BLACKWEEKLY.COM - Concerts

Ange Lena's
4515 Sepulveda Blvd.,
Sherman Oaks - 818-788-0465

Aunt Kizzy's
4325 Glencoe Ave.,
Marina Del Rey - 310-578-1005
The recipes at this down-home Southern spot hail from Texas and Oklahoma. Try
the farm-raised catfish and hush puppies, ultra-crunchy fried chicken, the chicken- and-sausage jambalaya, the short ribs and the smothered pork chops, all served with
red beans and rice, black-eyed peas, collard greens or candied yams. Every Sunday features an all-you-can-eat buffet brunch.

Bertha's
1714 W. Century Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 213-777-3373

Dulan's
4859 Crenshaw Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 213-296-3034
Specializes in Southern home cooking and is open to the public every Sunday. Stop by for delicious Southern style food serviced in a friendly atmosphere.

House of Blues
8430 Sunset Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 323-848-5100
Come on down for some voodoo shrimp with Dixie beer and rosemary cornbread or any other cajun dish from the bayou.

Roscoe's House of Chicken 'n' Waffles
1514 N. Gower St,
Hollywood, CA 90028 (213) 466-7453
The name may sound offbeat, but we assure you that this down-home combination really works, with sweet cinnamon-flavored waffles complementing crispy fried chicken. Try some of the oniony stewed greens on the side. This place and the other three locations on Mid-Wilshire, Long Beach andin South-Central L.A. are always crowded.

Asia de Cuba
8440 Sunset Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 323-650-8999

Crustacan
9646 Little Santa Monica blvd.,
Beverly Hills - 310-205-8990
Upscale dining where customers walk on water. Owner Elizabeth An re-created her ancestral home complete with running stream and reef fans. The colossal tiger prawns with galic noodles is highly recommended.

Indochine
8255 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323-655-4777
You will love French-Vietnamese cuisian that feature salad of salmon sashimi with cucumber, mint, and mustard vinaigrette, or grilled prawn with crush ginger.

Koi
730 N. La Cienega Blvd., 310-659-9449 or www.koirestaurant.com
The theme is Asian, the scene is hot, and the menu includes sushi, sashimi, and Japanese-influenced entrées. Dishes like seared scallop with yuzu and black cod with miso are tasty, but expect them to be tossed your way by a waiter rushing off to his next gig. Festive party drinks abound.

Mr. Chow
344 N. Camden Dr., Beverly Hills - 310-278-911
Enjoy fine Chinese food in a unique atmoshere. Check out what all the fuss is about.

White Lotus
41743 Cahuenga Blvd., 323-463-0060 or www.whitelotushollywood.com
There's a trendy crowd, velvet ropes, VIP areas, and an adjoining club. The sushi bar has 50 kinds of sake, and the room gets louder as it gets later--most diners consider 10 p.m. an early reservation. Dishes of note: duck leg confit with soba and sesame-crusted halibut with coconut and Kaffir lime sticky rice. Full bar.

Dem Bones
11619 Santa Monica,
W. Los Angeles - 310-475-0288

Leo's
2619 S. Crenshaw Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 213-7331166

Mom's
1050 W. Imperial Hwy.,
Los Angeles - 213-756-8405

Mr. Cecil's California Ribs
12244 W. Pico Blvd., West L.A., 310-442-1550
There are three reasons to come here: St. Louis pork ribs (leaner), baby back ribs (juicier), and beef ribs (bigger). Slaw and corn bread are homemade, and fries are twice-cooked in lard. Also at 13625 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks (818-905-8400). Beer and wine

Woody's
3446 W Slauson Ave (at Crenshaw), Inglewood - 323-294-9443
You will absolutely LOVE the food at Woody's!! I can't rave about them enough about the BEST BBQ Beef sandwiches - OH MY GOD!!! Although the sides could stand to be "beefed" up in size, because it's barely enough to get you excited...but the food is GREAT!! This isn't a "sit down and dine" spot...just a neighborhood "get your food to go" spot. I've had food catered for a party and it was a huge hit! The lunchtime wait might be a bit of a hassle, but while waiting in line you can just smell that sauce!

