A. Scattergood

Mochi at Mikawaya

​Visit Little Tokyo, and -- even if you're a rabid manga fan or karaoke maniac -- your trip will likely involve food. Perhaps yakisoba, fried noodles topped with bright red ginger. Or okonomiyaki, a pancake cooked with a variety of savory ingredients. (The name literally means "what you want.") And the smell of fresh takoyaki, dumpling-like balls filled with diced octopus, can be hard to resist. Then there are Asian grocery stores selling produce such as kabocha, gobo (burdock) and shiso leaves.

On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Japanese American National Museum will offer the chance to explore local foods on a walking tour called "Graze Little Tokyo Walk." "The food tour will encompass the neighborhood's history, which is unique," a museum worker told us.

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Brian Posehn is a comic, writer, actor, and food-eater. The Comedians of Comedy, Sarah Silverman Program, and Mr. Show alumnus is also a dedicated San Fernando Valleyite and gastronome.

Squid Ink recently asked Posehn to describe what his most perfectest day in the Valley with his wife and baby would look like. "I'm on the road a lot. A lot.," said Posehn. "So when I'm home, my wife and I try to cram as much fun and errands (also known as "un-fun") into our days, starting with..." Turn the page.

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whysarah/flickr

Fish tacos at Best Fish Taco in Ensenada.

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The ideal fish taco is a time-sensitive collision of hissing-hot battered fish, a shell puffed up around mild, sweet flesh; a tortilla or two; crunchy cabbage; and cool, slightly sour crema. It is time-sensitive because, if the diner doesn't scoop it up quickly and put it away, the crema melts, the tortilla becomes gummy, and the fish's shell deteriorates. There are many variables, the most precarious of which being the freshness of the fish itself. In our day, we've encountered plenty of specimens we would not feed to a cat.

Between half-hearted shopping and a show last weekend, we doubled up on fish tacos at two reasonably well-regarded institutions: Best Fish Taco in Ensenada, a local micro-chain based in Los Feliz, and just a five minute-drive away, El Siete Mares, a Silverlake stand with outdoor seating.

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Screenshot of Javier Cabral's Twitter page

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Tajrish

The grill.

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If you are stickler for restaurant menu clarity, Tajrish in Marina Del Rey will make you want to hurl your baklava across the room. For instance, there are chunks of filet mignon, marinated and char-broiled. There are also chunks of filet mignon, skewered, marinated, and char-broiled. The latter would appear to be kabobs, but then so are the former, we think. Rice may be substituted for salad at no extra cost. However, if you want half a side of salad and half a side of rice, you pay a dollar more.

Of course, none of this matters at all. Located on the edge of Venice, Tajrish is a strip mall Persian joint, on many nights emptier than a high school in July, the pink tablecloth-draped tables bare and clean. Yet, as you stumble in, curious and hungry, the proprietor seated at the register grins. If Tajrish were a high school, you'd think he was baked to a lavash-like crisp, but he's only enjoying his work. And what work it is.

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Anne Fishbein

the invisible restaurant critic

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Dear Mr. Gold:
Last night I wanted to take my friend out for a nightcap in a spot with yummy food and an older crowd. Well, older than 20s -- her prerequisite. We wouldn't have arrived until midnight. We were in Hollywood and could have driven anywhere. We failed. What are some of your late-night spots?
--Eff Em Kay, via Facebook

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Anne Fishbein

Mr. Gold, with dim sum menu

​Dear Mr. Gold:
What's the best neighborhood in L.A. to live in if you don't have a car? Purely within the gastronomical interest, of course.
--Sophia Lee, via Facebook

Dear Ms. Lee:
Although my first impulse was to nominate San Gabriel or Monterey Park, where the culinary fireworks can be intense, I'm kind of leaning toward downtown, especially the Arts District. Not only are there a lot of great places to eat within walking distance -- Rivera, the Nickel Diner, Drago Centro, Wood Spoon, Tiara, Bottega Louie, Border Grill, Chaya Downtown, maybe Pete's and Cole's -- but the ramen parlors and late-night izakayas of Little Tokyo are right there, and the restaurants in Chinatown, which may not be what they were in the '80s but are still something, are just a bit farther when the urge for dim sum or pho happens to strike. After rush hour, Arts District streets are almost fixie-friendly. If your tastes run in a tamer direction, the L.A. Live complex is home to as many chain restaurants as any suburban mall.

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As its name implies, Schnitzly is devoted to the schnitzel, which is too bad since their version, made with chicken, is heavy, dry and served in hefty wraps or sub sandwiches, even with the dozen or so sauces you can slather on top of them. That level of mediocrity is nothing new on Pico Boulevard's "Kosher Corridor," where the food is generally forgettable and costs 20% more than similar non-kosher fare. There is, however, one reason to go to Schnitzly, even if you don't keep kosher: their chips.

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​On the heels of their successful events in June and July, Culver City is gearing up for another summer block party, taking place next Wednesday, August 18th, between 5 and 9 p.m.

This is the third in a series of neighborhood celebrations featuring discounts and freebies from downtown shops, galleries, spas, and so forth, as well as the area's bevy of restaurants. To that end, the event is billed as a "foodie paradise," which makes us cringe a little, but nonetheless, there are lots of food and drink specials we're excited to take advantage of including the buy-two-get-one-free margaritas at Kay & Dave's, pizza samples at LaRocco's and the complimentary organic wine tasting at M Café. Turn the page for a complete listing of what's being doled out.

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Ben Calderwood

We do it so you don't have to: Jin Jiang's defeated crispy duck

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This week's Trials of Westside Chinese proves the axiom that there is very little in the way of palatable Chinese cuisine within the neighborhood of the 405. In fact, some of it may be outright disgraceful.

Squid Ink fantasized that Jin Jiang, the encyclopedic Canto-American banquet spot just east of the freeway, would be a gem in the rough, or at least a gem across the street from Yoshinoya, the proud home of gristled rice. It's not like the competition is stiff. Sadly, Jin Jiang falls, and falls with a cataclysmic thud.

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