365 Places to Eat

I love to go to the Farmer’s Market at Third and Fairfax on a lazy weekend afternoon. It’s like a mall food court, but filled with places where you actually want to eat.

Moishe’s serves middle eastern cuisine — kabobs, falafel, and shwarma, hummous, baba ghanouj, taboule, food along those lines. My absolute favorite, though, are the grilled chicken wings. Ten wings are put onto two skewers and grilled over the flames. The wings have a mouth watering citrus marinade that tastes so good with the charbroiled smokiness.

The dinner plates come with two sides. The cold couscous salad is a must try and I also like to get the tomato-cucumber salad. I think the plate is $10-$11, not terribly cheap, but worth it. Also, if you park in one of the two non parking structure lots, you can get a validation.

Last time I was there, I watched the guy make the falafel. It was an interesting process as he formed the chickpea balls on the end of a small mallet and then quickly popped them into a wok full of bubbling oil. I am embarrassed to say that I haven’t tried their falafel, but rumor has it that they are top notch.

Moishe’s Restaurant
Farmer’s Market at Third and Fairfax, Booth 336

I have said it before, I’ll say it again. I could eat rotisserie chicken every day. I consider myself somewhat of an amateur expert on the subject.

Chicken Maison is Mediterranean style chicken, served with their own concoction of garlic sauce and pita bread. There are other dishes, such as falafel, kabobs, salads and soups, but you go to Chicken Maison for the chicken.

A quarter piece of dark meat chicken comes with two sides and pita bread for $7. Throw in a fresh brewed mint iced tea and you have a filling lunch for under $10. I like to have a baked potato and steamed veggies on the side. The veggies are cooked just right, steamed but still crunchy. The flavor is still there, not overly steamed and mushed together.

The chicken itself is excellent. Of the rotisserie chicken spots, their skin is probably some of the crispiest, which I like. There isn’t a real heavy marinade, and I think that there is a decent amount of pepper on the skin. The garlic sauce isn’t overly strong, but does have nice flavor. It’s the creamier version of the sauce that everyone tried to perfect.

Another bonus is that Chicken Maison is very easy to get to off of the freeway in the South Bay. If you are driving by during lunch, make sure to jog off the freeway at Inglewood, head south and Chicken Maison is at the first main intersection of Inglewood and Manhattan Beach.

Chicken Maison
2709 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Redondo Beach, CA 90278
Tel: 310-725-0035

Less than a mile south of LAX on Sepulveda is a minimall which is anchored by Sizzler and El Pollo Loco. Once you get past that fact, there are a two hidden gems in the center that serve up Mediterranean meals, Petit Cafe and Smarco’s Grill.

One thing I like at Smarco’s is the Chicken Tawook plate. The tawook plate is essentially a chicken kabob, taken off of the skewer and served with two sides. In my case I choose their house potatoes, which are cooked with onions and a generous load of garlic, and the tomato cucumber salad which has a mild dressing and parsley for an added flavor boost. In addition to the grilled pita, don’t forget to ask for hot sauce, which is their spicy concoction of tomato-y goodness.

One notable thing about Smarco’s is their meat. They have their chicken, meats and seafood displayed like a butcher’s counter, packed in ice and fresh. The chicken is marinated in a heavenly citrus sauce and cooks up plump and juicy, never dry or limp. They will sell you their meats by the pound so that you can cook up the goodness at home, someday I am going to take a stuffed salmon to go and broil it for dinner.

Smarco’s looks like a hole in the wall, and is sandwiched between Subway and El Pollo Loco, but their quality and flavors are tops. Parking in the lot is tight, especially around lunch time. If you’re going to pick someone up at the airport and have an extra half hour, give Smarco’s a try.

Smarco’s Grill
630 N Sepulveda Blvd
El Segundo, Ca
(310) 640-2274

If you have seen a movie at either of the large theaters in Westwood, you have probably seen The Gypsy Cafe. It’s over by Diddy Reese and there were probably groups of college students outside smoking hookas.

Outside the Gypsy Cafe

I’m not a hooka fan, but I do love the famous Gypsy Cafe tomato soup. It is rich a creamy, I think with some bread to thicken it up. The tomato soup still holds its tang though, and is very satisfying on a chilly evening.

Gypsy Tomato Soup

The rest of Gypsy’s menu is pretty good, standard Mediterranean food with kabobs, falafel and pizza (?). I would make a special trip to Gypsy for the soup, but not necessarily for the rest of the menu. Dining choices are relatively limited in Westwood though, and if you’re catching a movie, Gypsy is a reliable choice.

It can be maddening to park in Westwood, but the lot on Broxton (the one-way street near the theaters) gives you a couple of hours free and has lots of spots. Head to the lower levels, they seem to be under utilized.

Gypsy Cafe
940 Broxton Ave, Los Angeles
Map