» Maggie Nemser: Founder + Editor in Chief, Blackboard Eats

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Maggie Nemser: Founder + Editor in Chief, Blackboard Eats

Blackboard Eats is one really good idea...but grab your car keys....here are 10 more.

ELAINE SAYS: Talk to Maggie Nemser at your own risk. You may leave feeling like an underachiever! The 32-year-old, phenom founder of the high-end meal deal site, Blackboard Eats, knows what's up...and she's super cool to boot. I've always loved the curated quality of her site...plus, I'm generally very hungry. So, this list of Maggie's favorite dishes in town is a culinary dream come true! I knew there would be some hidden gems as well as a few insider suggestions for popular spots like the fab and sexy, Gjelina. Start using gum as a twice-a-day, meal replacement and go have some fun dinners!

Posted on November 27th, 2011

Eat/Drink + Celebrate

The Tuna Tartare at Ado VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Ado 796 Main Street, Venice [Main St.]Chunks of red Ahi tuna with the perfect avo/tuna ratio, capers and rich balsamic essence complimented by a crostini to create the perfect bite.
The Duck Popiah at Lukshon VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Lukshon 3239 Helms Avenue, Culver City [Helms Bakery]Tender duck with a homemade Hoisen chile sauce, a bright punch of jicima and grassy cilantro stems wrapped up just loosely enough to allow the strong flavors to maintain their distinction but tightly for a clean delicate bite into the delicate Fujian-style spring roll.
The Chicharron De Costilas at Picca VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Picca 9575 West Pico Boulevard, Los Angeles [West LA]Crispy pork ribs crostini dancing over a sweet potato puree with a crumble of salty feta and finished with a Peruvian salsa made with onions and lime.
The Mochi Maki at Sakura House LOCATION: Sakura House 13362 West Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles [Culver City]Super simple pleasure. It basically tastes like cheese wrapped in bacon but it's actually a rice cake wrapped in a thin layer of pork.
The Jambalaya at Harold and Belle's VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Harold and Belle's 2920 West Jefferson Boulevard, Los Angeles [Jefferson Park]Lookout Nola lovers, here it is. This place is the real deal and the Jambalaya with shrimp, beef, sausage and chicken fits the bill each time. No one that I send here has a bad time or a bad meal. It always delivers.
The Tuscan Kale Salad at Gjelina VISIT WEBSITE| LOCATION: Gjelina 1429 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice [Abbot Kinney]Where do I start here? Well, for one, I don't like Kale, but somehow Lett leads me to believe that I love Kale. He "effortlessly" tosses ribbons of tuscan kale with delicate shavings of fennel, ricotta salata radish and adds unexpected texture with homemade breadcrumbs. It's also great on top of any of his pizzas.
The Pug Burger at Hungry Cat VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Hungry Cat 1535 North Vine, Hollywood [Arclight]As always, folks get a bit heady about the whole "who's got the best burger" debate. It's a fun topic but it really begins and ends for me with HC's version. They take Nimon Ranch ground beef, house smoked thick bacon, Danish Blue Cheese a generous slice of avocado and then the kicker - they toss it into a toasty english muffin so you can actually taste the meat. Genius.
The Half Chicken at Petros VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Petros 451 Manhattan Beach Boulevard, Manhattan Beach [Manhatten Beach]They tout this joint as a "Hellenic-California Cuisine," but trust me when I tell you that this dish pops me over to greece with one bite. Someone's got time to kill in their kitchen because this chicky has been chilling in oregano, lemon juice and olive oil for what tastes like days and comes with "potatoes" that are more like super (and high-addictive) thick french fries. What really gets me going is the lovely Epirus Feta stuffed under the skin. Hello Santorini!
The Fried Catfish at Chinois on Main VISIT WEBSITE| LOCATION: Chinois on Main 2709 Main Street, Santa Monica [Main Street]I go for the whole fried catfish with fried rice and convince someone to share it with me. It's huge. I mean ginormous and you may decide to dip everything in their ginger & ponzu sauce with chopped scallions.
The Wild Mushroom Risotto at Bashan VISIT WEBSITE | LOCATION: Bashan 3459 North Verdugo Road, Glendale [Glendale]I'm a sucker for mushroom and when I need a fix, I hit up Bashan for their wild mushroom risotto. It's like they forged for the whole family and dumped every possible mushroom combo into this beautiful dish and then throw in a little truffle foam for good measure.