Restaurant Noctunes XIV - Video

This internet chef does not live by publishing recipes alone. Nighttime photography is also my thing. Give me a tripod, a digital still camera, four wheels and a quarter tank of gas, and I'm ready to hit the neon lit streets of Los Angeles. My Restaurant Nocturne Series is half art and half food blogging. As dust approaches, I usually have a handwritten list of about four or five restaurant destinations. On most outings I'm lucky to shoot two or three. That's the way it goes.

I go to a dining destination and it may have a bunch of cars blocking my view, or it's a slow night and nobody is eating out there. I gotta have some people entering or leaving the restaurant I am shooting, or there is no Restaurant Nocturne; I'll pack up and head to the next one on the list. Customers give scale and meaning to my nighttime photography; without them it's lifeless - that's the way I roll.

Rejected photo - will try again when there are less cars out front.

But it's all good. If I don't get it that night, I'll be back. Usually I can, at the very least, corral someone to recite the menu for my audio, either the maitre d' or, waiter or even a satisfied customer, and, sometimes if I'm lucky, the chef. And if nothing else, I know where to park next time, and I have the composition figured out, as with the photo of Night + Market Song above.

Sometimes it takes five minutes to shoot a Nocturne, sometimes I'm there for 45 minutes - all depends if and when people walk through the frame. I'm not a paparazzi (as I'm often mistaken to be) shooting celebrities out on the town.

Usually, I'm out front somewhere, on the sidewalk, or across the street with my tripod and camera. Sometimes the maitre d' will come out and shoo me away -- well, as long as I'm not on private property I can continue shooting the restaurant. Hey, I get it, I can see their point of view; customers are out to dine, not end up in someones photograph. That's the contradiction and controversy of street photography. I'm first and foremost an artist, so I have a bit of leeway - that's what I keep telling myself. (Although, when shooting in a mini-mall I am on private property, so I have to depend on the whims of security guards or parking attendants.) My final outcome is not to embarrass anyone or make the restaurant look bad. I'm just documenting Los Angeles's nocturnal dining scene, from street level.

Lately, I've been letting the appetizing audio have more time. I used to cram too many restaurant video clips into a typical Restaurant Nocturne, now I have fewer. But, I think it's important to let the menu audio breathe.

Fine dining in mini-malls, that's the way we roll in Los Angeles. For Restaurant Nocturnes XIV, most of the cafes I shot are located in grubby Los Angeles strip malls, from Hollywood to Koreatown, and Silverlake (except the last restaurant, Little Jewel.) I didn't plan it that way, it just happened. You'd be surprised at the quality of dining that's thriving in these nondescript tacky locales.

Why are ambitious and creative new restaurants popping up in mini-malls? Cheap rent, that's why.

Mini mall with Petit Trois & Trois Mec. Click on the photo to see full size.

A couple of the most hippest and written about eateries are next to a doughnut shop and dry cleaners, in the photo above. ABC's The Taste judge/mentor, Frenchman Ludo Lefebvre, opened two restaurants in the last year (along with partners, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal,) at a Hollywood mini-mall near the corner of Highland and Melrose Avenues.

As a contrast, across the street and down half a block is the eating emporium, and decked-out Mozza, helmed by Nancy Silverton (named 2014 Outstanding Chef by the James Beard Foundation,) in partnership with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

When you go to Ludo's Trois Mec down the street, just drive into the mini-mall with the donut shop -- and try finding it. There's no Trois Mec sign. The sign you are looking for is a pizza sign called  Raffallo's Pzza (sic) with a yellow "OPEN" arrow, that's your destination. Go figure. I think Ludo has a perverse sense of humor, and I like it! Controversially, he and his wife have instituted a prepaid, no-cancellation, reservation system, where you call 2 weeks ahead to get a seat. And you better call promptly when seats are released 8AM every other Friday morning, because they sell out in minutes.

That's Chef Ludo Lefebvre taking a cell phone break.

Ludo's menu there is cutting edge, changes constantly, and makes Top Ten lists in all the local food media. Just listen in to the entree ingredients in my video - Eggplant Mole with Charred Onion, anyone?

Right next door to Trois Mec is Chef Ludo's version of a Paris Bistro, Petit Trois, that serves the perfect omelette with Boursin cheese sauteed in lots of butter, and Steak Frittes with a well-curated glass of wine. And recently Petit Trois is serving fois gras, since a federal judge struck down California's ban on the duck liver delicacy. The menu changes and it's not listed online, so you have to drop in to see what French cuisine is being served this month. (It's funny, but while I was gathering the menu audio there, people kept entering Petit Trois asking for the location of Trois Mec. The waiter had a ready quip to send them on their way next door.) And Petit Trois has a legible and legitimate sign...under the previous owners Tasty Thai sign.

