Farbreng With The Kosher Gang: Gone Fishing for Flavor

Wow, I can’t believe we’re already past Tisha B’Av! Summer is flying by! Similarly to Shavuot, right before the beginning of the Three Weeks I posted a TikTok PSA letting people know they had only a few days left to cut their hair before the Three Weeks. That video quickly racked up over 10,000 views.

Since last week was the Nine Days, this article is still going to feature tons of fish and dairy… so even though I’m sure you guys are sick and tired of it by now, I still gotta tell you what we ate!

What I love to see is all the creative Nine Days menus around town. While I’m not part of this week’s review, I did check out Lenny Casita’s over the Nine Days, and their beer-battered fish and chips were light and crispy without feeling greasy or over-coated.

Fans of my road trip series that was featured in the paper over the last two issues will be happy to join me on another solo review this week at Fish Grill. Then we’re back with another special guest, David Rogatsky, editor-in-chief of the LA Jewish Home, who joins me for lunch at Trattoria Natalie.

As I write this article, I’m actually traveling for an upcoming project for the Farbreng Gang and the LA Jewish Home that will not only be featured on my TikTok, but you’ll also be able to read about right here in a few weeks.

So while I hate to be rude and cut this intro short, because I’m traveling, let’s get straight to the food.

First, we’re headed to Fish Grill on Beverly.

Let’s see what’s cooking.

“Fish On!” at Fish Grill!

Every once in a while, we review a restaurant that’s actually a weekly staple in my diet. That’s very much the case with Fish Grill, located at 7226 Beverly Blvd.

My go-to at Fish Grill is their fish tacos, and I think you can’t go wrong no matter which version you choose.

The Ahi tuna is a very good choice, but oftentimes I opt for the crispy fish tacos for that classic nostalgic vibe. Put basically any type of food inside of a tortilla, call it a taco, and instantly it becomes a comfort food for me.

This week, because I’ve been on somewhat of a health kick, I opted for the grilled fish… which is still a very good choice and a meal I enjoy quite regularly.

The plate comes with two sides. Generally, I get rice pilaf, which is a very solid and tasty choice. Then I usually opt for the fries because, while not the healthiest, the serving size is quite generous.

It just so happened that the day I did this review they were out of fries. So instead, I got two baked potatoes for purely content reasons alone, consumed like apples, biting into them right through the skin. Ten out of ten would not recommend that you consume them that way, but hey… the potatoes are pretty decent for a potato.

Still, I was pretty satisfied with my meal. For something I eat every week, I can’t say that it knocks my socks off, but I can say it’s good enough that I keep coming back for more.

So in that merit, I’m giving Fish Grill a very deserving 79 out of 100.

If you’ve never tried Fish Grill, I’d say it’s a must-try for anyone living in LA.

You may not write home about it… but then again, I am writing about it in the LA Jewish HOME.

Next up, we’re going to the completely other side of the food spectrum and checking out one of kosher LA‘s favorite Italian spots.

Fish Grill

@WeWantMoshiachNow Overall Score: 79 out of 100

The Big Cheese… Pull.

“What is up, Farbreng Gang?! This is David Rogatsky, editor-in-chief here at the LA Jewish Home. I wanted to set the stage for this next review by giving you some background behind the scenes. This is my first ever food review, so David G. explained to me that we always do the reviews in the car so we can be as brutally honest as possible for YOU!”

“For lunch this week, David G. and I hit up Trattoria Natalie, located at 8681 W. Pico Blvd., which naturally means we took it to go, so buckle up because as a Farbreng Gang member myself, my first ever food review definitely was a fun one!”

Ayy! Thanks for the intro, Dave! This was a fun one for sure! If you recall a few weeks ago, we actually reviewed all the kosher pizza spots in LA, including Trattoria Natalie and their pizza. I really do like their pizza… and we really like their pizza!

Collectively, we rated Trattoria Natalie’s pizza an aggregate score of 82. Personally, I really enjoyed it, rating their pie an 89 out of 100. It was really thin and tasted like a high-quality restaurant-style pizza. While this is Dave R.’s first official food review, he was part of the pizza panel and he rated Trattoria’s pizza a 7/10.

Growing up in New York and having not kept kosher most of my life, I have a very high standard for Italian food, which was the main cuisine in my household growing up.

“And I, also growing up in New York, where they have some of the best kosher Italian restaurants in the world, have an equally high standard! So I’m gonna keep it all the way real with you guys!”

To start things off, rice balls have always been a favorite Italian appetizer of mine. Trattoria’s were done to perfection. The breading was light, the fry was crispy, and it was done expertly without any excess breading. The showstopper, though, was the cheese pull! Like a magician’s scarf, it went on forever.

Dave, with your very high standards, I’m curious what your thoughts are here.

