The Kindest Cuts/Best of 2007: A WeHo watering hole and the foie-gras ice cream man

Back to the lists of the things that made the foodie life worth loving in Los Angeles 2007... this list comes from H.C., of the blog LA & OC Foodventures.

Scoops ice cream in action: Foie gras & onion. Photo credit: Dave L.

For me, my fond favorites are:

1) Scoops. What's not to love about this cute hole-in-the-wall ice cream joint? (Well, except the parking.) Adventurous-flavor gelatos (the famous brown bread, pear-caramelized pecan-gorgonzola with chunks of the cheese mixed in, even a coulda-fooled-me vegan chocolate) and pretty easy on the wallet. You can even suggest your own flavors and see them become reality, for better or for worse. I also love that owner Tai Kim is very involved with community & charity efforts, from using his walls to auction off goods of local artists to hosting fundraisers like the Great American Bake Sale.

2) Artisan Cheese Gallery. Although not as big as the Cheese Store in Beverly Hills, this intimate place boasts a very unique (and seasonal) selection of cheeses, with a friendly, down-to-earth and passionate (about cheese) owner Melanie who just gushes about any dairy-related topics you want to discuss with her and the staff is very helpful in finding the "right cheese" for the occasion. They have pretty fun events too (I was at their cheese/vodka tasting with Modern Spirits; they also recently hosted a cheese/gelato tasting in collaboration with Scoops).

3) Azami Sushi Cafe. Yes, L.A. has Urasawa, Hide & Sushi Gen, but this less-well-known spot is my favorite place for sushi. Run by female chefs (don't let that fool you) (ed. note: huh?), they serve delicious seafood in a simple but elegant manner: a splash of ponzu here, sprinkling of sesame there, freshly grounded wasabi on the side. Definitely go for the omakase the first time around.

4) O-Bar. It's on the Eater Deathwatch and yes, I find some of their events (e.g Time Warp Wednesdays) gimmicky, but in the early evenings it's usually a classy yet mellow place to get a potent cocktail and fun chit-chat with bartenders or fellow drinkers. Made even better by their everyday 6-8 p.m. half-off-drinks happy hour. (PS: "classy" may not be as applicable on Thursdays when they do their 5-minute open bars.)

Scoops, 712 N Heliotrope Dr., (323) 906-2649
Artisan Cheese Gallery, Studio City. 12023 Ventura Blvd. (818) 505-0207
Azami Sushi Cafe, 7160 Melrose Ave. (323) 939-3816
O-Bar, 8279 Santa Monica Blvd. (323) 822-3300

Comments

[H.C.]

Nice! RE: Azami & the sushi chefs... I personally have no gripes about female sushi chefs, but have gotten more than one "are you serious?" looks from sushi-phile friends who haven't been there. Of course, their notions are quickly disproven when we go :)