A drool-inducing roundup of the “Best Handmade Chinese Noodle Restaurants in Los Angeles” inspired me to gather a group of friends to check out Sweethome Grill, the top ranked restaurant on the list. Barely open for three months, Sweethome was packed when we came in for dinner on a Friday night—an auspicious sign in these here parts.

In addition to handmade noodles, Sweethome specializes in grilled meats on a stick with a Northern Chinese bent. Think: cumin and chilies. We ordered a slew of sticks to start at roughly a dollar piece. Considering the price point, we were mostly pleased with our selections.

The first stick to arrive was the chewy-as-heck beef backstrap. The Astronomer Google’d “backstrap” just as soon as we arrived home from dinner and discovered that this unusual cut is usually made into chewy nibbles for dogs. Oh, great.

While I was hesitant to order seafood at a Northern Chinese restaurant, my friends insisted on some squid. I’m glad they took a  gamble because the tender and spicy squid was one of the best items of the night.

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