Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: July 1

The editors at Eater LA dine out a number of occasions every week, if not per day, which implies we’re all the time encountering standout dishes that deserve time within the limelight. Right here’s the easiest of the whole lot the workforce has eaten this week.

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Combo plate at Abu Kabab in Pasadena

I first encountered Abu Kabab outdoors of Rancho Bar in Altadena the place its proprietor grills a slate of kebabs on Saturday nights to crowds of tipsy revelers. The wondrous odor of meat and smoke has a approach of wafting from the dive bar’s entrance lot, down Lake Avenue, and into my neck of the woods. I lastly had an opportunity to go to the everlasting location in Pasadena on a current Monday. Although the restaurant’s doorways have been large open, the store was technically closed for the day, nonetheless, the proprietor confirmed unbelievable hospitality and fired up the grill anyway. The mixture platter with beef lule and filet mignon arrived on a fluffy mattress of rice together with two sides: a unbelievable mutabal (roasted eggplant dip with tahini) and an equally memorable shirazi salad with chopped tomato, cucumber, onion, and parsley. Expertly grilled meats all the time hit the spot however when it’s coupled with service that goes above and past, we’re veering into customer-for-life standing. 720 N. Lake Avenue, Unit 9, Pasadena, CA 91104. — Cathy Chaplin, senior editor

Seabass with tomato risotto at Slay Italian in Manhattan Seaside

David Slay’s ascendance as one of many South Bay’s most prolific and constant restaurateurs comes at a time when the chef’s final title is rising as a slang time period for “cool” amongst Gen-A/Gen-Z. Slay’s eating places and menus, nonetheless, reveal an endearing timelessness that each era ought to repair their gaze upon. As soon as seated at his breezy, informal Italian restaurant, discover diners aged from 8 to 70 packed inside or on the sprawling sidewalk patio, nibbling on ultra-fresh salad greens and fragrant strawberries picked from Slay’s backyard in Santa Rita Hills. The vaguely Mediterranean constructing and semi-open kitchen give off coastal Italian vibes, like a restaurant plucked from a Ruth Reichl memoir. The seared seabass was a kitchen particular, served with a runny, savory risotto that felt so suave and easy however confirmed a terrific sense of place. Slay finds the correct stability between the ultra-ripe cherry tomatoes and cheese with the lemon-butter sauce basted onto the fish. The chef is aware of that nice elements win each time, even when traits change each different minute. 1001 Manhattan Avenue, Manhattan Seaside, CA 90266. — Matthew Kang, lead editor

Creme brulee crepe at Millet Crepe in Sawtelle Japantown

It’s uncommon when a dessert comes alongside that knocks my alkaline-leaning tastebuds into the mud. I all the time root for workforce salty when consuming most meals, however that could be formally modified after visiting Millet Crepe with outlets in West LA and Little Tokyo. The very best vendor is a cone-shaped creme brulee crepe stuffed with custard and topped with sugar earlier than setting a blazing torch to the cap. The sweetness degree is clear, however not overwhelming and fairly nice. The unapologetic quantity of sugar will get away from you, so put together to share or simply take care of the ensuing sugar excessive. Although whipped cream or ice cream will be added, it’s not wanted for this masterpiece. Those that know, know that the salted caramel walnut filling is perfection. 2011 Sawtelle Boulevard, Sawtelle Japantown, CA, 90025. — Mona Holmes

Ribeye toban at Umaya in Koreatown

Sooner or later in the previous few years, Koreatown’s Umaya reworked from a run-of-the-mill neighborhood sushi spot to one thing fairly wonderful. The final time I went in should’ve been in the course of the peak of the pandemic when the restaurant was doing takeout bento containers. However on a Friday night time with different plans within the different, I wandered in on a whim for dinner. The night time began nicely with an Umayatini, a lychee martini that I subbed in gin for the same old vodka, tuna tataki, and the star of the present — a ribeye cooked in a screaming scorching toban. The straightforward dish got here out with a well-cooked piece of meat, a mushroom, grilled peppers, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes. Every ingredient was nicely seasoned whereas nonetheless letting their pure flavors come by. I opted to do a couple of a la carte dishes for dinner, however for these on the lookout for a extra thorough expertise, Umaya additionally provides a kaiseki menu beginning at $48 an individual. 3322 Wilshire Boulevard #100, Los Angeles, CA 90010. — Rebecca Roland, affiliate editor