Andy Gavin's Blog
November 21, 2025
Capital Mama
Restaurant: Mama Lu’s Dumpling House
Location: 50 N La Cienega Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90211 | (310) 855-1234
Date: September 30, 2025
Cuisine: Chinese
Rating: Solid Cantonese Comfort
_Mama Lu’s Dumpling House occupies a nondescript stretch of La Cienega in Beverly Hills, the kind of place you might drive past a dozen times before curiosity finally pulls you in. It “used” to be Capital Seafood, which we’ve eaten at dozens of times, but recently the Lu’s people bought it out and well… didn’t cha...
November 19, 2025
Hummingbird Zest
Restaurant: The Hummingbird
Location: 1600 N Alvarado St, Los Angeles, CA 90026 | (213) 484-0340
Date: September 19, 2025
Cuisine: Peruvian
Rating: A Nikkei Feast for the Ages!
_
It’s been years since Ricardo Zarate cooked in Los Angeles. The pioneering Peruvian chef—who put Mo-Chica and Picca on the map, earning a spot on Jonathan Gold’s legendary Top 101 list multiple times—left town after shuttering his restaurants. But now he’s back, and his tiny new spot, The Hummingbird, sits in Echo Park...
November 17, 2025
LaLa Blvd
Restaurant: BLVD Steak
Location: The Commons at Calabasas, 4776 Commons Way, Suite A, Calabasas, CA 91302 | 818.436.2900
Date: September 14, 2025
Cuisine: Steakhouse
Rating: Classic American Excellence!
_Sometimes you just need a really damn good steak. No molecular gastronomy, no foam, no deconstructed anything—just quality beef cooked right, with all the classic sides you crave. Well, Yarom feels that way about 3 times a week so off to this slightly different branch of BLVD we went for our La...
November 15, 2025
More Masuyoshi
Restaurant: Sushi Masuyoshi [1, 2]
Location: 10834 Washington Blvd, Culver City, CA 90232 | +1 (323) 509-6155
Date: September 10, 2025
Cuisine: Japanese, Sushi
Rating: Intimate Excellence!
_Finding exceptional omakase in LA has become both easier and harder in recent years. Easier because there are now more serious sushi-ya than ever before. Harder because separating the truly excellent from the merely good requires doing your homework. Foodie Club Joe has pretty much a standing reservation her...
November 13, 2025
SGV Eats – Blue Magpie
Restaurant: Blue Magpie
Location: 41 W Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA
Date: August 9, 2025
Cuisine: Taiwanese Fine Dining
Rating: Nice Modern Taiwanese!
_Blue Magpie has been on my radar ever since it opened in Arcadia, bringing serious Taiwanese fine dining to the San Gabriel Valley. This isn’t your typical Taiwanese restaurant – it’s an ambitious, modern take on the cuisine with refined techniques and creative presentations that wouldn’t be out of place at higher-end establishments in the LA d...
November 10, 2025
Bacari Beverly Hills
Restaurant: Bacari
Location: 9601 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, CA.
Date: September 6, 2025
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Chef: Robert Kronfli
Rating: Decent, but slightly confusing
_Bacari, nestled in the heart of Beverly Hills at 9601 Brighton Way, is a culinary gem that offers an exquisite Mediterranean dining experience. The restaurant’s concept is inspired by the traditional Venetian wine bars, known as “bacari,” and it beautifully marries this inspiration with a modern, Californian twist. The men...
November 8, 2025
Wonderful Wonde
Restaurant: Wonde Harbor
Location: 1655 S Azusa Ave, Hacienda, Heights. 626-888-7666
Date: July 20 & October 19, 2025
Cuisine: Cantonese Chinese
Rating: Excellent
_For this week’s Sunday Chinese we hauled all the way out again for this new place, right next door to the interesting Happy Valley Village.
Step into Wonde Harbor Restaurant, where the inviting facade, adorned with elegant signage and a warm palette, sets the stage for a culinary journey enriched by an atmosphere that seamlessly ble...
November 5, 2025
Naughty Dog 40th Anniversary
Very cool 40th Anniversary video about the studio and its games. We recorded these new interviews just this June.
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November 4, 2025
Dear Johns
Restaurant: Dear Johns
Location: 11208 Culver Blvd, Culver City, CA 90230. 310-881-9288
Date: August 22, 2025
Cuisine: American, Steakhouse
Chef: Hans Röckenwagner and Josiah Citrin
Rating: Tasty, wish we were inside
_Tucked away on Culver Boulevard, Dear Johns in Culver City is a culinary gem that serves up classic American and Steakhouse cuisine with a dash of old Hollywood glamour. The restaurant, which was once a favorite haunt of Frank Sinatra, has been lovingly restored to its mid-century...
November 2, 2025
On the Edge
Restaurant: Edgemar
Location: 2435 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90405. (424) 252-6844
Date: August 27, 2025
Cuisine: Seafood, Cocktail Bars, New American
Rating: Tasty
_Edgemar in Santa Monica is a culinary gem that offers a unique dining experience, combining the best of Seafood, Cocktail Bars, and New American cuisine. Located at 2435 Main St, this restaurant is a haven for food enthusiasts who appreciate the art of fine dining. The menu is a testament to the chef’s creativity and passion, featu...
