The old-school ramen joint takes over AsianYa on Gateway.

While the ramen wars continue to heat up on Sawtelle, longtime Westside noodle bar Ramenya has found some new, more spacious digs, along Gateway in West LA just around the corner from the likes of Mori Sushi and Freddy Smalls. Opened just six weeks ago in a rather quiet strip mall, Ramenya’s more populist ramen bowls are now easier to get than ever (Yelpers love the fact that Grubhub will even deliver their ramen).

Standard bowls include spicy tan tan ramen, miso ramen, and basic shoyu, though other dishes like chicken karaage and bibimbap dot the menu. While the concept isn’t as focused, it’s still a handy all-day Asian spot for the Westside, and the early reviews are quite solid. Ramenya’s old spot is now the NYC-native (by way of Japan, of course) Dosanko Larmen.

Ramenya
11660 Gateway Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064

PappaRich just won’t give up on America.

Welcome to Meanwhile In SGV a regular feature in which Tony Chen, the fearless leader in all things San Gabriel Valley, brings word of restaurant openings, closings, and other unsung, curious neighborhood goings on.

1) Alhambra: My Way Hot Pot has been taken over by a Japanese-Chinese fusion ramen joint. Kaiooramen‘s signature dish is the sesame ramen. There’s tsukemen, but there’s also wonton ramen to appease the locals. Also to bribe the discount-loving Chinese, Kaiooramen is already on restaurant.com 1261 E Valley Blvd

2) Monterey Park: Johnny Rockets, which opened at the debut of Atlantic Time Square, will be taken over by PappaRich, the Malaysian equivalent of Denny’s. Atlantic Time Square’s conditional approval was originally hinged on the property management firm bringing in national franchises, but no one wanted Johnny Rockets when there’s boba milk tea and shaved snow in the plaza. With the closure of both Pasadena PappaRich and Ktown PappaRich, this Monterey Park outfit will become PappaRich USA’s new flagship restaurant. 500 N Atlantic Blvd Ste 116

3) West Covina: The second branch of the Millenial-friendly Factory Tea Bar is currently down due to a destroyed electric meter. No mention of when the tea lounge, replete with beach sand, will reopen. 969 S Glendora Ave Unit A

4) West Covina: Boiling Pit Chinese Kebab is taking over the space long ditched by Video 42. Boiling Pit is the Swiss-Knife Chinese restaurant of the year, and will offer a multitude of hot Chinese food trends: lamb skewers, hot pots, and beer. 937 S Glendora Ave

5) Rowland Heights: Proving once again hot potting is the ultimate Chinese kryptonite, Uni-Boil opened recently at the Hong Kong Supermarket Plaza. It features Taiwanese-style individual hot pots. Hence, “Uni” in the time… 18406 Colima Rd Ste C

Not ideal for 9-to-5ers, but for everyone else: come get yourself a delicious bánh mì sandwich.

If you blink, you’ll miss Ô Bánh Mì. It’s situated inside a gentle curve of Hyperion Avenue, right after Lyric and before that one intersection where everyone decides to turn left during rush hour and back up traffic. Its relative seclusion embodies a quality that makes L.A. a particularly good food town — the idea that you can pass a restaurant on your daily commute hundreds of times, but perhaps never noticed it until just last week.

Ô Bánh Mì, a cozy, inconspicuous Vietnamese sandwich shop, is place designed for locals — it’s tiny, the menu is small, and it’s open four hours a day, from noon until 4 p.m. (which is a recent development; it used to only be open three hours a day). It’s also an absolute treasure, serving fresh bánh mì sandwiches, awesome caffeinated drinks from an old-school hydraulic espresso machine, and friendly, come-as-you-are service.

The restaurant is a modest jewel in the crown of Hieu Dam and partner Jens Hommert, who have amassed a small empire of eating and drinking establishments in the area, including neighborhood-favorite Speranza and Hyperion Tavern. Ô Bánh Mì’s standard-bearer sandwich, the traditional thit nguôi Vietnamese cold cuts sandwich, is a fresh and filling lunch for $7.50.

