Sushi Zo

Zo is for sushi adventurers. It is for those willing to eat anything the chef offers and for however long the chef decides to slice fish for you. I ate at Zo with three veterans who made very clear that our visit was the longest and most varied feeding they’d experienced. They also made clear that I was to keep my mouth shut—save for stuffing in glistening pieces of every kind of fish imaginable—when the waitress asked us our preferences. Like Sasabune on the Upper East Side that brags a serious sushi chef, there is no menu. There are no choices. The waitress will ask about food allergies, but it’s better to come with people who are unscathed by such predicaments; for you will be rewarded with five types of toro, ama-ebi, amberjack, anago, ankimo, abalone, giant clam, ikura, uni, and many more.

Apple Pan

LA may be known for their sushi and their fresh, organic cuisine, but they’ve got some serious burgers out there, too. My favorite was at Apple Pan, a relic that hasn’t changed anything since it opened in 1947. The wallpaper is red plaid and the layout consists of one U-shaped bar with red bar seats bolted to the ground—no crowding—that surrounds a central griddle/food prep area where two people assemble burgers and man the deep fryer.

Here, you must order everything as is on the menu, no substitutes. The man who took our order looked like he’d been taking burger orders at Apple Pan for quite some time and didn’t seem like a special requests kind of guy. Go for the hickory burger: a toasted bun painted with mayo, topped with an ample amount of iceburg, then burger patty, cheese, and then topped with their special hickory sauce. The lettuce is key. It keeps the whole thing crunchy as the hickory sauce seeps to all layers. The patty is thin but flavorful, and combined with the sauce, there’s no doubt about its big flavor.

The burger comes wrapped in parchment paper; no plate so as to facilitate gobbling the burger as fast and efficiently as possible. Fries come on a plate and I suggest ordering themsince they arrive in a jiffy and will save you from reaching over to your neighbor and stealing his burger. You can ask for your fries well done here, which means they’ll leave them to soak up even more oil in the deep fryer.

A girl who was with me ordered a tuna melt claiming that it was fantastic here. She ordered hers on rye with cheddar cheese. The only non-burger on the menu, I was skeptical until I took a bite and decided that this was a legit thing to order if for whatever reason you may be in a non-burger mood at Apple Pan.

However, if that’s the case, I suggest just going straight to the apple pie, which comes à la mode. It tastes great after wolfing down piping hot greasy meat, but it probably is just as good if eaten solo. The cool milky ice cream and the warm, soft apples make for a sublime combination.

Come in late night and have a full Apple Pan meal and you are sure to get a very good night of sleep.

Malibu Seafood

After I came to understand that’s it’s sunny every day in LA, I realized that you could truly have the perfect afternoon anytime you want by hopping on the Pacific Coast Highway and driving to Malibu Seafood. There are three sections of fried options at Malibu Seafood—the fish shack located along the PCH that serves up the tastiest lunch along the beach. Only after you finish reading about a la carte fried oysters and clam strips, shrimp sandwiches, and fish and chips should you then consider checking out the grilled options such as the squid steak sandwich and the ahi tuna. It’s all wonderful, but there is something truly spectacular about dining at picnic tables from little red and white cartons, eating with your hands a myriad of crispy fried fish as the sea breeze wisps across your back. It sounds like a dream, but it’s the exact reality at Malibu Seafood.Your lunch can even be flanked by a swim in the ocean or a hike into the canyons that serve as a backdrop for the whole occasion.