Midtown Lunch

There aren’t many things that are better than fresh baked bread, and it hardly gets fresher than sangak made from a real Persian bakery. Often referred to as “Iran’s national bread”, the first time I had sangak was at Attari Grill, where the small piece of flatbread came wrapped around a delicious koobideh kebab as part of lunch. But nothing can compare to seeing one of these four foot long surfboards of warm sour dough flatbread coming fresh out of a gigantic lazy susan’ish oven looking thing. There are no shortage of these bakeries in the valley (Asal Bakery in Woodland Hills is well worth the drive) but in the Midtown Lunch area between Downtown and Santa Monica? Not so much.

So I was super excited to hear that the (unfortunately named) Naan Hut, on Santa Monica Blvd in West L.A. had nothing to do with Indian bread… and was actually a real deal Persian sangak bakery, just like the places in the valley.

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Photo Courtesy of Facebook via Grub Street

• WEST LA A Japanese takoyaki cart has opened near Mitsuwa [Grub Street]
• DTLA Bottlerock looks like a great lunchtime sandwich option [The Minty]
• HWOOD Aziz Ansari got burned by  Jitlada [Squid Ink]
• PALMS Chili cheese fries are the thing to get at Hamburger Habit [Squid Ink]
• TACOS Top 10 Tacos in L.A. [Bill Esparza;LosAnjealous;HuffPo’s Billy Silverman]

Gloria’s Salvadorean Special ($9)

If you’re looking for Salvadorean food on the westside, most people will send you to the homey and satisfying Gloria’s Cafe.  Known for their pupusas, green corn tamales, and carnitas, Gloria’s has actually been closed for the past two weeks for renovations to their kitchen.  Well… they re-opened yesterday and will be offering a menu of specials this weekend only- Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Most of them are over $10, but if you work on the westside and are looking for a small splurge, this should be your lunch tomorrow (especially if you’ve never been.)

Check out the menu after the jump…

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The recent trials and tribulations of Mariscos Chente, the westside Sinoloan seafood specialist, have been well documented on the interwebs.  At the beginning of 2009 the spot was elevated to prominence by Mexican food guru Bill Esparza, for serving the best Pescado Zarandeado (whole charcoal grilled fish) outside of Nayarit.  And at the beginning of 2010 a conga line of bloggers followed suit with their praise.  I was particularly excited, not just because I had just moved here from a city that has absolutely nothing even remotely like Sinoloan food, but also because I live in Culver City- a five minute drive away from this seafood heaven.

Then, disaster struck (for me anyway).  It was reported that the grill master responsible for the zarandeado, Sergio Panuelas, had moved to Mariscos Chentes (note the “s” at the end) on Inglewood Ave. near the airport, a branch of the restaurant owned by a different member of the family.  And the message was clear:  Mariscos Chente is dead.  Long live Mariscos Chentes!  But how could this be?  So much of grilling has to do with a well seasoned grill, and Mariscos Chente was still using the same grill, right?  And didn’t Sergio’s co-workers learn anything from watching the master?  There’s no way he could have been manning the grill every single day of the week.  Is it crazy to think that the zarandeado could still possibly be good?  Well, despite hearing some not so great things, I finally managed to take the plunge and return to Mariscos Chente.

And here is what I found…

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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 Josh Lurie, the guy behind the blog Food GPS. He is responsible for sending us to a lot of great lunches, but today we get his official faves…

Name: Josh

Age: 34

Occupation: Food and Drink Writer

Where in L.A. do you Work?: Assorted coffeehouses

Favorite Kind of Food: Middle Eastern and Asian

Least Favorite Kind of Food: There isn’t much I won’t eat and enjoy, as long as it’s prepared well, but so far, my stomach has hit three walls. Water beetles, which look suspiciously like roaches, appeared at Typhoon as part of a Halloween insect menu and just the sight of them stopped me cold. Also, pickled pig’s feet. Pork is by far my favorite animal to devour, but it was hard to get past the ghastly pink flesh, which had the texture of something that was embalmed in a morgue. Finally, braised chicken feet. Limp, soggy skin on bony knuckles doesn’t exactly ignite my hunger. If they fried the feet, maybe it would be more appetizing.

Favorite Place(s) to Eat Lunch: My job involves tracking down the latest and greatest food and drink, or interviewing people who may very well produce food and drink that good when they finally open for business. I often combine meals with in-person interviews or coffeehouse writing shifts, but there are some repeats. One of my favorite stops on the Eastside is El Mar Azul, a sea-blue truck that parks next to Sycamore Grove Park in Highland Park (4700 Figueroa St). They make terrific shrimp tostadas, which are slathered with creamy slaw, topped with fresh-shucked avocado and hot sauce, and cost only $2 apiece. Not far from the 10, Dino’s Burgers #2 (2575 W. Pico Blvd) is a Greek-Mexican-ish place that serves one of L.A.’s great value plates, pollo maniaco. The flame red half-chicken is grilled, plated on French fries, doused with more lip stinging red sauce, and “plated” with cole slaw and tortillas for only about $5.50. The price has gone up a couple bucks since I first started going there, but seriously, no complaints. If I’ve got to eat in an instant, a savory Middle Eastern flatbread (or two) is normally my go-to, either from Sasoun Bakery (5114 Santa Monica Blvd), Mush Bakery (5224 W. Sunset Blvd), Arax Bakery (4871 Santa Monica Blvd), Old Sassoon Bakery (1132 N. Allen Ave, Pasadena) or A. Partamian Bakery (5410 W. Adams Blvd).

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Being the cheap bastard that I am means not spending more than $10 on lunch.  That’s why I spend so much time sussing out Thai Town, Koreatown, dirty sushi holes, and food trucks.  But I also get excited when an otherwise expensive restaurant provides some kind of Midtown Lunch loophole.  A way for super cheap fatsos to get a “quality” lunch (whatever that means) but still only spend under $10.  You wouldn’t think Bottega Louie, the famously gigantic white marble Italian restaurant with a French patisserie (?) on the corner of 7th and Grand, would fit the bill.  And yet, with some savvy ordering even a fat guy like me can leave satisfied and less than $10 in the hole.

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Photo courtesy of Damon Gambuto/A Hamburger Today

• WEST LA The Six’s burger is nearly perfect [AHT]
• BEVERLY HILLS Nate N Al’s makes the best matzoh ball soup in LA [Squid Ink]
• DTLA Two Bits Market makes a great tuna sandwich [Squid Ink]
• H’WOOD A 3rd Joe’s Pizza is coming soon to Hollywood Blvd. [Eater]
• H’WOOD Don’t let the english menu food you at Krua Siri [LAT]
• KTOWN Dragon’s jjajangmyeon can’t compete with Malan [Squid Ink]
• MID CITY Buffet Soul sounds (and looks) like my kind of place [Grub Street]