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 it’s Kathy, a writer searching for sweet Indian balls.

Name: Kathy

Age: Too old for George Clooney

Occupation: Freelance Writer/Resident Blogger at DenimTherapy.com

Where in L.A. do you Work?: I have a home office, but I travel between Pasadena, Downtown and Westside a lot to cover events or meet with potential clients.

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese, Italian, French and Chinese comfort food (e.g. savory Tang Yuan soup and Hainan Chicken); charcuterie, salumi, things that might become extinct (like abalone); but I’ll take a well-marbled steak and baked potato anyday.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Things with floating red oil on top like chili fries or those $1 Chinese “express” heat lamp places around town.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Many of my favorite lunch places have closed over the years, such as The Coffee Table in Silver Lake. They used to make this wonderful German potato salad to go with a burger or sandwich. I’m a huge fan of Euro Pane Bakery (two locations) in Pasadena for their chicken salad sandwich (made with yogurt instead of mayo) or open-face egg salad sandwich; Philippe’s for their lamb dip; Farfalla in Los Feliz for their Rigatoni Al Tre Funghi or Gnocchi; San Sui Tei (313 E 1st St) in Little Tokyo for their Bento lunch combos and Favorite Place (115 W. Wilson Ave.) in Glendale. All their sandwiches are excellent (I like the “From Russia with Love”) and their rosewater lemonade is legendary!

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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 Rebekah, a teacher who hates tomatoes but loves a good croque madame.

Name: Rebekah

Age: 35

Occupation: Teacher

Where in L.A. do you Work?: LAUSD, Griffith Middle School in East LA

Favorite Kind of Food: Mac & Cheese, especially when it’s done in a creative way

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Raw tomatoes

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: King Taco (4504 East 3rd Street). Love those tacos, especially carne asada

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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 excited to welcome Hadley Tomicki, Grub Street Editor and westside lunching expert.

Name: Hadley

Age: 34

Occupation: Editor, Grub Street L.A.; Co-Founder, L.A. Taco

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Penmar, Venice

Favorite Kind of Food: Japanese, Mexican

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Fast food

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: The tuna poke and sixty-cent sodas at Murakai (12121 W Pico Blvd) are my current obsession. I love the San Biagio sandwich at Centanni (1700 Lincoln Blvd) and the tortas from El Super Taco (11300 W Pico Blvd). Shrimp tacos at Mariscos Chente (4532 S Centinela Ave) and La Playita (3306 Lincoln Blvd). Rellenos at Fiesta Brava (423 Rose Ave). Avocado sandwich and shrimp and mango quesadillas at Windward Farms (105 Windward Ave). Mole negro at Juquila (11619 Santa Monica Blvd). When it’s not so hot, I like to battle with the crab noodles at Poom Thai (2204 Lincoln Blvd). And if I’m not feeling like too much of a porker, I may walk to Baby Blues (444 Lincoln Blvd) or Uncle Darrow’s (2560 S Lincoln Blvd) or drive to Aunt Kizzy’s (523 Washington Blvd), the seaside’s extended family of soul food. And also, the Clevelander sandwich at Shoop’s (2400 Main St).

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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 Susie, an importer/exporter who hates American food, and needs a good Jamaican rec.

Name: Susie

Age: 26

Occupation: Fashion entrepreneur: Stylist, Merchandise Coordinator, blogger, buyer, creative director, & Brand strategy consultant. My full time job is Executive Merchandise Coordinator of Imports and Exports (Japan)

Where in L.A. do you Work?: COC Downtown Los Angeles, Fashion District

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai & Spanish Caribbean

Least Favorite Kind of Food: American. E.g., Turkey and Gravy or Stew (eww)

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Orochon Ramen (123 Astronaut E. S. Onizuka Street) for Mild Miso pork Soup. Blossom (426 S. Main St.) for Bun and Cha Gio. Sandwich Shop (531 W 6th St) for their Curry Chicken Sandwich. Teno Sushi (207 S Central Ave) for the combination lunch special and their salad. Officially the most affordable and fresh sushi in LA. TOT‘s (345 E 2nd St) avocado tuna salad (awesome lunch special also). And Spice Table‘s laksa (Spicy noodle soup).

