Midtown Lunch

Banh Mi from ink.sack. Photo courtesy of Adam Roberts.

• DTLA Artisan House wants to be the Dean & Deluca of the West [LAT]
• DTLA The cold cut banh mi is the way to go at Spice Table [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Falafel Arax is the closest thing to NYC street meat in L.A. [Squid Ink]
• KTOWN Wako Donkasu‘s tonkotsu sandwich is surprisingly good [Squid Ink]
• KTOWN KTown Plaza food court is getting a new ramen place next week [Grub Street]
• SAMO Gjelina Take Away‘s brisket sandwich is great [Squid Ink]
• WEHO The chicharrones make the banh mi at Ink.sack [Amateur Gourmet]

Village Pizza. Photo courtesy of the Unemployed Eater.

• DTLA Flanders Frites and Local Express take over Chimu space [Eater]
• DTLA Pattern Bar is nice lunchtime splurge [The Minty]
• HWOOD Komida will do holiday taco specials in the 12 days before Xmas [Grub Street]
• HWOOD Ganda’s crispy catfish finds a new fan [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD The only L.A. pizza better than Village Pizza is Mozza [Unemployed Eater]
• HWOOD Ikemen’s has stuff for ramen fans who don’t eat pork [Savory Hunter]
• KTOWN A comprehensive look at the soups and stews of O Jang Dong [Food GPS]
• MAR VISTA Tamara’s serves the best tamales west of the 405 [Dig Lounge]
• SAMO Z Garden is open and serving a decent kebab [Grub Street]
• SAMO Milo & Olive is now open for lunch! [Squid Ink]
• WEST LA The Guru solidifies Tsujita as one of the best places to lunch in L.A. [LAW]
• WESTWOOD The new Yamadaya will probably open in December [Eater]
• MOBILE Ludo Truck adds two new items to the menu [Eater]

And a big congrats to Midtown Lunch LA’s unofficial post lunch HQ, Scoops Westside.  They are celebrating their one year anniversary this week.

Go Burger’s Thanksgiving Burger. Photo courtesy of Grub Street.

• DTLA So far, the savory pies are better than the sweet at Pie Hole [Gastronomy]
• DTLA Pizzanista makes some good garlic knots [Squid Ink]
• DTLA Another look at Baco Mercat [The Minty]
• HWOOD Only a few days left for Go Burger’s thanksgiving monstrosity [Grub St]
• KTOWN The soondae guk from Moo Bong Ri is excellent [Food GPS]
• MID CITY More about the amazing La Cevicheria [Eat Drink + Be Merry]
• SAMO A look inside Milo & Olive [Eater]

Mendocino Farms WEHO’s “Not So Fried” Chx Sandwich. Photo by Food GPS

• DTLA The owners of Mendo Farms are opening a new concept in Feb. [Eater]
• DTLA Shin Sen Gumi is only good when Daikokuya is too busy [The Minty]
• DTLA You might want to lower your expectations for Baco Mercat [Darin Dines]
• FAIRFAX Sadly Short Order isn’t a Midtown Lunch [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD A place called “Vegas Seafood Buffet” is opening soon! [Eater]
• HWOOD Ikemen uses the same water filter as NASA [LAT]
• SAMO Milo & Olive will be open for lunch December 1st [Unemployed Eater]
• WEHO ink.sack has extended their hours again [Grub Street]
• WEHO The new Mendo Farms makes a roasted version of Bakesale Betty’s fried chx sandwich [Food GPS]
• WEST LA You may want to wait for the crowds to die down at Tsujita [Darin Dines]
• WESTWOOD The osh is the best thing at Attari (although we’ve never been inclined to share it!) [Squid Ink]

Komida’s Tacos. Photo courtesy of Gourmet Pigs.

• DTLA Your first look at Josef Centeno’s Baco Mercat [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Komida’s asian tacos look as good as I remember [Gourmet Pigs]
• MID CITY Short Order is finally opening next week! [Eater]
• SAMO True Food Kitchen makes a good turkey sandwich [Squid Ink]

And don’t forget to check out Jonathan Gold’s 99 Most Essential Restaurants in L.A. for 2011. A number of Midtown Lunches were new to the list this year, including Tsujita L.A. (which appears to have replaced Daikokuya!), Spice Table, and Guisados.

Tinga’s JuanTon Burrito. Photo courtesy of Eater/Elizabeth Daniels

• CTOWN New Dragon makes great wonton noodles [Eat Drink Be Merry]
• DTLA Spice Table‘s banh mi is better than ink.sack’s [Squid Ink]
• DTLA Baco Mercat is supposed to finally open next week [Eater]
• DTLA Word is starting to get about the Escondite [LADN]
• MID CITY Tinga is making a deep fried Chinese burrito!? [Eater]
• WEHO ink.sack now open on Tuesdays, and taking phone orders [Grub Street]
• WEHO The new Mendocino Farms is now open [Eater]
• WEST L.A. Sounds like Komodo’s Cafe is doing really well! [Unemployed Eater]
• WEST L.A. The tsukemen at Tsujita is even better than the ramen [Eat Drink Be Merry]

Mac & Cheese Pie from the Pie Hole. Photo courtesy of Guzzle & Nosh.

• CULVER CITY Cafe Livre might have some decent lunch options [Squid Ink]
• DTLA Early word on the Pie Hole is that it’s great [Squid Ink]
• KTOWN 5 Great options in Koreatown [LAT]
• WEHO The No Tomatoes Truck has gone brick and mortar [Squid Ink]
• MOBILE A new Japanese curry truck is launching soon [Grub Street]