1.5 Stars For The Old Place, Duck Galore at Sun Ha Jang

1) Agoura Hills: SIV steps off the beaten path to a homely favorite, The Old Place: "The food is hearty and good — not always perfect, but satisfying if you stick to the basics. And the place is so warm and welcoming — and fun — that everyone I've brought has immediately declared it one of their favorite restaurants ever." Unfortunately, “specials can be hit or miss. A hefty pan-seared veal porterhouse with chanterelles gathered from the hillsides is flat-out delicious. But an elaborate fish dish with two sauces and numerous garnishes is wildly overcooked and not that fresh. Still, grilled mahi mahi another night is perfectly done, wonderful with a load of baby vegetables on top.” Plain and simple, 1.5 stars for "Good food. Great place." [LAT]

2) Koreatown: This week the Goldster makes a pilgrimage for duck at Sun Ha Jang. "You can get the short ribs and belly pork if you want, and there is always one table piled with loops of raw intestines, but duck is clearlythe star...If you have ordered sliced duck (you will definitely order the sliced duck), a plate comes out laden with rounds of unseasoned duck breast formed into a kind of roulade, the same size and shape as fast-food hamburger patties, and the waitress tosses them onto the hot metal with the ease of a blackjack dealer. The meat almost immediately begins to ooze and shrink, you flip them onto the other side to sear, and you snatch them off the grill before they condense into chewy nubs." [LAW]

The Elsewhere: The Find samples Guisados in Boyle Heights, Diana Takes A Bite at The Tasting Kitchen, Food Je T'Aime hits Lukshon, kevinEats at Lukshon too, My Last Bite picked CorkBar, and Gastronomy visits Sushi Komasa.