Let's try something new

Counter Intelligence

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Dear Readers: This week we take you to a few places off the beaten path — in Little Armenia and La Puente. You'll also be reading about a boba school and a hyper-seasonal lunch menu — more reasons to leave the comforts of your usual hangouts. —Jonathan Gold

CHERRY RICE IN GLENDALE; MARISCOS IN LA PUENTE

This week, Jonathan spent a lot of time eating cherry rice and fattoush in Glendale's Little Armenia, ordering repeated feasts at Adana, a terrific, modest restaurant, on San Fernando Road. Was there enough to take leftovers home in a cardboard box found in the kitchen? There was indeed. Because there are restaurants in La Puente other than Ricardo Diaz's wonderfulColonia Taco Lounge, we check out Mariscos el Cristalazo. Run by Ninive Vargas, a former server and underground mariscos cook who opened a brick-and-mortar, this place is named after the monster martini glass in which the restaurant's signature dish is served. Sinaloan food east of downtown? Exactly.

PIZZA FROM YOUR CAR, FOIE FROM A FOOD TRUCK Yes, you'll soon be able to order pizza while stuck on any one of this town's myriad jammed freeways. Jenn Harris tells us about something called a "connected car," from which you'll one day be able to order a pizza from the dash. No, this is Pizza Hut, not Mozza. (But we can dream.) If pizza is too lowbrow, there is, of course, more foie gras. But now instead of having to wait for a table at Terrine, you can head to a food truck. The Fair Game food truck now has foie sliders. It was only a matter of time.

NOTES FROM THE FOOD AND DRINK UNDERWORLD 1. Irene Virbila — and her readers — weigh in on wine corkage policies, prompted by a recent story. Was there venting? Yes, there was. Some readers say they've even given up wine for microbrews. 2. John Verive reports on an anniversary party at Select Beer Store in Redondo Beach. 3. Who knew that Lollicup, the giant boba company based in the San Gabriel Valley, had a boba school? 4. Finally, it's time to go eat lunch at Canele, Corina Wiebel's Atwater Village restaurant. Recently, Ria and Matt Wilson started their "Wild at Canele," a hyper-seasonal lunch menu.

P.S. Be on the lookout for Wednesday's In the Kitchen newsletter, with cooking tips and news, including new recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen. Feedback? We'd love to hear from you. Email us.