As a appreciative built-in of Los Angeles, I've spent abundant of my activity arduous out-of-towners who acknowledge assertive things as actuality "only in L.A." However, I accept that the new collective adventure by Houston Accommodation and chefs Noree Pla and Fern Kaewtathip of Luv2eat Thai Bistro — Black Rabbit Rose and Crying Tiger — is absolutely that.
Where abroad in the apple would addition dip in for a bowl of candied nam tok "waterfall beef" bao beginning with angle sauce, adore a caricatural abracadabra cabaret show, sip on the booziest accessible arrangement of a Thai algid tea, and get a tarot agenda account while cat-and-mouse for the restroom? And area abroad ability you be affably denied all of this Hollywoodness at the aperture because your snapback violates the dress code?
As is accessible to those of us who've had the advantage of accepting achromatic aural the around of Thai Boondocks and afterwards had an epiphany over absurd noodles at 3 a.m., Thai aliment is the official cuisine of Hollywood. Afterwards a continued night in this allotment of town, a appetite for pad kee mao bliss in like clockwork. While there are abundant late-night options acceptable abundant to break accessible accomplished aftermost alarm to augment us back we're at our worst, Black Rabbit Rose is the aboriginal of its kind. That's because Thai aliment is the amateur of the night, not aloof article to eat afterwards drinking.
This enactment absolutely caters to both needs, and there are two adventures to be had: basic takeout from the Crying Tiger window on Hudson Avenue and a comfortable banquet central Black Rabbit Rose's mysterious, almost lit lounge. Both are advantageous in their own ways, with affluence of assortment in their corresponding airheaded to babyish to every akin of Thai aliment enthusiast.
L.A. Weekly
You absolutely should accede Black Rabbit Rose for your abutting date night, as I don't apperceive a body who wouldn't be charmed by able cocktails, tableside abracadabra tricks and abstruse ambiance based on the abracadabra arts. Actuality you'll acquisition a abridged adaptation of the agenda accessible at Crying Tiger, with some of the takeout window's safe options, but it's abundant of a array to actualize a abundant meal. If you're a animal who loves food, you will anon approach to the tamarind orange chicken. And, yes, you should adjustment it, because clashing its arid boilerplate accessory it's not too sweet.
The garlicky craven shui mai may assume out of abode alfresco of a dim sum restaurant, but at caliginosity in the average of Hollywood they will still abandon as anon as the bowl acreage on your table — because chewy, afresh steamed, dank dumplings accomplish for absolute bubbler food. They may be commonly Chinese but they acclimate able-bodied to new surroundings. Clashing the ones you would accept off a cart, these adorable dumplings are abounding with arena craven and baptize chestnuts instead of the accepted pork and shrimp, and topped with absurd garlic rather than angle roe. In Thailand, by the way, they are alleged kanom jeeb and are not consistently affiliated with dim sum.
If a alive cocktail with your banquet makes your day as it does mine, you'll accept a acceptable time here. Try the Freddy Naff, fabricated with tamarind and whiskey, and the Siamese Twin, which will accomplish you appraise why you've never approved spiking a Thai algid tea with cognac. That said, I would advance acclimation alone a distinct cocktail and abrasion bottomward the blow of the meal with an ice-cold Singha. Best dishes do bend to the sweeter ancillary and would account from a few big squeezes of adhesive and acceptable dashes of angle sauce. Thus, aggregate goes bottomward easier with a beer.
Those of you with a candied tooth ability accept to drive bottomward to Bhan Kanom Thai ambrosia boutique for some pandan buns, because there are no desserts on the menu.
If timing works out, a adrift archimage ability appear to your table and briefly cruise you out with a agenda ambush while you're capacity your face. If your timing is not right, you'll accept to achieve for the real-life abracadabra that is artlessly actuality tended to by the kindest agents I've encountered in Hollywood, complete with a aperture guy who welcomes you with a smile and may ask how your night is activity so far. You will pay for this old-school hospitality, back there's an automated 20 percent alms added to your check.
Black Rabbit Rose interior
Anne Fishbein
If you don't affliction for any of this Hollywood abracadabra adorned actuality and aloof appetite some acceptable ancient room-temp Thai aliment out of clamshell containers to pig out on at home, again Crying Tiger may be the takeout window of your dreams. But don't appear in a hurry. The delay times can be inconsistent. On a weekday appointment at 10 p.m., the arena alfresco Crying Tiger could accept been a deleted arena from Trainspotting. In the accidentally continued 40 account it took to adapt my food, a dude propped up his haversack at a ledge abutting to the window (intended for adventurous diners to eat on) and acclimated the apparent to anatomize his cigarettes and cycle the best masterful, fattest spliffs I've seen.
The Crying Tiger window is amid advanced and centermost on Hollywood Boulevard, appropriate beyond the artery from the iconic Dolores Del Río mural, so there are affluence of things to accumulate you entertained while your aliment is actuality prepared, bold you don't appetite to ahem up $30 to bolt the alive abracadabra appearance at Black Rabbit Rose.
Crispy rice salad
Anne Fishbein
Once you assuredly get your food, you should do your best not to drive home foolishly (the aperitive smells ability allure you to become a avid acceleration demon). Best of the agenda items biking well, so you can drive safely. As for the ones that don't, such as the sun-dried absurd beef jerky, the agents will cut the corners of the takeout box so that its capacity can breathe and break crispy. The asperous rice in the brittle rice bloom is arranged alone from the blow of the larb-like agreement of absolute arena pork and acid vegetables, so you can mix it all up at home. It absolutely hits the spot, but it won't degrade Night Market's or Renu Nakorn's flavor-bomb versions. Same with Crying Tiger's afflict noodles with BBQ duck, which will coquette with your late-night appetite for the L.A. aboriginal at Sapp Coffee Boutique up the artery but will not amuse it. Both additionally accepted added adhesive abstract to adverse the kitchen's affection for sweetness. Luckily I had some in the fridge.
The above disappointment was Crying Tiger's much-hyped braised babyish squid with ink over rice (it's never fun to bite on a gladius — the plasticlike arrow central the squid that should alluringly be bankrupt out). But alike so, I could still see myself authoritative a pit stop actuality for some tamarind orange craven and brittle rice afterwards an Anti-Flag appearance at the Troubadour.
BLACK RABBIT ROSE | Two stars | 1719 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood | (323) 461-1464 | blackrabbitrose.com | Dinner: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 3-10 p.m. | Appetizers: $5-$11; entrees: $9-$12 | Full bar | Valet and artery parking
CRYING TIGER | Two stars | 1721 N. Hudson Ave., Hollywood | cryingtigerla.com | Takeout only: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Sun., 3-10 p.m. | Appetizers: $5-$11; entrees: $9-$12
Following the September abandonment of restaurant analyzer Besha Rodell, L.A. Weekly is publishing reviews from a cardinal of voices. Javier Cabral has been autograph about food, including for L.A. Weekly, back he was 16. His assignment has appeared in Saveur, Los Angeles Magazine, the L.A. Times and Vice.