In Los Angeles's grooviest neighborhood of Silverlake is another mini-mall dining destination, Pho Cafe. Like Trois Mec there's no sign, just the deteriorating street address stenciled on it's window facade. But you know somethings going on here when the dining tables are full of fragrant steaming bowls, along with a chatty sidewalk queue out front.

Pho Cafe

 Pho (pronounced like fuh, or duh with an f) is a watery, but, deeply flavored beef broth with silky noodles topped with fresh herbs. There is a selection of meat to add, like: chicken, thin sliced beef, tendon and meatballs. The Pho Cafe is a bustling neighborhood hangout specializing in this Vietnamese specialty.

Next up is Saint Martha, named after the Patron Saint of cooks and servants. The restaurant actually has a sign! It's located in Koreatown on Western Avenue, in a two story strip mall, along with all types of Korean businesses and Oriental eateries.

The exterior may be 1960's blasé architecture, but the food at Saint Martha is Modern American cooking by Chef Nick Erven. Ingredients change with the seasons, so expect the unexpected. Saint Martha has been open only a few months, but it's already on many Top Ten Lists. And make sure to listen for the tasty sounding entrees in my video below.

You want cheap, well I got it here at Al Wazir Chicken. I love Middle Eastern rotisserie chicken. And at this no-nonsense eatery with formica decor, you get a whole chicken with pungent garlic sauce and pita bread for about $10. Now, my go-to rotisserie chicken is from Zankou Chicken, an LA dining institution down the street on Sunset Boulevard, but as a backup, this is a fine substitution.

It's in my old neighborhood of Little Armenia on Hollywood Boulevard and Gower Street, and, of course, it's in a mini-mall (where I used to get my prescriptions filled in an upstairs Farmacy - since closed.) Loaded Shawerma Pita Sandwiches of marinated slow cooked chicken, beef and lamb, go for $4-$6. And there are Middle Eastern vegetarian sides of Hummas, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Baba Ghannouj and Tabouleh.

Anytime a Cajun eatery opens I'm there. And Little Jewel is my type of dining joint. The final Restaurant Nocturne is not located in a mini-mall, but is in Chinatown?!! Well, that's no big deal, located right down the street is the originator of the French Dip sandwich, Philippe the Original.

That's Chef Marcus coming to chat with the Nocturnal Internet Chef

I went to high school in Louisiana so I am well versed in small, neighborhood markets and gas stations with a sandwich deli in the back. This is the real thing and Chef Marcus Christiana-Beniger stocks the market with all manner of hot sauce and Creole seasoning, pickled veggies, Zapp's Potato Chips, Camellia Beans, Community and Cafe du Monde Coffees, and even packages of ramen for the locals. He know his stuff, as he was born, raised and worked in restaurants all around New Orleans.

But, it's really all about authentic Cajun food here. Marcus concentrates on over-stuffed Po' boy Sandwiches, but he's expanding the menu with daily specials that include: Gumbo, Jambalaya, and other Cajun delicacies. He also cures and smokes sausages over pecan wood, in the back, like: Boudin, Andouille, Chaurice, Hot Sausage and Tasso.

The Po' boy menu is expansive with fried Oysters, Shrimp, slow-cooked Pork and Beef with Debris Gravy. Chef Marcus is Italian, so, of course, he makes a mean Muffuletta Sandwich, which is a stacked Cajun/Italian coldcut deli sandwich smeared with a house-made olive salad. He uses Leidenheimer, a New Orleans French bread, for his sandwiches. To quote Marcus: "And quite honestly, I would not have done this place if I couldn't have got that bread."

Be sure to listen to our colorfully profane, wacky chat, while I was shooting Little Jewel in Chinatown. Marcus drops a few f-bombs, but it's all in good humor.

Well, that's enough blathering, so check out my informative, fun, and coolly shot Restaurant Nocturne XIV. (I have a list of the restaurants with a link, after the video; just click on a name to see their website, with all the menu details and updates, their address, and contact info.)

