Picky, picky!

Tasty Treats without Terror

Hello, trusty readers. Lady Date Maven here. I have very little patience for a date who eats like a little kid(If he doesn’t eat vegetables, or try new things or enjoy things like flavors). I like my men to be adventurous, which is a very sexy quality in a guy. Unfortunately, my personal preference isn’t too important because I am not dating you. That being said, if you have a date that is a little coy in the culinary department, there are still ways to tempt their taste buds and enjoy an exciting and satisfying meal.

Here are three true-life problems people have come across, and my three scrumptious solutions.

I Love Japanese food, but my date refuses to try Sushi, where can we compromise?

At Fu Rai Bo, everybody will win. Japanese BBQ meats and tapas. Small plates allow for trying several new things, and there isn’t a slice of raw fish in sight. It doesn’t matter how many times I go there, or how much I order, I am always pleasantly surprised by how sensible the prices are. The kitchen is open late, it is in a great, walkable neighborhood and the service is always super friendly, even when it isn’t the speediest.

If your date doesn’t like the Teba-saki chicken wings (you get to choose how spicy you want them!), they might be an alien or a robot. You should dump them. Or kill them.
“Fu Rai Bo doesn’t just specialize in chicken, but in spicy skewered teba sake chicken wings; not a whole wing, but that spindly middle segment of wing in which a couple of bones form sort of a frame protecting a sweet, if minuscule, oblate ellipse of meat. They’re made for deep-frying the way a chicken breast is for grilling, deeply absorbing Fu Rai Bo’s tart, spicy marinade, greaseless and practically all brittle, crunchy skin. After the chef has dusted them with various white powders and heaped them on plates alongside scoops of shredded cabbage and mayo-intensive chicken salad, you could gnaw through a million of these wings, sucking out the meat, while your teeth seek out hidden crunchy bits.” (Jonathan Gold- LA Weekly)”

Besides the delectable chicken wings, some beer and an order of rice, which have been called by the Daily Breeze, “the best threesome around”, here are some other menu picks for the faint of heart through the stomach of steel.

Please excuse my spelling - I will revise this when I get my hands on an actual menu.

SCAREDY-CAT(seriously, this is pretty basic and delicious)
Korean B.B.Q. Short Ribs (So, so delicious)
Tonkatsu (Fried Pork Cutlet)
Asparagus Butter
Chita Dinner Box

BIG KID (things look unfamiliar, but tastes are still mild)
Kare Kareagi (Fried Fish in a bowl made out of a fried fish! Rad!)
Agedashi Tofu

EASY TO PLEASE (ready for a little adventure, spicy things or interesting textures)
Beef Moiashi (Super Spicy- and Awesome!)
Enoki Mushrooms and Scallop

BRAVE EATER (things I still haven’t tried, but have heard good things about)
Charbroiled Squid
Hanpen Cheese

The place tends to get pretty busy later on in the evening, but sometimes you can make reservations. Just know that if you are going, you will probably be there for a while (swamped kitchen, somewhat slow service), but it is worth the wait.

Fu Rai Bo is located in Little Tokyo West, surrounded by all sorts of interesting shops, so take a walk around if you have time. Get your arm candy a hipster gift at Giant Robot. They’ll love it. After dinner and drinks, if you want to continue your Japanese themed evening, There is a somewhat overpriced Karaoke bar attached to Fu Rai Bo. If you’d rather go home and cuddle than embarrass yourself singing Sweet Child of Mine to your date (or possibly the Yakuza), you are just a short walk to the incomparable Cinephile Video, where you can rent a Japanese flick to head home and cuddle up with. I recommend Happiness of the Katakuris, if you’re into Japanese oddball zombie musical family comedy mysteries films. Or if you are awesome. Which you are. Because you are reading this blog.

Fu Rai Bo
2068 Sawtelle Blvd.
Los Angeles 90025
West Los Angeles
(310)444-1342
(2 other locations in the USA! Gardena and Puente Hills! A boatload of locations in Japan!)

I want to go somewhere a little upscale, but my date’s idea of international food
is beef tacos.

On Sunset Boulevard, right where Los Feliz becomes Silverlake, is Malo. Fabulous, hipster, salty, savory, crispy Malo. For a word that means “bad”, their food is damn good. This bar and restaurant serves up “Chicano Cuisine” with the style kicked up a whole lot of notches, but the flavors remain authentico and sabroso. They also pour my favorite margarita in town. Kick ass bar. Malo includes relaxing outdoor seating (especially relaxing when you’ve had a few of those margaritas!) and is a great way to appease both the dater who wants a polished evening out and the dater who wants to get drunk and eat some classic, tasty grub. Dark red wallpaper and perfectly dim date lighting make Malo a great romantic hipster hideaway.

Oh yeah- parking. Street parking is scarce, so use the $1.50 valet. Don't use the McDonald's or the Kitchen's lot, unless you would enjoy a cross-town trip to a creepy impound lot thanks to the $200 valet service we like to call “a tow truck”.

If you want to supplement your date with a movie, the Vista Theater is a hop, skip and a jump away. It is a gorgeous ancient-Egypt meets Art-Deco single screen movie palace with a wonderful, lively vibe. The Vista fits right in with both Malo and the Kitchen (see below) looking and feeling like an upscale arts movie theater, but presenting first-run, mostly main-stream flicks. Another great compromise for the adventurous and the traditional. To sweeten the pot, take a look at those prices- $8 for regular tickets! You can afford to have another margarita!

Malo
4326 Sunset Blvd. (Cross Street: Bates)
Los Angeles, 90027
Silverlake
(323)664-1011

Vista Theater
4473 Sunset Drive
Los Angeles 90027
Silverlake
(323)660-6639

Seriously, my date really only wants to eat familiar foods. But they are really hot, so I still want to take them out. Is it possible to go gourmet and home-style simultaneously?

Just down the street from Malo is The Kitchen, serving up home-style classics in an urban artsy setting. You feel like you are sitting in some Brooklyn hole-in-the wall, with exposed-bulb lighting, murals decorating the walls and simple, no-frills seating. It is romantic in a starving artist sort of way, which is good, because the chow is always super-satisfying at the Kitchen. Dinner is hearty and flavorful, without being challenging at all. This is classic American food, but never boring. You’ll find steaks, burgers, sandwiches, seafood and the most decadent macaroni and cheese on earth. I mean- they serve meatloaf for Pete’s sake! It is good to feel at ease on a date, and comfort food is a great way to go about creating that mood.

Another way to feel at ease, of course, is to have some wine with dinner. The Kitchen doesn’t serve alcohol, but you are encouraged to bring your own bottle of wine for a small corkage fee. Or, if you want to go have some drinks beforehand (Malo?) take your time! Even if you were out at a movie (See the Vista Theater, above) or a show, fear not! The Kitchen is open late- Midnight on weeknights and 1am on the weekends!

The Kitchen
4348 Fountain Ave(Cross Street: Sunset Boulevard)
Los Angeles 90029-2226
Silverlake
(323) 664-3663

Other Links:
Chopsticks
Mexican Food
Japanese Food
other Silverlake drinks at :
Tiki Ti
Akbar

Next week: Worth more than 2 bits!