36 Hours in LA
everything I ate and did (plus the most LA experience of all)
Hey, it’s Arash 👋
Two weeks ago Madalina and I were in California for Expo West, which is basically the Super Bowl of the food industry. Thousands of brands, nonstop meetings, and a lot of walking the convention floor tasting new products. And some exciting new opportunities for Kaizen, too.
After a few packed days in Anaheim, we decided to spend the weekend in LA before heading back to Miami.
Whenever I’m in a new city, the first thing I want to do is explore the food scene. Some great spots, some overrated ones, and occasionally something completely unexpected.
Here are some of the highlights (and lowlights):
Sunset in West Hollywood & Persian Food in Glendale
We stayed at 1 Hotel West Hollywood, right on Sunset Blvd. Beautiful property with lots of natural wood and greenery, and a rooftop restaurant called Harriet’s with incredible views of the city.
We grabbed drinks up there at sunset and just decompressed after a long week. Watching the sun go down over LA with a drink in hand was the perfect reset.
For dinner we drove out to Raffi’s Place in Glendale, which serves some of my favorite Persian food anywhere. LA has a lot of new restaurants popping up, but this one is still my favorite.
We sat in the courtyard and ordered some classics: kabob koobideh, tadigh, ghormeh sabzi, and maast-o-moosir.
Simple. Traditional. Perfect.
Check out my Sheet Pan Beef Kabob Wraps for a similar vibe.
Erewhon… and a $53 parking ticket
The next morning we grabbed coffee and headed to Erewhon, the famous “better-for-you” grocery store.
I knew it was expensive, but even I was shocked.
$120 box of strawberries
$25 jug of water
$32 rotisserie chicken
Wild.
To be fair, there are some more reasonably priced things too. We tried a few of the viral items: the Golden Diner pancake, a keto breakfast sandwich made with an almond flour, mozzarella, and cream cheese bun, the famous Erewhon smoothie, and a raw cinnamon roll.
Everything was tasty, but honestly it all leaned a little too sweet (and very expensive) for my taste.
And to make the LA experience complete… I got a $53 parking ticket to start the day.
Lunch at Vala Kitchen
After that we drove down to Santa Monica and walked from the pier all the way to Venice Beach.
Great people watching. Great energy. And honestly we just needed to walk some of that breakfast off.
For lunch we stopped at Vala Kitchen, another Persian spot on Sunset Blvd.
It’s tucked into a strip mall and very no-frills, but the food is fantastic. Family run, high quality ingredients, and exactly the kind of place I love finding.
If you’re craving something similar, my High-Protein Mediterranean Chicken Plate is a great make-at-home version.
Runyon Canyon
To balance things out we did a hike at Runyon Canyon.
The climb is steep, but the view at the top is worth it. You can see the Hollywood sign, downtown LA, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills all in one panorama.
Also an unbelievable number of dogs on the trail. Always a bonus.
Backyard Mexican Seafood in Inglewood
Before heading to the airport we squeezed in one last meal.
We had heard about a local family spot serving some of the best Mexican seafood in the city.
The twist? It’s literally in their backyard.
We drove to Inglewood, walked up to the house, knocked on the kitchen window, and a kind woman directed us around back where they had plastic tables and chairs set up.
Completely casual. Completely delicious.
We ordered ceviche, aguachile, and grilled fish, and it was some of the best seafood we’ve had in a while.
One of my favorite things about traveling is discovering places like this. Fancy restaurants are great, but the spots I remember most are usually the simple ones.
Redeye Back to Miami
Then we rushed to the airport for our redeye flight.
The rental car center had just moved and the signage was almost nonexistent, so it took about 20 minutes of mild panic to figure out where to go.
But we made the flight.
And a few hours later we were back in Miami… reunited with Sophie on the couch.
Always the best ending.
I know a lot of you are based in California, so I need to know:
Didn't know you lived in 😎 south Florida. Maybe tell us where and what to eat in Miami. We often look for Miami Spice dinners for our September anniversary. We are in Fort Lauderdale.
What a fun trip! Hole/in-the-wall finds are often some of the best!