los angeles (the valley and East Hollywood) short report

Out in the Valley...and Hollywood

Yai Thai. 5757 Hollywood, just east of the 101.
Ordering contrained by the sensitive palates of my partner and son. Wow. Terrific. Even so, got to try the Roast Pork and Chinese (Gailon) Brocolli, Thai Sausage, BBQ Beef, Pad Thai Kroh Kan (specials board), Beef w/Chili Powder/Garlic/Rice Powder. The roast pork and chinese brocolli came with a bowl of fish sauce with hot peppers but not chili-dip--should have asked. The 'roast pork' is composed of outer skin cuts of roast suckling pig. Thai sausage was porky, grilled and very slightly sour. BBQ beef came with a dish of dry chili spiked fish sauce. Exemplary. the specials board Pad Thai was taste intensive, unlike most Pad Thai dishes. Skipped the Jungle Curry special as I couldn't bring myself to order it less than Thai hot. Partner and eighteen year old hamburger/fries oriented son were plotting their return while we were still at the table. I grabbed a takeout menu if anyone needs it. Oh, the check--$42, including a Thai iced tea and a soda.

Carousel
Longstanding Lebanese place Woodman between Ventura and the 101 in Sherman Oaks. Real food, very good, worth a 20 minute drive for sure. Lamb Shank (Tue special) awesome. Good cold apps-the pastes, falafel and exc tabbouleh (all made with real lemon juice, not RealLemon bottled juice product). Good kabobs and chicken schawarma. Would readily return. In fact, had I been staying in a hotel and not with my cousins, this is the kind of place I might hit two or three nights running as its just solid home cooking in a style and manner not dissimilar to my own.

The Little Cafe.
Ventura, east of Tampa in Tarzana. Exceptional b'fast lunch small diner. Worth noting if you are in the area. first visit vg minestrone soup (but with no pasta!) and respectable pastrami on vg seeded rye. Second visit, vg corned beef hash and airport box lunch turkey swiss on rye--real turkey breast and very good seeded rye bread. b'fast-lunch, 7 days, cash only.

Las Coronitas.
Canoga Ave north of Vanowen Canoga Park. Tacqueria spoken well of in a lengthy CH post. Mediocre bordering on abysmal. Almost ruined my chow cred with my partner and his son, saved subsequently by how good Carousel and Yai were.

Many thanks to Eric M. who provided the counsel I needed to manage dining situations that combined LTH chow intrepidness with the constraints of the Valley palates of my cousins, my business partner and his son.