Restaurant Nocturnes XIV - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 7 minutes, 46 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Restaurants in order of appearance - click on name to see website or reviews:

1. Petit Trois,  2. Trois Mec,  3. Pho Cafe,  4. Saint Martha, 

5. Al Wazir Chicken,  6. Little Jewel

To see more Restaurant Nocturnes, just click on any name below:

Restaurant Nocturnes I, Restaurant Nocturnes II, Restaurant Nocturnes III, Restaurant Nocturnes IV, Restaurant Nocturnes V, Restaurant Nocturnes VI, Restaurant Nocturnes VII, Restaurant Nocturnes VIII, Restaurant Nocturnes IX, Restaurant Nocturnes X, Restaurant Nocturnes XI, Restaurant Nocturnes XII. Restaurant Nocturnes XIII.

Soul Burgers - Restaurant Nocturne

This Nocturnal Nosher is back to his old street photography habits. For the last month I've been revisiting past Nocturne videos, as well as shooting new footage for another Restaurant Nocturnes.

The tamales here are fantastic, so moist and loaded with filling, cheap too.

It's been over a year since I've assembled a fresh one. If you are unfamiliar with my photo/video series, it's basically a short video of a restaurant facade taken at night (when everything looks cool and mysterious,) that I then add audio of some menu highlights. Just click here to see the last one I created, Restaurant Nocturnes XIII.

Some new Restaurant Nocturnes are coming soon, including 2 from ABC host of The Taste, Ludo Lefebvre: Trois Mec and Petite Trois. For being a sex symbol to all the female foodies out there (and some males, too) Top Chef Ludo's restaurant exteriors are decidedly unromantic. Trois Mec has no up-to-date billboard; only the original Raffallo's Pzza (sic) signage and an "OPEN" arrow. Just go to the address and walk in, that is, if you have a reservation that must be made two weeks ahead! And you cannot cancel the reservation either, not that you want to bailout of the hottest restaurant destination in town.

That's Chef Ludo taking a cell phone break, above.

When I first started the series 6 years ago, I really crammed-in too much, almost 25 eateries per video! To keep the video around 7 minutes, I barely had 15 seconds to spend on each one. That meant a truncated audio of the menu selects. Well those days are over. Now, I'm dedicating plenty of time for you to hear the luscious entrees of each restaurant. What's the rush anyway? I think it had to do with being too attached to the photo/video side of this series, and giving the audio short shrift.

Well, it exciting getting back into nighttime photography. There has been a lot of new dining destinations over the last year. I don't know how the average foodie blogger and newspaper restaurant reviewer keeps up with the LA food scene. I manage to keep my whisk in it - not too deep, but if you hang out here, you'll get a nice thumbnail of night noshing around town.

Of course, it's not all about the latest, hippest, or most talked about hot spot. A Top 9 Nocturne for me is not even open any more; it was called Soul Burgers.

Located right across from the Hollywood Park Racetrack (also since closed) in an Inglewood strip mall. These really were some of the best burgers in town. So unusual too -- who would believe you could dress a burger with cooked collard greens, pureed yams and turkey dressing, and it would be that dang good. But tasting is believing. When you bite into a James Brown Soul Burger your taste buds will shout and do the splits! Just listen in as Chef Toni testifies (she's the owner and a former Barry White backup singer) -- you'll become a turkey burger believer. What I like most about this Restaurant Nocturne is Chef Toni's enthusiastically entertaining menu description - just watch it below, with your computer speaker volume turned way up.



I'm working on Restaurant Nocturne XIV over the Christmas holidays, so do check back for the most unique and cool nighttime food series around.

Restaurants Nocturnes XII

The Alley Cat Chef has picked the lock of his kitchen cage with a car key and is cruising Los Angeles streets again -- for Restaurant Nocturnes XII. This Chef does not live for recipes alone, and when the moonlit street beckons, I set aside my whisk and pick up a camera. 

My newest video compilation lets you in on the menu specials and nightly comings and goings at a tasty dozen restaurants, from  the Brite Spot in Echo Park, to the 1950s Googie architecture treasure Pann's, to the neo-Latin cuisine at innovator John Sedar's Playa in West Hollywood, to the beloved but endangered Henry's, a classic old school Mex/American taco joint in the Valley.

It's a fascinating tour of LA's dining scene after dark, shot with a digital still camera and turned into a time-lapse video clip suitable for framing, and after the video, the Considerate Chef gives you links to read all about the featured restaurants.

Looking to hang with hipsters on Harleys? Check out the recently refurbished Brite Spot coffee shop on Sunset Boulevard in Echo Park. I liked it when it was cheap, with coffee-stained carpets. Now there are Brussels sprouts in the breakfast potato hash, and eggs scrambles go for 10+ bucks. But the food is good, and if you've just spilled out of the nearby  Echoplex alt.music club at 2 a.m., the revamped Brite Spot is a much more appealing place to to take a date to rather than a taco truck down the street.

