My Trip Report. Langer's, Park's, Jiraffe's, Griddle Cafe, Ham Ji Park... I'm STILL full! :)

[alillazy]

First of all, thank you everyone for the suggestions that lead to so many wonderful meals during my stay in LA last week... everything was delicious!

So, here's my report on the places we visited:

Day One...

Lunch at Langer's Deli: 2pm, no wait
Straight from the airport, even before checking into the hotel, we went right for it! Yummmmy! I had been dreaming of this sandwich since I had it the last time I was in town and of course, it didn't disappoint! I live around the corner from Katz's in NYC and as much as I love their pastrami and it pains me to say this - they've got nothing on #19 at Langers! Their sandwich is really something special and the bread... to die for! I almost bought a tshirt, but I'm pretty sure I'd be stoned if I walked around NY with it on... lol

Dinner at Park's Korean BBQ: 8pm, reservations, no wait
This was also a revisit. Went here twice on my last trip and was definitely one of the places that was a must have this time around. What can I say that hasn't been said before? It was great! Their pan chan (little complimentary side dishes) are some of my favorites. I'm usually not a big fan of pan chans as most places tend to have them more for show then actual taste. This place does it right! From their marinated raw crab to their kimchi... everything is done well. And of course, the star of this show here is their BBQ meats. Unfortunately, they were out of the Wagyu Beef Short Ribs, which was what we were really looking forward to... but we replaced it with their Wagyu Ribeye... it was great, melting in your mouth... basically a big delicious buttery steak. I still prefer the Short Ribs, but enjoyed it none the less. And of course we had the Marinated Pork Belly... fabulous, as always! Even my brother in law who doesn't usually like samgyupsal enjoyed this as the meat to fat ratio is more to his liking with the 5 layers as opposed to 3.

Day Two:

Breakfast: First try for The Griddle Cafe (10am)... wait was too long and pouring down rain outside, ended up at Denny's :( And no, I'm not planning on reviewing this.... unless someone reaaaaally wants me to. lol.

Lunch: Skipped it, as we were planning a big meal for dinner. Opted for drinks at Chateau Marmont. Bar wasn't open yet and the outdoor space was closed to prepare for an event later in the evening. They were nice enough to seat us at a table for drinks before their dinner service began for the evening. Had a few glasses of wine and just enjoyed the ambiance and decor. It's a beautiful hotel with lots of beautiful people.... I took a look at the dinner menu, didn't look too bad at all... we decided to do a dinner there next time we're in town (unless we hear otherwise that it's not worth it)

Dinner: Jiraffe's in Santa Monica. 6:45 pm reservations, no wait.
Tried for reservations at Animal and weren't able to get anything til almost midnight! Very disappointed as I was dying to try this place, but it's on our "must do" list for our next trip... something else to look forward to along with more Langer's :) So, we used the board and recommendations from you guys and tried Jiraffe. What a lovely dinner. I called after making the reservations on opentable and requested a table upstairs... wasn't a problem. Beautiful space, wonderful service, fresh ingredients... just an all around great dinner. Thank you! My husband as I started with the Purple Peruvian Gnocchi... wow, highly recommended. I had the Prime Caramelized Pork Chop. It was a huge dish... I couldn't even finish half of it, with help, but it was really good. Husband had one of the specials of the evening... Veal Shank. Again, and it was very special, another wow! Falling off the bone tender, very flavorful, just a beautiful dish in looks and taste. Our dining companions and a shrimp appetizer (specials) and the Roasted Jidori Chicken... which they seemed to enjoy quite a bit. There was no room for dessert unfortunately, but I don't doubt it would have been wonderful! We walked off dinner by walking down to the Pier and just enjoying the rest of the evening. It was a great evening.

Day Three:
Only had time for breakfast as we had an event for the rest of the day/evening:
The Griddle Cafe: 9am, 20 minute wait....
This time, we got there a little earlier and the wait was much easier as it wasn't raining outside... boy are we glad we tried again. We all loved this place. I'm not a big breakfast person, but this place was great. The portions were ridiculous and I wasn't even close to finishing half the short stack... but it was fantastic. I had The Golden Ticket, brown sugar baked banana pancakes with caramel, walnuts, streusel and whipped cream. Ridiculous. Hubby had the French Toast... the Peanut Bubba, dipped in peanut butter crunch and topped with powdered sugar and whipped cream... whoa nelly! And of course, we washed all this down with a pitcher of mimosas... We really enjoyed this place, thanks again for recommendation!
Rest of the day was spent in a food coma at our event :)

Day Four:
Our last day, before heading out to Vegas. Usually we would stop by In N Out by the airport.... but we had some time to kill before our flight and I've been dying to try Ham Ji Park for the Kamja Tang (Spicy Pork and Potato Soup) and their DajieKalbi (Spicy Marinated Pork Ribs).... and soooo glad we did! We got their around 2, no wait... actually, we were the only ones in there. The staff (think they were the owners) were super friendly and the food was as good as I imagined it would be. There were only 2 of us, so we definitely over ordered, but I just haaaaaad to try both of these dishes I'd heard so much about. They hit the spot. Deeeee-lish-ous-ness!

And then we were off to Vegas, where we indulged in too much gambling and alcohol!

Again, thank you all for your recommendations. Loved everything and had a great time!

[JAB]

LOL at the thought of walking into Katz's sporting a Langers t-shirt!

[Servorg]

A thousand kudos to you for reporting back. Drop by anytime for suggestions! We love to hear / see our restaurants through the eyes / mouths of out of town visitors, so your report is greatly appreciated and a rare thing.

[selfportrait93]

Agree with Servorg. You may want to drop a few lines on the Vegas board on your meal experiences there, too.

[Funwithfood]

It's been a while since I've been to Jiraffe, really need to get back. Anyone been lately?