Los Angeles Official Visitor Guide 2008 - (Page 64) DINING Fusion Cuisine in LA Millions of people call LA home. Millions more call it home while preserving traditions and customs from other places — Asia, Latin America, Europe and elsewhere. That diversity is a huge influence on LA’s dining scene, making it one of the most complex, rapidly changing, unique and creative settings a foodie could ever hope to encounter. It’s the sort of landscape that’s bound to develop into a specific type of cuisine — in this case, it’s fusion food. The hallmark of fusion cuisine is innovation. It takes an adventurous spirit to create the cuisine, and diners with a willingness to try new flavor combinations, ingredient pairings and approaches to classic dishes will find themselves enjoying fusion’s unorthodox approach. There are countless restaurants in LA with adventurous menus, but the following establishments make a living serving fusion cuisine and earning a loyal following with their innovative dishes. cuisine into one. Try the Tunapica — a picadillo-style tuna tartare with Spanish olives, black currants, almonds, coconut and a soy-lime vinaigrette served on wonton crisps; or sample the yucca-crusted mahi mahi; and you can’t beat the lime and garlic chicken. Located in the Mondrian Hotel, the restaurant is helmed by executive chef Daniel Roberts. 8440 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90069 characteristics. Serving Asian/French/ California cuisine since 1983, Chinois on Main is a Santa Monica institution that’s as popular today as ever. The family-style menu is perfect for sharing, and the open kitchen helps create a fast-paced, festive atmosphere that’s sure to complement the exciting flavors. Grab a seat at the counter and enjoy the action in the kitchen while you eat. Classic dishes such as sizzling catfish with ponzu dipping sauce and the famous Chinois chicken salad have a loyal fan base. 2709 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90405 Chaya Brasserie One of fusion cuisine’s Los Angeles institutions, Chaya Brasserie has been around for more than 20 years, making it one of the first restaurants in LA to blend French and Asian cuisine. Executive chef Shigefumi Tachibe has combined the French brasserie with the Japanese teahouse (chaya) to make a restaurant that’s casual yet elegant. Try the pan-roasted premium Kurobuta pork chop wrapped with prosciutto. 8741 Alden Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90048 Crustacean Featuring a menu of Euro-Vietnamese cuisine that has been protected as a family secret for years, Crustacean serves fusion food shrouded in mystery. Try something from the “secret kitchen” menu, which features legendary dishes such as roasted Dungeness crab in An’s garlic sauce and colossal royal tiger prawns, char-broiled with secret spices and served with An’s garlic noodles. The regular menu features Asian bouillabaisse of lemongrass, prawns, tomatoes, pineapple and vegetables. And the tapas menu is loaded with choices, Asia de Cuba Maybe the name says it all. Asian and Cuban. Far East meets Latin America. The menu is an adventurous effort at melding these two regions and their representative Chinois on Main Wolfgang Puck is another veteran of fusion food, having created one of the first restaurants in Los Angeles to advertise its fusion 64
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.