Heading west toward Silverlake, you'll find the new Cortez restaurant just off Sunset at Allison Boulevard. Opened in October by Marta Teegan and Robert Stelzner, the owners of Cookbook, Echo Park's sustainable market , Cortez serves seasonal farmer's market-sourced cuisine. (Click here to read a recent review in L.A. Weekly.)  I dropped by on a weeknight at 6:30 p.m. to find three diners at the two communal tables, but customers began to arrive as I was shooting -- and by the time I folded up my tripod, half an hour later, the place was packed. Listen in as the honey-voiced hostess gives the Frugal Fotog a rundown of the enticing entrees, and you'll know why it's become a local favorite.

Another notable Nocturne is the L.A. classic Henry's Tacos, a Mex/American fast food joint on Moorpark Street in the Valley.  It may be over for them -- after 51 years, a landlord dispute led to this month's final closing announcement. But supporters have rallied for a brief stay of execution. Will Henry's survive -- maybe a new location down the street? The suspense is killing me, like their lauded and loaded Taco Burger!

The Googie-style coffee shop Pann's, on La Tijera Boulevard in South L.A, , with its glass walls and Space Age arrow roof, has been flipping pancakes for locals and architecture fanatics since 1958. It was recently named as one of the "10 Best Fried Chicken in Los Angeles" by the L.A. Weekly, and the food is as good as it ever was.

The San Francisco transplant Cafe Gratitude fits right in with the diet- and health-conscious crowd in thespian-centric Hollywood. The menu items at its Larchmont Boulevard location are all affirmations, as in: I AM DAZZLING, a Caesar Salad with romaine lettuce, avocado, Brazil nut parmesan and capers tossed with Caesar dressing; or I AM LIBERATED, a creamy hemp seed pesto pasta with kelp noodles, heirloom cherry tomatoes, green and Kalamata olives and  spinach topped with Brazil nut parmesan and fresh basil. Whew, I feel way better already, and all I did was photograph the place.

I finish up this 12th edition of Restaurant Nocturnes with the soothing wash of ocean waves at  Tony's, a classic  joint that has served seafood grilled, steamed or fried since the 1950s. Sure, it's located on the tourist-crowded Redondo Beach Pier, but it's not outrageously expensive, just in the $20 - $25 range for dinner, and you couldn't have a better seat to watch the sun go down while dining. For a cheaper time, belly up to the bar for nightly live music and a Happy Hour cocktail with an appetizer or one of  Tony's "Basket Items." I'll let the waitress fill you in on some tasty sounding aquatic entrees.

So, click on the play button below to take in the neon-lit eateries of Los Angeles with the Cruising Cuisiner as your guide. Best of all, you won't have to spend a cent for gas money.

Restaurant Nocturnes XII - VIDEO

Play it here. Video runs 7 minutes, 11 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Restaurants in order of appearance - click on name to see website or review:

1.Brite Spot     2.Cortez     3.Henry's Tacos
4.Steingarten LA    5.Pann's     6.Papilles Bistro
7. Mexicali     8.Dae Bok Korean Restaurant
9. Cafe Gratitude     10.Master Burger
11. Playa     12.Tony's

To see more Restaurant Nocturnes, just click on any name:

Restaurant Nocturnes I, Restaurant Nocturnes II, Restaurant Nocturnes III, Restaurant Nocturnes IV, Restaurant Nocturnes V, Restaurant Nocturnes VI, Restaurant Nocturnes VII, Restaurant Nocturnes VIII, Restaurant Nocturnes IX, Restaurant Nocturnes X, Restaurant Nocturnes XI.

5th Anniversary of Blogging - 2 Videos

What a wild 5 years it's been. And I've got 366 blog posts and over 130 food-themed videos to prove it. So check out the Culinary Cheap$kates video highlight reel below -- it's a feast for the eyes and ears, and it's just the icing on the cupcake. (And click on any color-coded name in the paragraphs below to see recipe links and/or video links.)

Play it here. Video runs 8 minutes, 20 seconds.

When I started The 99 Cent Chef five years ago food blogs with videos were just beginning to appear on the internet. Noticing how easy it was to upload videos, I decided to start my food blog. I've always followed television cooking shows: from The French Chef with Julia Child (I watched as a teenager,) to the unveiling of the Food Network. What I noticed lacking were tasty recipes cheap enough for anyone to make, presented with a bit of wit.

This Grinchy Chef does not live for recipes alone, heck that's no fun. I like to mix it up, so I delve into many food-related themes - my blog is a variety show for foodies. If you look on the right side of this blog and scroll down just a little bit, you'll see different groups of videos that are just a click away, including Recipes, Comedy, Restaurant Reviews, and Documentaries. Or you can go to YouTube and subscribe here to see all my videos.

