Midtown Lunch

As is customary on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a random reader to get their recommendations for the best spots to lunch near their work. This week it’s Harriet, the Producer of Good Food w/ Evan Kleiman on KCRW (Saturdays at 11am.) So if you’ve ever wondered where your favorite KCRW employees (or Santa Monica College co-eds) eat lunch, this should give you a good idea…

Name: Harriet

Age: 34

Occupation: Radio Producer

Where in L.A. do you Work?: KCRW in Santa Monica, on the campus of Santa Monica college.

Favorite Kind of Food: Mexican Food

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Processed lunch meats

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Cafe Bolivar, this Venezuelan cafe that serves really yummy arepas (1741 Ocean Park Blvd), Mrs. Winston’s Green Grocery (2450 Colorado Ave) for their incredible salad bar, and Thyme (1630 Ocean Park Blvd) for their prepared salads (new, but a little expensive).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Too frequently we eat at the SMC cafeteria. They have a relatively new placed called Campus Kitchen, which is decent. But overall, the lunch options on campus aren’t great. They are in the process of constructing a new cafeteria so maybe this fall I’ll have something new and exciting to report. If someone wants to take a walk, we’ll eat at Thyme. Sometimes Bolivar is an option, or The Hungry Pocket (1715 Pico Blvd) which is across campus on Pico. They have decent falafel.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? The farthest I’ll go is to Mrs. Winston’s. Sometimes I go to Whole Foods (on Lincoln and Rose). Sometimes people go to Tacos Por Favor (1406 Olympic Blvd), but I don’t think it travels well.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? My house in Mar Vista. I can either make something or walk down to The Curious Palate for their incredible sandwiches (12034 Venice Blvd) or Earl’s Gourmet Grub– also good sandwiches, killer lemonade (12226 Venice Blvd). I have a weakness for potato chips and salty snacks. Earl’s Grub has a phenomenal array of potato chips. There are also some really good taco trucks parked on Venice Boulevard in the afternoons. If I was feeling adventurous, I could go a wee bit farther to Centinela for ramen at Mitsuwa.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? Who has the best lemonade on the westside of L.A.?

I haven’t tried a ton of Westside lemonades- but I’m a big fan of the lemonades at Lemonade (sue me for obviousness!) Got a rec for Harriet? Put it in the comments. And, as always, if you want to be next week’s Profiled: L.A. Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d like to nominate), email me- zach@midtownlunch.com.