Midtown Lunch

My lunchtime wish list for this site is starting to make me feel like the captain of a leaky boat in the rain.  Just when I feel like I’m starting to make a dent in lists like this one and this one, another one comes along that just piles on more lunch options to try.  Enter this month’s “Mexican Food in L.A.” issue of Los Angeles Magazine.  Huntington Park, East L.A., and Downey are a bit too far for me to go for a weekday lunch, but there are a few recs between Downtown and SaMo that have no officially made it onto my must try list:

Top 10 Mexican Restaurants

5. Loteria Grill, 6627 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood.  I’ve been to the location in the Farmer’s Market, but maybe it’s time to finally hit up their brick and mortar location in Hollywood.  LAMag recommends the mushroom tacos topped with huitlacoche sauce, and the ones with pork rinds in chile verde.

7. La Taquiza, 3009 S. Figeroa St., South L.A. (just south of Downtown). Al pastor mulita, here I come!

8. Yuca’s, 2056 Hillhurst Ave., Los Feliz. This hut has been on my list for awhile, and seeing it here just seals the deal.  LAMag seems to think cochinita pibil sandwiches are the way to go.

10. Guelaguetza, 3014 W. Olympic Blvd, Koreatown.  Many of the house specialties are out of ML price range at this popular K-Town Oaxacan spot, but the clayuda is under $10, as are their lunch specials with mole.

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Photo courtesy of Lesley Balla

• LA BREA Tinga has off the menu dessert nachos!?! [Chow Balla]
• CULVER CITY Akasha needs to serve their tikka wings at lunch! [Squid Ink]
• KTOWN Pal Cabron opens this afternoon… [Eater]
• KTOWN … with the addition of tacos!!! [Grub Street]
• SAMO Here’s one of for the salad lovers [Grub Street]
• WEHO Pizzeria Olio is now open [Squid Ink]
• WESTWOOD Wally’s makes a better Italian than All About the Bread [Squid Ink]

I have to admit there was a bit of eye rolling when I first heard about All About the Bread, the sandwich shop on Melrose near La Brea.  Calling yourself “All About the Bread” is a bold move, potentially opening yourself up to all sorts of ridicule if your bread doesn’t end up kicking some major ass.  (Kind of like if you named your place Potato Chips, but didn’t make your own potato chips!)   When I stopped in months ago I was completely unexcited by the menu (boar’s head?  No thanks. Pastrami shipped in “from the East Coast”?  Sorry, that’s not a selling point!)   Then I saw this blog post by this week’s Profiled Lunch’er “Lynn”.   A burrata sandwich with pesto for under $10?  Honey lime chicken with cilantro salsa verde and avocado?  I don’t support blogger freebies, but damn those sandwiches look good. Let’s see if they’re as good on a regular day, ordered by a regular customer.

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Buying this month’s issue of Los Angeles Magazine just shot to the top of my to-do list! It features The Ultimate Guide to Mexican Food in L.A., and from the sound of things it’s not a completely whitewashed list either.  They enlisted Mexican food hype man Bill Esparza (from the website Street Gourmet L.A.) for a number of the features, ensuring that it will be immune to criticism from hyper critical bloggers and food writers.  Only bits and pieces of the guide are online (LAMag still believes they can get people to buy magazines!) but I think it’s pretty safe to say that Tacos Por Favor, the popular Santa Monica lunch spot on Olympic, probably didn’t make the list.

But after four different profiled Lunchers mentioned it, I thought it might be time to check the place out.

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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 Lynn, an actress who hates small portions and is saddled with a vegetarian husband.

Name: Lynn

Age: 30

Occupation: Actress and blogger

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Everywhere! With my acting career I’m all over town auditioning, having meetings, filming on location, etc. and with the food blog I like to travel around to discover new restaurants. That said, I find that I eat mostly in the Larchmont Village/Hollywood area.

Favorite Kind of Food: Hmm….that’s a tricky question for an actor. My age range is 25-35.

Least Favorite Kind of Food: Teeny tiny expensive portions. So I don’t eat at “fancy” places very often.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: In Culver City, I like the cheap and fresh salad bar at Govinda’s (3764 Watseka Avenue); Bella Vista (10826 Venice Blvd.) for all-you-can-eat Brazilian pizza with crazy toppings like corn and tuna. Downtown, I’m over the moon about Starry Kitchen (350 S. Grand) – there’s nothing I’ve eaten there that isn’t spectacular; I was once lucky enough to film a movie there (the upcoming “Surrogate Valentine”) – best prop food ever. In the Valley, I like Sunpower Natural in Studio City (3711 Cahuenga Blvd) for the portabello sandwich and raw cookie dough pie. Capriotti’s in Beverly Hills (9683 Wilshire Blvd) is fun for take-out sandwiches – try “The Bobbie” (a.k.a. Thanksgiving on a bun) or their “Veggie Cole Turkey” (the most unbelievable “fake meat”). Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, also in 90210 (9671 Wilshire Blvd), is great for quick, organic salads and sandwiches (their veggie Panini is one of the best I’ve ever eaten). Other yummy to-go sandwiches include the Burata Cheese and the Pastrami at All About the Bread in West Hollywood (7111 Melrose Ave), the award-winning “DaVinCheese” at Locali in Hollywood (5825 Franklin Ave.), and every single thing at Larchmont Village Wine & Cheese (223 N. Larchmont Blvd.)

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When Grub Street reported a few months ago that the Schnitzel Wagon would be hitting the streets of our city, my interest was probably piqued more than than the average Angeleno.  After all schnitzel is not really as hype inducing as, say, Filipino food.  Or red velvet pancakes.  Or dim sum and hipster fried chicken.  Part of it was because I miss New York’s ultra popular Schnitzel & Things Truck, and part of it was because I was super curious to find out why they completely ripped off the Street Sweets’ truck design! (Also a popular New York truck.)

But mostly I was just using these reasons as an excuse to go eat deep fried cutlets of meat and fish off a truck in Downtown L.A.  (As if I needed an excuse!)

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