Jonathan Gold finds Travis Lett's izakaya MTN to be Peak Venice — and pretty Japanese too

The chef behind Gjelina and Gjusta makes ramen and other Japanese dishes at this Venice restaurant. There's lots of craft beer and sake, of course, and lovely vegetables. Vegans won't feel left out.

Jonathan Gold • Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2018

Is there a more Venice restaurant than MTN, the throbbing izakaya on Abbot Kinney? Well yes, there’s Travis Lett’s other restaurant Gjelina, a few steps south, but MTN — pronounced Mountain — is pretty close, a welter of man buns and chunky...

The full article can be read on the Los Angeles Times website.

Local. Healthy Tapas & Sake in Costa Mesa Serves Vegan…Ramen?!

Edwin Goei • OC Weekly • June 10, 2016

Right now, after reading the title of this post, you might be thinking, “Is vegan Japanese food even possible? How can sashimi be sashimi without the fish, and what’s ramen without the fatty pork broth?” Yes, Virginia, it’s possible. Vegan ramen...

Review: At Blackship in West Hollywood, an uneven take on Japanese-Italian cooking

Patricia Escárcega • Los Angeles Times • February 7, 2019

The carbonara ramen tells you much of what you need to know about Blackship, a new Japanese-Italian restaurant tucked below the Sunset Strip. It’s a ramen bowl that’s had its DNA spliced with the classic Roman pasta: A snowbank of Parmesan cheese...

10 Essential Fountain Valley Restaurants

Edwin Goei • OC Weekly • March 21, 2014

If you've not noticed, the reason Fountain Valley's been buzzed about lately is because of donuts. There's Afters, which blew everyone's mind with their ice cream-stuffed donuts. And then there's The Donut Bar, which will do the same crazy...

Jonathan Gold's 10 best dishes of 2015

Jonathan Gold • Los Angeles Times • December 11, 2015

A decade or two from now, when line-caught sea bass will seem as rare and unobtainable as sturgeon caviar is now, drive-through windows sell more lentil bowls than cheeseburgers and we have gotten used to the idea of Taylor Swift as the governor...

The Tsujita brings its intense ramen bowls to Glendale

Jonathan Gold • Los Angeles Times • January 27, 2017

Have you, by chance, tasted tonkotsu ramen? Because the Kyushu-style noodles may be at their peak in Los Angeles at the moment: thin, straight noodles served in a pork broth of maximum intensity. Tonkotsu ramen is often layered with slices of soft...