Leaving that sweet rawness on the roof of your mouth

The baguette is fresh; chewy on the inside and sharply crunchy on the outside, leaving that sweet rawness on the roof of your mouth that one comes to expect from eating bánh mì. The cold cuts include sliced pork, pork sausage, head cheese, and nice smear of pâté. Hot peppers (which you can pick off) leave a lingering burn on the lips. Other sandwich options on the menu include lemongrass chicken, baby squid, sardine, and lemongrass tofu for the vegetarians.

Sure, there are other, cheaper options for bánh mì, especially if you wander into the San Gabriel Valley. But where Ô Bánh Mì really shines is on Pig Roast Fridays. Once a week, and until they run out, they beautifully roast an entire pig and serve the moist, tender meat and crispy skin in the form of delectable roasted pork bánh mì. This is worth your time, and worth the trip.

The pig is roasted in a caja china, aka a “Cajun microwave,” a wooden roasting box with a metal liner that allows for the cooking of large animals in a relatively short period of time. It’s essentially a Dutch oven that cooks the pig evenly, producing moist meat and crackling skin. Caja china, which is Spanish for “Chinese box,” supposedly came from Cuba. What exactly makes these boxes “Chinese” is a mystery, though food anthropologist Sid Mintz posits that in Latino/Caribbean culture, it’s common to call something novel or exotic chino or china (“Chinese”).

The end product is brought into the shop at precisely noon, with some fanfare. There’s usually already six or seven people waiting, who have already put in their orders. The pig is carried in on a roasting pan and promptly dissected; the meat is assembled into sandwiches and passed out to the waiting, hungry customers. The meat is smoky, tender, and sweet. The skin is completely rendered free of fat, leaving only a taut piece of crispy, slightly charred, jerky-like vellum. The accompanying dipping au jus is a wonderful complement, savory and slightly fruity, with a hint of licorice.

Pro tip: if you’re going for the roasted pig, get there early. I wandered in one Friday a little before 2 p.m. only to be told they had run out.

Ô Bánh Mì is located at 1997 Hyperion Ave. and is open every day from noon until 4 p.m. Roasted pig is on Fridays. Cash only.

And Craftsman and Wolves expands from SF to LA.

BEVERLY HILLS— Freds at Barneys New York is expanding outside power lunch hour with the addition of its Sunset Menu March 1. Those looking to refresh themselves with a cocktail as they shop into the evening hours can now do so between 3 and 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 4 and 6 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Sip on cocktails like the Laurel Canyon Sunrise while taking in views of Beverly Hills. Pinkies up!

DOWNTOWN— Cerveteca is launching brunch Saturday, March 7. Expect brunch classics with Latin flair, like the Beer Batter Waffles with plantains and dulce de leche, and The Cerveteca, a hearty plate of churrasco ribeye steak, eggs, beans, and plantains.

CULVER CITY— San Francisco’s contemporary patisserie Craftsman and Wolves, originally slated for a Spring 2015 arrival, is coming to Culver City this August. Think high-end pastries and confections, lunch, and afternoon tea service.

The Spanish restaurant tabbed the popular reservation app.

Heads up, reservation-heads, there’s a hot deal on the horizon. Resy, the preferred app for anyone not willing to wait around for a table, is teaming up with Melrose hotspot Smoke.Oil.Salt., handing out a free prixe fixe of putxero stew to anyone who books through the app on Monday, February 23.

Better still: Resy is paying for the first round of drinks! The deal only applies to table seated on that Monday, so assuming your night is free and you’re down for some Spanish food, better book fast.

It’s all about foie and bottles for chef Michael Hung and the Coastal Luxury Management team.