Zabuma
10717 Venice Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 310-841-6525
Featuring live Brazilian music and dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. The Chicken Zabumba is E'dez (great)!

Cajun/Creole

The Gumbo Pot
Farmer's Market, 6333 W. 3rd St.,
Los Angeles - (323) 933-0358
No need to spend $20 to $40 a head at a Cajun restaurant --not when you can come to the Gumbo Pot in touristy Farmer's Market and get great Cajun/Creole food for a fraction of that price. The best things here are the incredible muffelata sandwiches and the flavorful gumbo yaya with chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage

Harlod & Belle's
2920 West Jefferson Blvd. (just East of Crenshaw)
Los Angeles -323 735-9023
A word of warning here. The tempting food comes in very large portions so plan to order your luncheon or dinner accordingly. Let’s begin with their truly famous’ File’ Gumbo with hot and smoked beef sausage, shrimp, crab, chicken and richly seasoned broth. This served with French bread, steamed rice in a small or large portion. Po-Boy Sandwiches are served all day with thirteen choices including shrimp, crab, Louisiana oysters, spicy crawfish popcorn and more. Closed sandwiches come with mayonnaise, sliced tomatoes, and note this, choice of homemade potato salad or cole slaw, French fries and a cup of red beans and rice. Accolades and awards have been showered on Harold & Belle's through the years. It has been a part of the dining scene since 1969. The Restaurant is a consistent Gold Award winner from the Southern California Restaurant Writers and this year Harold Legaux and his partner, Al Honore, were named 'Restaurateurs of the Year' by the California Restaurant Writers.

Orleans
11705 National Blvd.
West Los Angeles., (310) 479-4187
Orleans serve the most authentic cuisine, as remains as good as ever. Aside from the Farmer's Market's wonderful Gumbo Pot, this is our favorite place for jambalaya, gumbo, crayfish etouffee and Cajun popcorn. Dishes make up in fiery excitement for what they lack in subtlety. Beloved standards are: blackened prime rib and blackened fish..

Caribbean

Bamboo
10835 Venice Blvd.,
Los Angeles - 310-287-0668
Its understated Caribbean theme has made Bamboo a neighborhood favorite for consistently flavorful island cuisine. Bowl-shaped wicker chairs and a sparse, candlelit interior make for a nice, casually romantic setting. But it's the greenery-trimmed patio that's the seat of choice, especially on a warm night.

Garfield's
21055 Victory Blvd.,
Canoga Park - 818-313-9686

Jamaican Cafe
424 Wilshire Blvd.,
Santa Monica - 310-587-2626

Nyala
1076 S. Fairfax Ave.,
Los Angeles - 323-936-5918
A savory flavor of authentic Ethiopian Cuisine. We suggest the combination plat that offers lamb, beef and chicken in a variety of sauces. The atmoshere is casual elegance.

Fusion

G. Garvins
8620 W. 3rd St., 323-655-3888
Owner and former executive chef from Reign, Gerry Garvins is doing it right! The banquettes are a buttery tan suede, the lighting is soft, Sade croons through the speakers, and the menu is small but rich: grilled satay of filet mignon, roasted Colorado rack of lamb with baby vegetables, new potatoes in a port wine and pepper sauce. Dessert? Banana mousse cake with warm caramel sauce. Beer and wine.

Linq
8338 W. 3rd St., 323-655-4555 or www.linqlounge.com
Dodd Mitchell's design put this place on the map: white walls, marble, glass, and Brancusi-inspired woodwork. A fabulous crowd dines on Moroccan chicken with chutney and Chilean sea bass with wasabi masheds. The lemon meringue semifreddo is luscious, but most meals end with a martini in the lounge.

