Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
113
Finds
L.A.'s Best Sushi & Stir-Fried Crickets
If you want to start a heated argument with L.A.'s foodies, just claim that y ou
know where the best sushi in the cit y is served. Well, let the t ongue-fu begin,
because I' m claiming that the
Hump
(
&
310/313-0977;
w ww.the
hump.biz) at the Santa M onica airport serves L.A.'s best. I f I'm ever on death
row, I want my last meal to be a giant plate of sushi prepared by these master
chefs. Much of the seaf ood her e is flo wn in daily fr om Tokyo's Tsukiji and
Fukuoka fish markets in o xygen-filled containers and is so fr esh that the man-
agement had to put a sign at the entrance to warn the faint- of-heart from sit-
ting at the sushi bar . Why? Because much of what they slic e is still mo ving.
(When they cut the tails off the feisty giant sweet shrimp, they line up the flail-
ing torsos conga-line style—it's like a macabr e death danc e.) The specialties
here are the
dengaku
(stuffed eggplant and a vocado with seaf ood and miso
sauce), live baby squid, live whitefish served in a mar tini glass with vinegar y
broth, hairy crab, live red snapper, and the most tender, flavorful baby hamachi
I've ever had (and I live for hamachi). If you want to dine Ozzie-style, order the
$220 snapping tur tle (the blood goes w ell with a rich cabernet or por t), the
snake sake (yes, there's a snake in the bottle), and the blo wfish (it's to die for).
If the menu's all Greek to you, say
“omakase”
and get ready for a chef 's choice
seven-course seafood adventure.
Directly below the Hump is the much lar ger
Typhoon
(
&
310/390-
6565;
www.typhoon-restaurant.com), a v ery popular and high- energy P an-
Asian r estaurant wher e stir-fried Taiwanese spic y crickets , dried M anchurian
ants, and Thai-style crisp y whit e sea w orms punc tuate a family-st yle menu
filled with less ex otic fare from throughout Southeast Asia, most in the $7 t o
$12 range.
Both restaurants are located on the sec ond and third floors of the airpor t's
administration building at 3221 Donald Douglas Loop Rd. in Santa Monica. Call
or visit the websites for direction and hours.
6
and pastas ($14-$18) and still have some room left for one of Vincenti's tempting
dolci,
particularly the vanilla gelato laced with espresso.
11930 San Vicente Blvd. (west of Montana Ave.), Brentwood.
&
310/207-0127.
www.vincentiristorante.
com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $18-$39. AE, MC, V. Mon-Sat 6-10pm; Fri noon-2pm.
Valet parking $5.
MODERATE
Border Grill
LATIN AMERICAN Before Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger
spiced up cable TV with
Too Hot Tamales,
they opened this vibrant, cavernous, and
muy
loud space that's packed every night with locals and tourists. This is not your Combo #7
kind of place. You'll get things like freshly made corn masa filled with tender roast duck,
guajillo
chile sauce, and roasted sweet peppers, or plantain empanadas with
chipotle
salsa
and Mexican
crema,
the über-tender roasted lamb tacos with strips of poblano chiles and
manchego cheese. If it's on special, order the grilled chicken enchiladas verdes simmered