As the weather gets warmer, there’s nothing better than a great brunch to either kick off, or cap the weekend’s festivities. Saturday and Sunday mornings (and often afternoons) are prime time for weekend dining warriors to grab a bloody mary, mimosa, or bellini, and drink away the hours with friends and family under the SoCal sun. Eater asked readers for a few suggestions right here, but without further ado: a mix of some of the best brunch spots in Los Angeles.

Well, exactly one week after Jonathan Gold’s middle-of-the-road review of Pok Pok Phat Thai, wherein he essentially just talks about how to order at the restaurant, the Pulitzer Prize winner has dug in his heels for a review of Terrine. Kris Morningstar’s restaurant earns some praise from Gold, but it’s hard to overlook the jabs buried inside the text.

Some issues Gold takes with Terrine:

It’s noisy. “The music is too loud — it is always too loud…”

The wine is expensive. “François Renaud … has assembled a list of French country wines that are probably too expensive for the informal dining room…”

The menu is a bit too broad. “Terrine does fine as a bistro or a brasserie, but the kitchen ranges perhaps a bit further than it might.”

Don’t stray far from the well-known French classics. “Morningstar’s version of choucroûte garnie, the Alsatian dish of sauerkraut and cured meats, is the most expensive thing on the menu, but it also may be the dullest.”

Overall, though, Gold enjoys the warming French cooking from Morningstar, particularly the charcuterie section and the garbure, a soup so dense with flavor and ingredients that it’s “almost thick enough to support a spoon upright.”

Over on the LA Weekly side of things, Besha Rodell offers a quick look at Napoleon and Josephine, falling hard for the simple European flavors and cute interior.

It is staffed by Corsican servers who beam and thrill at telling you about the food and wine of their homeland, who struggle a little with English in that oh-so-charming fashion often captured in movies about bicycle-riding, dark-haired women in small French towns. There is a lot about Napoleon and Josephine that’s reminiscent of small European towns, both the Hollywood and the real versions…

Indeed, the food is maybe the most transportive factor here, and it transported me directly to the small country restaurants throughout Europe, and particularly France, where you eat good and hearty food that isn’t life-changing but is honest and classic.

And for LA Magazine’s part, longtime reviewer Patric Kuh drops three stars on Love & Salt in Manhattan Beach. The still-anonymous critic dishes on chef Michael Fiorelli with a few killer lines, currently available in the print issue:

He knows the Italian canon and the classic repertoire, bridging the two with more off-hand contemporary gestures, like heaping seared cauliflower leaves on mascarpone polenta.

and:

Fiorelli elevates a chicken liver crostone with a shaving of guanciale, or pork cheek, that’s so thin and crisp, it shatters when you take a bite.

The elsewhere: E*StarLA celebrates the Lunar New Year in Santa Anita, Unemployed Eater tries the healthy food at Kye’s, while StreetGourmetLA offers insight on many Guatemalan classics.

The historic building that was once an IHOP in the mid 1950’s is getting a quick revamp.

Mo’s Fine Food, which had lived in Toluca Lake since the mid 1990s is finally ready for its complete revamp to Continental. Founding partner Jay Sadofsky and new partner chef Jesse Genovese have been quietly switching up the historic eatery’s offerings and vibe. The lights switch off at MO’s on February 22 until Thursday, when the doors re-open.

New appointments include uniforms, artwork, menus, signage, and wine program. This cozy cottage was once an IHOP in the 1950s, then went on to become Hampton’s (it was Paul Newman’s favorite eatery), and changed into MO’s back in 1995. After two decades in Toluca Lake, it’s great to see this neighborhood spot adapt to the times.

Continental
4301 W Riverside Dr
Burbank, CA 91505

LA’s dining scene is attracting more national attention.

Alan Richman, who still compiles the restaurant coverage for GQ Magazine, has named three LA restaurant into his latest compendium of 25 Outstanding Restaurants for 2015. Silver Lake’s Alimento places the highest at number nine, while Melrose Avenue’s Smoke.Oil.Salt. places 14th in the nation. A surprise inclusion comes in at #25, whereupon San Gabriel Valley’s dim sum house Shi Hai nabs the last spot.

