Los Angeles BBQ?

Been to Slab and enjoyed it - would go again. The Maple Block, which is near my house, has gotten really good reviews (including by Daniel Vaughn, who said it was the best brisket he'd had on the West Coast a couple years back). I went there once when they first opened, and I remember it being like a lot of the other pricey, kinda hip BBQ spots that have opened here: very expensive, meat isn't bad, sides are very good. I've been thinking about hitting them again, but the prices are high enough to make me pause on that.

Haven't been to Bludso's in a long time. The original one is closed & I really liked that spot. The new one is very popular and has kind of a sports bar vibe. I recall it being good & have heard good things recently, but haven't been myself in quite a while.

I've been wanting to hit APL's restaurant. It's a pricey steakhouse and I've heard that it's great. I semi-regularly go to the lunch deal (called "Hole in the Wall") which is very good, but wouldn't mind checking out the dinner part. If you wanna hit that (or anywhere else for that matter), gimme a holler!

On the non-bbq side, you might enjoy Kogi - the trucks or the brick n mortar location in Culver City, Chego (same guy as Kogi - Roy Choi - it's in Chinatown). I love that stuff! There's also Gus' World Famous Fried Chicken (a few locations) or any of the zillion other fantastic Chinese, Mexican, Oaxacan, Thai, Japanese, American Classic, etc...spots. L.A. has a lot of problems but a shortage of killer food is not one of them.

I went to smoqued in Orange last month and was pleasantly surprised. I had tri tip and ribs and both were good. That said, it was probably the third best meal I had next to DTLA Ramen and a pakistani/indian fusion joint next to the embassy suites in Santa Ana.