Max’s Yummy TOP 5
Max Rappaport is a food stylist, chef, and founder of Max’s Yummy Condiments — where he makes the best ever hot sauce and caesar salad dressing. When Max isn’t making yummy food, he’s eating yummy food and I trust his take on what he thinks is some of the best in the city. While there are a million places to eat in LA, we narrowed it down to his top 5 must try restaurants that he’s a regular at. If you want to eat like a chef, and better yet, a local. Add these spots to your list for your next night out!
Ruen Pair
I’ve become a regular at Ruen Pair. I love their papaya salad with luscious raw crab, morning glory with crispy pork, fried spicy catfish, and I still haven’t even made a dent in their menu. They serve Central + Northeastern Thai food and have been open for 25 years. My favorite move is to have dinner at Ruen Pair followed by dessert at Bhan Kanom Thai, which is in the same strip mall.
Sonoratown
When I heard one of LA’s premier taco spots was opening in Mid City, I nearly passed out. Smoky grilled beef in a homemade flour tortilla? Perfection. And the beef chivichanga might be my favorite food I’ve had since moving to LA. They’re also opening a beer + wine bar attached to the Mid City location which I couldn’t be more excited about.
Found Oyster
When I decide to eat something fancy, I usually mean I want a plethora of raw and cooked seafood. Found Oyster is a restaurant inspired by San Francisco’s Swan Oyster Depot, and they always deliver. Toasted bread smothered in butter, trout roe AND white anchovies. Little tiny clams with a delicate spoonful of zippy ponzu. Freshly shucked scallops broiled in chili butter… does it get any better?
Newport Seafood
The San Gabriel Valley is home to so many incredible restaurants, one of them being Newport Seafood. Stir fried crab in a sticky, savory sauce, meaty clams stir fried with jalapeño and basil, and the most delicate small pea shoots with garlic. I went here for my birthday this year and left so full and so happy.
Osteria Mozza
I never go out for Italian food. I’d usually rather buy the best ingredients myself and whip together an amazing pasta at home. Osteria Mozza is the exception. It’s such a classic spot and it hasn’t lost any of its charm and elegance over their decade of operation. Sitting at the amaro bar sharing a mozzarella tasting felt like pure elegance.