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 Bucky, a Fashion Designer with some great Downtown recommendations.

Name: Bucky

Age: 40

Occupation: Fashion Designer

Where in L.A. do you Work?: SYC FUK (Street Youth Couture From Unwanted Kids)- Down Town Los Angeles

Favorite Kind of Food: BBQ and Seafood

Least Favorite Kind of Food: French

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: 1. RCA (Red Corner Asia, 5267 Hollywood Blvd) on Hollywood Blvd- Frequently I crave Thai food and this is the best one I have found in LA. I like the crispy duck panang, make sure you order the panang on the side. then dip each piece so it remains crispy. The calamari here is perfectly fried crispy and in big cuts. I highly recommend 2. Wow Bento and Roll (710 S Hill St) – Sashimi Salad – the biggest amount of FRESH sashimi you will get for only 7.99. It comes on a bed of wide shred lettuce on over a bottom bed of warm rice. And the ginger dressing is a bit spicy for the amateur but AMAZING. Ask for an extra container of dressing, its that good. 3. Tulip Café (628 Saint Vincent Ct) – The shrimp scampi. I like this because of the sauce, it is really creamy and thick. Not your traditional sauce. And you get a nice chunk of a baguette you can break up and dip in the sauce. The owner is working there from opening till close every day. 4. LA Café (639 S Spring St) – This is def New York Style. Place is real trendy right now and always has a scene going on… But I really believe its because of the food they are serving. I really like the Mini Cheese burgers (3) on a bed of caesar salad… salad is crispy and the burgers and hot on fresh buns. The carrot cake is also worth getting a slice of to go. Problem is I cant wait to get home to eat it. Make sure you have milk around with the cake tho, it compliments it just right.

5. Koraku (314 E 2nd St) – A bowl of Mabo Ramen. Spicy ground pork and tofu is my choice here. And the MUST GET is the Stir Fried Rice with the Shrimp omelette on top. This comes smothered in gravy – but order the gravy on the side and pour an amount on each bite. 6. Kyochon Chicken (3833 W 6th St) – I love chicken wings and I am telling you, these are must try. Order the spicy garlic wings. They are very small and a more money then I would prefer to spend on wings, but the sauce they use is Amazing and worth the price. 7. Mitsuru Cafe (117 Japanese Village Plz Mall) – Octopus Balls (Tako Yaki) These are the best ones I can get outside of Osaka Japan. Make sure you ask for Fresh ones. The novice wont know the difference, but you will appreciate the hot-n-fresh ones.

“Go-To” Lunch Place You and Your Coworkers Eat at Too Often? Most frequented are RCA and Koraku

Place you discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch: I found Uncle Johns Ham and Eggs on 834 S. Grand Ave.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? I have been known to drive for 1 hour when I have a serious craving for food. I have the luxury of taking LONG lunch breaks… I have driven to Baby Blues BBQ (444 Lincoln Blvd) in Venice. Its only 15 miles, but with LA traffic it can be 1 hour in each direction I will walk to J-town for Koraku (shrimp omellete with gravy) and Mitsuru Café for the Takoyaki. Its only a 5 minute drive but I like to walk there for the exercise. 20 minute walk, each direction.

If you could work anywhere (just because of the lunch) where would it be and why? Dream job would be Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives !!! I would get to try the most amazing eateries domestically.

Is there anything you’d like to ask the Midtown Lunch readers in L.A.? Does anybody know where to get good Green Chili in LA… Green chili as in Tex-Mex style. The kind like Chubbys in Denver Colorado has perfected ???

Got an answer for Bucky? 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.