Midtown Lunch

People ask me all the time why Midtown Lunch is limited to under $10 lunches.  The answer I usually give is this: because the original goal for this site was to be a resource for people looking for something a bit more interesting out of their everyday lunches.  Not business lunches with the boss.  Not birthday party lunches for your spouse or co-workers. But a cheap lunch that could replace those cop-out meals that tons of people rely on daily- from Chipotle, California Pizza Kitchen, and {insert boring salad place here} every single day.

Sure I’ll make the occasional exception for the $11 all you can eat buffet, and once you add tax and tip a ton of the lunches I love come out to more than $10. But the rule speaks more to the heart and soul of a place than to a hard $$$ amount.  I guess what I’m saying is I will make exceptions for the extraordinary deal.  One that hits you instantly in the gut, while your brain simultaneously tries to figure out how a restaurant can stay in business and still charge these prices. Libra- a Churrascaria in Culver City- is one of those places, offering a meal which would cost $25-35+ anywhere else in L.A., for just $15.  And did I mention it’s all you can eat?

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Thai Town Mash-Up. Photo courtesy of Garrett Snyder.

• BEV HILLS Bibigo should be open in December [Grub Street]
• DTLA The selection at LAX-C is not as good after 1pm [The Minty]
• HWOOD Chick Fil A is now open, and the early lines were insane [Eater]
• HWOOD Krua Siri‘s papaya salad goes great with Lempira’s pupusas [Squid Ink]
• KTOWN If you are order ala carte Taenung Sootbul can be under $10 [Mattatouille]
• SAMO Isaac Toast has moved from Westwood [Grub Street]
• VENICE First look at the now open Wursthurche [Grub Street]

I’m in NYC stuffing my face with street meat today, so no lunch post today… but while we’re on the subject of Street Meat, I do have a quick question. (If you’re not familiar with NYC style “street meat”, this should answer all your questions). It just so happens one of my favorite street meat “chefs” (can they be called chefs? cooks… sidewalk street food slingers?) just moved to Los Angeles and is contemplating opening a food truck that serves NYC style street meat- or “Halal” food, as it’s known on countless carts in NYC. We have plenty of shawarma, and Middle Eastern platters of meat with tahini and/or hot sauce. But it is impossible to get a plate of chopped up chicken and “lamb” (aka gyro meat) over rice with “white sauce” and hot sauce (believe me I’ve tried.) If you’ve ever been to NYC you know exactly what I’m talking about. So the big question is, would L.A. support a food truck that served this very specific New York street food? I’m not one to recommend that anybody opens a food truck (it’s tough tough work, for very little money) but I would be really excited to be able to get street meat in L.A.

Am I the only one?

Related:
Why is There No “Street Meat” in L.A.?

Back in March The Find discovered that Krua Siri, a completely non-descript Thai food restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard, had a secret Thai food menu available only for the most probing of customers (who could also read Thai.) Of course the L.A. Times article- which naturally is now proudly framed on the wall- changed all that, and I’m happy to report that the “secret” Thai menu has now been integrated into their regular menu, in English, under a “recommended dishes” section. Strangely enough, though, the coverage in the Times wasn’t enough to convince them to get rid of the ridiculous non-Thai dishes (like orange chicken!?) and they seem to have even upped the ante with a lunchtime all you can eat shabu shabu deal for $9.99.

But don’t let that discourage you…

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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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There is not much to draw you into Habayit, a small Kosher restaurant tucked into the corner of a small strip mall on Pico near Bundy.  Their little rectangle of signage states, simply, “Kosher Restaurant 310-479-7173”; sharing space with other cleverly named establishments like “Coin Laundry” and “Food-Mart”.  I’d like to pretend that at some point I would have been lured in by the “FALAFEL” sign with an arrow hung high on a neighboring lightpost, but I was really there because back in May The Find got all gushy about the place– writing about their falafel as if it was the best that ever existed.

Truth be told, I love falafel but I’m not big on falafel platters.  For me falafel is meant to be eaten in sandwich form, and I was hoping Habayit would deliver.  Because you can have the greatest falafel in the world, and still have your falafel sandwich ruined by dry pita or poor layering.

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