Rachel B. Levin - Freelance Writer, Los Angeles » Food

Clean Plates Los Angeles

Rachel B. Levin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:51:26 +0000

I’m among the restaurant reviewers who contributed to the new Clean Plates Los Angeles: A Guide To the Healthiest, Tastiest, and Most Sustainable Restaurants for Vegetarians and Carnivores. The guide gives you the lowdown on how and where to eat healthfully and eco-consciously in Los Angeles without sacrificing flavor or gourmet craftsmanship. It hops from casual lunch places like the Coral Tree Café to special-occasion experiences like Josie. Researching and writing the reviews was a deliciously fulfilling experience! Now available for purchase on Amazon and at select local stores, the guide is the perfect size to slip into your glove compartment. Trust me, at all the restaurants included, you’ll want to clean your plate!

From kimchi to karaoke in Koreatown

Rachel B. Levin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 19:30:35 +0000

Singular Magazine is running a four-part series I wrote on ethnic neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The second stop is Koreatown, where high-tech billboards and dense high rises collide with soothing tea houses (my favorite is Hwa Sun Ji Tea & Coffee) and mineral spas specializing in ancient healing arts. The timing of this piece is perfect, because I spent a good part of my weekend in the Koreatown ‘hood. Friday night, I discovered the Wilshire Spa, which has the most screamingly hot steam room and hot tub you’ll ever experience – talk about detox! Saturday night I went to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings kick out the jams at the gorgeous Art Deco theatre The Wiltern (there’s a lot of fabulous classic Art Deco architecture to be seen in Koreatown). This is a breathtaking venue, and Sharon Jones is a certifiable diva of soul! So, whether you want to find ultimate relaxation or get super pumped up, Koreatown has so much to offer.

The Norma

Rachel B. Levin — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:47:36 +0000

I have a new guilty pleasure: the almond milk latte — dubbed “The Norma” — at Bricks & Scones cafe in Larchmont Village. I love lattes, but generally try to avoid dairy. Soy lattes are a dime a dozen, but my system’s not so partial to soy, either. Hence, almond milk is a kind of Holy Grail, one that until now I’ve not stumbled upon as a mixer in the world of designer espresso. The beans at Bricks & Scones are from Intelligentsia, and the mix with the naturally sweet almond foam is utterly addictive. I don’t know who Norma is, but she’s got great taste in coffee. Check out my blog about Bricks & Scones on the Diary of the Purple Passport .

La Cienega: LA’s Restaurant Row

Rachel B. Levin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:20:46 +0000

As a teenager growing up in Orange County, I knew how to get to two and only two places in L.A.: the Third Street Promenade and La Cienega Boulevard. On the rare occasions that my friends and I escaped the ‘burbs, these were the two places we journeyed to in order to — in our minds — blend in with urban cool. Third Street Promenade had packs of teenagers and quirky street performers, but La Cienega claimed the shopping mecca the Beverly Center, with its outpost of the Hard Rock Cafe. Years later, I now realize how tragically unhip we were to flock to these malls and pseudo-malls. And, of course, my palate has outgrown the likes of the Hard Rock Cafe. In those days, we drove right past what made La Cienega authentically cool — the venerable fine dining establishments of “Restaurant Row” — in our quest for burgers and fries and a taste of rock celebrity. Today, La Cienega beckons a new generation of hip seekers, with the arrival of new restaurants, bars, hotels, and design and fashion boutiques. Read about what’s opened within the past year on La Cienega in my little article for the Los Angeles Times.