2 nights in LA

[Toot]

I will be in Los Angeles on business for 2 nights. I don't know the city at all so I am looking for 2 dinner options nearby South Fairfax Avenue (my hotel is near The Grove). I prefer waking distance as I won't have a car and also places that are good for dining alone (perhaps at the bar). I don't eat spicy food, so Mexican is out, but that is my only food restriction. As for price nothing too expensive, I am hoping to stay around $50. with one drink.
Thanks for any help.

[wutzizname]

I second most of the recs here. Jar, Cook's County, Animal, Playa (though that's neuvo-Mexican), Tasca, AOC, and Son of a Gun are all within a 10-15 minute walk of the Grove, and all have counter or bar seating. And Golden State is the place to go for a burger.

[Toot]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I finished up only having one dinner and went to AOC because it was the closest to my hotel. I don't mind walking but it feels a bit odd when you are the only person walking on the street... AOC was great and I had the duck confit and the faro/black rice dishes. Both are good although the combination was a bit too rich. I had the butterscotch pot-de-cream for dessert and it was amazing. Together with a glass of a really good prosecco the bill was $60, not bad at all. I might go back to LA in May and will try to check out Animal.

[coffeebrownies]

If you are staying near the Grove, just walk over to Farmers Market, where it is very easy to eat alone. Besides Loteria, mentioned above, there is Singapore's Banana Leaf (which we love, but gets knocked fo authenticity) and the brand new Short Order upstairs dining room might be a good bet (critically mixed, but if you are neighborhood bound without a car, probably a good choice.) . Farmers Market closes at 8 in the winter and it is outdoors, so bring a jacket and find a heat lamp. (Short Order is indoors.) Ray's and Stark's Bar at LACMA are also within walking distance. You can also walk easily to any of the restaurants on Third and Beverly between Fairfax and La Cienega. There are fun Ehtiopian restaurants on Fairfax south of Pico, and for a cultural (albeit not foodie) experience, you can walk to Canters Deli.

[wienermobile]

Kindly recommend the skipping of Canter's, especially for a New Yorker. Not much to offer other than being open 24 hours.

[coffeebrownies]

Well, business traveler, traveling alone, no car, not in a business hotel with room service (I surmise from location) and three hours ahead of everyone else--not the worst thing in the world to know where you can walk to to get a cup of coffee and some eggs at 4 in the morning.....but I admit I hadn't factored in the NYC note.

[FranklinJefferson]

A.O.C. and Tasca are both great for solo dining and easily walkable from the Grove. And though I've never done the bar thing there, Jar restaurant always seems to have solo diners at theirs, especially on their Mozzarella Mondays.

[Toot]

Thank you all, keep the suggestions coming. I am from NYC so I can walk, not a problem, although I can't drive!

[Ciao Bob]

Depending on how far you want to walk and where exactly the hotel is you might consider J. Sedlar's Playa, Animal, the currently white-hot Cooks County, Terroni, Hirozen, or Son 0f a Gun

[wienermobile]

+1 for Son of a Gun (from the same chefs as Animal with their take here on seafood) but a bit of a walk.

-----
Son of a Gun
8370 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90048

[mitchbart]

Come on Angelenos, excellent public transit exists in LA! The OP can hop on the Metro Line 16 which runs on West 3rd Street every 8-20 until after midnight to reach Son of a Gun. Also Metro Line 217 runs north/south on Fairfax (All the way to Hollywood going north, runs 24 hours) to reach the restaurants north of Beverly and beyond!

[wutzizname]

The distance from the Grove to Son of a Gun is just slightly over half-a-mile, AKA a 8-10 minute stroll. Why bother with a bus?

[westsidegal]

our public transport is certainly far from excellent.
why would these people wait 20 minutes (btw, i have not found the overly optimistic bus schedules to be at all accurate about frquency/timing) for a bus to come when they can walk the distance in about ten minutes?
also, if they will be traveling at "rush hour" many of the busses will be "full" and will simply bypass the bus stop by without even slowing down.

[Clyde]

hi. you can probably still eat mexican food - like cheese enchiladas w/ mild sauce or something like that! anyway, i used to live in that area. You can walk North up Fairfax to Animal or Garden State for burgers. The food in the Farmers Market in the Grove is not spectacular although the one place that IS really good is Loteria which is mexican - i know i've had non-spicy items there but you have to ask b/c things like the soup are REALLY spicy. There are also other options on Third street, going West - I'm not exactly familiar with what is new over there but if you do a yelp search for places nearby there will definitely be some restaurants on Third that you may enjoy.

[wienermobile]

Agree with Animal, a meat eaters paradise, wonderful and original.
+1 for Golden State they have one of the best burgers in town plus beer floats.
The Original Farmers Market is open every day and is great for donuts, Dupar's pancakes and people watching. Welcome to LA.

-----
Farmers Market
6333 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Animal
435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036

The Golden State
426 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036