Pad Thai

You told us about it, and we gave it a try! We immediately loved the enchanting atmosphere, and were welcomed with a kind and friendly owner, Omni, who owns the restaurant with her husband Melvin.

The restaurant opened in 2009 and until now was not Certified Kosher.  The owners were encouraged by their  close Jewish friend that told them if it was kosher he and his friends would come, and being in the heart of the kosher community,  “why not become kosher?” he said.  The owners looked into the RCC and officially moved forward with the Hechsher as of January 1, 2012.
We dined in on a Tuesday evening, ordering around 7:45pm.  We were initially shocked at how upscale the restaurant was inside while the menu prices were not as pricy as you would expect in a fine dining setting.  We were immediately served our choice of Thai ice teas and were also given complimentary waters with lemon.

There was one couple dining in when we arrived,  and shortly after a party of 3 came, following a nearly full dining room.

We ordered the Chicken Satay for a starter, we were very delighted with the good portion of chicken.  This starter came with a side of peanut sauce and cucumber salad to top the chicken skewers.  Very unique and tasty.
Our soups came out with our starter, as requested.   The Coconut Soup,  had a very exotic taste and was very fresh. The mushrooms really complimented the soup.
The Wanton soup was very different compared to the Coconut soup, it had ground chicken and vegetables, we felt like it was perfectly flavored and seasoned.

Next, we were served “Yum Nueh”, a Spicy Beef salad.  Again we noticed the generous meat portioning.  The salad came already tossed with their unique homemade dressing.   The meat was very soft, and cooked just right.   The dish had a little bit of a spicy kick to it, which can be modified if you request.

As an entree, we went with “Beef Gra-Prow”, Basil Beef.  This was recommended by the owner as a popular dish.   The Basil Beef had a nice twist, served with other vegetables.

Another entree we ordered was a traditional Thai dish, “Pad Thai”.  This was one of our favorites of the evening. It was flavored in tamarind sauce and had a sweet and spicy feel to it.

We also ordered “Ga-Ree Gai”, a Yellow curry.  We were very pleased with this dish, and how tender the chicken was.  Our potatoes were served a bit undercooked, and we were very impressed by the way it was handled by the owner.  Omni apologized, and offered to bring out a new dish, or cook the potatoes longer.  She also made us feel like we were important, and most of all she made us feel comfortable.  This is definitely a restaurants biggest strength when they are able to address complaints with kindness, professionalism, and leave us customers feeling happy.

For dessert, we ended the night with Fried Bananas. This was served in fried egg-rolls with coconut ice cream on the side, topped lightlywith  caramel dressing.  This really hit the spot for both of us, it was absolutely delicious.

Fried Banana Dessert

We are confident that if you aren’t a Thai food person, you will reconsider after dining here.

We give this restaurant an A+ all around: for service, ambiance, and food (Taste and Presentation!).
Price Range:  Minimum $15-25 per person, with a wide range depending on if you are just an entree person or a starter, soup, salad, and entree person. The Thai ice tea was definitely worth the $3.

Thai Tea $3 each
Chicken satay $11
Coconut soup $7
Wanton soup $7
Spicy beef salad $15
Basil beef $16
Pad Thai $13
Yellow curry chicken $14
Fried Banana with coconut ice cream $7

Check this place out!  We are positive you will love it!

Owners: Omni an Melvin
Beverly Hills Thai
9036 Burton Way
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
310.288.4321

Beverly Hills Thai

Thai Ice tea

Chicken Satay Starter

Wanton Soup

Spicy Beef Salad "Yum Nueh"

Yellow Curry with Chicken "Ga-Ree Gai"

Basil Beef "Beef Gra-Prow"

Basil & Berry - Still in the works.

The store will feature three double machines that will carry the most amazing Berri Good Cholov Yisroel Gelato and frozen yogurt, which will be self serve and by weight. In addition to that the shop will make Italian pizza with thin crust dough and will feature gluten free pizza. The shop will be Cholov Yisroel under Kehilla Kosher with a Mashgiach onsite, and will be Pas Yisroel, and Kemach Yashon. MyKosherLA.com will keep you posted about the anticipated opening of this new and amazing kosher business.
Basil & Berry Facebook Page
BasilAndBerry.com
Basil & Berry
8946 West Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 484-9978

Planet Raw

Kosher foodies have a new option in downtown Santa Monica. Raw foods restaurant Planet Raw recently adopted kosher certification by KosherVeganRaw.com, which oversees the vegan and raw foods industry.

Planet Raw owner Juliano Brotman, a chef to stars such as Natalie Portman and Demi Moore, says he had been considering kosher certification for some time. He contacted Kosher Vegan Raw after the restaurant’s manager, Taylor Smith, said that “she was disappointed at how many kosher customers she had to turn away,” Brotman said.