Maple Drive
345 N. Maple Dr., 310-274-9800 or www.mapledriverestaurant.com
The quiet dining room on a leafy residential street is buzzing again thanks to new chef Eric Klein, who last practiced his magic at Spago. Klein's cooking is so sensitive and intuitive, it's hard to quantify, but try his diver scallop sashimi or wild mushroom ravioli with fried leeks or roasted duck breast with a foie gras spring roll or coconut-lemongrass rice pudding napoleon, and you'll get the gist--and go weak in the knees. A jazz trio plays Tuesdays through Saturdays. Full bar

Tantra
3705 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-663-8268
Think neo-hip Indian overseen by a golden Ganesh. The dining area is open to the street, and the food is superior--curries, masalas, stir-frys, and a fine raita. An adjacent lounge looks like Jeannie's bottle might on an acid trip and serves Tantrinis and Indian Sunsets. Namaste. Full bar.

Italian

La Scala
434 N. Canon Dr., 310-275-0579
The famous and infamous come to this Beverly Hills institution to dine on breaded and deep-fried mozzarella, grilled chicken sausage with peppers, Tuscan cannellini, and a delish linguine fruitti di mare consisting of every sea creature unlucky enough to get caught in the net.

The Whisper Lounge
189 The Grove Dr., 323-931-0202 or www.thewhisperlounge.com
It's on the way to the Grove's parking structure, and you can either valet or head into the morass. This is a small, upscale-looking place with dark wood, warm lights, upholstered banquettes, a marble-topped bar, an old-brick patio, and a lot of meat--N.Y. strip, porterhouse, lamb, and pork chops. Chicken, fish, and pasta get one entry each. Appetizers and sides are what you'd expect: iceberg wedge, shrimp cocktail, mac and cheese, sautéed mushrooms. Service is friendly but still finding the beat. Full bar

The Ivy
113 N. Robertson Blvd., 310-274-8303
This is the place to be seen dining, whether on the streetfront patio or inside where it's as cozy as a French farmhouse. The never-changing menu runs from crab cakes and chopped salads to pastas, tandoori chicken, and grilled fish. Full bar.

Orso
8706 W. 3rd St., 310-274-7144 or www.orsorestaurant.com
This place is popular with celebrities who linger on the patio over fine thin-crust pizza and pasta, chicken, and fish. It's noisy, affable, and reasonably priced. Full bar and Italian wine list.

Fred 62 in Los Feliz - 24 hours
1850 N. Vermont Ave.
Fred 62 is a 24 hour 1950's diner on the eastside in the Los Feliz district. The menu items offer something for vegans and meat eaters alike. There is plenty of home cooking and lots of International flavor. Menu names are entertaining and the food is satisfying. Prices are inexpensive ranging from $5-15. Best bet is to go late night to early afternoon.

Swingers - 9:00 am - 4:00 am
8020 Beverly Blvd (4 blocks east of the Beverly Center)
Full of hipsters and artsy wannebees, still great food, especially late at nights

Nova Express - 11 am - 4 am
426 N.Fairfax
This place has some killer sandwiches, plus dj's spinning on most nights till 4 AM

Berri's Pizza Cafe - 11 am - 4 am
8410 W 3RD St (1 block east of the Beverly Center)
The neon blue Berri's sign emits a cool glow over the sidewalk seating. Indoors you will find all the die hard party people dinning on the EXTRA LARGE pizza and great Italian food.The real draw of this "Meditterranean"-styled caf? is the pizza--20 inches of thin crust bubbling with mounds of fresh melted mozzarella and garlic-seasoned sauce, served heaping with fresh, pink prosciutto, tangy scampi-style shrimp, and just about any other California-style toppings imaginable. Dj on Friday and Saturday after midnight.

Wokcano - 11am - 2am
8408 W 3RD St (1 block east of the Beverly Center)
Nice spot for delicious late night Sushi and Asian cuisine.

La Cabana - 11am - 3am
738 Rose Ave at Lincoln (in Venice near Marina Del Rey), 310 392-6161 Join a casual Venice crowd for hearty Mexican fare and killer margaritas served into the wee hours.Main dishes are delightfully filling, such as steak picado, packed with tender chunks of seasoned beef in a hearty mix of potatoes and vegetables. Handmade flour tortillas that accompany most dishes are served straight from a large brick griddle in the dining area.

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Restaurants

Cajun/Creole