Eat your heart out

Being the bon vivant that I am, I have attempted to assemble a list of my favorite L.A. food -- not the restaurants, but rather the food itself. You might not want to read this on an empty stomach:
Toasted pecan shake at Lucky Devil's: Made with a Madagascar Bourbon vanilla-infused custard, rather than ice cream. The toasted pecans spice it up. It's sinful without being too heavy, and topped with homemade whipped cream. The real stuff.

Mac daddy and cheese balls at Fred 62: Fried macaroni and cheese. Enough said. Plus, who doesn't love food in ball form?

Father's Office burger at Father's Office: The bar is famous for its insistence on no add ons: no ketchup, nothing. Trust them, you don't need it. The beef is topped with arugula, gruyere and a bacon-onion compote.

Today Show dog at Pink's: Two hot dogs in one bun, cheese, chilli, onions and guacamole. You won't eat for about two days afterward, but it's worth it.

Lobster tempura roll at Pearl Dragon: Crispy lobster and avocado rolled up with cucumber, instead of rice, which gives it a very delicate balance.

Argentine Gaucho steak at Ciudad: Quite possibly the best piece of meat I've ever eaten, which is saying a lot, if you've ever met me. It's a beef rib eye stuffed with carmelized jalepeno and roasted garlic, finished off with an herb-garlic chimichurri sauce. After my 21st birthday, I remember puking in the toilet for about 40 minutes, emerging only to ask Meghan of my leftovers: "Is my steak still OK?"

Sliced Toro (fatty tuna) at Hamakawa: Yes, LA has many, many a trendy, expensive, there-to-be-seen sushi restaurant. But the real stuff is in Little Tokyo, and Hamakawa is pretty much the best. The fish comes in thick slices, and is the freshest I've ever tasted.

Cream of roasted garlic soup at Doughboys: Being the soup afficionado that I am, this is probably my favorite in LA (although the potato corn chowder at Toast is up there). It has a rich, velvety flavor, and the tortellini and chanterelle mushrooms give it a perfect texture.