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 Katherine a freelancer writer who hates McDonald’s but loves Asian food.

Name: Katherine

Age: 28

Occupation: Writer. Lifestyle journalist, when I’m feeling fancy.

Where in L.A. do you Work?: I work from home in Silver Lake, freelancing for any publication that still pays its writers. Right now I’m doing a lot for City’s Best.

Favorite Kind of Food: That’s way too hard. I’m going to cheat and say “Asian.”

Least Favorite Kind of Food: After a horrifying experience in North Las Vegas with a truly upsetting “southern chicken biscuit,” I’d say McDonald’s. Just everything McDonald’s.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: I can walk to Forage (3823 W Sunset Blvd), for whatever salads they offer on a given day, and the avocado sandwich. In Chinatown, Yum Cha Cafe (638 N Broadway) and My Dung Sandwich Shop (314 Ord Street) in Chinatown, for cheap dim sum and banh mi, respectively. And Pho Broadway (942 N Broadway) for cold bun. Xoia (1801 W Sunset Blvd) in Echo Park has a great brisket banh mi.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Even though it’s absurd to drive Downtown at the lunch hour and pay outrageous sums for parking, sometimes my fellow freelancers and I do that just to go to Mendocino Farms.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? I’d drive to SGV for some xiao long bao at Mei Long Village or J&J. And I used to work in the LA Times building, so I got spoiled on Japanese and occasionally must relive it: Izayoi (132 S Central Ave) for bento and izakaya bites, Hama (347 E 2nd St) and T.O.T. (345 E 2nd St) for sushi.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Hong Kong is such an international city, with seemingly every kind of food available. And the big supermarkets have good prepared food. Lunch overlooking Victoria Harbor is pretty great, even if it’s on a bench. Hong Kong for the lunchtime win.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? I need more spots in Silver Lake! Has Food Lab hit its stride yet? What else is there? (Mae Ploy and Agra Cafe are fine, but I’m looking for something a little more exciting.)

Got an answer for Katherine? 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.