Anyone care to share some food recommendations in the greater LA area between about Venice/Santa Monica area and HPB Chinatown area? Or is it just too stupid/vague of a question? And too large an area? Preference to things on the healthier spectrum. Open to any style and price range as long as it’s casual dress and I dint have to wait an hour to get a table. In town for a couple days this weekend staying in Venice but will be going to HPB on Saturday.
BacoShop in Culver City has tasty fast casual food for a quick, delicious bite of LA goodness. Order the Chile Shrimp baco and thank me later.
GUERRILLA TACOS!!! In Arts District, the new brick and mortar restaurant opens to the public TODAY at 5pm. Quite possibly my favorite damn food in all of the land. I woudn't expect a 100% spot-on, perfect experience in these first days after opening (I was at the Friends & Family night a couple of days ago, and it was good but there were some issues with temperature and service), but IT'S STILL FUCKEN GUERRILLA TACOS. Eat it.
Seconding Gjusta/Gjelina and Tsujita and Destroyer and Rustic Canyon. All tasty spots. Gjusta/Gjelina do some amazing ******* things with outstanding produce. Destroyer is very mannered and some might say pretentious, but I love it. You can eat a lovely, very clean meal there. Rustic Canyon is generally more of a neighborhood gastropub, so you'll probably want the burger (and be handsomely rewarded in flavor), but you could probably eat something healthy there too and have a fine meal.
Other thoughts on some healthy stuff... PYT downtown has some fantastic vegetables (same chef/owner as BacoShop, this is his "vegetable restaurant"). Madcapra at Grand Central Market (downtown) has delicious veggie dishes as well.
EDIT: If you're in a pinch downtown, or eating on-the-go or just late at night, KazuNori (right near PYT) has excellent, excellent hand rolls that crush every ******* hand roll you have ever had in your life. They usually have an epic line of afterpartyers and mid-partyers, but you can order takeout (cut rolls, so slightly different menu but still delicious) and eat outside at a communal table. It's no-frills, and a quick meal, but the quality is just outstanding. Open until 12am.