Los Angeles earns the most placements on the list compared to other cities, though D.C.’s Rose’s Luxury (which is also one of the essential 38 restaurants in the entire country) lands at the top spot.

While Alimento and Smoke.Oil.Salt. have been popular since opening, it would be interesting how the listicle will affect business at SGV’s Shi Hai.

It’s time to legalize street vending in Los Angeles.

Last night, the LA Food Policy Council, in association with the East LA Community Corporation and the Los Angeles Street Vending Campaign, hosted a town-hall style meeting in the beautiful Casa del Mexicano in Boyle Heights.

The meeting, which was emceed by LA Food Policy Council co-director Clare Fox, featured spirited discussion with civic leaders and testimonials from real street vendors. While it did not address policy in great detail, it ultimately served as a positive first step in creating public awareness for the plight of the illegal street vendor.

Out of the top ten most populous cities in the United States, Los Angeles is the only city in which street vending is disallowed entirely. Los Angeles is also, ironically, the city with the highest number of street vendors, with as many as 50,000 roaming the streets at any given time, by some accounts. According to Rudy Espinoza of the LURN Network (Leadership for Urban Renewal Network), Los Angeles could potentially reap $47 million per year in tax revenue were a framework for legalized vending to be set in place.

We depend on this work

Street vendors Caridad Vasquez and Alfonso Garcia took the stage to tell their own stories of the hardships of street vending. They explained that they live in a constant state of paranoia, due to the nebulous current system in which the City of Los Angeles will arbitrarily decide to crack down on street vendors, but not uniformly. Garcia said, “All we want is to work in peace.” Street vendors must live in a continual state of fear, as they have no formal legal protections. “We depend on this work,” Vasquez explained. “All of us selling in the street … we suffer a lot.”

Mike Dennis of the East LA Community Corps described the challenges of convincing LA City Council members to support legalization of street vending. He singled out Paul Krekorian of the 2nd district, who is chairman of the Budget & Finance Committee, as a particularly important councilman to win over: “We have to convince him to do the right thing,” Dennis explained. “His constituents don’t really care about this issue.”

Legalizing street vendors can only improve food safety

I learned during the meeting that fear of street vendors, particularly food vendors, tends to fall into a couple of categories: health risks — potentially getting sick from street food — and competitive fears from brick-and-mortar shops. Doug Smith from Public Counsel, the nation’s largest pro bono legal firm, believes the concerns are overstated. “Legalizing street vendors can only improve food safety,” he explained. He went on to explain that anti-competitive attitudes of brick-and-mortar restaurants are largely unfounded, and may not even be legal.

This makes a certain degree of sense — while restaurants may not like to see a street vendor parked near their place, why bristle at the presence of a street vendor who is, more likely than not, selling snacks or fruit, and not whatever the restaurant is serving? And even if the vendor is selling what a restaurant is selling (e.g. an ambulant ice cream vendor sets up near a brick-and-mortar ice cream shop), so long as the vendor is keeping a respectful distance and not blocking entrances/exits, why should that be illegal? Isn’t that just called “competition?” That’s essentially what Starbucks has done for years — open coffee shops next to other coffee shops, in order to put them out of business.

Legalization will not be without its share of challenges. Vendors will have to immediately comply with Health Department regulations, meaning they will no longer be able to prepare food within their homes; they will have to find commissaries or obtain access to a commercial kitchen. That will require an expenditure of capital, which not everyone will have. In addition, there will be the problem of graft and corruption, which is run rampant in some cities’ street vending permitting processes, in particular New York City. A popular NYC food truck, Cinnamon Snail, recently called it quits in part because of the widespread corruption involved in the obtaining of black market permits.

There will be challenges in implementing a legal framework, especially given the size of the city and sheer number of vendors. Nevertheless, it’s time to bring our street vendors out of the dark and allow them to earn a living with dignity and respect. They should be required to comply with the laws of our city and, in return, receive the full protections that come with being a small business owner.

