The November Hit List: Budonoki, Le Champ, Si! Mon, and More

Budonoki is already familiar to many of us from its time on the pop-up circuit, dishing chicken-negi skewers, seared albacore oshizushi, and shrimp-and-scallop katsu. Now, owners Josh Hartley, Eric Bedroussian, and the chef Dan Rabilwongse have a place of their own. It’s an izakaya through and through, which means the cuisine is Japanese drinking food—albeit with a menu that leans slightly Thai, thanks to Rabilwongse’s influence. Asahi, Orion, and Sapporo are all served in frosted mugs on tap, the sake selection is legit, and there are cocktails, too, some of which are canned in-house.

Welcome L.A.’s latest addition to the wine bar scene, an Arts District spot from operator Matt Bronfeld and chef Justin Hilbert, who previously cooked at Maude and New York’s storied wd~50. Le Champ draws inspiration from Parisian bistros and the duo’s old Brooklyn haunts, and boasts a spacious stringlit patio and an inviting, rustic-chic interior. For food, there’s saucisson with butter and pickles, prawn cocktail, zucchini flower beignets, and a burger with caramelized onions and Gruyère, and on weekends during the day, brunchy items like eggs with ratatouille and pain perdu. As for wine, the 80+ bottle list will rotate regularly, with selections from the old world and the new.

At his newly opened Si! Mon, the Panama City-born chef José Olmedo Carles Rojas brings underrepresented Panamanian fare to Venice. The setting is serene and beachy, with neutral-toned furniture and a green tiled patio with pops of orange. The menu, with an assist from chef de cuisine Christian Truong (formerly of Manuela), centers on seafood, including big-eye tuna carpaccio on a yuca tostada, kanpachi cooked in banana leaf with makrut lime and Thai basil, and Afro-Caribbean shrimp dumplings in coconut bisque. Don’t miss the double-fried chicken drumsticks, whatever you do, finished with herbed salt and roasted rice powder. 

Western Doma has been quietly humming on the edge of Koreatown since 2000. 23 years later, owner Mi Ok Baik and crew continue to put out some of the best, and most wholesome, Korean food in town. As temperatures begin to drop, make this cozy strip mall joint your go-to for spicy chicken stew, hand-cut noodle soups, vegetable dumplings, and damn good japchae. The banchan is excellent, the purple rice is perfectly cooked, and the food comes fast in this no-frills but eminently lovable spot.

No reservations. Find more info here.

There’s something about spaghetti and meatballs for Sunday dinner that just feels right. So here’s some good news: Beverly Hills hot spot La Dolce Vita is now open on Sundays for tableside Caesar and bone-in veal Parmigiana. In addition to the menu’s mainstays, chef Nick Russo has drummed up a few Sundays-only specials, including arancino with pork ragu, linguini with chopped clams and shrimp, steak pizzaiola with braised tomatoes and sweet peppers, and amaro-infused tiramisu. Snag a curved banquette in the retro-fabulous room and close the weekend out right.

Stir Crazy, the sophisticated Melrose wine bar that opened last spring, is now on Resy. Thus, you can properly secure your plans to catch up with friends over a couple of glasses—or bottles—from somm-owner Mackenzie Hoffman’s list. The food here, while on the lighter side, delivers, with sliced-to-order ribbons of ham, crudo laced with brown butter, and marinated anchovies on hunks of baguette. Bonus points for the top-notch people-watching.

When you’re in the mood for an ice-cold martini, classic American fare, grade-A service, dim lights, and roomy booths, Houston’s is it. The Pasadena outpost is, of course, part of the  beloved Hillstone Restaurant Group chain. It’s also timeless,  ever-consistent, regularly mobbed, and comfortingly nostalgic, which makes it a reliably good choice for date night or dinner with friends. Get the grilled artichokes if they have them.

Book directly with the restaurant for a reservation.

If you’ve yet to try Poltergeist at Button Mash, what are you waiting for? In a recent review for the Times, Bill Addison described it as “the most manic, unchecked and wildly envisioned cooking in Los Angeles.” (We agree.) Punk poet chef Diego Argoti spins up ravioli with beef and broccoli and serves his octopus crispy with squid ink-infused fry bread, amongst other boundary-pushing delights. Intrigued? Our advice to any food-obsessed Angeleno is to go see for yourself.

In case you haven’t already heard: sourdough pizzeria Grá, in Echo Park, has entered the brunch game. Or call it lunch: on Saturdays and Sundays, they’re opening at 1 p.m. to serve sandwiches (like an Italian number with prosciutto, salami, ricotta, ‘nduja, and arugula) on sourdough flatbread, plus their typical appetizers and seasonal salads, and, of course, pizzas, in classic flavors with oft-cheffy ingredient (think fermented mustard seeds) and farmers market-driven specials. The lush, brick-lined space is as nice a place as any to while away a weekend afternoon.

For a fun start to your week, head to Alhambra for dinner at Yang’s Kitchen. The restaurant, known for its delightful and delicious fusion of Chinese, Japanese, and California flavors, just launched Monday burger nights, featuring a tight, dedicated menu of raw oysters, fried chicken, burgers, and wine. Better yet, Monday evenings are less chaotic than the perpetually mobbed scene at Yang’s for weekend brunch. 

Make a reservation here, or walk in.