$1 Tacos Beat $13 Spiked "Spa Water" Every Time

Kike's Tacos, 2nd and Beaudry, Downtown Los Angeles.

Spanish Rosemary Cocktail, Abode, Santa Monica.

I began my Tuesday night with Caroline at Abode, home of the $26 vegetable plate. Love the bright orange leather couches, the quiet patio, and the Spanish Rosemary cocktail--rosemary infused gin, many crushed lemons, and cranberry juice. Love two of the "Three Sandwich Sampler"--rich jamon serrano and cheese on sweet walnut bread with a quail (?) egg on top; hot merguez and perfectly carmelized onions; and a forgettable caprese. At $16, it ain't cheap, but there's enough food to stave off hunger pains.

3 Sandwich Sampler at Abode: Caprese, Ham and Cheese, Merguez.

Abode touts its environmental sustainability, from the wood of its tables to the fish on the menu. While LA Times food section editor Leslie Brenner skewered this eco-chic pretension, I appreciate the effort, if not the execution. The speciality cocktail list reads like a yoga class menu, from the Namaste, featuring rose petals, to the Spa Water, a vodka-laced cucumber and basil drink. A little too precious for my taste, and not nearly as well crafted (though about the same price) as the sustainable, farmers' market fresh cocktails at my true love, The Hungry Cat.

Though it emptied my pocket book, Abode didn't quite fill my stomach, so as I pulled off the 110 to drive home on Sunset, I zipped in to to the brightly lit taco stand at the corner of 2nd and Beaudry. I've driven by zillions of times but never stopped, but tonight I figured it's now or never. The sign said Kike's Tacos and its few tables were filled with 20-something guys, more than happy to tell me what to order. The chorizo tacos were the overwhelming favorite, so I scooped up two for a measly $2.

At the condiment table I added fresh lime, cilantro and a blistering green salsa, then leaned up against my car, chowed down and wiped away tears as I looked to the lights of downtown LA. I could blame it on the hot, hot salsa, but it was the thought of leaving this crazy city that brought on the waterworks. I won't think twice about waving buh-bye to places like Abode, but the taco stands? I'll dream about them while studying in my cramped Manhattan apartment. This article about the food vendors in Red Hook Park gives me hope, but $5-6 for a huarache? Please. LA, you haven't been easy, but after 5 years I'm not sure I'm ready to say goodbye.

Abode
1541 Ocean Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 394-3463

Kike's Tacos
2nd/Beaudry, Downtown LA
Open only in the evenings

Deep Fried Olive Decadence at Table 8

Salty green olive + rich spicy lamb sausage + crispy fried coating = a bar snack I could eat all night. While just one of the many offerings I sampled at the Table 8 lounge earlier this week, these bite-sized beauties rose well above the rest (though the pulled pork-grilled cheese was no slouch). $7 brings 5 of them to your table, a reasonable price for the bliss induced when you crunch through the breading and the juicy filling hits your tongue.

Can't make it to LA (or Miami, home to the 2nd Table 8)? No worries. Govind Armstrong, Table 8's chef, has recently released a cookbook, "Small Bites Big Nights: Seductive Little Plates for Intimate Occasions and Lavish Parties", and the deep fried olive recipe can be found on page 69. Whip up a Pisco Sour (one of the handful of speciality cocktails on offer in the lounge), turn down the lights, turn up the music, and you're good to go.

Click here for the full lounge menu. Avoid the bland risotto balls, and be warned that the speciality cocktails clock in at a pricey $12. The lounge serves some dishes off the regular menu as late-night specials after 10 or 10:30, as well as discounted drinks [UPDATE: You can find the details of the late night deal at LivingLArge). Also, on Tuesday's, wine by the bottle is 50% off, and for 50 smackers you can get a 5 course, prix fixe tasting menu (it rotates weekly).

Table 8
7661 Melrose Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90046
(323) 782-8258

Solo Dining at Rustic Canyon, Santa Monica

I've shopped the Saturday and Sunday Farmers' Markets. Walked the pier. Sunned on the beach. But dinner? On a weeknight? In Santa Monica? Never. I'm an eastside gal, rarely venturing west of La Cienega Monday through Friday. J has coworkers that drive 2 hours each way to work, so they can own a home they never spend time in, while we've set up our LA lives limiting our weekday radius to no more than 20 minutes in each direction.

