Midtown Lunch

If you haven’t heard about it yet… super excited to be involved in the Eastside Food Festival November 9th at Mack Sennett Studios to benefit PATH. Admittedly our definition of east side might be a little broader than most, but when else are you going to be able to drink micheladas from Guelaguetza, and eat food from Carnitas el Momo, Pine & Crane, Alimento, and Starry Kitchen all in one place.  We not only helped to curate the 20+ restaurants that will be serving food at the event, but there will also be a Food is the New Rock stage with demos and panels featuring chefs, musicians, and artists from the neighborhood.  Evan Kleiman (from KCRW) will be moderating a restauranteurs panel that includes Jessica Koslow from Sqirl, Craig Thornton from Wolvesmouth, Ari Taymor from Alma, and Terri Wahl from Auntie Em’s Kitchen.  And I’ll be moderating an artists panel featuring comedian Eric Wareheim, and musicians Morgan Kibby from M83, Stella Mozgawa from Warpaint, and Mark Trombino from Donut Friend, which will be recorded and released as a podcast.  There will also be an oyster shucking demo featuring Spencer from L&E and Matt from Bar Covell that’s hosted by Jason Stewart (aka DJ Themjeans) and Skylight Books will have a booth featuring book signings throughout the event.

Get more info and tickets here>>

Last week Adam Perry Lang (formerly of Daisy May’s BBQ in NYC) returned to the Hollywood parking lot behind Jimmy Kimmel’s studio for another go-round of his Serious Barbecue pop up. Once again it’s Tuesday through Friday, food is available during lunchtime  from 11am to 3pm, and this time it’s only until October 24th, so you’ve officially got only 10 days left to taste some of the best smoked meat in Southern California.

Adam is still sleeping on the lot (the meat goes into the smoker around 8pm the night before), he’s still making his own charcoal out of pecan wood (and white oak from California), and the giant beef rib is back. But here are 5 things that have changed from last year to this year that you’ll probably want to know about…

1. APL has a new smoker, and it was custom made by Aaron Franklin in Austin, TX.  Yes, that Aaron Franklin. So with an Aaron Franklin smoker, there must be brisket right? Yup. And it’s available for the relatively-reasonable-compared-to-the-beef-rib price of $15. Warning though… Adam still prefers a milder smoking process with homemade charcoal in place of fresh wood, so if you’re expecting a intensely smokey Texas style BBQ you will be pretty disappointed.

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A few weeks back L.A. Weekly released its annual “Best of” issue, a terrific resource for discovering not just food but all sorts of great stuff in and around Los Angeles.  But it got me thinking of all the places I love that never seem to get mentioned on these lists.  Not local favorites that you wouldn’t drive across town for, but places serving the honest to goodness best in show versions of what they do… and rarely, if ever, getting recognized for it.

Here are 5 of my favorite lunches, that aren’t quite household names here in L.A. (but should be.)

1. Zam Zam Market – Ok, so this is kind of the place that inspired this list.  I was excited to read about Bangla Bazaar and Restaurant when it was named Best Biryani in the city by L.A. Weekly last week, but it doesn’t hold a candle to this Culver City gem hidden in the shadow of the King Fahad Mosque.  Despite the minefield of bones and spices, their biryani is the best I’ve ever had. And their tandoori chicken, with its caked-on spice paste, isn’t far behind.  And if that doesn’t sell you, go on Friday and the meat pies and lamb pulao will.  Sure, the hours are weird and there’s no menu.  And you may or may not feel like you’re eating on a Walking Dead set.  But every time I go back I am surprised all over again that it’s never gotten its proper place in the pantheon of Los Angeles south Asian food.  (I’m looking at you Mr. Gold.) 11028 W Washington Blvd, Culver City. 310-841-2504

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If you are as much of a cheap bastard as me, you’d be forgiven for ignoring the opening of Sushi Tsujita on Sawtelle a few months back.  Early word was that the ramen and tsukemen specialists had opened a high end, omakase only sushi spot specializing in “classic emomae sushi” (whatever that means. I’m still not exactly sure.)  But the important info that you may have missed is that there’s a lunch special! And the even more important info, is that it’s pretty much the best sushi lunch special in Los Angeles right now.

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