Keith Garrett of All Flavor No Grease in Watts continues to give the people what they want.

Keith Garrett believe strongly in three things: God, Watts, and food.

The middle one (Watts) has always been in the tall, heavyset man’s heart. Garrett is a product of the South L.A. neighborhood; he’s never left. His friends are there, his family is there. When big city publications type up stories about inner city kids from underserved neighborhoods “making it out,” they inevitably lean on the invisible forces that are keep so much of the community down. But rarely is there talk of the bonds that make a person want to stay: the people, the place, the familiarity.

I can’t ever leave this spot. People know me here

Garrett talks freely, about his community and his place in it, as he cooks up self-styled versions of Mexican food from a driveway off 108th Street. A school bus rolls by and honks its horn; Garrett waves, knowing at the very least the driver will be back by later on to try his food.

He answers phone calls and talks about what’s on his menu for the day (there is no menu, by the way, just Garrett himself offering options). He bullshits with friends and chats with neighbors and sends out photos to his 10,000 Instagram followers, freestyle rapping into the camera, or snapping pics of a quesadilla that came out just right.

On his account, @AllFlavorNoGrease, Garrett is as charming, motivated, funny and serious as any fitness model or white girl life coach from the trophy generation. That’s where he talks about God, the goodness in the world, and how getting what you want is mostly just about asking. “I just know that whatever I need is going to fall out of the sky, right in front of me,” he says while taking position under his shade tent, readying for a line of customers. “You feel me?”

Mr. All Flavor No Grease himself wants to know that people feel him, they understand what he’s saying and agree with where it’s all going. “You feel me?” isn’t just his own speech disfluency, filling in the gaps between structured thoughts. Usually, asking whether or not you feel him is the thought.

Official health permitting is on the way

Stand at that propane griddle long enough, just bullshitting, and Garrett will tell you about other struggles he’s had in his life, and how God is giving him everything he needs to succeed. Official health permitting is on the way, and he swears a food truck won’t be far behind. “Once I get this thing on wheels and mobile, that’s it. I’m talking five trucks in five years, blowing it all the way out.”

For now though, it’s just the food, the friends and the neighborhood he swears he won’t be leaving behind. “I can’t ever leave this spot. People know me here, this is like my… home base. I might go off and do other stuff, but I’m going to keep coming back here, doing it for the community. Maybe I’ll do Taco Tuesdays, and sell tacos for $1.”

He starts scrolling through his phone with one hand, looking for a picture of the tacos he makes, while the other turns and presses a quesadilla that threatens to spill over with carne asada, cheese, and his own version of pico de gallo. It all stays intact somehow (the quesadilla, the whole operation) because Garrett wills it to. The quest for the image over, he turns to taking a few shots of his work in progress, posting the results to Instagram and getting hundreds of likes within the hour.

Those likes come from the food photos, sure. Overclocked burritos earn a squeeze of housemade green salsa and a dab of sour cream; close-ups of seafood gumbo verge on pornographic. But they’re also likes for what this one man, Keith Garrett flying the All Flavor No Grease banner, is trying to do. His recipes and his intentions are incredibly singular, and in Los Angeles its hard to find that level of uniqueness anywhere else.

No one’s copied Keith Garrett yet, because you can’t. And that’s no bullshit.

All Flavor No Grease sits in a driveway at 728 E. 108th St., Los Angeles, CA 90059. Hours vary, but Garrett is usually up and running every day by 2 p.m., and sells out by 9 p.m.

Every week, Eater editors and contributors offer five cool places to eat over the weekend.

Every Friday, you probably think of the same question: where should I eat this weekend? Well, starting this week, Eater LA will compile a handy dandy set of recommendations. Some will involved weekend brunch (though there’s a complete set of hot brunch spots right here in this fresh map). Some recommendations are for dinner, which is always a bit of crapshoot since tables fill up quickly (try going right when the place opens, or late night). And some recommendations will be right on the street, for the hardcore diners to get their taco fix. Here now, five places (plus a bonus) to try this weekend.