My nephew Chef Zakk

There were no silver spoons on my dinner table growing up -- my mother was a waitress for some years and I was exposed to the working-class side of the restaurant business. Counting my Mom's tips after her shift, I grew up literally pinching pennies.

I like the challenge of creating scrumptious meals using inexpensive ingredients. And this blog is dedicated to working stiffs, struggling-to-pay-tuition students, retirees living on Social Security, and families (without health insurance) living on minimum wage. You can just get by and still eat well. I moved to Los Angeles when I turned 21, knowing nobody, and with only a few hundred bucks in my wallet -- so I learned how to stretch a dollar in the big city.

For my blog, I create appetizers, side dishes, and entrees with ingredients costing 99.99 cents or less, that I cull from 99c only Stores, ethnic markets, and regular grocery stores. I include fresh fruit and veggies in my recipes, too (that I get on sale for way less than a dollar per pound.) 

You won't find many recipes using beef, but I've created plenty of delicious entrees using economic chicken and pork. (Like my go-to recipe of French Cassoulet that combines roasting chicken with white beans - so good.) You won't go hungry reading The 99 Cent Chef food blog, and you'll be entertained along the way with playful prose, eye candy photos, and clever videos.

I began this just as the economy crashed -- then things started happening fast, and after 6 months I was a chintzy food expert on NBC's Nighty News and NPR Marketplace! You could say I was the flavor of the month to the media.

The Chintzy Chef & Brendan Francis Newnam of NPR radio

I've been steadily cranking out videos like a fast-food burger slinger - quick and tasty, like my one minute Coffee Comedy shorts; or sometimes it's a Wolvesmouth-like tasting menu involving 8 unique video small plates illustrating my trip to Seattle for a Public TV cooking segment (on the menu was a Thanksgiving side dish twist I called Stuffing Cupcakes.) You'll never know what I'll come up with, so do check back.

Stuffing Cupcakes with Cranberry Frosting & Gravy

I started this blog to make some fun food videos. They've got to be the most unique cuisine collection of video shorts on the internet: from a recipe for Pasta alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits, to a "Don't Eat and Drive" Public Service Announcement video; and food travelogs, including a search for a 99 cent Shrimp Cocktail in Las Vegas, and family vacations in Louisiana, chowing-down on Cajun cuisine (Alligator Po' Boy anyone?) to funny behind the scenes footage of my appearance on the Cooking Channels Food(ography). You won't see a more diverse and out-there personal cooking blog on the web.

Pasta alla Carbonara with Bacon Bits

As you can see I do more than just rattle pots and pans -- when I get out of the kitchen that's when the fun really begins. Living in Los Angeles, I get a thrill introducing my blog visitors to our melting pot food culture. You can check out my month long series of videos on the local exploding food truck scene, including the one that jump started it all, Kogi Taco Truck. I covered it's travels through the streets night and day. When chef Roy Choi added Korean BBQ onto a Mexican tortilla he created a culinary sensation, and an avalanche of unique food trucks followed. I still think Kogi Taco Truck is the top dog.

You wouldn't know it, but Los Angeles is fast becoming the Hot Dog Capital of the World. Well, I did another video series on some of my favorite temples to tube steak. There are Soul Dogs topped with yams and collard greens, and carts selling wieners made from heirloom, grass-fed and hormone-free, animals (check out my video on Let's Be Frank, here.)

But, I would say the epicenter is way out in the Valley, at Fabs Hot Dogs, located in an outdoor mall (wouldn't you know it.) The owner, Joe Fabrocini, travels throughout the country picking up regional recipes like the Kansas City Dog, Carolina Slaw Dog, New Jersey Ripper, and our own LA Street Dog. And he does them to perfection, including a Chicago Dog topped with neon green pickle relish -- and be sure to check out my radioactive reaction after ingesting one! And as a bonus, I shot a video recipe of bacon-wrapped LA Street Dog.

I live in South Los Angeles so you know I got the soul food angle covered. Check out the video of my favorite chintzy soul food restaurant Marilyn's Soul Food Express. And just down the street on Crenshaw Boulevard are the Pulitzer Prize food winner Jonathan Gold's recommended hot dogs at Earlez Grille. Rub elbows with the chefs, colorful customers, and the raconteur owner, Duane -- for hot dogz in the hood.

