Midtown Lunch

I have a confession to make.  When I first moved back to L.A. in February, my sandwich outlook was kind of grim.  Sure, I was excited for Philippe’s, Langer’s, and Bay Cities is a good Westside option (provided you order online!)  But mostly I was expecting one avocado topped grilled white meat chicken sandwich after another.  And, granted, there have been plenty of those to be found at generic sit down business lunch spots around the city. But there are also some amazing sandwich specialists, and even though they are pushing the boundaries of what amount is acceptable to charge for a fast casual sandwich shop there is no denying that some of them put out some lunches that are worth the splurge.

The Los Angeles Magazine sandwiches guide from June has been a great help (hello chicken salad from Gram and Papa’s and capastrami from Capriotti’s!) but there’s also that pork banh mi from Mencodino Farms, the lambwich from Venice Beach Wines, and the great new sandwich menu at Wally’s Cheese Box (in Westwood).  And now it’s time to add another to that list.  Thanks to a recommendation from Lunch’er “Harriet” I hit up Curious Palate on the other day, on Venice in Mar Vista, and had a sandwich that could go toe to toe with any of the above.

Check it out after the jump…

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The New York based Schnitzel & Things Truck has become so popular since their launch last year that it didn’t surprise me at all to read this morning on Grub Street that a new Schnitzel Wagon has launched here in L.A. What did surprise me was how much the wagon looks like another New York City truck… The Street Sweets Truck!  I mean, seriously? Burger Kitchen ripping off Umami is a bit of a stretch… this?  Not so much.  Super curious to find out if the guys behind this truck are from NYC?  Or whether or not they even know the folks behind the Schnitzel & Things Truck or the Street Sweets Truck.  Laughably hilarious trademark infringement aside, I am excited to be able to get some schnitzel from a truck here in L.A.  (I was a huge fan of Schnitzel & Things.)    You can follow them on Twitter here.

UPDATE: Apparently the Street Sweets Truck has taken notice…

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 Sara, a singer who will practically go anywhere for a decent lunch.

Name: Sara

Age: 28

Occupation: Singer/Educator

Where in L.A. do you Work?: I actually work all over, driving around town for teaching and singing/recording gigs. Which is great for eating because I get everywhere from Manhattan Beach to Pasadena and Encino every week, thus making my lunch options much more diverse.

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Can’t think of one, but I’ve been staying away from things that are entirely fried as of late.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: La Cevichera (3809 W Pico Blvd, Mid-City). I order the Guatamalan Ceviche, or ceviche “Chapin”. Sunshine Restaurant (Thai). I order the Larb Gai, or chicken larb, green curry, pad woon sen, pad see ew, soups, and anything with the word “hurricane” in the title. Make sure to get their coconut tapioca desserts, too. My favorite place in the world! I LOVE Fisherman’s Outlet (529 South Central Ave., Downtown). I don’t have a favorite, mostly I just walk up and order something off the fresh specials menu. I love their butter garlic sauce, but the cajun is a favorite, too. Oh, and their fried shrimp/fish? Amazing. I also like Mama’s Hot Tamales a LOT (2122 West Seventh Street, Downtown). In fact, the Langer’s pastrami and tamales at Mama’s are a great way to eat one for lunch and save the other for dinner, all in one stop. For BBQ lunch under $10, I like JNJ Burger shack (5754 W Adams Blvd, Culver City). Pretty much the cheapest in the city, if not as good as JR’s or Phillip’s. To order: The 3 rib plate. It’s under $10.

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Every Tuesday we profile a random L.A. lunch’er here on the site… get their recommendations for places to eat around their work, and beyond (for those who are willing to drive a bit for something new or good.)  Lately I’ve been seriously mining the suggestions of Lunch’er “Jeff”, a Venice based fundraising director who had some great west side lunch suggestions.  Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch and the meatloaf sandwich at Bay Cities are at the top of my list, and as promised the lambwich at Venice Beach Wines was excellent.  But the most curious of his suggestions was Tasty Goody.

In response to my Cheap Chinese Food Challenge, Jeff recommended the “must try” Tasty Goody on Lincoln just south of Rose.  He copped to not being able to handle it for lunch (he’s been there twice for dinner), but didn’t want to “spoil it” by telling me anything else.  Spoil it! Spoil what!?!  To say I was intrigued would be a massive understatement.  What kind of shenanigans could Tasty Goody possibly be pulling? Different ideas were racing through my head.  Is it an airplane hanger?  Does it have an all you can eat option?  Some unheard of citrus sticky sauce covered chicken option, like tangerine chicken- to go along with the industry standard orange and lemon chickens? What could it possibly be!?!

Only one way to find out.

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Photo courtesy of Noms Not Bombs

• KOREATOWN Wako Donkasu makes the best tonkatsu in all of Cali [Noms Not Bombs]
• MID CITY Pico has a ton of amazing looking Kosher lunch spots [Eat LA]
• MID CITY More praise for Tinga on La Brea [Squid Ink;Grub Street]
• MID CITY Tacos El Paisano is now open on Venice [Grub Street]
• SAMO The trick to The Counter is keeping it simple [Burger Conquest]
• HOLLYWOOD The whole fried catfish at Ganda is also good [Savory Hunter]
• WEHO Fatburger is better than Astro. But is it worth the $$ [Squid Ink]
• MOBILE The Manila Machine on The Manila Machine [Serious Eats]
• MOBILE The Flying Pig Truck’s pork belly bao are Momofuku-esque [Gastronomy]
• EVENTS Get a taste of K-Town at this weekend’s Korean BBQ Cook Off [Squid Ink]