Arclight Movie Theater
The Arclight movie theater houses the Cinerama Dome. They recently rennovated and they have done a great job of updaing the sound and picture so it's a great place to catch an event movie. The drawback of the Cinerama Dome theater (as opposed to the rest of the theaters in the Arclight multiplex) is that it has the very curved screen designed for the Cinerama projectors designed in the late 50's. So if you are sitting on the sides, the image gets rather distorted, but this is where you take advantageof the reserved seating and make sure you buy seats towards the center of the theater.
Din Tai Fung Restaurant Inc
One of the wonders of living in LA is to go to some truly unusual restaurants that serve foods that you will not get anywhere else. Now dumplings are not that rare, but a restaurant that specializes in dumplings, and dumplings that are this good, is incredibly rare. They are veggie friendly but their juicy pork dumplings are absolutely the best.
Antique Car Wash
This is a good car wash that has people hand wash you car instead of machines, so generally (if they are not too crowded) you get a very good cleaning. The prices differ depending on the day of the week with mid week days having specials. They have an interesting tipping policy where you put the tip in a tip box instead of giving it to the last guy who hands you your car back. Those tips are then shared with all the workers at the end of the day.
County of LA Page Museum
This is one of those places that is unique to Los Angeles since most other cities don't sit on tar pits. The excavations that they have done are wonderfully represented in the museum. They did not have many interactive exhibits but one of the most memeorable ones is a plunger that is put in a bucket of tar and when you try to move it you instantly understand what it was like for the sabre tooths that got trapped in the tar pits. Overall it makes for a very pleasant and educational afternoon!
Ichiban
Ichiban would be an average Japanese restaurant if it weren't for its amazing prices on sushi. Their sushi is good but it costs half as much as most other places. (Note that's only for the sushi, not the rolls) so it's a great place to go to stuff yourself. Their other Japanese fare like Teryaki chicken is good too and they usually have good service. They also do take out orders.
Soup Plantation
Soup and salad seem to be just side dishes but at Souplantation you see how they can make a great meal. Their chicken noodle soup with actual strips of chicken is great and the wide variety of salad ingredients at the salad bar are also wonderful (as well as some pre-prepared salads like Chinese chicken salad). With the addition of a few extras like freshly baked bread and some nice desserts (including ice cream) Souplantation is a great place to go for lunch or dinner. Since it is "all you can eat" bring your appetite.
Zankou Chicken
Zankou Chicken specializes in broiled chicken done in a middle eastern style. They also have Shawerma and falafels, but it is the chicken where they excel. You can get a whole broiled chicken, parts, or a sandwich. The prices are amazingly good especially when you get the whole chicken. Finally don't forget to get extra garlic sauce. That is really what makes their chicken taste amazing!!!
Lawry's The Prime Rib
I am not sure if anyone has yet to hear about Lawry's prime rib, but if you have not been there yet go as soon as possible. It is the best prime rib that I have ever had. The menu is limited but you do get a choice of creamed spinach and creamed corn when you order the prime rib and I have been partial to the creamed corn. Half the restaurant is available for walk-ins without reservation, but if you are going on the weekend I highly recommend reservations.
Moun-Of-Tunis Restaurant
You order from pre set menus depending on how many courses you want and whether you want chicken or lamb. You eat with your hands with the aid of some wonderful bread. From the salads to the desserts they do a wonderful job on all the food and the mint tea at the end. They have special rooms for parties which are very convenient. The final thing that puts this restaurant over the top is the belly dancing. All of this does not come cheap, but you will feel that you got your money's worth. The restaurant is a bit back set from Sunset and it is not immediately obvious so be careful not to miss it by driving too quickly. They have valet parking which is a great plus.
House Of Vege
There are two types of vegetarian food, the kind that doesn't pretend that it's meat and the kind that does pretend to it's meat. The masters of the latter are House of Vegge. You will swear that you are eating chicken or pork but everything is made from a wide variety of vegetables including favorites like sweet and sour pork. Whether you are a vegetarian or not, this is a great restaurant to go to.
