Midtown Lunch

As you may or may not know I am a big fan of putting fries on gyros, on falafel sandwiches, or in burritos.  So it’s not to hard to imagine that I would also like a sandwich with… say… onion rings on top.  Makes sense, right?  And if I liked french fries and onion rings on a sandwich, it would also stand to reason that chicken fingers or mozzarella sticks would also be a welcome addition.  I didn’t lose you did I?  Because that’s precisely what you get at the grease trucks, a Rutgers institution that has been serving up over the top, appetizer-samplers-as-a-gigantic-sandwich for almost 15 years.  It doesn’t take much of an imagination to know why a chicken finger + mozzarella stick + french fries + marinara sandwich would appeal to a college student at 2 in the morning, but I don’t see why this can’t be enjoyed during daylight hours!

So when I heard that Fat Sal’s in Westwood was serving up their version of the sandwiches you get at the famous Rutgers grease trucks, I was pretty freakin’ excited.

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You don’t need us to tell you about In N Out Burger, but this post on A Hamburger Today is possibly one of the greatest blog posts ever assembled. And if you haven’t looked at it yet, you really should.  One recent afternoon in San Francisco, Serious Eats Managing Editor J. Kenji Lopez Alt (aided by a super helpful In N Out cashier) ordered and photographed every single possible order permutation at In N Out Burger.  And not just the secret items that everybody knows about (we’re looking at you “animal style”) but also the super-secret menu stuff that you may not have heard about it. My next order at In N Out Burger will be a double double with mustard grilled patties, a whole onion, chopped chilies and fries well done.  If you haven’t looked at it yet, do yourself a favor and check it out>>>

The New York City me would punch the Los Angeles me in the face for saying this, but damn it has been cold lately, right?  It almost makes me want to stop wearing short sleeve t-shirts and flip flops.  Almost.  Yesterday morning seemed particularly chilly, although I don’t have any empirical evidence of this since I don’t really check the weather report that much (in contrast to when I lived in NYC, where checking the weather is a required morning ritual in the wintertime.) I also felt a bit of a sore throat coming on, so that could only mean one thing… soup day!

The last time I was sick, Ramenya proved to be an inspired choice. Pa Ord is where you want to go if you have a stuffy nose that needs clearing up. And I’ve always thought kal gook soo from Myung Dong Kyoja would be the perfect replacement for penicillin.  But now that I’ve been to Mountain Cafe (or San as it’s called in Korean) I think I have found a replacement for my Grandma’s matzoh ball soup.  (Sorry grandma!)

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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 Chas, a burger blogger who loves… well… burgers obviously, but also Cajun food.

Name: Chas

Age: 32

Occupation: Television Editor and Burger Blogger

Where in L.A. do you Work?: I work freelance all over town, but I am mostly in the Santa Monica.

Favorite Kind of Food: Cheeseburger

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Anything vegetarian

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: Father’s Office (3229 Helms Avenue): Burger, sweet potato fries and a nice craft beer. Umami Burger (Multiple Locations): The Umami Burger, cheesy tater tots and a Deadlift IPA. Bay Cities Italian Deli (1517 Lincoln Blvd.)– The spicy godmother. Wockano (1413 5th Street): The Maguro sushi lunch special, which is 5 pieces of tuna sushi, tuna roll and a salad. Sometimes they will give you miso soup as well.

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It was almost exactly 1 year ago this week that I first hit up the India Jones Truck.  I was fresh off the boat from NYC, and hungry for a West coast equivalent to my beloved kati roll- a Calcutta street food that is very popular in Midtown Manhattan.  I really loved their butter chicken (you might say the secret ingredient is butter) but their frankies and stuffed “paratha” left me a bit disappointed.  Admittedly the frankie and kati roll are two completely different treats (the frankie comes from Bombay, and features an egg washed bread) but I was still hoping for something a bit more traditional than the Mexican flour tortilla they were using for both items.

Well, recently I heard an unconfirmed rumor that they may have changed their bread to something a bit more roti-like.  Excuse to try the India Jones Truck again?  Don’t mind if I do!

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Photo courtesy of Gastronomyblog

• ATWATER VILLAGE Viet Noodle House has closed [Eater]
• BEVERLY HILLS Nate N Al’s makes the best french dip!? [Right Way to Eat]
• DTLA Here’s a great ordering strategy for Chin Ma Ya [Gastonomyblog]
• SAMO The Market at Santa Monica Place will open May 20th [Eater]
• WEST L.A. A list of lunch options on Sawtelle [Grub Street]
• MOBILE See, I’m not the only one who likes sushi burritos [Squid Ink]
• MISC A round up of some tasty looking L.A. chili dishes [LAist]

Yesterday I needed a car wash, and what better way to kill two birds with one stone than with a car wash lunch!?  I kind of love how a ton of car washes places in L.A. have little lunch spots attached to them, and I’ve been obsessed with trying as many of these places as I can.  Am I saying that lunch dictates where I am likely to get my car wash?  Yup.  That’s exactly what I’m saying.

Crunchy Sea is a great car wash option in Koreatown, and I’ve been really wanting to try the barbecue place attached to the Handy J car wash in West L.A. (even though I’ve heard bad things.)  But yesterday I was hell bent on checking out a sushi place that I was told about by Josh from the blog Food GPS.  That’s right… car wash sushi!  How could this be bad? (You know what… don’t answer that.)

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