaron is without question a talented chef!!! We appreciated every amount of thought and creativity to put a meal like this together, on top of that making sure it is easy to prepare at home and still taste good! The quality of ingredients were top notch and the flavors were robust and perfection! The menu we had tonight is below. I'm not a gazpacho or melon fan but both dishes surprised me and we really enjoyed it. I also really liked the mushroom eggplant appetizer, and the Osso Bucco was wow! I could've just licked the au jus from the plate if I wasn't so full! Portions are very generous and the kits are very reasonably priced!! We will definitely try his other take out kit menus and once restaurants reopen and this whole COVID situation is under control, we will for sure be dining at his location! Please support our local chefs and try out Chef Aaron's take home kit which I ordered via Tock. I believe changes the menu weekly or so. Thank you Chef Aaron for an amazing dinner tonight! Until next time! - Confit eggplant, olive and wild mushroom bruschetta - Compressed heirloom melon and fresh burrata salad - Smoked Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho: Tutti Frutti farms tomatoes in classic southern Spanish style with olive oil, artisan bread, roasted garlic, and smoked paprika - Sweet Pea Risotto: regenerative farmed sugar snap peas and carnaroli rice with goat butter and reggiano cheese - Braised Osso Buco: Stemple Creek, completely regeneratively pastured, dry aged beef shank braised au jus with red wine shallots and carrots - Grandma's Graham Cracker Crust Honey Sweetened Cheesecake

Wow!!!!!!!!! My girl…read morefriend brought me to the Bull & Dragon for my birthday, and it was with out a shadow of a doubt the best dinner i have ever been treated to. The private dinner parties are hosted in Chef Aaron's back yard. It is a very adorable back yard. He has a nice little garden that is just off to the side of the dinner table, and as it turns out a lot of the ingredients come from that garden. The concept of small garden to table and to be able to see the garden that your food comes from as you eat is wonderful and really adds to a great culinary experience. As it turns out Chef Aaron bases his menus of of what is local and in season, so with that in mind i wont go into what the dishes where as you most likely wont have the same meal. Chef Aaron truly is an amazing talent. Every dish he served us was not only beautiful put together and visually stunning he really does know how to construct a perfectly balanced dish that flow seamlessly into the next course. Along with his ability to server amazing dishes he knows exactly what wine too serve with his food. In our 6 courses we where poured 3 different wines and i now have 3 new favorite wines. Chef Aaron served me the absolute best dinner i have ever had, and when that was paired with the cozy back yard setting and the fun of a small dinner party it made for an unforgettable experience i can not wait to come back and see what magic Chef Aaron has cooked up!!

In a city built on tacos and guisados mexicanos, Wepa Pa'l Mundo brings the flavors of Puerto Rico…read moreto LA and they make a big statement. The Pernil: roasted pork is Puerto Rico's love letter to the Mexican Carnitas. Everything ordered was delicious. The hospitality and enthusiasm of the staff was an added bonus, there's great pride and joy behind the menu. I'm looking forward to their next pop up event, the food is really good! Muchas gracias mis Boricuas!

WEPA Pa'l Mundo is a new Puerto Rican pop-up restaurant by a sous chef from the lauded Magna Kusina…read morein Portland, Oregon. I visited the inaugural pop-up event at Seoul Sausage in Downtown LA which was recommended to me by my cousin in PDX. You'll choose from a short menu of appetizers to main dishes such as the pernil asado (slow roasted pork) and the arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas) to dessert. There is only one Puerto Rican restaurant in LA and a take out operation all in the San Fernando Valley. For those in the city who would like a taste of Puerto Rican food, follow this chef for his next pop up. Check out chef Roberto Almdovar's Instagram for the next pop up and menu. @wepapalmundo

It can be tricky to get in here because the event is exclusively for DTLA residents and members of…read morethe LA Athletic Club. I hadn't been for years because RSVPs book up so quickly when they're released. But I finally got in again and had a great time. The chef for the evening, Ricky Hwang, is preparing to open a new spot in Little Tokyo this fall. I'll be on the lookout for that! The food was all delicious. I thought the flavor of the yuzu panna cotta was perfect, but it needed more time to set. The Yam Sam O (pomelo salad) was my favorite dish. It was bright and delicate with tender scallops.

This was a phenomenal experience! I'm so lucky to have gotten into one of the dinner experiences…read moreand grateful that Josh started this series. It's such a cool concept that lets you freely connect with DTLA locals, try delicious foods and mix any drink you want for yourself. This is besides the fact that you get to eat on a rooftop of a DTLA penthouse with a view and watch the sun set as you have fascinating conversations with everyone around you. (1 star off only bc I personally wasn't a fan of some of the food , but that's subjective obviously). 10/10 otherwise!

Great food and service! Right now, they just have occasional popups around Los Angeles. You have to…read morekeep up to date with them on IG to know the schedule. This typically requires a preorder several days in advance. FOOD The breakfast burrito is unique and one of my favorite. I enjoyed the balance of flavors. The Galbi Jjim was flavorful. . The fluffy custard eggs were so uniquely done. The pickled onions, salsa, and cilantro crema all complimented well. They use a decent tortilla. It's a good tortilla but it can also be improved. SERVICE They are all so nice and organized. They have everyone's order laid out on their computer and all of the bags are prepped with identification. After you check in with them, you just wait for them to text you back to pick up your order. They are efficient. The wait is minimal but you still get food that is made-to-order fresh. LOCATION The current spot beside Idyllic coffee is really fun and relaxed.

Have seen tons of posts raving about this Korean-inspired breakfast burritos all over my Instagram…read morefeeds lately. I'm so impressed that it literally started from someone's apartment kitchen in Ktown, and lately he has been doing pop-ups in Idyllic in downtown. So he'd do weekly order drop every Wednesday 6pm with limited quantity, then people could place order and choose the desired pickup time on the Sunday of the same week. If memory served me right, he did 150 pieces and it got sold out probably under than a minute. I myself felt like doing a war for ticket concert just to procure this exquisite burrito! But OMG, it did worth all the hype and extra effort to place the order. The burrito was huge and super packed with fillings. I loved the fact that the wrap was thin yet strong enough to hold all ingredients stuffed inside. You could def see from the pic how generous the short-rib stuffing was served. It was totally succulent flavor pay of sweet and savory. Then that custardy egg layer was mind-blowing and def unbeatable, literally felt like you're eating silky Japanese tofu; which then got complemented by the crispy texture from the tater tots! Not stopping the fun there, you'd be able to enjoy your burrito with tasty dippings as it's served with cilantro lime crema as well as gochugaru habanero salsa. I would doubtlessly go over and over again on this ORDER WAR to get my hands on this heavenly breakfast wrap!