Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
As a former resident of South Texas, I often miss the unique Texas-style breakfast tacos so ubiquitous there. (I like mine with machacado.) I'm sure you know that these are not the same as breakfast burritos, and are defined well in this article about how New York has "discovered" them. Where can I find them in L.A.?
--Molly Arevalo, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
What's with all these beer pubs? It's very 1991 Denver.
--Eric Beteille, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
It's that time of year, cold and dark early, which means there is nothing more inviting than that wave of heat and spice when you enter a great Italian trattoria. I'm hunting for the best bouillabaisse in town, in a joint that is as unpretentious as it is family-run. Affordable so I can bring the family, yet refined enough so I can taste its authenticity of ingredients. Willing to brave the 10 east at rush hour if you point me in the right direction.
--Michael Carey, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
A friend of mine lives near the French eatery La Poubelle and I live close to Cafe Stella. We alternate. But while La Poubelle serves flatbread, Stella does not. And I've been thinking: Why is tarte flambée so hard to find in Los Angeles? Could you suggest a place?
--Colin Brown, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
My parents are coming to visit soon and I was hoping to do them proud by finding some authentic Iraqi cuisine akin to what my Baghdad-born father grew up eating just outside of Tel Aviv. His mother has stuffed us many a visit with things like sambusak, the sabich, kubeh, bamia and the ever-present amba. I myself am not sure what, if anything, separates Iraqi Jewish food from Iraqi food at large, and our family holds no religious dietary restrictions, so if there's a great place serving the aforementioned that is not kosher or even Jewish, that is of course fine.
--Nadav A. Havusha

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
I have a hankering for some grease. I would like it to come in the form of a "brick" of Susie-Q french fries. I don't want any of these wimpy curly fries people talk about, looking like lost potato eyelashes on the plate. None of this fancy seasoning like the mass-produced purveyors of fast food passed off as Susie-Qs. I want a solid mass of curled up, fried potatoes served in one hunk of greasy goodness like I can get back in Nevada, Mo., out here in sunny L.A. If I had a photo I'd attach one.
--Karl F.

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
I'd like to do a tour of the world's cuisines through dumplings. Xiao long bao [Chinese soup dumplings] may be my favorite food on Earth, but one does not live by XLB alone. So far I've got momo, gyoza, shui jiao, samosa and piroshki on the list, even though the latter two are perhaps not quite dumplings. Are there any others that are well represented in Los Angeles, and where would you go for any of the above? Also: Do mantee count?
--Celia Adelson, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
It's Hanukkah, and I want to have a party, but I live in a small apartment and hate frying things because the smell never goes away. I thought I would have a churros and spiked cider party instead. Where is the best place to get churros?
--D. Gerson, Echo Park

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
My husband and I, originally from Connecticut, are fairly new to L.A., and have had a hard time finding good Chinese food. This is our first year as a married couple and we're looking for a nice restaurant in which to restart our tradition of Chinese dinner on Christmas. I'm obsessed with dumplings. My husband, although he loves Chinese food, feels more comfortable if there are some Americanized dishes on the menu -- General Tso's chicken, beef and broccoli, etc. Any suggestions?
--Caylie Marchi, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

​Dear Mr. Gold:
New York City has the legendary halal carts at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue. Please tell me Los Angeles has something similar.
--Joseph Saranglo, via Facebook

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