Another week/weekend in LA

I really do love LA. When my brother moved here it took him a few years to assimilate from NY life so perhaps it is just taking me some time as well to truly love our winter sojourns at a new level. Puntarelle salad of dates, stilton cheese, green olives, allium, walnuts and a sherry vinaigrette at Tartine Bianco.

This week we had dinner and brunch at Tartine Bianco, located at the Row in downtown LA. We took the LA Metro downtown from Santa Monica instead of battling the traffic. It is fantastic. I read my Kindle, did a few crosswords on the phone and skimmed a few emails. We book an Uber to where we needed to go when we got off the rail and Uber’d it home after dinner. It would have taken an hour and a half to get down there by car that evening but coming back it is only 25 minutes with zero traffic. The chicken liver with kumquats and blood orange over a piece of crispy toast truly hit the spot.

We came back a few nights later to see the Lakers/Nuggets game. We happened to witness history that night with James LeBron surpassing Michael Jordan in baskets.

Friday night we went to Coni Seafood for dinner. We had been to the original in Inglewood and this me went to an off-shoot on Centinella. The place was empty when we got there and I was not sure about it but in the end, I was swept in with the whole family to just enjoy. The dish to get here is the Snook. It is pretty damn good. A heavy white fish served with a spicy red sauce, caramelized onions and soft tortillas.

Saturday morning I had got tickets at the Marciano Foundation. We went last year too. You had to get tickets in advance, they are free but you have to book in advance. Well worth it. The place is small with interesting exhibits. It was created by the Marciano family to explore and enjoy contemporary art. The Tulip Room, Yayoi Kusama.

Back down to the Row area to have lunch at Tartine. The key are the salads and the morning bun. An insanely delicious sticky bun where the bread has become so caramelized that it is sticky and hard on the outside but soft and melt in your mouth on the inside.

The height was dinner at Ma Genet. Ma Genet was highlighted in Jonathan Gold’s movie, an ode to LA. We have driven down Ethiopian row so many times and finally called to make a resy. The place is intimate and hopping at the same time. The thing to order here is the Dorwot. A spicy rich Chicken dish that has been roasting for 48 hours. Almost like an intense Mexican mole with different spices. It is a lick your finger delish but then again there are no utensils at Ma Genet so that is exactly what you need to do.

The utensil is the injera, a thick spongy sour crepe that is able to stretch and grab anything you want to eat between your thumb and fingers. We also had the vegetable combination that gives a newbie the ability to taste everything. My favorite main dish was the Tofu Tibs. Crispy little tofu cubes sauteed with in onions, green chiles and an Ethopian sauce.

I grabbed this pic on the way to the bathroom. A chef overseeing her domain. Praise Ma Genet.