Very Best Porkchop

[sfglutton]

It's that time of year (birthday) where I get to choose where my SO will take me for a celebratory dinner. My question for the Hounds is: Who serves the very best porkchop?? A huge zin with the perfect porkchop will be birthday heaven.

We are willing to travel anywhere in the OC or LA (based in Newport). Surprisingly, the very best chop I have had so far in Southern California was at Beechwood in Venice. Second place would be Tabu Grill in South Laguna.

I like the thick, flavorful, properly cooked (medium/medium rare)tyoe of chop.

Thank you.

[LT from LF]

Hmmm...no one's mentioned the kurobuta at Pacific Dining Car (the orignal location, not the Westside one), which I found quite enjoyable...and so huge that I couldn't finish it until the next day. Cold, right out of the refrigerator, gnawing on the bone...for breakfast. That's what I'm talkin' about!

[Quesera]

korobuta at Table 8 is INSANE!!!! Also had a good one with a cherry sauce last year at Chaya Brasserie, and they seem have a version on the menu at all times. That was summer, so I'd bet on another good one in the fall!

[Wes]

Not for a celebratory dinner but I had great pork chops this weekend at Elephant Bar. Juicy and amazing flavor with the light marinade. Cooked with only a hint of pink when I ordered the default. Very moist and tender!

[1000steps]

Last weekend had an Outstanding pork chop at Iva Lees in San Clemente. It really is very hard to find good chops these days, seem to be too lean and lacking flavor. This one was very good. See pics and description on link.

www.octongue.blogspot.com

[Ernie]

It is thin Vietnamese style, but I love the pork chops at Lee Kam Kee in Alhambra. Very cheap and tasty.

[sfglutton]

Very worst pork chop - Onotria in Costa Mesa. I usually like the place, but this was abyssmal.

SUPER-thin cut, fried to death, alleged "lemon-riesling" sauce. Really bad and flavorless. Plus, it was $16 at lunch and didn't have one other edible thing on the plate.

[Lindalicious]

It's been several years since I've been (now that I live in Nashville), but my fav was this jerk pork chop with sweet potatoes puree dish at Authentic Cafe.

Authentic Cafe
7605 Beverly Blvd (btn Fairfax & La Brea)
Los Angeles CA 90036
818-939-4626

[dansk]

i think authentic is closed--the last time i drove by--the windows were blackened.

[Lindalicious]

so sad, so sad.

[billyed]

The Ocean View Bar & Grill in Montrose(above Glendale) has a very good grilled pork chop and a serviceable wine list - though I doubt that it warrants a trip from Newport - but if you happen to be in the area it's worth a try. Their web site is

http://oceanviewbarandgrill.com/

[shenry]

The Double-Cut pork chop at Houston's has always been excellent, especially for a chain restaurant.

[yinyangdi]

It’s been a while, but last time I went to Houston's (Century City) it was specifically for the pork chop, but, alas, it was not on the menu and my server couldn’t tell me when it had been removed. What Houston's did you go to and was it recent?

[Dylan]

Try the char siu style pork chop at Jar. If you like chinese BBQ, you'll like it a lot. Plus Jar is just a very pleasant place to be.

[Bruin2]

I like the Pork Chop at Musso and Frank

[Biff Wellington]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Jiraffe. Their pork chop is gigantic and very tasty. I also agree with the Josie and Jar recommendations.

[New Trial]

Josie on Pico near 26th in Santa Monica has a delicious pork chop and I also love the one at JAR on Beverly near La Cienega (though, in case it matters to you, the one at JAR is done char shu style).

[PayOrPlay]

Since this has turned into a nice thread about pork chops, I just want to mention the excellent smoked pork chop at John O'Groats. This is not responsive to the OP's birthday dinner request, since O'Groats is no longer open for dinner; but the smoked pork chop (served with eggs, usually) is still one of the best things on their breakfast menu, thick, juicy, and flavorful.

