Casito Del Campo

It was a Tuesday night. I was sitting in a booth at Casito Del Campo (1920 Hyperion Ave.) staring down my third margarita. It never rains in Los Angeles, but tonight it was pissing down and the margaritas were like medicine. I had yesterday's Los Angeles Times with me. I wanted to catch up on a couple of opinion editorials that I had been meaning to read the day before. I haven't even gotten to today's paper yet. Don't know if I will. I popped outside for a quick smoke, but the rain was too much to bear, so I headed back to my quiet booth. The restaurant was pretty dead except for the sound of the television from the bar. I plowed through my basket of chips. The salsa was o.k. but the margaritas were just right.

Mia Sushi

Mia Sushi (4741 Eagle Rock Blvd.) is the best thing that has happened in Eagle Rock in a long time. We, the peeps of the Rock, crave more quality restaurants and we are pleased to see a place like this in the 'hood! Kudos to owner, Rudy, who hasn't done this place on the cheap. The room's zen, modern design with buddhas and bamboo, pulses with chill out house music. On the weekends, they have a magician doing tricks (hey, can anyone figure out how he makes a card spin around the room like that ?!) And even though Mia Sushi is the hippest restaurant in Eagle Rock, it still has a great local vibe.

The food is marvelous. I loved the razor thin tuna sashimi. And the miso soup comes topped with cilantro...what a brilliant taste combo. They have many specialty sushi rolls with names like The Eagle Rock Roll, The Mount Washington Roll and The Oxy Roll. They might have gone a tad too far, though, with the "Council District 14 Roll", but hey, it's great to see a little North East Pride. I'm thrilled that the next time I get a craving for some great sushi, I don't have to go to Pasadena anymore. Get yourself over there, knock back some of their delicious, unfiltered sake and enjoy the best sushi in the North East.

Aroma

You can never judge a book by its cover especially when comes to restaurants in Los Angeles. Aroma (2903 W. Sunset Blvd.) looks like a shit hole from the outside, but it just so happens to be one Silverlake's best restaurants. Former Valentino chef, Edin Marroquin, opened this place about a year ago and has been showcasing his mastery in the kitchen with a variety pastas, seafood, and steaks.

The mozarella, tomato and basil appetizer is yum-o-licious. For my entree, I had the t-bone steak served with a fresh herb sauce. The service was amiable and I was quite impressed with the food. My lady friend and I shared a fantastic bottle of wine and all in all, we had a brilliant night out when I wasn't expecting to.

So, don't be put off by the location. This place is great. And if you have to do some A&R schmoozing at The Silverlake Lounge with your record label's new signing, get yourself a nice meal at Aroma first.

Spitz

Spitz (2506 Colorado Blvd.) hasn't even been open a week and already the news has spread through Eagle Rock like wildfire. It's been so popular, I've heard they've been selling out of all their food. Who would have thought ?! doner kebabs ?! I just had to make my way over there today to try one. The doner kebab is the kind of food that drunk college students in Europe shovel down their gobs after a night of drinking at the pub, so I was a bit skeptical about it at first.

I arrived at Spitz at 12:15 and there was already a line of wide-eyed, hungry customers. I ordered the "Classic" which is Spitz's signature sandwich. I was reminded of Arby's a little bit as I watched them shave paper thin strips of meat from the vertical rotisserie. They also do a chicken version which appeared to be the more popular option with customers. I had to wonder, though, as this place is so popular, are we really getting the full doner kebab experience ? I mean, doesn't that thick slab of minced Beef and Lamb have to spin around the doner rotisserie for weeks and weeks to get all goey and burnt ? You pot heads know what I'm talking about. If you are a stoner with a bad case of the munchies, eating that stuff is a transcendental experience.

Anyway, they put the shaved meat onto a toasted focaccia bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and tzatziki sauce and it was absolutely delicious. Halfway through my meal, I got the courage to pour on the hot chili sauce...now we're talkin! damned good. The sweet potato fries are amazing too. i even started dipping them in the chili sauce, too. fucking good stuff, my friends. Highly recommended. And I know I sound like a broken record when I say this, but damn, those sandwiches would go down nicely with a couple o' icy cold ones, perhaps a couple bottles of San Miguel out on the patio. C'mon boys, let's get that beer and wine license in for the summer time.