February 20, 2015:

For the brunch aficionado: Traxx

This sometimes-forgotten Union Station restaurant has been abuzz lately with the addition of a weekend brunch pop-up. The eggy fête goes down Saturday and Sunday, starting at 11 a.m. and running until the team empties the fridge of its contents. Those ingredients usually come together to make dishes like a Thai style pork larb or lamb chilaquiles, though simpler steak and eggs options can be had as well. Booze is an option, of course, and the whole thing goes down on the lush back patio at Traxx, which is ideal for the warming weekend days. —FE

Union Station at 800 N. Alameda, Los Angeles.

213-625-1999

For the nostalgic drink: Idle Hour

Photo: Elizabeth Daniels

This redone barrel of a bar is one of North Hollywood’s newest favorites. Or oldest, depending on your timeline. Idle Hour, in its original incarnation, first opened in 1928, before hitting the skids and going vacant for decades. Now the brushed up, barrel-shaped building has returned, thanks to the 1933 Group. There are drinks by Harlowe’s Chris Amirault, like a classic rum Rickey on draft, while late night eats include fish & chips and sloppy joes. —FE

4824 N. Vineland Ave., North Hollywood. No phone.

For the voracious carnivore: Jjukku Jjukku

One of the newest additions to the K-Town KBBQ scene, Jjukku Jjukku (drink a bottle of soju and say that 5 times fast), recently hopped onto the AYCE bandwagon. Come in hungry, and get one of the best value propositions in the city. For $12.99, stuff yourself with KBBQ standards like beef brisket and bulgogi, but the real stars are the pork belly options. Ball out with the $19.99 option and get marinated short ribs and the house specialty baby octopus. Got meat sweats? —CC

3377 Wilshire Blvd Suite 105, Los Angeles, CA 90010

For the Saturday date-night specialist: Odys + Penelope

Photo: Elizabeth Daniels

Easily one of the hottest restaurants in the city right now, Odys + Penelope is the latest work from Quinn and Karen Hatfield, who’s put together one of the best new dining rooms this city will see this year. With warm wood, open rafters, and insane heat from from the kitchen, it’s a convivial place without any pretension. The fare is on point, though more tailored for groups of four than two-tops. Still, if you want a solid place to have a date, Odys + Penelope is your pick of the week. Try the smoked short rib, beet and smoked chicken salad, or the grilled focaccia. Make a reservation quick or miss out. —MK

127 S La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. (323) 939-1033.

For the late night taco junkie: Tacos Cuernavaca

If you’re willing to make the trek out to East LA, try the ambitious tacos (and alambres, and pretty much everything else) at this fantastic truck called Tacos Cuernavaca, which got a lengthy Dining on a Dime feature here. If you’re feeling a little ritzy, order up the ilegal, which is their standard alambres platter loaded up with lobster tails and bacon-wrapped shrimp. The bed is a stir-fry of various meats, onions, and mushrooms, topped with melty cheese. It’s a hot plate of everything you want after a long weekend.

5523 Whittier Blvd. (at Eastmont) in East L.A.

Apparently celebrities just can’t get enough of Korean barbeque.

It was a huge win for the Lakers last night, who beat the Celtics 118 to 111. After leading the game with 25 points and 6 assists, Jeremy Lin turned up not with bottles and models, but with a whole lot of Korean barbeque.

The Harvard grad-turned-Lakers star who spread Linsanity across the nation chose Honey Pig as his Korean barbeque of choice, enjoying a griddle full of meat and kimchi fried rice with his family. It seems celebrities just can’t get enough of Korean barbeque these days, with a recent Eater sighting of Brad Pitt at Soot Bull Jeep.

If you want to dine like a celebrity, check out some of the best KBBQ spots in the city here.

From Craigslist ads to selling bluefin, in less than a week.

