Versailles
We're not big fans of Universal's City Walk. It's crowded, everything is all up in your face and parking is outrageously expensive. It is, in short, an amusement park based on Los Angeles, and not a very good one at that. It's full of shops, bars and karaoke, but has the feeling of being sanitized, for those tourists willing to travel here, but not particularly interested in actually seeing our city. In the food court (or whatever that is) there, they have a bunch of little places that are meant to be some of Los Angeles' signature eateries. Among them are Gladstone's, Tommy's Hamburgers and someplace that sells Dodger Dogs.To really esteem the glory of Versailles, you have to experience the real thing. You have to go and wait in line outside, in the roar of traffic on Venice (or, all things being equal, La Cienega), before being ushered into the heavily air conditioned interior. There's no decoration really to speak of. Linolium floors and formica tables with worn chairs, this isn't going to be someplace you're going to find the glitterati. Instead, you'll find a diverse group of Los Angelenos from all walks of life enjoying some fabulous (if not diet friendly) food.
Everything on the menu at Versailles is served with rice and (fabulous) black beans, and generally fried plaintains as well. They're most well known for their garlic chicken, a moist and crispy half chicken drowned in sauce that'll leave you unable to kiss your mother for a week. They have good ropa vieja, and some amazing pork, as well as very simple salads of avocado, tomato and onions. The food isn't gussied up, or served in elegant, fussy towers, but it's hot, delicious and there's plenty of it.
Everybody thinks of Los Angeles as all asparkle with stars and neon. Universal can supply that without actual celebrities, but you have to leave that carefully manufactured place to find out what Los Angeles really is. Even if they do have Versailles there.
Versailles, 10319 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
1415 S La Cienega Blvd, Los Angeles, CA
posted by kuaptic. @ 9:14 AM
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