Midtown Lunch

A few weeks back L.A. Weekly released its annual “Best of” issue, a terrific resource for discovering not just food but all sorts of great stuff in and around Los Angeles.  But it got me thinking of all the places I love that never seem to get mentioned on these lists.  Not local favorites that you wouldn’t drive across town for, but places serving the honest to goodness best in show versions of what they do… and rarely, if ever, getting recognized for it.

Here are 5 of my favorite lunches, that aren’t quite household names here in L.A. (but should be.)

1. Zam Zam Market – Ok, so this is kind of the place that inspired this list.  I was excited to read about Bangla Bazaar and Restaurant when it was named Best Biryani in the city by L.A. Weekly last week, but it doesn’t hold a candle to this Culver City gem hidden in the shadow of the King Fahad Mosque.  Despite the minefield of bones and spices, their biryani is the best I’ve ever had. And their tandoori chicken, with its caked-on spice paste, isn’t far behind.  And if that doesn’t sell you, go on Friday and the meat pies and lamb pulao will.  Sure, the hours are weird and there’s no menu.  And you may or may not feel like you’re eating on a Walking Dead set.  But every time I go back I am surprised all over again that it’s never gotten its proper place in the pantheon of Los Angeles south Asian food.  (I’m looking at you Mr. Gold.) 11028 W Washington Blvd, Culver City. 310-841-2504

2. Tan Hoang Huang (THH) – I still remember the very first time I had a Vietnamese iced coffee at this banh mi shop on Westminster Blvd right off the 405. And the second.  And the third.  I thought for sure it wouldn’t be as good as I remembered on the fourth, fifth, and sixth visits, and yet it is.  Every. Single. Time. From the first sip to the last, I’ve never had an iced coffee this good.  Their banh mi are also cheap, and as good as most places (better, if you add a fried egg). And they have a crazy awesome assortment of pre-packaged Vietnamese goodies like fresh spring rolls with Chinese sausage and rice noodle rolls with fish cake. And yet I’ve never seen this pit stop mentioned anywhere; not on a banh mi list,  a coffee list, or on a “Best Vietnamese food in L.A. list”.  Which is doubly shocking considering how close it is to the 405.  It should be on your itinerary every time you take the 405 to the O.C. Fair, or San Diego (or pretty much anywhere south of Westminster.)  It’s on mine. 6926 Westminster Blvd. Westminster. 714-891-3344

3. Los Cinco Puntos – This 40+ year old carnitas market in Boyle Heights has received its fair share of accolades over the year, but recently it’s taken a back seat to a few of the new pork purveyors on the block- like Carnitas El Momo and Tacos Los Guichos. And you rarely see them listed among L.A’s current taco elite; places like Mariscos Jalisco, Guisados, Ricky’s, or Tacos Leo. But their sortido taco, with its equal mix of moist and crunchy parts stuffed inside one of their freshly fried, super thick L.A. style corn tortillas, is not something you’ll soon forget. 3300 East Cesar E Chavez Avenue, Boyle Heights. 323-261-4084

4. Wah’s Golden Hen – At this point I’d be surprised to find anybody in this town who hasn’t heard of Sqirl, Jessica Koslow’s love letter to fancy toast and brown rice bowls. But as packed as that place is on a daily basis, few of those people have probably noticed Wah’s Golden Hen just across the street.   Calling this the best Chinese food in the city would be a bit of an overstatement, but it is the best of a certain kind of Chinese food. And it’s on this list by virtue of being hidden in plain sight across from one of the most famous eateries in L.A.  I can’t vouch for ordering off the regular menu, but you’ll be hard pressed to find better fried rice or egg foo young than the versions that come on their $5 lunch special. I love Sqirl as much as the next guy, but if they end up pricing Wah’s out of Virgil, I will never forgive them.   709 N Virgil Ave (just north of Melrose.) 323-661-0093

5. La Caridad – Mention Cuban food in Los Angeles and most people will point you to the baked and fried goods at the classic but mostly underwhelming Porto’s or the lemon garlic chicken at the classic but mostly underwhelming Versailles.  A slightly better choice is La Cochinita in Silver Lake, which has its famous fans.  But the real sleeper can be found just up Sunset in Echo Park, at a place that few people in the neighborhood seem to have even heard of (unless you’re an avid reader of this guy.)   The cuban sandwiches are just pretty good, and they don’t automatically add sugar to their Cafe con Leche, but the oxtails and morros transport me back to my hometown of Miami like no other place in L.A.  2619 West Sunset Boulevard. 213-484-0099