Just this year I introduced a unique way to present my cheap and delicious recipes -- using stop motion animation and time lapse photography. These short videos give you step-by-step instructions presented succinctly while retaining my clever and fun antics. (Plus, you don't have to look at my mug!) To see what I mean just click on the video compilation below:

A Year of Stop Motion Food Animation

Play it here. Video runs 2 minutes, 16 seconds.

My background is in art, film, video editing, and street photography. All these disciplines come together in my cinematic series, Restaurant Nocturnes. This Noir-Eyed Chef likes nothing better than cruising neon splashed nighttime Los Angeles streets and shooting restaurant facades -- this is when they look the coolest. And as a bonus, I collect audio menu descriptions for each one, so this series is groovy to look at, and you learn their culinary stance.

With 11 Restaurant Nocturnes under my belt, I've only scratched the Teflon surface of LA's dining scene. I compile a baker's dozen eateries in each Nocturne, and I include every kind of cafe: from Top Chef season 6 winner Michael Voltaggio's hip ink. restaurant on Melrose Avenue, to Chinatown's Hop Louie, a time capsule constructed in the 1940s.

I also started an anthropological series called First Bites. I'm shooting my now 2 1/2-year-old neighbor, Lola, tasting her first sushi California Roll, wheatgrass, asparagus, and many more ingredients. It's a hilarious series that I will be revisiting. 99 thanks to her parents Bob and Lori. I've also started shooting a Southern version called Miles First Cajun Bite, which includes tasting: crawfish, jambalaya, and cheese grits -- the kid not only eats it but wears it! Click on the titles above to see a sample of these too cute L 'Enfant Terribles.

Lola's First Bite

My food blog would be anemic without the contributions of family, friends, restaurants, and their staff. Anytime you see me in a video, there is someone helping me shoot it (especially Amy, Pete, and Bob) and I owe them 99 thanks. And it's so much better when I can get my Mom, sisters, and my young buck nephews, Chef Matt and Chef Zakk, on camera. They are fun to hang out with, plus they make look good.

Finally, thanks to all my blog visitors for your time and comments. Subscribe and keep coming back as I have a cupboard full of recipes, videos, and fun food ideas to share with you!

5th Anniversary Video YouTube link (to view full size) click here
One Year of Stop Motion Animation YouTube link click here

Restaurant Nocturnes IX - VIDEO

From hip to haute, and old school to ethnic, The 99 Cent Chef covers it all in his latest nighttime noshery survey, Restaurant Nocturnes IX. With more than 180 different restaurants photographed here during the last two years, this unique peek into L.A.'s evening victual ritual keeps getting better over time -- like fine (but inexpensive) California red wine.

Listen in as locals order their favorites; or to a Maitre d' listing menu highlights. And feast your eyes on a vibrant array of restaurant facades lit up in nocturnal neon as patrons busily come and go. Voyeurism has never been so appetizing!  Included here is a baker's dozen (13) L.A. restaurants captured on audio and video for you to peruse from the comfort of your computer chair.

Showcased is the coolest restaurant in West Los Angeles, ink., where tattooed owner/Chef du Cuisine Michael Voltaggio dabbles in molecular gastronomy. At ink, he serves an ever-evolving five-course tasting menu for $80  (the audio captured here is from early March). Grilled Monterey Squid,  Foie Gras, Skate Wing, Beef Cheek and Carrots on a bed of Coconut Ice with a Coffee/cardamon Soil, anyone?  Then again, sometimes all you want is something simple and satisfying and cheap, like a gooey bean and cheese burrito for $2.75 from Boyle Heights.  Check out the locals feasting at Al & Bea's, where they've been stuffing and folding burritos since 1966.

Koreatown offers the freakiest sashimi dishes in LA -- as in raw, alive, squirming tentacles of octopus! Don't worry, I won't test your gag reflex with footage of that, but you will hear the proprietor of Masan Agujjim boast about the superiority of Korean "live" sushi, over the Japanese use of frozen (then thawed) fish for their sashami. (Okay if you insist, here is a YouTube video of live sliced octopus being devoured, just click here -- obviously not for the squeamish.)

Masan Agujjim

After that, you''ll want to get back to familiar comfort food, and by that I mean soul food. I live in South LA, in Baldwin Hills, so I know the cuisine very well (be sure to watch one of my favorite local restaurant video reviews here.) Check out my 35- second video clip of the newest addition to our diverse neighborhood. A frequent guest on the Food Network, Chef Govind Armstrong (of Table 8 and 8 oz. Burger Bar) just opened Post & Beam - his updated spin on traditional African-American cooking. Listen in as the hostess describes lip-smacking entrees including: Braised Boneless Beef Short Ribs, Cast Iron Natural Chicken, and Black-eyed Peas with Sweet Potato.

