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 Esther Hahn, a pro surfer/Yale grad/freelance food writer who is looking for somebody to dim sum it up with her today in the SGV.

Name: Esther Hahn

Age: 24

Occupation: Freelance Writer / Pro Surfer

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Write in Hancock Park / Surf (mostly) in Manhattan Beach

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese, Italian, Mexican, and Korean (in that order)

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Green onions – I don’t mind them flavoring a dish but I hate actually eating them

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Hancock Park: The “Big Macro” burger with a side of chili-lime sweet potato fries at M Cafe de Chaya (7119 Melrose Avenue); the shrimp pad thai at Kamin Thai Fusion Cuisine (7275 Melrose Ave); the “Kot Sal” (prime boneless short ribs with all the Korean fixings) at Genwa Korean BBQ (5115 Wilshire Blvd); the uni and the California roll (with real crab meat) at Noshi Sushi (4430 Beverly Blvd); the “Calamari Diavolo” at Larchmont Bungalow (107 N Larchmont Blvd). Manhattan Beach: The “Bali Bliss” burger with avocado and sweet potato fries at Veggie Grill (720 South Allied Way); the chicken tacos at El Tarasco (350 N Sepulveda Blvd); the “Turkey Club” at Sloopy’s (3416 Highland Avenue).

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So let’s briefly recap for those of you who have just turned in.  I am fat.  I am semi addicted to cheap (read: Americanized) Chinese food… and while Panda Express is one of my few fast food chain weaknesses, I feel obligated to give the mom and pops a fair shot. So, a few months ago I agreed to eat at any of the tons of these spots that litter the L.A. food landscape between Downtown and Santa Monica… provided I received a challenge from a reader.  The last one was (surprisingly) good.  Here is the latest…

From Lunch’er Daniel: “Huge fan, I’ve been following your blog since my days working at BusinessWeek in NYC. Anyhow, I now live in LA and currently work in Culver City and have been interested in trying this Chinese Buffet and thought you would be the perfect person/guinea pig to try it out for me :-). It’s called the Chinese Deli and it’s located at 5808 Rodeo (cross street is La Cienaga)”

Daniel, that sounds right up my alley. I accept your challenge.

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Photo courtesy of Lindsay William-Ross/LAist

• KOREATOWN Kyochon has a new “honey wing”?! [LAist]
• BRENTWOOD After all these years Reddi Chick is still good [Squid Ink]
• BEVERLY HILLS Momed does look good! Wish it was cheaper [E*star LA]
• HOLLYWOOD The curries and pad thai at Pailin are also good [Noms Not Bombs]
• MID WILSHIRE Building employees caught squatting in food truck parking spots [LAist]
• SAMO Santa Monica Place is one month away [Eater]
• WEHO La Cienega Kebob House, a fave of Lunch’er Patricia, has closed [Eater]
• WEST LA Tamaya has replaced Bella Pasta in Mitsuwa [Grub Street]
• MOBILE Your first look at the White Rabbit Filipino truck [Squid Ink]

Food blogs are not exactly the bastions of humility- after all, it takes a lot of arrogance to spew your opinions daily on the interwebs.  But I’d like to admit something to you.  Despite living in NYC from 2005-2009 I know nothing about pizza.  Don’t get me wrong, I know what I like. And I know a few things… I know the difference between Neapolitan style pizza, and “New York style” pizza. I know that “real” Chicago pan pizza is better than Uno’s.  I think Mozza is amazing, but I also like Pitfire.  And as for the Vito’s vs. Joe’s battle in WeHo, they both tasted good to me.  I know that there is no DiFara’s here in Los Angeles (and there never will be.)  But you know what?  There’s no DiFara’s in Manhattan either.  And once Dom dies, there won’t be a DiFara’s in Brooklyn anymore either. John’s on Bleeker Street tastes great to me, but pizza “aficionados” seem divided.  In fact, pizza “aficionados” seem divided on everything. Which leads me to wonder… what the hell makes a perfect pizza?

I usually turn to Slice as my goto pizza experts.  They talk about things like tip sag, hole structure, char.  They take “upskirt” shots (and as a result, I’ve started taking upskirt shots.)  What are we looking for beneath that slice of pizza?  I haven’t the foggiest fucking idea.  I’m just a fat man, who likes to eat a few slices for lunch every once in awhile.  If you top dough with cheese and put it in the oven (with sauce or without), chances are I’m going to like it.  Which leads me to this question:

Last week I tried LaRocco’s in Downtown Culver City, and I thought it was pretty awesome.  Why aren’t they mentioned as one of the best slices in Los Angeles?  Is it just under the radar?  Or do I just not know shit about pizza?

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To truly understand Midtown Lunch (and me, for that matter) it might be helpful to go back and read my Guide to Beating the All You Can Eat Chinese Buffet.  It was written a few years ago, inspired by the only all you can eat Chinese buffet near my work (the only one in all of Manhattan, as far as I know).  To say I’m a huge fan of all you can eat buffets (especially those that serve Asian food) doesn’t really do justice to how I feel about the buffet.  Maybe the word “student” is more appropriate.  I have studied, and thought about, buffets for all my life.  And one day I hope to fulfill my dream of eating at a Chinese food buffet in every single state in the country.

Sadly, there aren’t many under $10 all you can eat buffets between Downtown L.A. and Santa Monica… unless you include Koreatown- but  those aren’t really buffets.  They’re just all you can eat- so you lose out on one my favorite parts of the buffet experience:  the variety.  Back in 2005, when I lived in L.A. the first time, there was only one all you can eat lunch buffet option near where I worked (on Miracle Mile).  On Fairfax, across from CBS, Chao Krung was my one buffet outlet- and while I remember it being just ok, I was excited to find out that it’s still there.  And still buffeting it up during lunch, for $9.99.

So yesterday, I headed over to put it to the test… and surprisingly, unlike most things I’ve tried again after 5 years of eating in NYC, it was far better than I remembered.

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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 Kat, the food writer who introduced us to the craziness of Syrian pizza at Sham, in Santa Monica.

Name: Kat

Age: Turned 27 last month!

Occupation: Food Editor AND Cook!

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Eater LA and Good Bite…..Santa Monica

Favorite Kind of Food: Dumplings, fresh pasta, anything pickled, cheese (especially in melted form)…in general a big fan of Asian eats, Italian, and market-driven edibles. Sorry, that wasn’t very specific.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Fishy fish, mayonnaise, tuna in a can.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: I am a huge fan of random hole-in-the-wall spots so I really love Sham (716 Santa Monica Blvd.) I usually get the cheese fattayer, tabbouleh, falafel, and one of the grilled meat options which comes with fantastic pickled turnips and this zingy garlic sauce. Their pomegranate pizza is pretty serious as well. Umami also just opened near me (500 Broadway) and I happen to be addicted to their Truffle Burger and Umami Burger so sometimes I land there for lunch. Oh, also, sometimes I pop by Rockenwagner (311 Arizona Avenue) and just grab two of their mini sandwiches: salumi on pretzel bread, those are pretty good. Oh, I LOVE Earth Bar (8365 Santa Monica Blvd.) Great fresh juices (I go for the liver cleanse, ughh my liver needs cleansing) and fresh soups and such. Also, really great chocolate froyo which is made from just cocoa, dates, coconut water, and almonds as I recall. One more top pick, definitely Huckleberry (1014 Wilshire Blvd). Zoe makes some of the best baguettes I’ve had outside of France. Every time I walk in there I want to eat everything I see. Oh, and Cora’s Coffee Shop! (1802 Ocean Ave.) That’s another great spot owned by Capo next door. The rigatoni….

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