The restaurant, with offerings that include Truffle Heirloom Bruschetta, Medicinal Salad and Cheezy Kelp Pasta, received its kosher certification on Oct. 6.

R’ Uziel Moses, kashrut administrator and co-founder of (KVR) Kosher Vegan Raw, said certifying the restaurant was easy.

Planet Raw uses no dairy or meat, and because they do not cook their food or use fire, there is no issue with bishul akum, a rule that forbids eating certain foods cooked entirely by non-Jews.

The raw food movement has gained in popularity over the past decade, with its devotees adhering to a diet consisting of “living foods” — uncooked, unheated, unprocessed and often sprouted plant foods — according to Alyse Levine, a registered dietitian in Los Angeles.

Brotman moved Planet Raw to Santa Monica 10 years ago, relocating from San Francisco, where he first opened the restaurant with his sister in 1990.

Looking to the future, Brotman says plans for his newly kashered restaurant could even include a Passover seder.

BY RACHEL DAVIDSON
JewishJournal.com

Kosher subway

It started with Kosher Subway’s next door neighbor YOGO ( a frozen yogurt shop that served pretty bad frozen yogurt, started as Cholov Israel, went Cholov Stam, and closed it’s doors 2 months ago), and continued with waking up this morning to see the following status on Facebook from Kenny Lowenstein, a friend, and a former mashgiach of Kosher Subway:

“Baruch Dayan Emes Kosher Subway on pico blvd which opened nearly 5 years ago decided too close its doors. I had the honor of being its Head Mashgiach for 2 + years. sadly the profits started too decrease and we never recovered. Kosher Subway improved with its customer service and cleanliness. Many customers questioned the portioning of meats but that was subways rules 5 ounces on a ft long sandwich. 2.5 ounces on a 6inch sub.. I would personally like too thank its Owner Jon whom employed me through Kehilla Kosher. You were the most straight forward person/boss that i’ve ever worked for i’m sorry things didint work out and wish you much luck with all of your endeavors. For the entire Los Angeles Community support you kosher places you never know what can happen..

Have a great Week too come Shavuah Tov
fondly and sadly,
former mashgiach of Kosher Subway kenneth/kalman tzvi lowenstein”
8 hours later Kenny continued and posted the following status to make it official:

“Glatt Kosher Subway located 8948 west pico blvd has Closed its doors Permanently until further notice. Shocked that we weren’t given any type of notice. Serving the Pico Community for approx 5 years Kosher Subway was known for its
great prices. Subway was not like Pico Kosher Deli nor JEffs and never wanted that role. The idea of Subway was too inform you what you were eating and especially if you were counting calories or dieting. Kosher Food was and has always been a major expense for kosher establishments and thankfully the Community has so much competition going on that i honestly believed that Kosher Subway would outlast due too its seriously lower prices affordable prices. I was wrong!!! IF Anyone has the Capitol and is interested in acquiring Kosher subway on Pico send me an email lowenstein27@gmail.com and i will forward it. This establishment can reopen and be better than ever there is so much potential. Until then i will be back on the job market.. I know Hashem has always had an ultimate plan for us and i’ve never lost faith… GAM ZU LE TOVA”

We agree with Kenny “This too is for the best” and we want to wish all the parties involved lots of success in whatever it is they do next.

LA Burger bar

On Wilshire, a Shawarma place by the name ‘Chapa Grill‘  went Glatt Kosher with U.S Kosher Supervision under Rabbi Dr. Yehuda Bukspan.  Prices are great for a Glatt kosher place and everything looks fresh and clean, and they make their Hummus in house.  My Kosher LA readers get 15% OFF THE DINNER MENU EVERYDAY FROM 4:00PM TO 9:00PM.
Print and enjoy, and don’t forget where you seen it first, spread the word and be well.  Love always…

Chapa Grill

Pico Robertson is now for sure a kosher heaven. Now we have MexiKosher, a Kosher Mexican restaurant. My wife always dreamed about it, and it looks like her prayers have been answered. The owner Katsuji Tanabe, previously worked as a chef at Shilo’s Steakhouse. Katsuji is half Japanese and half Mexican which is definitely a very interesting mix, and therefore the food is very creative.

So go there and tell them where you heard about them first, like them on Facebook and you’ll get 20% off your bill. Enjoy…

The Cask LA

8616 W Pico Blvd.
Los Angeles, Ca
90035
P: 310-205-9008
F: 310-205-9010

Hours
Monday-Thursday
10:00am to 8:00pm
Friday
8:00am-4:00pm
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
11:00am-6:00pm