Midtown Lunch

As is customary on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we profile a random reader to get their recommendations for the best spots to lunch near their work. This week it’s James, a DVD peddler with a soft spot for cheap food court teriyaki!

Name: James

Age: 42

Occupation: I work for a DVD distribution company.

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Xenon Pictures, Santa Monica

Favorite Kind of Food: Al Pastor tacos with pineapple, KBBQ, Belgian fries, Saltado de Pollo, loco moco, Japanese curry, broccoli raab.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything overpriced and mediocre like stadium hot dogs and nachos, airport terminal grub, and chain restaurants that pipe in Auto-tune music!

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Our office, being a stone’s throw away from Bay Cities Italian Deli, makes it my go-to spot–Sausage and pepper hoagie Wednesdays! Baja Buds on the 3rd St. Promenade (1315 3rd Street Promenade) makes a decent $7 burrito as does Wahoo’s Fish Tacos (6258 Wilshire Blvd) on Wilshire. I’m not too impressed with the food court offerings at the new Santa Monica Place, but I’ve become a discount card-carrying Sarku Japan fan when I need an (un)healthy dose of teriyaki chicken. For the occasional splurge or client lunch, there’s always Border Grill (1445 4th Street).

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Chihuahua Taqueria on Lincoln near Pico (1909 Lincoln Blvd)–the carne asada fries are decadent!

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? 25 miles-Just kidding! But at times, I’ll visit various post-production facilities in Hollywood or Burbank, so I’ll plan my meals around these visits–Corner Cottage in Burbank (310 S Victory Blvd) serves a legendary breakfast burrito–watching the cook in fast forward crack 4 dozen eggs in less than a minute is pretty amazing. The mention of Mario’s Peruvian & Seafood (5786 Melrose Ave) in Hollywood elicits to-go order requests from co-workers wanting their insanely good Saltado de Pollo.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Foodwise, I think we got it pretty good here in LA with the broad mix of cultures and cuisines, but I wouldn’t mind experiencing the southern European tradition of a leisurely 2 hour lunch followed by a siesta.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? How do you feel about eating at crowded, popular places like Father’s Office that lack a hostess and organized seating? Places where only the strong survive by swooping down aggressively and grabbing an empty table like an sea lion claiming his spot on the beach! I like to call it “Restaurant Darwinism”.

Got an answer for James? Put it in the comments. And as always if you want to be next week’s Profiled: L.A. Lunch’er (or know somebody you’d want to nominate), email me- zach@midtownlunch.com.