[BabyLitigator]

The kurubota pork chop at Grace is excellent. Stuffed with cornbread and pancetta (because the best filling for pork is more pork). Better than the ones I've had at Nook and other restaurants in the area.

[jackattack]

"Prime Rib of Pork" at the Tam O' Shanter in Los Feliz/Glendale.

[blackbookali]

The Standard West Hollywood has a very good pork chop.

[pamm5959]

I really like the pork chops at 26 beach cafe in MDR but sometimes inconsistent.

[Tom P]

SADDLE PEAK LODGE's pork chop is indeed wonderful. An additional plus is that it is served with a side of quite good mac-n-cheese. I also think MUSSO & FRANK's has one of the best pork chops in town. One order comes with two thick chops, simply and beautifully grilled. They are extremely juicy and flavorful. I almost always order these, with a Caesar and a martini. Yum. Be sure to gnaw on the bone!

[yinyangdi]

It’s been a couple of months, but I had the pork chop at Nook; it was juicy and very tasty. I’ve been meaning to go back for more.

Herb Roasted Pork Chop with baby arugula, Asian pear, Stilton cheese, pinenuts, fingerling potatoes and apricot vinaigrette.

Nook
11628 Santa Monica Blvd #9
Los Angeles, CA 90025
http://nookbistro.com/site/menu/dinner

[WBGuy]

Sad to say, I went to Nook over the weekend looking forward to their pork chop. It was not as good as the last time I had it. It was dry and overcooked, a bit of a struggle to finish my plate.

Such a disappointment. I'm hoping it's just an off night for them, because I really like this restaurant.

[yinyangdi]

My little trick is to always ask if the pork is cooked medium to medium rare and specify that I'd prefer it under to overdone. I haven't had a dry double thick cut pork chop in a while ...

[condiment]

Jocko's has pork chops? It's been so long since I've looked at a menu, I never knew.

Anyway, the pork chop at .eat, or whatever that Patina Group restaurant on Sunset and Cahuenga is called, is first rate: juicy, crisp, slightly but definitely smoky with a subtle slap of salt.

For the pennies-on-the-dollar Taiwanese version, I like SinBaLa in Arcadia.

[RSMBob]

Well, in my view, I have to go outside the boundries of LA and OC to enjoy the best pork chop I have ever eaten in SoCal, but technically (geographically speaking, anyways) it's still in "southern California". That would be at Jocko's in Nipomo cooked over the oak pit. Unreal...and worth the drive.

One of my favorite places in all of the CH-bounded LA area is Trabuco Oaks steakhouse in Trabuco Canyon. They occasionally have a pork chop as their special and the one time I had it it was darn good...well worth checking out. And if they don't have it and you have to "fall back" to one of their steaks, that's a no-lose proposition.

[Wes]

Yet another "unreal" thing about Joko's is the incredibly long wait and their disdain for honoring reservations.

[revets2]

the kurobuta at at PARKWAY GRILL in pasadena is surprisingly good although i think a huge zin will overpower this one. a weightier pinot might be the call.

joe's in venice also served us a beautiful cut off their tasting menu with some shiso flower relish we brought to them, but it's not always on the menu so, check first.

you can book both on opentable.com

my husband's pork chop was also very good at beechwood.

for the thin chinese "soul food" pork chop, we're addicted to the salty pork chop with chiles at phoenix cafe in chinatown.

hmmm, my mouth is watering.

happy birthday!

[Philly]

I have always liked the pork chop at Patty's Place in Seal Beach; never been disappointed.

[russkar]

OCEANFRONT Restaurant at Casa Del Mar in Venice would be plan A, closely followed by CUT which is Plan B.

[hrhboo]

Casa Del Mar is in Santa Monica. James Beach, in Venice does an awesome pork chop, but the rest of their menu is pretty boring.

[ipsedixit]

The Kurobuta pork chop at CUT is very good, better than their different cuts of beef.

For the non-Japanese variety, I like the pork chops at SADDLE PEAK LODGE.

Oh, and Happy Birthday!