Or, you can get the low-down as the window order-taker, from J & J's Burger and BBQ joint on West Adams Boulevard, name checks all their succulent smoked meat highlights.

So whether you're curious about dining destinations for Japanese noodles and curry rice in Downtown LA, or Persian shish kabobs on Westwood Boulevard, I have some tasty leads in the video below.

And as usual, I give you a list (in order of appearance) of the restaurants I shot, along with links to their websites -- if they don't have one, an online review link is provided. Just click on any restaurant name in my list below. And now, fasten your seat belt for the latest video by your midnight-rambling culinary local tour guide, The 99 Cent Chef.

Restaurant Nocturnes IX

Play it here. Video runs 8 minutes, 33 seconds.

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Restaurants in order of appearance - click on name to see link:

1. Al & Bea's     2. Baco Mercat      3. Diakokuya Ramen 

4. Flame Persian Cuisine    5. Tar & Roses    6. Fat Spoon    

7. Guisados    8. ink.    9. J & J Burger BBQ    10. Jerry's Famous Deli    

11. Masan Agujjim    12. Post & Beam    13. Mariscos Chente

To see more Restaurant Nocturnes, just click on a name:
Restaurant Nocturnes I, Restaurant Nocturnes II, Restaurant Nocturnes III, Restaurant Nocturnes IV, Restaurant Nocturnes V, Restaurant Nocturnes VI, Restaurant Nocturnes VII, Restaurant Nocturnes VIII.

Restaurant Nocturnes VII - VIDEO

Be a fly on the restaurant wall for Restaurant Nocturnes VII, by The 99 Cent Chef. Buzz around Los Angeles to see and hear, from the maitre d's, waiters and customers themselves, what's on the menu during nighttime grazing hours.

This moveable feast takes you from the latest hip downtown spot, Spice Table, for Grilled Lamb Belly Satay, and to South L.A. for the best down-home BBQ ribs, found at Phillips -- were you are served, literally, through a hole in the wall (okay, it's a sliding glass window). No cafe is too high-class or declasse for this culinary camera-sleuth. I like nothing better than turning a city block corner to discover a cool unheralded eatery like the neon-lit Mr. Ramen -- the name says it all.

Your ears will delight to waiters' descriptions of cutting-edge cuisine, as well as classic comfort food. You'll even eavesdrop on The 99 Cent Chef taking language lessons from a fraulein at Berlin Currywurst -- you just try pronouncing Scharfe Kasewurst sometime!

If you're a raw foodie, just listen to the gourmet goodies served at vegan restaurant Cru (where it's BYOB, with no corkage), in vegetarian friendly Silverlake. Or if it's a stacked, juicy, Roast Beef sandwich you crave, then rub the ghostly elbows of  F. Scott Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday or Lenny Bruce at the oldest deli on Sunset Boulevard, Greenblatt's, serving swells since 1926.

To have your sweet tooth satiated, make sure to stop for a Lemon Meringue slice at the House of Pies in Los Feliz -- and hear the waitress give a rundown of a dozen luscious confections.

So clear the table and let The 99 Cent Chef serve a 16 course video selection of the sights and sounds of Los Angeles nighttime gastronomy.

Restaurant Nocturnes VII - Video

Play it here. The video runs 4 minutes, 20 seconds.

Restaurants in order of appearance - click on a name to see their website (or review), along with my original Twitpic link.

1. The Spice Table - twitpic,  2. Phillips BBQ - twitpic
3. Liliana's Tamales - twitpic  4. Greenblatt's Deli - twitpic
5. Berlin Currywurst - twitpic  6. Cru Vegan - twitpic 
7. Damiano Mr. Pizza - twitpic  8. Mr. Ramen - twitpic
9. El 7 Mares - twitpic  10. Farfalla - twitpic 
11. Sun Ja Jang - twitpic  12. The Tasting Kitchen - twitpic
13. Harold & Belle's - twitpic  14. The House of Pies - twitpic
15. Little Dom's - twitpic  16. Lindy & Grundy - twitpic

To see more Restaurant Nocturnes, just click on a name:
Restaurant Nocturnes I, Restaurant Nocturnes II, Restaurant Nocturnes III, Restaurant Nocturnes IV, Restaurant Nocturnes V, Restaurant Nocturnes VI.

To view or embed from youtube, click here.
99 thanks to the restaurant owners, managers, hosts, chefs, waiters, bartenders, busboys (or girls) and patrons. 

