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 we’re pretty excited to welcome Lunch’er “Bigmouth”, a lawyer who goes by the name of Andrew when he’s not commenting on Midtown Lunch.

Name: Andrew

Age: 38

Occupation: Attorney/Writer

Where in L.A. do you Work?: At home by the Santa Monica/WLA border.

Favorite Kind of Food: Mission-style burritos, Israeli-style falafel.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Cucumbers or mayo.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Fundamental (1303 Westwood Blvd) for… everything; Milo & Olive (2723 Wilshire Blvd) for sausage pizza and quiche; Le Saigon (11611 Santa Monica Blvd) for bun and eggrolls; Nook (11628 Santa Monica Blvd) for the club sandwich; Chutney’s (2406 S Barrington Ave) for dahi chicken and beef samosas; Tacomiendo (11462 Gateway Blvd) for the soft taco plate; Habayit (11921 W Pico Blvd) for falafel; Angelica truck (10113 Venice Blvd) for cemitas; Umami Burger (500 Broadway) for the Greenbird.

The “goto” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often? Baja Bud’s. Not the best by a long shot, but good enough that I don’t usually schlep to the superior Eduardo’s on Westwood a few miles away. Both places melt the cheese on the tortilla before assembling your burrito, a critical step too many LA taquerias skip.

Places you have discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Shawarma Palace, Ta-eem Grill, New Anatolia Mediterranean, and Zam Zam Market.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? I’ll walk two and drive five miles on a weekday.

Dream job location (anywhere in the world), purely for lunch purposes, and why? San Francisco Mission for the burritos.

Anything you’d like to ask the midtown lunch readers? First, where can I get grilled chicken marinated in adobo, achiote, etc.? I would kill to find a taqueria that prepares their pollo asado like al pastor. Second, why aren’t there authentic Sichuan places outside the SGV? This cuisine has taken Manhattan by storm, so I’m not buying the demographic excuse.

Got an answer for Andrew? Put it in the comments. And 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.