Jitlada - Los Angeles, CA

If you live in LA and you haven't been to Jitlada, you must go immediately.  I have to admit it's been on my list for some time but whenever I am home, I hardly have enough time to eat everything I want, let alone visit new restaurants.  

Wonster and I met up at Jitlada on Saturday for lunch when I was back in LA recently.  It says they open at 11 am but when we showed up at 11 am sharp, there was no one in sight.  We weren't the only eager beavers; there was one other group waiting with us.  We asked some of the store owners next doors what time Jitlada typically opens.  They said that they usually open at 11 am, but sometimes around noon.  So be forewarned if you plan on going right at 11, you might have to wait a bit.

We ordered a few dishes to share.  I have heard great things about their morning glory salad.  I had no idea what to expect, but it was spectacular.  I've never had a salad where the greens are actually fried, but it's surprisingly refreshing because of the lime, chili sauce, shrimp, red onions and fried shallots.  You have to try it, there is no way to describe how good this is.  

Another popular dish is the crying tiger with beef.  It was on Food Network's "Best Thing I Ever Ate" for being hot & spicy.  It tasted beef jerkey-esque and not that spicy unless you doused it in that sauce.  It was good, but not really worth the hype in my opinion.

Wonster and I can't resist ordering pad thai at any thai restaurant.  We think it's a good gauge of how authentic a place is.  If we get pad thai with ketchup in it, it's not a good sign.  We opted for the pad see ew with pork instead of the pad thai and it was delicious.

The have a lengthy menu so I can't wait to go back and try some of their other items.  I am counting down the days till I get to go back to LA and visit Jitlada again.