PROFILE: L.A. Lunch’er “Julie”

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 Julie, a freelance writer who is looking for some good Asian food without having to drive to the SGV…

Name: Julie

Age: 42

Occupation: Freelance writer (Cool Hunting, Official Guide LA, IGN… and I am the Lifestyle Editor at LAist) and arts educator

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Home office, out and about covering stories, and I teach classes for the Virginia Avenue Project at the Police Activities League in Santa Monica

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Giant nondescript salads covered in bland chicken breast slices

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Falafel at Pita Bar & Grill (519 N Fairfax Ave), burgers at Golden State (426 N Fairfax Ave), shrimp tacos at Loteria (in the Farmer’s Market), simmered pork and shiba ebi at Ita-Cho (7311 Beverly Blvd), salads & soup at Cube (615 N La Brea Ave), salami and manchego sandwiches at Larchmont Village Wine (223 N Larchmont Blvd), pureed fennel soup at Cafe Midi (148 S La Brea Ave), Morning Glory salad at Jitlada (5233 W Sunset Blvd), and The Corner Place (2819 James M Wood Blvd, Koreatown) for BBQ and cold noodles. Some days for a splurge I go to Angelini Osteria (7313 Beverly Blvd) for nona’s lasagna and octopus salad or have pizza and sweets at Mozza (641 N Highland Ave). The days I have meetings downtown I love the Brazilian plate with fish at Wood Spoon (107 W 9th St), sushi at Sushi Gen (422 E 2nd St), and everything on the menu at Starry Kitchen (350 S. Grand). Lately my favorite ultimate splurge lunch spot is having crudo, pasta, and salads at Culina (300 South Doheny Drive) in Beverly Hills. For the days I work in Santa Monica, my classroom is across the street from a Tacos Por Favor (1406 Olympic Blvd).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? The Farmer’s Market: LA’s Korea, Loteria, Moishe’s…

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? I will drive anywhere for lunch from The Dumpling House in Arcadia to following food trucks like the Manila Machine. I even drive, far too often, to Culver City just to have a Let’s Be Frank Hot Dog. Basically if my lunch adventure takes a bit too much time, I make up for the work late at night or early the next morning.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Tokyo is my favorite city on earth, after Los Angeles and my dream destination for lunch. Sushi, noodles, and french style cafes and other food from around the world.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? Where can I find great Shanghainese style food closer to Hollywood than Arcadia? Also, what’s your favorite Korean BBQ? I have been to several and would love to try some more places in Koreatown.

Got any recs for Julie?  Leave them in the comments.  And if you’d like to be next week’s Profiled: L.A. Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d want to nominate), email me- zach@midtownlunch.com.

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3 Comments

  • When I lived in Koreatown a couple years ago I went to Chosun on someone else’s tab, and Soot Bull Jeep when I was paying, wanted to drink a lot, and wanted to have an “experience.” You will smell like smoke as part of said experience. Those are probably the two most frequented by non-Koreans, which can be a good thing, since there’s the reputation that some Korean spots aren’t very welcoming (or at least don’t translate menus). I also think that captures the range fairly well.

  • Nice profile Julie! As for Korean bbq, O Dae San has good all-you-can-eat for a good price while Park’s BBQ, Don Dae Gam, and The Corner place are my favorites overall for quality (in descending order). The best korean bbq is always at home though, on a tabletop stove. cheaper, better, more fun.

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    Of course there’s Parks BBQ on Vermont in the heart of K-town, which is great and frequented by Koreans and non-Koreans alike. You might even run into the Dodger’s Andre Ethier there! He’s a regular and a big time foodie…

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