Midtown Lunch

Shio tonkotsu ramen from Robata Jinya. Photo courtesy of Adam Roberts

• CULVER CITY JGold says don’t bother with the kara-age at Yamadaya [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Ikemen Ramen is now open and serving tsukemen [Squid Ink;Daily Dish]
• HWOOD The boat noodles at Palm Thai aren’t terrible [The Minty]
• HWOOD Vegas’ Fukuburger is coming to L.A. [Grub Street]
• MID CITY Robata Jinya makes the best ramen Adam Roberts has ever had [Amateur Gourmet]
• SAMO Tender Greens is now open on Arizona [Squid Ink]
• WESTWOOD Yamadaya is opening a new location on Westwood Blvd. [Food GPS]

When The Spice Table (114 S. Central Ave., DTLA) first started serving lunch back in April, they limited their menu to just banh mi and a short list of side dishes and salads, converting the sit down dinner time restaurant into a fast casual sandwich spot. Now it looks like they’re ready to expand their lunch time options. Last week, they added rice bowls and this week they put their Spice Table cheeseburger on the lunch menu as well. Check out an early look after the jump…

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I still remember the very first time I read about the sandwich known as patacon Maracucho. Named for the city in Venezuela that it comes from (Maracaibo), I remember it because for somebody as committed to being fat as I am finding out about a sandwich that uses fried plantains in place of bread is something that sticks with you.  Yes, you heard that right.  There is a town in Venezuela where they take shredded meat and sandwich it between two large patties made up of fried plantains.  (KFC Double Down, eat your artery clogged heart out.)

In New York, this sandwich (and the popular Vendy Award nominated truck that serves it) became known as patacon pisao, literally flattened plantain, and the rest is history. The open faced version of the dish, known simply as patacon, can be found at any number of Columbian restaurants in L.A. (like Cafe Columbia in Burbank.)  But the Venezuelan sandwich version is a bit more rare. So you can imagine how excited I was to read that the newly launched Lidia’s Dominican Truck was serving up their own version of patacon pisao off a truck on Miracle Mile.

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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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If you love pork you were undoubtedly excited by Jonathan Gold’s (aka “The Guru” on this site) review of Palsaik Samgyeopsal, the Koreatown pork belly specialist whose signature dish features 8 thick slices of fatty goodness, each drenched in its own special marinade.  Somewhat surprisingly, they do offer a lunch menu featuring galbi tang (beef stew), naengmyeon (cold noodles), and $9 orders of pork belly.  But clearly the 8 slices of pork belly dinner is the draw of this place.  For lunch you’re better off stepping a few doors down to Jang Tou Bossam, a 2 year old semi-hidden gem  (it’s literally hidden behind the building that houses Ma Dang Gook Soo and BCD Tofu House) of a restaurant that specializes in that other Korean pork fat dish- bossam.

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Ramen at Shin Sen Gumi. Photo courtesy of Darin Dines

• DTLA Shin Sen Gumi is now open, and lets you customize your ramen [Darin Dines]
• DTLA Chimu is as good as everybody says  [Treasure LA]
• DTLA The Guru liked the curry at Fat Spoon, but not the pasta [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Arax & Spicy BBQ make for a good mashup!? [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Chick-Fil-A opens 9/22 and first hundred people get free food for a year [Squid Ink]
• HWOOD Adam Roberts gets his first taste of Zankou [Amateur Gourmet]
• KTOWN On Monday, Roy Choi had a great lunch at Chosun Galbee [Grub Street]
• SAMO Fat Spoon has plans to open a branch on the westside [The Feast]
• WESTWOOD The torta is the best sando at Fundamental L.A. [Gourmet Pigs]
• MOBILE Check out this great history of tamale carts in L.A. [LAT]

If you live or work in the Culver City/Palms area (or spend as much time at Scoops Westside as I do) finding lunch around Overland and Venice has become a constant mission. After all, one cannot live off ice cream and Intelligentsia coffee alone (although a few people I know are certainly trying).  If you’re in the mood for Indian, there are a ton of options.  Mexican?  It’s Angelica’s Cemita truck FTW. Indonesian?  Simpang Asia is right around the corner. And I’ll be very excited when the Westside Food Truck Central lot opens back up.

But what about Japanese food?  Yamadaya just opened on Sepulveda and Washington, but what about sushi?  Finding decent sushi for under $10 is practically impossible, but when paired up with some cheaper items in lunchtime bento box form it becomes a bit easier. And when I heard that Sushi Central (on Overland & Palms) does exactly that, for only $9.95 I got pretty excited.

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