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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 Darin, a banker by day/food blogger by night looking for some fried chicken in DTLA.

Name: Darin

Age: 26

Occupation: Union Bank

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Downtown L.A.

Favorite Kind of Food: Asian noodles (both stir-fried and in soup) and dumplings, anything based around meat (especially beef, duck, lamb) and potatoes, fried chicken, whole-cooked fish, Italian fresh pastas

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Yogurt, vinegar, overcooked meat, stinky cheeses, salad

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Lately, I’ve been really into Mendocino Farms. My favorite sandwich on the menu is the banh mi but I love the “create-your-own” option. Basically, you have all of MF’s ingredients to play with and can create something unique and personal. Try getting steak with caramelized onions, fresh mozzarella, pesto, and arugula – panini grilled. So good. Cabbage Patch (520 W 6th St) is also in the regular rotation. The rotisserie half-chicken is a steal at $6 (dark-meat only, $9 for white & dark). The seasonal sides are generous and quite good at $2 each (try the Brussels sprouts and French fries). They have a pretty good burger too.

When I have a little more time, Octopus (729 W 7th St) has some solid Japanese food. A 3-item bento box is under $10 with enough food for two meals. You can choose from about a dozen items; my favorites are the sesame chicken and salmon teriyaki. The sushi is half-off during lunch… and it’s better than it sounds.

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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 Joanna, a professional eater who loves Korean Pho but hates improperly cooked risotto.

Name: Joanna

Age: 25

Occupation: Marketing and customer relations, the better half of LA in Stilettos, and professional eater and shopper.

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Miracle Smile Dentistry in Miracle Mile and El Segundo, but I mainly work at home in Downtown LA.

Favorite Kind of Food: Oh gosh, this is a tough one. Of course, Korean food is my comfort food so that definitely makes my list of favorites. But besides that, it all depends on my mood. I love a good cheeseburger and fries, but I also have a major truffle obsession.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: I try not to discriminate when it comes to food and I’m not a picky eater, but I highly dislike overcooked food or food that’s not made properly, especially risotto. For some odd reason, that really bothers me so I’ll rarely order risotto from restaurants unless I know they’ll make it correctly.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: I mainly work from home in Downtown LA, but since I do work from home, I’m not restricted to eating lunch just in this area. Of course, like everyone else, I love Starry Kitchen for lunch. Not only is the food great and affordable, but Nguyen never fails to crack you up and bring some laughs and tons of f bombs into your life. I love their Tofu Balls, but I also like that their lunch menu always rotates. It can get a bit tiring eating the same thing day after day, but that’s never the problem at Starry Kitchen.

I eat a lot of sandwiches for lunch so Mendocino Farms is the place to go for that. I always get their Kurobuta Pork Belly Banh Mi, which I love since the meat is so tender and it’s balanced out perfectly by the pickled veggies and has a nice kick to it from the jalapenos. I generally can’t handle too much heat (weird since I’m Korean…) so this sandwich provides the right amount of kick.

My regular lunch spot is actually around Larchmont.

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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 Mika, a foodie fashionista.

Name: Mika

Age: 30-something

Occupation: Enterpreneur/writer/blogger

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Home office in the Hollywood Hills. FashionBliss (e-commerce boutique) and Food Fashionista (blog/website)

Favorite Kind of Food: Spicy food, fresh seafood, Japanese, Korean, French, Italian, Mexican, Middle Eastern, Sweets

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Highly-processed foods, mystery meat

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Since nothing is really walking distance from where I work, I’ll usually jump in the car and head over to the original Katsu-ya on Ventura Blvd (in Studio City). Their bento lunch box is an unbeatable deal ($12) and includes miso soup, steamed rice, green salad, miso black cod, sashimi, and assorted tempura. Marouch (4905 Santa Monica Blvd) in Hollywood is also a favorite. They have a wonderful Fattouch salad and a hearty, homemade lentil soup you’ll want to dip your pita bread into. Save room for the Knafeh (warm white cheese with rose water and honey) for dessert. When I’m craving burrata cheese, I’ll head over to Ca del Sole in Toluca Lake. For years, they’ve been serving a caprese with a generous portion of fresh burrata and organic heirloom tomatoes.

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