Just like that, Silver Lake’s Yakuza Sushi has gone from papered up to soft open. It’s a surprisingly fast turnaround for the long-dormant space, considering that just last week the restaurant was still in search of a head sushi chef on Craigslist.

Still, The Eastsider is reporting that that Yakuza is now in soft open mode. They point to a few lone Yelp reviews on the upcoming spot, complete with photos of anticipated dishes. One of the early Yelpers points to a few straightforward sushi options like bluefin tune (which is, you know, decided irresponsible to eat) and spicy tuna on crispy rice, then mentions a few dishes that sound a bit more off the rails. No word on who’s actually doing the cooking since, you know, they’re still on the hunt.

Daily hours at Yakuza Sushi show a lunch run from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by a short closing to prep for dinner, which commences at 5 p.m. and runs to 10 p.m. most nights. No official word on when the doors will start opening for good, but swing by any night this week to see if staff will let you in for a bite. Then be sure to hit the comments below to dish on the meal.

View this gallery here.

Larchmont Village is on the uptick, and can add a remodeled Italian classic to the count.

Larchmont Village is seriously on the up and up, what with a French Laundry alum now helming the kitchen of The Larchmont and frequent additions of dining options being added to the strip of neighborhood eateries. It looks like Vernetti, the new concept taking over the 20-year old Girasole space is well on its way to opening sometime next month, with a solid selection of Italian-American dishes.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, and family-style Sunday suppers. Chef Vernetti will churn out house-made pastas and large-format meats that seem to be all the rage. Early menu highlights include baked ricotta with chestnut honey and grilled figs, Florentine gnocchi in sage brown butter, and a 40 oz, 30-day dry aged Marconda’s Meats porterhouse.

Although the restaurant was set to reopen in January, locals should expect to indulge in raviolis and cannolis sometime in March.

Vernetti
225 N. Larchmont Avenue
Los Angeles, CA

The tongue-in-cheek place soft opened last week.

There’s a bosomy very particular new boba tea spot in the Valley this week, thanks to the soft opening of Tea Its in Lake Balboa, right next to the Lee’s Sandwiches on Sherman Way and Balboa Blvd.

Yes, that’s the name: Tea Its. It’s a bubble tea cartoon porn palace dessert spot that takes its tongue-in-cheek concept pretty seriously. Green tea, black tea, and milk tea options carry names like Lust, Temptation, Xteasy and Awesome 3some — the latter being a blend of kiwi, pineapple, and diced jackfruit.

Beyond the punny names, Tea Its really is all about dessert, offering more authentic takes on popular tea drinks in addition to prepackaged macarons and slices of cake. Ownership assures the prudish that the name and design — there’s a cartoon mural on one wall showing a few ladies that are rather, ahem, ill-suited for the outfits they’re in — are all meant in good fun.

What’s more, they say the week old boba spot has already become something of a local hang, with folks entering with a smile on their face and sticking around for the quality product.

Thoughts on Tea Its? Leave ‘em in the comments.

Tea Its
16900 Sherman Way
Los Angeles, CA

The popular Midwestern brewery has been a long time coming.

Look out, craft beer heads — Michigan’s Bell’s Brewery is finally landing in the City of Angeles.

It might seem odd that in a city this large, Bell’s has been so long in coming, particularly with the extensive regional expat community that has fled to the West Coast from all points in the Midwest, where Bell’s is prevalent. Well, it only took three decades, but Two Hearted Ale and Oberon will be hitting shelves and pouring from taps in no time flat — and true lovers of the stuff will be able to stop driving to Arizona just for a six pack.

LA Weekly has a rundown of impending Bell’s domination, as they stage a full week of tap takeovers and rollouts across the city. Perhaps the biggest is coming tonight at The Surly Goat, which is working through seven kegs of Bell’s beer.

Later week options include Beachwood BBQ and Brewing, City Tavern in Culver City and Lock & Key in Downey. It’s a big week for beer drinkers in the Los Angeles — get out there and enjoy.