PROFILE: L.A. Lunch’er “Diane”

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 Diane, a paralegal who is about to move to Paris. Also we couldn’t decide between the two photos Diane sent, so if the corn dog photo isn’t enough you get a second bonus photo after the jump…

Name: Diane

Age: 25

Occupation: Paralegal

Where in L.A. do you Work?: At a law office in Downtown (7th & Fig area), though I am currently working remotely from Santa Monica, and will shortly be doing so from Paris!

Favorite Kind of Food: Carbs and fat. Hurrah!

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Raw onions.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Mendocino Farms is always fantastic, though the lines have been egregiously long lately. The pork belly bahn mi is absolutely the best sandwich in town. It’s a Wrap and Green Hut Cafe are also close, cheap, and dependable, and even faster if you call in your order. We have a food truck lot on 7Fig that has different trucks daily, but our favorites are Auntie’s Fry Bread (they’re like savory donuts filled with taco ingredients — amazing) and the Ludo Truck.

The “goto” lunch place you and your co-workers eat at too often? When we were in Westwood, Sak’s Teriyaki was the go-to cheap eats place (since no one was ever willing to make the trek to Gushi). In downtown, there’s a strip of restaurants that caters specifically to the haggard employees of the financial district with a Subway, Sansai, Pizza Next Door, and Nazo’s that nearly every goes to at least once a week. The food trucks are also popular since there’s variety every day, but the waits tend to be long.

Places you have discovered thanks to Midtown Lunch? Mendocino Farms (oh bless you, bless you, Zach Brooks), Ramen Yamadaya, Santouka, Ramen Jinya (I was a ramen newbie before I started reading ML, clearly), Ludo Truck, Jogasaki… probably more that I’m forgetting.

The farthest place you’ll drive for lunch on a normal day? A couple of us taxied all the way to Wurstkuche once for lunch and it took two hours, all told. Now that I’m in SaMo, I’d brave the occasional drive to Westwood (Ratata, 800 Degrees) or Culver City (Ramen Yamadaya).

Dream job location (anywhere in the world), purely for lunch purposes, and why? Paris, of course. Pastries for breakfast. Crepes filled with goodness for lunch. Yes please. I’d also love to live/work in NYC at some point for the convenience of delivery and variety of cuisines.

Anything you’d like to ask the midtown lunch readers? Are there any decently economical lunch places in Paris (near the 3rd) that I should try?

photo

As promised here’s the bonus photo. And if you’ve been to Paris and have an answer for Diane, 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.

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