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 we’re excited to have Lindsay from LAist, who is presumably sitting on her couch in her PJs right now, hoping for a good reuben rec!

Name: Lindsay

Age: 33

Occupation: Co-Editor, LAist

Where in L.A. do you Work?: We have a virtual office, so I work wherever there’s a seat, my laptop, and the internet. Mostly that’s in my bunny slippers in my living room, which is in North Hollywood.

Favorite Kind of Food: Sushi, my Nana’s sandwiches, birthday cake, anything shared with friends or family, cheese, the Legendary Platter at The White Spot

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I’m working on overcoming an aversion to the boiled eggs that come in many Asian dishes. I also (don’t send hate mail) dislike tamales. I try to avoid restaurants where they don’t make the food on-site themselves mostly from scratch; if there’s a giant freight truck dropping off pallets of plastic-wrapped stuff or the word “Factory” is in the restaurant’s name, I’m running the other way.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: As the former (and currently de facto) food editor of LAist I’m so lucky that some days it’s my job to go to lunch! This also means, though, that I rarely go to the same place multiple times because I’m always trying something new. I love lunching at higher-end restaurants like Eva or Hatfiled’s where they offer beautiful and reasonably-priced three-course prix fixe lunches. My brain explodes during dineLA weeks because suddenly there are 3 course lunches everywhere. It’s a beautiful thing. Other faves: The burger and a cheese plate at Cube (615 N. La Brea, Mid City); tacos at Tinga (142 S. La Brea, Mid City); the seasonal pizza at Pitfire Pizza (Multiple Locations); anything Jazz brings me at Jitlada with a giant Thai iced coffee on the side to tame the spice; ham and cheese empanadas and the dulce de leche pastries my boyfriend gets us from an Argentinian market he loves; truffle fries from the Grill ‘Em All Truck; any sandwich from Auntie Em’s (4616 Eagle Rock Blvd, Eagle Rock); Quarter White Chicken plate with extra garlic sauce from Zankou (Multiple Locations); Butterscotch budino from Mozza (what, that’s not “lunch”?).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? I have a profound almost ritualistic relationship with Miyako Sushi in North Hollywood. It’s the only all-you-can-eat sushi place I trust. I actually used to go there far more often than I do now, which is usually once a month. I always order the same things, in the same order. I also recently lost my Foursquare mayorship of the nearest Subway sandwich (Veggie delight on Honey Oat, swiss chesse, one “stripe” of Honey Mustard) which I’m not fighting to get back.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? I definitely don’t live in an area that’s walk-friendly for good food, save for when there’s an old-school taco truck nearby. For driving, I’ll say Santa Monica, just so that all my friends who live over there who I never go visit can have a good laugh.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Anywhere that the midday meal is something worth doing with care taken as to what is eaten, in what company, and the time spent doing so, with pleasure. There’s nothing sadder to me than our world of microwavable trays of processed junk eaten super-fast at our desks. Slow down. Eat real food. Open a bottle of wine.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? What am I missing out on by not exploring the East Valley besides Thai, Thai, and more Thai? Also, who makes the best Reuben in Los Angeles?

Got a recommendation for Lindsay? Put it 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.