London
After a much-longer than planned absence, it was beyond wonderful to return to one of the world’s best culinary destinations. We skewed a bit towards favorites on this trip, visiting unforgettable Indian delights Gunpowder and the Cinnamon Club. Both remain in fine form with Gunpowder’s new Soho location adding extra elbow room in a more suitable atmosphere.
Fine dining is still alive and kicking. While L’atelier closed pre-pandemic, Joel Robuchon has not left London. Le Comptoir carries the tradition forward with the same panache and perfection. Spring is set in the beautiful Somerset House and, while the menu looks beautiful, the dishes are good but not great. Similarly, the Ivy Asia with it’s gorgeous room and one-of-a-kind St. Paul view, but it doesn’t amaze when the plates are set down. Chiltern Firehouse delivers looks and flavor, much to our surprise given it’s trendy popularity.
Radio Rooftop was easier than ever to visit as we spent half the trip in the hotel below. As always, the view alone is worth a visit. Brunch, in particular, stands out for quality and friendly service. London not being a particularly good breakfast town made Radio all the more a good find. That and the lovely Battersea Pie Station in Covent Garden.
With so much entertainment in London not every meal can be a lengthy affair. Poppies chippy and Café Chula – both Camden – were both snappy and delicious. Chula also happens to sit in Camden Stables with a view onto Regents Canal; an odd but lovely view to accompany some pretty excellent Mexican food. Leicester Square Kitchen may share the name of an oft-maligned tourist hellhoie but it’s a great place for quick and a tasty pre-show dinner. It was not quite open in April; unsure if LSK is rebounding or retiring.Â
Los Angeles x2
We love LA so much we went there twice in 2022: once for Supergrass (May) and, again, for Roxy Music (September). I think the best find was Causita (Silver Lake) which cooks up amazing Peruvian-Japanese fusion. Of course Rosaline on Melrose was our first (and still top tier) Peruvian experience. The chef at Rosaline focuses on family recipes tweaked with modern twists and the results keep them on our must-visit list.
Grandmaster Recorders is set in the old studio of the same name. Service and ambiance were top notch but the food was a bit uneven. Some courses were great but others, like the cold vegetable dish, were banal to the point of being confusing.
Quick dining options abound with our longstanding favorite Mel’s Drive-in on Sunset sitting at the top of our nostalgic list. Not only is Mel’s a time capsule in both appearance and menu, the Sunset location is great for people watching (from celebrities like Larry King to the colorful everybodys that roam the strip). Neptune’s Net is another fun destination to cap a glorious drive along the Pacific Coast Highway.
We found quite a few good breakfast options across the two trips. Republique (near Miracle Mile) is worth a visit even if just for it’s unique architecture and proximity to museums and studio lots. It so happens Republique is more than just good looks; the French-inspired menu makes for some very satisfying breakfasts (and dinners, too, I’m told). The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker (Sunset) turned out to be a great spot for people watching and California-style breakfasts. With so many of our friends in Santa Monica we got the chance to visit the scene-and-be-seen Elephante along with the relaxed Cloverfield (next to the Santa Monica airfield).
Las Vegas
After our second LA trip we took a drive across the desert to visit Las Vegas to visit one of the USA’s unlikeliest of destinations for great food.
Dinners were amazing across the board. We visited long-standing favorite L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (MGM) for her birthday and, like it’s London counterpart, the meal was a symphony of flavors served with their hallmark personal service. We had the good fortune of special seating at the Wynn’s Mizumi – directly in front of the waterfall as we floated on the reflecting pool. We ordered way too much food but it was all delicious. For our first meal we went way off strip to Edo Gastro Tapas – which was situated in a former strip mall transformed into an assembly of restaurants with cuisines spanning the globe. Edo’s tasting menu definitely impressed well beyond what the humble surroundings suggested.
We didn’t do our usual Bouchon brunch in favor of trying a new breakfast spot: La Cave (Wynn). That was a mistake. The menu promised a dim sum-like experience, but with modernized breakfast familiars like French Toast. In actuality we got a lot of lukewarm and flavorless bites served by completely disenfranchised staff. The Cosmopolitan’s Henryhad better service and less gimmicky menu choices but it, too, left much to be desired from a flavor perspective. The Henry would be a fine choice in a pinch but we just didn’t think the food matched the price.
San Francisco
I had my first work trip in over three years, visiting San Francisco to meet the team I had so far only ever known through a camera lens. It was just an overnighter but – without my prompting – the team chose to visit Foreign Cinema. Despite (or perhaps because of) it’s age, I was delighted to see the joint was alive with customers and an engaged staff. The food is as good as it’s ever been, and the atmosphere just doesn’t get old.
Portland
We closed out the year with a quick trip to PDX. Not only did we get to see family (again, after a long hiatus) and see favorite band Everything Everything for a second time in the same year, we got to visit a few more old favorites. Portland, for whatever reason, seemed disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Many, many of our old favorites were gone so we weren’t entirely sure what we’d find returning to the Rose City.Â
Veteran Mexican Xico still stands (hurray!) and still has the best tortilla chips in the whole world. And the best guacamole. And amazing tacos. And … well, everything. Urban Farmer continues to deliver the best breakfasts and (likely still) amazing dinners. We even discovered a new favorite: Dolly Olive who’s classic Italian menu was executed with skill and passion. On the way home we dropped by childhood favorite the Old Spaghetti Factory for a taste-blast from the past. Still good, still cheap, still sitting on the trolley.
Seattle
It wouldn’t be fair to ignore the home town favorites we got to revisit (or, in some cases, discover). We finally succeeded at getting a table at Communion, easily in Seattle’s top ten. The soul-food meets street-Japanese menu is a one-of-a-kind delight. Post-modern Indian Meesha emerged from the pandemic with an even more amazing menu. Maybe chef Preeti Agarwal spent the last few years in the test kitchen? The legendary Canlis endures, with its rotating menu and commanding Lake Union view. Finally, we were able to visit Copine a couple of times this year, both times for special pop-ups: one southern fried chicken night and the other a modern Korean menu.