Midtown Lunch

As is customary on Midtown Lunch, every Tuesday we’ll profile a random reader to get their recommendations for the best spots to lunch near their work. This week it’s Sara, a singer who will practically go anywhere for a decent lunch.

Name: Sara

Age: 28

Occupation: Singer/Educator

Where in L.A. do you Work?: I actually work all over, driving around town for teaching and singing/recording gigs. Which is great for eating because I get everywhere from Manhattan Beach to Pasadena and Encino every week, thus making my lunch options much more diverse.

Favorite Kind of Food: Thai

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Can’t think of one, but I’ve been staying away from things that are entirely fried as of late.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: La Cevichera (3809 W Pico Blvd, Mid-City). I order the Guatamalan Ceviche, or ceviche “Chapin”. Sunshine Restaurant (Thai). I order the Larb Gai, or chicken larb, green curry, pad woon sen, pad see ew, soups, and anything with the word “hurricane” in the title. Make sure to get their coconut tapioca desserts, too. My favorite place in the world! I LOVE Fisherman’s Outlet (529 South Central Ave., Downtown). I don’t have a favorite, mostly I just walk up and order something off the fresh specials menu. I love their butter garlic sauce, but the cajun is a favorite, too. Oh, and their fried shrimp/fish? Amazing. I also like Mama’s Hot Tamales a LOT (2122 West Seventh Street, Downtown). In fact, the Langer’s pastrami and tamales at Mama’s are a great way to eat one for lunch and save the other for dinner, all in one stop. For BBQ lunch under $10, I like JNJ Burger shack (5754 W Adams Blvd, Culver City). Pretty much the cheapest in the city, if not as good as JR’s or Phillip’s. To order: The 3 rib plate. It’s under $10.

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Every Tuesday we profile a random L.A. lunch’er here on the site… get their recommendations for places to eat around their work, and beyond (for those who are willing to drive a bit for something new or good.)  Lately I’ve been seriously mining the suggestions of Lunch’er “Jeff”, a Venice based fundraising director who had some great west side lunch suggestions.  Aunt Kizzy’s Back Porch and the meatloaf sandwich at Bay Cities are at the top of my list, and as promised the lambwich at Venice Beach Wines was excellent.  But the most curious of his suggestions was Tasty Goody.

In response to my Cheap Chinese Food Challenge, Jeff recommended the “must try” Tasty Goody on Lincoln just south of Rose.  He copped to not being able to handle it for lunch (he’s been there twice for dinner), but didn’t want to “spoil it” by telling me anything else.  Spoil it! Spoil what!?!  To say I was intrigued would be a massive understatement.  What kind of shenanigans could Tasty Goody possibly be pulling? Different ideas were racing through my head.  Is it an airplane hanger?  Does it have an all you can eat option?  Some unheard of citrus sticky sauce covered chicken option, like tangerine chicken- to go along with the industry standard orange and lemon chickens? What could it possibly be!?!

Only one way to find out.

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Photo courtesy of Noms Not Bombs

• KOREATOWN Wako Donkasu makes the best tonkatsu in all of Cali [Noms Not Bombs]
• MID CITY Pico has a ton of amazing looking Kosher lunch spots [Eat LA]
• MID CITY More praise for Tinga on La Brea [Squid Ink;Grub Street]
• MID CITY Tacos El Paisano is now open on Venice [Grub Street]
• SAMO The trick to The Counter is keeping it simple [Burger Conquest]
• HOLLYWOOD The whole fried catfish at Ganda is also good [Savory Hunter]
• WEHO Fatburger is better than Astro. But is it worth the $$ [Squid Ink]
• MOBILE The Manila Machine on The Manila Machine [Serious Eats]
• MOBILE The Flying Pig Truck’s pork belly bao are Momofuku-esque [Gastronomy]
• EVENTS Get a taste of K-Town at this weekend’s Korean BBQ Cook Off [Squid Ink]

It’s been a big couple of months for Ricky’s Fish Tacos, the much heralded fish taco stand that popped up last year on the sidewalk of Sunset Junction. Considered the best Baja fish taco in Los Angeles by the Taco Task Force, Ricky’s started off as a Saturday and Sunday lunchtime treat. But after a brief stint on Santa Monica Blvd., it looks like Ricky has found a permanent spot in a parking lot at 1400 Virgil (just south of Hollywood Blvd.) The rainbow umbrella is gone, replaced by three big green pop up tents, covering two big fryers… and if the last two weeks are any indication, he is now open Tuesday Wednesday Thursday through Sunday!

Last week Ricky’s kicked off the Angeli Cafe’s new series of Street Food Mondays, and tomorrow Eating L.A. (aka Profiled Lunch’er “Pat”) will celebrate their 6 year blogiversary by throwing a party at Ricky’s, with “cupcakes, free fish tacos for the first 25 readers, friends and supporters, and muy special aguas frescas”. Basically, if you work (or live) anywhere near the border of Hollywood and Los Feliz and haven’t been to Ricky’s- what the hell are you waiting for?

Fish taco porn is after the jump…

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Just a quick look at the Midtown Lunch map and you can tell that Westwood is one of the main areas of Midtown Lunch’ing in L.A.- and not just because my wife works there. (Ok, maybe it is because my wife works there.)  I still haven’t been to Sak’s Terikayi (so sad!), but Hammer Cafe is a decent deal, the completely under the radar French cafe Ratata is adorable, I’m admittedly a Pitfire fan, and of course there’s all the great Middle Eastern food on Westwood Blvd btw. Wilshire and Santa Monica (Alcazar Express, Attari, Sunin).  So, when I read on Squid Ink and Tasting Table that Wally’s Wine had recently spun off their cheese selection into its own adjacent store, Wally’s Cheese Box, I was pretty excited to check it out.

I was even more excited to find out they had sandwiches! Making it a new Westwood lunch destination…

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