Q. Tell us about your first solo restaurant project, Street:

A. It’s totally a cool hang. The food is street-inspired from my travels to Vietnam, India, Turkey, Mexico, Spain and Israel. It’s small plates, so it encourages people sharing. The artwork is from two friends of mine, artists Su Huntley and Donna Muir, and their work is inspired by street art. There are two fifty-foot palm trees and a fire pit, so it has a very cozy feel, with a little bit of edge, but it’s accessible.

My most recent trip was to Vietnam about a year ago. It was fantastic, so we just put a dish on the menu that was inspired by that trip.

Q. You look like you had a lot of fun appearing on Top Chef Masters.

A. I did! I so dreaded doing it. I didn’t want to do it and then loose in the first round. Once I made it through the first round, then I had total fun, I didn’t care. It was fabulous! I loved it!

Q. It looks like it’s really challenging.

A. It was really challenging. It was challenging for many reasons, your under these ridiculous time constraints for shopping and you have no time to think about planning. The way you work in this industry is that you organize and plan and you think about things really creatively and then come up with a menu that financially makes sense. There are tons of creative people who don’t make it in the business, because they can’t make it work financially. What they do is strip away any of the ability to do what we sort of made our business on, which is you’re creative, but you think about things the way a business person does.

Q. It seems everyone learns a lot about themselves. What did you find out about yourself?

A. Having been partners with Mary Sue for so long, you really learn how to work with other people. Chefs tend to have big egos and when all of a sudden you have a partner, it’s about you guys working together. It’s not one of you getting to make the decisions, it’s both of you. There is no right or wrong in this and no one is making a better decision, you just have to figure out how to work together.

FIND...

Q. What markets in Los Angeles do you to frequent?

A. At Street, we use the Merkato Ethiopian Market. We get berbere chile and sometimes, we get bread there.

The Bangkok Market -- it’s great Thai ingredients-- dried shrimp, palm sugar, coconut milk, lime leaves, and you can get different types of curry pastes.

There is a market in Arcadia, right next to Lollicup (which has great fried chicken). The market is on Duarte and has great dried foods and nuts and lotus root, it’s a stand with really interesting products.

The Samosa House -- I always go there for chai when I’m shopping. They have Indian food to eat that is pretty good, but they also have every kind of dried spice available, all different types of Indian brown sugars, mustard oil, chick pea flour, etc.

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EAT...

Q. Where are you excited about eating in Los Angeles these days?

A. A-Frame is interesting right now. It’s new and I like the menu and the food they are doing there.

I like Mozza -- I like the small plates and the mixture of food.

Downtown, the Lazy Ox -- I love small plates, because I like to share dishes. They have a ton of interesting things like pork belly, chicken livers, and tongue. They are putting interesting items together, but then they also have great vegetarian things.

Next door to the Lazy Ox is their new place, Aburiya Toranoko. The Jidori fried chicken is good.

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Q. Where are you a “regular?”

A. The Brentwood -- it’s open late at night and it’s very simple and it’s near my house. They do a great organic vegetable plate from the farmers market, they do a penne pasta with all organic tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella, that is made locally.

Peppone’s -- it’s an old Italian place, very old school. It reminds me of growing up in Toledo, Ohio. I’m not even wild about the food, but they do this great steamed artichoke in a broth, that I don’t think I’ve eaten anywhere else! It’s like a soup with a whole steamed artichoke in it.

Golden Bull -- it’s an old gay hangout, owned by the same guy for the last 30 years, Don, who is totally cool. They have great dirty martinis and everything is a little tacky, but it’s small and everyone knows you there. I order a steak sandwich with no bread and grilled onions and a salad with blue cheese dressing and a dirty martini. I go because it’s comfortable and fun. It’s not gay, it just has a gay vibe.

Bay Cities -- if you go at lunchtime, you have to fax in your order or you wait for an hour. They do a sandwich called The Godmother, it’s truly fantastic. It’s got all sorts of Italian cold cuts, loaded with mustard, mayonnaise, some sort of acidic spicy sauce and cheese.

There is a place in Grand Central Market (where we go quite a bit for dried chilies). The place is called Sarita’s. They do the most amazing loroco pupusa. It’s a fantastic lunch. Then around the corner is Ana Maria’s for a tongue gordita. You can eat at both and for the perfect afternoon lunch plate.

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DRINK...

Q. Where do you like to go for drinks?
A. A good friend of mine is a young writer and we always go to different bars for drinks. They are all dark, cool bars that are open late with a young crowd and they serve great drinks.

Bigfoot Lodge -- as you can probably tell from the name, an old-timey lodge/cabin feel, which is really great. They’ve got all these weird animals all around. Plus, they play super eclectic, great music.

Corkbar -- it has as a really cool, clean and modern feel, as well as a massive selection of amazing wines. And the sommelier, Natalie, is the best ever. Not only does she always recommend the best wines, but she remembers you, your tastes and what you ordered every time you come in.

Harvard and Stone -- really cool vibe and how can you not love a place that has spontaneous bursts of burlesque every night!

The Thirsty Crow -- it’s great because it's this speakeasy vibe and all the specialty drinks are made from scratch. Plus, they have an awesome seasonal drink menu!

Wood and Vine in Hollywood and Villains Tavern downtown.

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Recommendations

Details of Susan Feniger’s recommendations for where to eat, drink and shop in Los Angeles and Vietnam.

Recipes

- Peruvian Ceviche

- Pickled Onions

- Kaya Toast