Luv2eat Thai Bistro
Los Angeles and its surrounding communities have some of the best – if not the best – Thai food in the country. That feels like a well-established fact. It’s canon. The question isn’t if you should get Thai food in Los Angeles – it’s where. We talked about one spot I love that specializes in northern Thai food and now it’s time to talk about the kings of southern Thai. It’s where I take out-of-town guests who want a dynamic menu, a casual setting, and a very LA experience. Located in a strip mall in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd is Luv2eat Thai Bistro.
Luv2eat Thai Bistro is run by Chefs Noree Pla and Fern Kaewtathip who met in Phuket, in southern Thailand. Opened in 2014, it strikes the perfect tone — not just with the food — but with the atmosphere and experience. It’s casual but in demand. It’s got a wide variety of dishes – with a seafood focus – that can please any palate. It’s always busy despite the wealth of options in the neighborhood and the fact that this place has been open for ten years. If I had to pick one restaurant that can speak to the quality of Thai food in LA – I pick this one. They can make you an excellent Pad Thai but they can show you so much more.
Get the Phuket-style Crab Curry. It’s rich, spicy, and really tastes of crab – a lot of crab dishes lose the core flavor with too many other distracting ingredients but this isn’t one of them. Get the crowd-favorite dry Jade Noodles with BBQ Pork, Crispy Pork, and Duck. Get the Hat Yai Fried Chicken – served with sticky rice and fried shallots. (Honestly get anything from the Chef’s Specials section that has the above dishes.) Get the Moo Ping – the grilled pork skewers – they’re charred and meaty and lovely. Get the Tum Thai Papaya Salad and add the raw shrimp. Throw in a vegetable-heavy dish to balance things out. This place has been in the Michelin Guide for four of the last five years for a reason.
Clark Street Diner
Six minutes northeast of Luv2eat Thai Bistro is one of my favorite diners in Los Angeles – Clark Street Diner. From (as you may have guessed) the people behind Clark Street Bread, this diner occupies the space that was known for so many years as “The 101.” While the 101 had a classic interior I always thought the food was just okay. The food at Clark Street Diner is much better than “okay”. So - in this case at least - out with the old and in with the new.
They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner classics (though I haven’t been for dinner) along with bread and pastries from their bakery operations. The entire space is beautiful. It’s a well-done classic diner space. Yes, it’s updated from the original but tastefully so. Nice brown leather booths, a great counter if you’re dining solo, and the perfect soft lighting if you’re here with a hangover. The stacked stone wall is iconic.
They serve breakfast all day and besides a few lunch standouts, I think you should stick to the breakfast. Their Diner Breakfast – which comes with two Sonora Buttermilk Pancakes, two eggs, bacon, and great hashbrowns is a great choice. The Sonora Buttermilk Pancakes (add blueberries) are an excellent choice on their own. The Eggs Benedict and Huevas Rancheros hit the spot. If you want to go with lunch I like any of the three salad sandwich options (chicken, tuna, and egg) or the Patty Melt. Yes, this food is slightly pricer than normal diner fare but the quality and the space make up for it. This is a great place to meet friends on a rainy weekend morning.
Google Maps Links:
That’s all. See you next week!
(Sorry this edition was late today, it will probably happen again.)
Will be getting the Diner Breakfast! Thank you