Restaurant Nocturnes VI

Come cruising with the culinary cheapskate for a high-end Happy Hour of Wagu and Foi Gras Gyozas for $8 at Nobu in Beverly Hills, then all the way to East L.A. for a 50 cent charred meaty Carne Asada Taco at Zamora Meat Market and Restaurant. Fasten your seat belts -- here comes the latest chapter in Restaurant Nocturnes, the unique video excursion into the night-time world of Los Angeles dining, shot and compiled by The 99 Cent Chef.

Nobu

Want to check out the latest restaurant from Two Dudes Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo of Animal? I've got it here, with video of their nautical-themed seafood restaurant Son of a Gun, seemingly designed under the influence of bong water, plus an audio rundown of menu highlights. Next, listen in as A Frame's greeters give you the lowdown on that eatery's Redondo Beach Pier-inspired cuisine, which was created by Kogi Taco Truck mogul and Jame Beard Award winner Roy Choi. 

Mizu 212

If you're looking for socially responsible dining, head to Sawtelle Boulevard for Japanese-style Shabu-Shabu from Mizu 212 degrees. Listen in as the waitress describes the ingredients that go into a flavorful hot pot of broth, including organic veggies sourced from the Santa Monica Farmers Market, and slices of farm-raised beef, pork and lamb with no chemicals, hormones or antibiotics. You'll see steam and chop sticks flying as diners  swish around the healthy ingredients.

Hungry for an old school Pastrami Sandwich? Check this head-turning, neon-drenched, shot of The Hat in Alhambra. Or dine at The 101 Coffee Shop in Hollywood, where key scenes of the 1940's-influenced movie Swingers  were filmed.

And if you're looking for a cheap bite that has the L.A. Weekly's Pulitzer Prize-winning food writer Jonathan Gold's seal of approval , check out Ruen Pair, wedged into a strip mall on east Hollywood Boulevard -- it's one of his 2 a.m. stops for Thai cuisine. Or, if you are bored with L.A Times restaurant critic S. Irene Virbilia's same old, same old reviews of high-end Beverly Hills and Westside dining, then you must patronize Red Medicine on Wilshire Boulevard and give chef/owner Jordon Kahn a high five for escorting her out, but not before snapping her photo and splashing it online. Anonymity is so 20th century. I guess Chef Jordan could only take so many fork-in-the-back reviews of fellow fryers before he was compelled to yank the white table cloth away.

 Red Medicine

Hey, I empathize with Virbilia -- while shooting this series, I've been refused service by restaurant owners; given the third degree by Maitre d's, and shooed away by Beverly Hill cops called by the manager of Wolfgang Puck's Spago. You need a hide like beef jerky to operate in the restaurant business!

So check out my latest video tour of Los Angeles dining, where I go from cutting edge Vietnamese fusion to classic Korean BBQ -- from Papa Christo's Greek Lamb Sandwich on Pico Boulevard, and ending up with a boozy review of hip Beechwood in Marina Del Rey, whose kitchen is run by Top Chef contender, punkette Jamie Lauren.

In all, my Restaurant Nocturnes VI combines art and commerce. You'll see what each place looks like during the magical evening dining hours, and hear an audio description of some stand-out entrees. At the end of the post, I provide clickable links to the websites of each of the 18 featured restaurants - plus my original Twitpic photos, with their thumbnail restaurant descriptions.

Restaurant Nocturnes VI - Video

Play it here. The video runs 4 minutes, 21 seconds.

Restaurants in order of appearance - click on text to see their website (or review), and my original Twitpic link.

1. The Hat - twitpic,  2. Son of a Gun - twitpic
3. Ruen Pair - twitpic  4. Nobu - twitpic
5. A Frame - twitpic  6. La Tia - twitpic 
7. Mizu 212 - twitpic  8. Dear John's - twitpic
9. Red Medicine - twitpic  10. El Cochinito - twitpic 
11. The 101 Coffee Shop - twitpic  12. El Puerto Escondido - twitpic
13. Falafel Arax - twitpic  14. Huston's BBQ - twitpic
15. Papa Christo's - twitpic  16. Soot Bull Jeep - twitpic
17. Zamora Carnitas - twitpic  18. Beechwood - twitpic 

To see more Restaurant Nocturnes, just click on the name:
Restaurant Nocturnes I, Restaurant Nocturnes II, Restaurant Nocturnes III, Restaurant Nocturnes IV, Restaurant Nocturnes V.

To view or embed from youtube, click here.
99 thanks to the restaurant owners, managers, hosts, chefs, waiters, bartenders, busboys and patrons.