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Eating Off the Beaten Track
In and Around Los Angeles
by Jeff Fried
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Editor's Note:
After a two-year hiatus, Native Philadelphian
and current Floridian resident, Jeff Fried returns to some of
his
favorite off-the-beaten-track culinary haunts in the City of Angels.
os
Angeles is not a city short on great food; reputation and
internet research can surely lead you the way. But if you
want to experience something different . . . |
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Otto's love for music!
Photo credit:
Otto's - Import Store & Deli
2320 West Clark Ave.
Burbank, CA 91506
(818) 845-0433
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Burbank:
I asked Otto to hold the pickles but
when I got my sandwich, guess what was on it? Pickles. Guess
what immediately came off the sandwich? Pickles. Fortunately,
he held off the mayonnaise. Even in California, it is unacceptable
for an East Coaster to eat a hoagie with mayo and pickles.
Otto's European and Hungarian Import Store and Deli
is an unassuming neighborhood grocery store that makes one
of the best Hoagie's in Los Angeles. Each order usually comes
with a mini comedy act by Otto himself. If time permits, Otto
might even break out his accordion. http://members.aol.com/HungImprts/Welcome.htm |
9128 West Pico Blvd.
LA, CA 90035
(310) 278-0122
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Beverly
Hills Adjacent: That's what realtors
call the area between Pico and Olympic and Robertson and La
Cienega. If you're thinking of moving there, you should know
that your city address will be Los Angeles. You might get
Beverly in your address if you live on Beverly Drive, but
really the only good thing about that is your proximity to
the Beverlywood Bakery. This classic Jewish bakery
on Pico makes the best rugalach in the United States. I've
had rugalach from Miami to Philadelphia to New York and nothing
comes close. The only drawback is they seal their pastry boxes
really good, so if you think you might want to sneak a few
in the car before arriving at your destination, then just
have them keep a few out. http://www.beverlywoodbakery.com |
3456 S. Glenmark Dr. Hacienda Heights,
CA 91745
(626) 961-9697 |
Hacienda
Heights: About thirty minutes
east of downtown is the Hsi Lai Temple, one of the
largest Buddhist temples in the Western Hemisphere. Seven
days per week they serve an all you can eat vegetarian lunch
for just five dollars. Don't let that price fool you, there
is a salad and fruit bar, at least five different dishes,
soup and hot tea. The main dishes vary regularly and can include
vegetables, noodles, tofu, seitan and veggie ham. The temple
grounds are beautiful and include the Hall with Ten Thousand
Buddha's, a garden with the Eighteen Arhats, a museum and
book store.http://www.hsilai.org/en/index.html |
767 Deep Valley Drive,
Rolling Hills Estates,
CA 90274
(310) 265-0914
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Palos
Verdes Peninsula: Hip and upscale,
yet cozy with very friendly service and fantastic food sums
up what I found at Bistro 767. Even though I was spending
the night in the area, it would have definitely been worth
the twenty mile drive from West Los Angeles. The bistro salad
with sherry vinaigrette was fantastic and the filet mignon
was cooked to perfection. They have a great martini and wine
selection. The desserts were out of this world. |
3125 Los Feliz Blvd.
LA [Glendale],
CA 90039
(323) 345-0360
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Glendale:
On Los Feliz Boulevard is India Sweets
and Spices. A great vegetarian Indian food restaurant and
market. There are no servers that come to your table. Just
go up to the counter and tell the servers what you want and
what size. Their pakoras, chan masala and saag were top notch.
They have a large variety of dishes to choose from and the
staff is very friendly and helpful. They have seven other
locations throughout Los Angeles. http://www.indiasweetsandspices.org/index.htm |
Talk to Jeff@TravelingBoy.com |
Jeff,
Hilarious piece on your trip to Otto's Hungarian
Deli. I thought I was the only non-Hungarian In Southern California
who knew the joint, tucked into some little non-descript neighborhood
in Burbank. Very true, he makes the best sandwiches is the world,
but it is essential to be in there in person - as opposed to ordering
over the phone - so that you can ride herd on him with your instructions
for the condiments. He is known to get caught up in some obscure
conversation about Hungary and completely forget. The best way
to enjoy his sandwich is to talk him into playing is accordion
while you wolf one down. Let's face it; nothing goes better for
lunch than an Otto's Hungarian sandwich with an accordion accompaniment.
As Jay Leno would say: 'Only in Burbank."
Charlie Shotton
Sherman Oaks, CA
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Three Musical Pilgrimages: Mozart, Grieg and Hendrix
Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
could read and compose music, plus play the violin and piano, when he was
five years old. Born into a musical family in Salzburg, Austria (then the
Holy Roman Empire), he had a unique ability for imitating music, which first
became evident when he recited a musical piece by simply observing his father
conducting a lesson to his older sister. This led to a childhood on the
road, where the young prodigy performed before many of the royal courts
of Europe.
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Treasures of Ireland: The Irish Goodbye (Dispatch
#20)
The Palladian Traveler brings to a close his 20-part
series on the Emerald Isle from an upscale restaurant in downtown Dublin
where he files his final dispatch and then quietly slips away.
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Two "MUST SEE" Truly Spectacular Places
in Europe. Here's Why.
The Han Grotto and Culzean Castle. As the name
of my Traveling Boy feature is "Travel With a Difference," it's
important to me to always bring you offbeat and unusual tourist places around
the world you may not know about. These two fit that category to a T, and
they're absolutely worth a visit. One's in Scotland and one's in Belgium.
Culzean (pronounced CULLANE) Castle is located near Maybole, Carrick, on
the Ayrshire coast of Scotland.
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Highway 49 Revisited: Exploring California's
Gold Country
In the 1840s, the population of California was only
14,000, but by 1850 more than 100,000 settlers and adventurers had arrived
from all over the world and they came for one reason: gold. James
Marshall had discovered the first gold nugget at Sutters Mill in El
Dorado County, creating the largest gold rush in history.
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Lake Charles Family-Size Low-Key Mardi Gras
The Southwest Louisiana Mardi Gras in Lake Charles,
the second largest in Louisiana, does not need parents there to avert their
childrens eyes. This is family entertainment and children are very
much part of it. The main office of the Lake Charles CVB has costumes from
last years Mardi Gras but it also has figures to fascinate little
ones from country boys fishing for their dinner to alligators who have already
fed and are rubbing their stomachs.
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Puerto Vallarta: Magic and Mayhem on the Malecon
So I heard that you could spend from dawn to dusk on
the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and never get bored and I thought,
"Okay, I'm up for that challenge." Well, maybe not the dawn part
I'm not a morning person so I had no problem leaving those
early hours to the joggers and those seeking an early start to catch their
red snapper for dinner.
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Relaxing at The Inn at Laguna Beach
There is nothing like sleeping in an ocean-front room
and awakening to the sounds of waves crashing against the sand. It is
one of the finer things in life. And it is exactly what I experienced
recently on a memorable getaway to The Inn at Laguna Beach. The adventure
began when a friend I pulled off the 5 Freeway in Orange County and took
SR 133 south nine miles through winding lush hills and wilderness areas
to the ocean.
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Tim Robbins On His Road To Stardom
Award-winning Tim Robbins began his career on episodic
television. Robbins' film work, however, is what catapulted him into becoming
a major movie star including "Bull Durham" and "Mystic
River" for which he won multiple awards. Equally at home behind the
camera, he directed the riveting "Dead Man Walking." He is Founder
and Artistic Director of The Actors' Gang, which he formed thirty-five
years ago and has directed multiple provocative productions.
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