You can mix and match fishies from a wide selection of favorite brands like Matiz and José Gourmet, along with Clarke’s curated selection of cheeses and smart snacks from Herrick (don’t sleep on the chips and dip, which is essentially Herrick’s superlative version of onion dip). Therefore, I’m more than a little obsessed with Kippered, the cozy months-old tinned fish and sparkling wine bar from Lydia Clarke and Reed Herrick of DTLA Cheese. There are few things I enjoy more than a snack dinner - especially when said snack dinner involves tinned fish and cheese.

Warm buttered cockles at Kippered in Downtown. Nicole Adlman Ribeye pad krapow at Krapow Kitchen in Culver City 3014 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles. Go to Guelaguetza for everything it is known for, but don’t forget to order the tres leches (whole cakes can be ordered in advance). We all finished the cake in wonder - wondering, primarily, how we had not ordered it here before. The cake itself is soaked and sweetened by condensed milk (among others), the whipped frosting so light and creamy it could have been dessert on its own. But its flavor is what floored us - it may be the best tres leches in Los Angeles.

This cake had depth in size and texture, worthy on its own as a birthday or celebration centerpiece. But we had already pre-ordered a full-sized tres leches cake to share, which landed on the table ceremoniously, strewn with fresh flowers and ripe fruit. Guelaguetzaĭuring a team dinner last month, as a parade of Koreatown icon Guelaguetza’s greatest hits landed on our floral-wrapped tables - among them a stretchy queso fundido threaded with chorizo and mushroom, a flight of moles, massive tlayudas spread with refried black beans and asiento, mounds of crispy chapulines, and tightly rolled barbacoa tacos - no one felt they had left much room for an elaborate dessert. Tres leches cake at La Guelaguetza in Koreatown.

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