But now, I'm leaving. And suddenly I'm willing to expand my driving universe, lest I miss out on a great LA adventure. Therefore, when Caroline invited me to sample desserts and drinks at a beachfront hotel, I eagerly agreed.

However, before dessert and drinks comes dinner, and I was craving a meal alone at a cozy bar. I know solo dining makes some people cringe in embarrassment, but I love it. I can order exactly what I want, do some people-watching, sit alone with my thoughts, make friends with the bartender or pretend to be a woman of mystery.

Rustic Canyon Wine Bar's a good spot for solo dining. You're more likely to get a seat for just one at the tiny bar, and the smallish starter items allow for a single diner to sample multiple dishes. I couldn't resist ordering the springiest menu item -- fresh fennel, baby artichoke and fava bean salad, though I had no clue what wine to pair with it. Indulging my inner girliness, I picked a prosecco "cocktail" instead, the Indochine, with lemongrass and ginger. This was surprisingly mild, lacking a ginger bite, but totally drinkable. Another bonus of dining alone: no shame about skipping the wine list at a wine bar.

I crunched my way through about 1/2 of the fennel/artichoke/fava concoction, but then, I'll admit, I got bored. Like the ginger in the cocktail, the fennel didn't have much zing, plus fresh dill overpowered all other flavors. Fortunately, the bits and bites on the Moroccan salad plate had zing to spare, and I gobbled them up, with a plume of spicy homemade harissa topping each bite (see the center of the picture to the left).

By the time I left, the place was crowded and loud, full of creatures much blonder and bronzer than my eastside neighbors. Having had enough alone time as a brunette in the beach town, I was relieved to head to the Viceroy and meet my fellow dark-haired friends.

Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen
1119 Wilshire Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
310.393.7050

Getting Fraiche, Culver City

Memo to our waiter at Fraiche in Culver City: When working at one of the most talked about new restaurants in the city, you can't be shy. Now, I don't want you to hunker down next to us, scrawl your name in crayon on the table covering and call me darlin', but I do want you to meet my eye, refill my wine glass, and check in with us about the slow arrival of our food.

Fortunately, the food at Fraiche was knocking us out right and left, and we mainly forgot about Mr. Bashful. The latest opening in restaurant-crazy Culver City, the Fraiche kitchen is headed by husband and wife team Jason and Miho Travi, drawing on their collective experiences at Spago, Sona, Meson G and La Terza.

The LA Times critic calls the menu "rustic Mediterranean", I call it "all my favorite foods in one place." House cured guanicale? Farro salad with English peas? Rabbit-stuffed tortelli with fried artichokes and sage? Branzino cooked in parchment with clams, purple potatos and sweet corn? Rhubarb-hazelnut cake? If I were on death row, this'd be my last meal. Every dish was well-balanced and bursting with spring flavors (other chefs seem to agree--Govind Armstrong arrived for a bite at the bar toward the end of the evening).

And the prices? Extremely reasonable (entrees $22ish-$29ish, pastas $12ish-$16ish)--makes me cringe when I realize we've spent similar amounts at disasters like Dusty's.

In addition to an airy main room, Fraiche includes a large, street-facing patio, as well as a bar tucked away in the corner. At the bar you'll find specialty cocktails made with fresh juices as well as a different bar menu. You'll also find my pet peeve, a television, and as we ate our dessert in the elegant dining room, it was disconcerting to hear patrons cheering while watching the NBA playoffs. So, Fraiche: train your waitstaff, turn off the boob tube, keep that rhubarb cake on the menu, and I'll drive across town on a weeknight to see you again.

Fraiche
9411 Culver Blvd
Culver City, CA 90232
(310) 839-6800

Los Angeles Restaurants: West-ish

Beechwood (Venice)
Bluebird Bakery (Culver City)
Campagnola Trattoria Italiana (Westwood)
Campanile (Wilshire/La Brea)
Dominick's (West Hollywood)
Ford's Filling Station (Culver City)
Fraiche (Culver City)
Joan's on Third (Third/La Cienega)
La Sosta Enoteca (Manhattan Beach)
Lucques (Melrose)
M Cafe de Chaya (Melrose)
Mediterraneo (Hermosa Beach)
Milk (Beverly)
Norman's (West Hollywood) (closed)
Rustic Canyon Wine Bar (Santa Monica)
Sunset Tower Bar (West Hollywood)
Surfas Cafe (Culver City)
Table 8 (Melrose)