“That was an unexpected cheese pull! I like the crisp. I agree that it’s a perfect fry. These are a nice little comfort. There are four white rice balls in the order and they went four-for-four on cheese pulls. I will come back just for these.”

Yeah! We actually debated really hard if we should get these, leaning instead towards the mac & cheese balls, but we were told by the owner himself: ‘Those are just for kids. The rice balls have all the flavor.’ He was absolutely right.

I will absolutely be coming back, potentially ordering several of these rice balls as the entire meal, lol.

For our entrées, we got cheese ravioli served in a vodka sauce with mushrooms, and a classic fettuccine Alfredo.

We also discovered that both of our go-to orders at Italian spots happen to be ravioli… twinning!

“My go-to order is definitely ravioli, and if they don’t have that, my second choice is always fettuccine Alfredo. So I think we’re both qualified to judge these with a critical lens.”

“The sauce has a great viscosity!”

Love that word! There are more ravioli than I expected there to be too.

“Yeah, typically ravioli are a smaller portion and there are eight here.”

I expected there to be five, so that’s a pleasant surprise.

“Wow, really?! Okay, yeah, that is good then! Look, this isn’t knocking my socks off, but it’s not bad. My biggest pet peeve is an Italian restaurant that opens an aluminum can of sauce, pours it into a saucepan, and calls it a day; this is not that.”

“I’ll put you guys onto my personal hack… I’m not the biggest vodka sauce guy, so I usually go in there and ask them to make it with Alfredo sauce instead. If you’re into that, I recommend it. I also think if you’re trying to spice up your airplane meal, this would not be a bad choice to bring on a flight out of LAX.”

Dave does travel a lot, so that’s a real pro tip. I personally love vodka sauce, but I could see how the Alfredo could be a move for someone who doesn’t.

These are solid ravioli… not knocking my socks off either, but they’re good. If you get a nice saucy bite with the mushrooms, it really ties it all together.

In complete contrast, I’m really not an Alfredo guy, but I enjoyed this fettuccine Alfredo.

“Did you know that’s not actually what it’s called in Italy? It’s actually fettuccine al burro e parmigiano… fettuccine with butter and cheese.”

Wow! Thanks for teaching us that!! The Farbreng Gang is getting cultured out here! Let’s hear from the Alfredo guy first, Dave?

“The first thing that hits me is the buttery flavor. It’s thinner than that thick type of Alfredo sauce, but the cheese is there and, while maybe simple, it’s solid. The mushrooms in this dish seem to have a stronger, fresher flavor which adds to the plate. Overall, this food is pretty good!”

Yeah, it’s not my go-to order, but I think it’s good. For me, that’s it though… it’s just good. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing to rave about either.

So Dave, what are you thinking for a score? You can rate it any way you want.

“Any way I want, you say? Okay, so you know how Volkswagen Group also owns Audi and Lamborghini?”

Yeah… why?

“So if that’s my scale, I’m giving Trattoria Natalie an Audi A3 out of the Volkswagen Group lineup. It’s not Lambo luxury, but it’s not a VW Jetta either.”

Okay, so Audi is the middle tier in that scale and the A3 is their entry-level model. I don’t know how to equate that into numbers, so to make it clearer for the Gang, that’s basically a mid-tier score. Not bad at all. Absurd? Most definitely. Obscure and confusing? 100%! Still, that’s not a bad score at all.

I also really enjoyed this meal. For me, the cheese balls were the peak of the experience, and I will be back for more.

So I’m giving Trattoria Natalie an 85 out of 100 overall, considering the food, the pizza, and those killer rice balls. It’s totally well-deserved.

Dave, thanks so much for hanging and farbrenging this week.

“Any time, brother!”

Make sure you check out David on YouTube @DavidIncorporated where he’s documenting his journey as a 24-year-old grinding hard to build a newspaper business… get tapped in with his whole life!

“Literally! I’m showing you guys everything!”

So be sure to subscribe to him there, and you can also check out the video for our Trattoria Natalie review on TikTok and Instagram @WeWantMoshiachNow.

Trattoria Natalie

@DavidRogatsky Guest Score: Audi A3 out of Volkswagen Group Lineup

@WeWantMoshiachNow Official Score: 85 out of 100

The Rebbe said we should find permissible joy, even despite the sadness of the Nine Days. So while we were missing meat last week, we still found some good things to eat. Next issue we’re back with some more special guests… and maybe even some familiar faces… as the Kosher Gang summer continues to chug on. Until next time, I think that’s a review.

David Greenberg is a music industry professional, songwriter, and content creator. You can follow him @WeWantMoshiachNow on TikTok, IG, and YouTube.

Hear his kosher pop music at soundcloud.com/WeWantMoshiachNow.

For all inquiries: WeWantMoshiachNow@thelajewishhome.com