Quick Meals Around L.A.: Tart, New Moon, Mishima

Last Friday after Happy Hour at Monsieur Marcel and a round of shopping at the Grove, we headed over to Tart at the Farmer’s Daughter for dinner. I’ve always wanted to check out this cute restaurant for their Southern-inspired menu. I really wanted fried chicken but they were out of the meal. They did however have the fried chicken salad which my friend had. I decided to go for the creole paella.

Then they told me they were out of scallops. I made sure to ask if they were adding more seafood to the dish to make up for the lack. This meant a lot of shrimp. Like, A LOT. I happily ate it all because really, the Minty can’t pass up seafood. I will just try not to think about that one shrimp that doesn’t seem to be entirely cleaned…

I wasn’t feeling well this weekend (damn allergies, damn LA crazy weather!) so I opted not to drink. Probably a good idea as their idea of a cocktail meant booze, mixer and ice. Not bad, mind you, but I got over the sugary sweet mixed drinks a few years after college (see! I didn’t say IN college). However, their iced tea was amazing and I don’t say that very often about iced tea.

Tart at the Farmer’s Daughter

115 S. Fairfax Av
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-3930

In my Lunch’r profile on Midtown Lunch, I complained about Americanized Chinese food. Yet, I found  myself drawn inexorably to New Moon. I know the both the Montrose and DTLA locations are popular. I figured it must be popular because it’s cheap. Well, when I walked into the DTLA location, I discovered they didn’t seem to have lunch specials. Hm. All right, let’s go for it. We ordered a large hot and sour soup, two entrees and a noodle dish as well as brown rice. Let’s just say we ended up with enough for food for two days. However, it was still not your cheapest lunch.

After our brown soup, we had more brown dishes. First up was the velvet chicken which for some reason, I thought would be not a typical brown sauce dish (soy + cornstarch sauce). It was good but the fish with black bean sauce was better.

I am not generally fond of large flat rice noodles but I went with the flow and we got this with shrimp. It turned out to be the freshest shrimp and quite a nice dish.

Overall, I wouldn’t get the hot and sour soup again as the tofu was limp and flavorless. Perhaps I might try the wor wonton or the corn but why bother when there’s mains to be considered? We had thought about the appetizer platter but the Hong Kong dim sum eggroll lover in me refused to order the “NY” monstrosities known as eggrolls.

Despite it being Americanized, I probably would go back for this Chinese food as I still haven’t found a decent place near my office. I’m trying Uncle John’s Cafe new location on Grand next to see who does better in the “brown sauce Chinese food” category.

New Moon

112 W 9th St # 102, Los Angeles, CA 90015

(213) 624-0186

 

 

It was one of those nights. We had a big lunch at  Hungry Cat and trying to figure out something to eat for dinner was problematic. Nothing was appealing except “Asian.” Specifically, I started craving ramen. I thought we could go to the new ramen/ robata place on 3rd but it turned out to be closed on Sundays. So our next brilliant move was to go to Mishima. I hadn’t been in a few years but remembered the simple good food and packed parking lot. Whether it was later in the evening or because it was still the holidays, we pulled in and were able to get a table quickly.

My dining companion got the tempura don with hot soba noodles. It turned out to be a lot of food.

I ordered the Yosenabe which is a big seafood soup. Working through the bowl with some rice felt homey, rustic and what I needed after a multi-course lunch earlier that day.

Mishima

8474 W 3rd St # 108
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4142
(323) 782-0181