Archive for February 2012

Lunch Links (The “Tongue & Brains” Edition)


Photo courtesy of Food GPS

  • WESTWOOD You can get a lamb brain/beef tongue sando at Persepolis Cafe [Food GPS]
  • BEV HILLS Choppe Choppe is moving from Culver City to Camden [Toddrickallen]
  • DTLA Mexicali’s brick and mortar is opening Tuesday Feb. 15th [Eater]
  • HWOOD The Fat Dog has introduced a soup and sandwich combo menu [Grub Street]
  • KTOWN It looks like Bud Namu has a $10 ayce grand opening lunch special [SinoSoul]
  • MID CITY Five Guys on Wilshire is opening Feb 13th [Eater]
  • MID CITY Sangak Bakery & Cafe is set to open this week [Squid Ink]
  • MID CITY Chinese food recs outside of the SGV [Eater]

Pioneer Chicken Looks to Reveal Their K-Town Roots

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I didn’t grow up eating fried chicken in California, so the nostalgia factor of the Pioneer Chicken on Olympic and San Vicente is a little lost on me.  I don’t have any fond memories of eating the grease bomb that is Pioneer as a child, nor did I ever go through the shock of discovering that my local Pioneer had been replaced by a Popeyes, or feel any sadness when the original Echo Park location closed a few years ago.  And even though the location on Olympic is one of only 3 locations left (and the only within Midtown Lunch’ing boundaries), there are some who claim that it doesn’t taste the same as the original locations.  It’s not a surprise considering that the actual chain itself hasn’t really existed since the 90s, and the remaining franchises are all owned and operated independently.

But none of that really mattered when Lunch’er Garrett recommended Pioneer as one of his favorite places to eat lunch in Mid City.   I had driven by that kitschy chuck wagon sign so many times, trying to think of a good excuse to stuff my face with fried chicken that couldn’t possible be as good as Honey’s Kettle, or Roscoe’s, or even, ironically, Popeye’s. (I freakin love Popeye’s.) Garrett’s rec was just the excuse I was looking for, and now that I’ve been I can think of 5 amazing reasons I’ll be back to Pioneer.  (And one of them involves Korean fermented soy bean soup.)

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