Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

12 Apr 2018

The Dal Rae – Los Angeles (Pico Rivera)

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Continuing my streak of dining in Los Angeles’ finest institutions, my colleagues and I lunched at The Dal Rae in Pico Rivera. Opened in 1958, the restaurant is renowned for its menu of American steakhouse classics served with table-side flourishes, a marker of midcentury luxe Continental dining.

The restaurant wasn’t particularly hoppin’ during our lunchtime excursion, so we slid into a booth fit for four and soaked up the wood-paneled ambiance. Ah, the 1950s…

We happened to dine during restaurant week, so everyone in our party partook in the ever-so-slightly discounted menu. For $25, we were treated to a two-course lunch.

To start, a bread basket filled with pita crisps, sesame bread sticks, French bread, and sourdough. On the side was a pat of butter that was a touch too cool for maximum spreadability.

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Restaurant Review

05 Apr 2018

The Venice Room – Monterey Park

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One of the best traditions at work is taking colleagues out for lunch on their birthdays. I am fortunate to work alongside food obsessives in a food paradise (626, represent!), so these outings are as gustatory as they are celebratory.

For my 36th birthday, I forwent our usual Sichuan spots and hotpot haunts in favor of an unlikely neighborhood institution: The Venice Room in Monterey Park. What can I say—as a certifiable old person, I like to dine in old places.

Family-owned and operated since 1955, The Venice Room was truly unique in ambiance and in format. The Venetian-themed interior was dusty, dated, and dingy, but truth be told, quite charming too.

The specialty here is cook-your-own steak. For just $8.95, my colleagues and I were treated to a cornucopia of delights including an all-you-can-eat salad bar, a baked potato, a stale-ish French roll, and a raw slab of New York Strip steak.

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Restaurant Review

29 Mar 2018

Freedman’s – Los Angeles (Echo Park)

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Jewish delis, both in old and new school varieties, are some of my favorite places to dine. It’s hard to beat bagels, smoked fishes, and hot pastrami when it comes to ultimate comfort food. Given my affections for the genre, I was beyond stoked to hear that a new deli was arriving in Los Angeles in the form of Freedman’s.

Opened late last year by Jonah Freedman, Amanda Freedman, and Nicholas Papadatos, Freedman’s offers a contemporary take on traditional Jewish fare. Behind the stoves is Chef Liz Johnson (formerly of Mimi in New York). Stylistically speaking, Freedman’s has the very best wallpaper in all of Los Angeles.

Sarah and I came in for a weeknight dinner in the middle of February. As we perused and contemplated the menu, I sipped the “Arrival” ($8) made with Lillet Blanc, Buddha’s hand, and ginger.

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