LA County: The Visible Secret

Little Ethiopia sits on one of the most frequently passed blocks in LA. It's right in the middle of the city and on a street that many Angelenos find themselves in bumper to bumper traffic on at least once a week. While people spend hours staring at the vibrant little grocery stores, shops, bakeries and restaurants out their car window, few take the time to park and explore what they see.

While walking this stretch on any random day can be fun and culturally educational, the one place not to miss is Messob. It's always full of Ethiopians who are often celebrating a wedding, birthday party or graduation and out in festive garb with the entire family. If you're lucky you can snag a table under the intimate straw cabana by the window.

For those of you that haven't tried Ethiopian food, it's got the curries of Indian and the chipotle of Mexican. The best way to go is to get one of the combination plates. You'll get scoops of all the vegetarian and meat specialties in the house along with a big basket of Injera bread which you use to pinch the food with your hands. Like smoking hookah or any other communal activity, the experience breeds a sense of warmth between everyone sitting around the table. Especially if you're with friends who are having Ethiopian for the first time. These meals are paired well with the honey wine and finished off nicely with a pot of their rich traditional coffee.