Midtown Lunch

I remember my very first experience with Lemonade… not the drink, obviously, but the popular picnic themed (?) lunch spot with four locations around Los Angeles (Venice, WeHo, & 2 locations Downtown). I was walking on Abbott Kinney with a buddy, who pointed out their Venice location to me and suggested we poke our heads in. At least I thought he was a buddy. What’s with the salads, friend-o? You know I’m not into the whole “I live in L.A. and love to eat quinoa” bullsh- wait a second. What’s that to the left of the salads? Are those dutch ovens? Filled with various meats that have been tendered up slowly so that the fat actually remains in the dish? And not just one, but 6 different stews?! Alright trendy salad and lemonade place. You have got my attention.

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The cacharro from Ta Bom, a new Brazilian truck. Photo by Mattatouille

• MOBILE Check out the potato stick topped burger and dog from Ta Bom [Mattatouille]
• MOBILE More on Manila Machine, the new Filipino food truck [LAist]
• BEVERLY Nancy Silverton’s “Short Order” coming to the Farmer’s Mkt… [Grub Street]
• BEVERLY …and here is your first look at the burger [LAist]
• NORTH H’WOOD The freshly fried falafel at Top Falafel is great [Eater]
• WEHO Phociti is opening their fourth location in a few weeks [Grub Street]
• WEST LA Japanese fried chicken wings FTW! [Savory Hunter]
• DOWNTOWN We’re not the only ones who love Ludo’s Parisian [NomsNotBombs]
• ECHO PARK “The Guru” calls Xoia good for the hood… [Squid Ink]
• HOLLYWOOD … and calls Siam Sunset the Thaiest Thai food in Thaitown [LAW]

I know I spend a lot of time railing against chicken (comma Los Angeles’ love of) here on Midtown Lunch… but I can’t help it.  Choosing white meat chicken breast over pork, lamb, goat, and even dark meat chicken is a crime against all that is holy and good about eating.  It’s a cop out.  That being said, not all chicken is bad.  For example, rotisserie chicken = good chicken.  White or dark meat… if you allow the liquid fat from other chickens to drop onto your chicken while you cook it, getting the skin all crispy and greasy, that makes an acceptable chicken.  And lucky for me, there is no shortage of rotisserie chicken in Los Angeles.

Family issues aside, Zankou is the undisputed king of chicken (if not in taste, certainly in popularity) but if you work near Hollywood and Vine, there are a few other worthwhile (and more importantly, cheaper) options.  Certainly you could drive East to Zankou (there’s one on Sunset and Normandie), but Al Wazir and Ro Ro are close as well.  Can you tell the difference between the three?  Let’s find out…

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File this under “Things People Who Work and Live Around Melrose Already Know”…  Tere’s Mexican Grill is kind of totally awesome.  I first heard about this fast food Mexican spot on Melrose when I wrote about Inti Peruvian, a decent saltado slinger in the same strip mall (on Melrose btw Cahuenga+Vine).  A week later, two other lunchers suggested it in the comments again when I wrote about 3 taco spots in Culver City.  And once Lunch’er “Patricia” said it was worth the drive from West Hollywood the deal was sealed.

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Photo courtesy of Jose Wolff

If you thought that the Tan Tan Men at Chin Ma Ya (in Little Tokyo) looked amazing, but are looking for something a bit more refreshing for lunch, we’ve got great news for you.  The cold version of tan tan men at Chin Ma Ya (both locations) is now $6.95.  And you can add gyoza, fried shrimp, kara-age, or soboro gohan for just $2.65 more.   Nice.

Related:
Chin Ma Ya’s Tan Tan Men Combines Two of My Favorite Things (Dan Dan Noodles & Ramen)