The Best Things I Ate Last Week
$1 vegan soft serve, fish al pastor, and words of affirmation for cinnamon raisin bagels.
Heyo!
Welcome to Hell! THE MOVE!
You know what the move might not be anymore? Draft beer. I wrote about dirty beer lines and got to interview Jeff Johnsen, owner of Walt’s in Eagle Rock, about his direct draw draft beer system. In short, Jeff says don’t drink draft beer at most bars because their shit is dirty and grimy. Guess that makes me a little less romantic about dolmades and Yuengling now.
Before we get into the L.A. food roundup, subscribe! Pay if you want. This is all free and will continue to be for a while.
The Best Things I Ate in Los Angeles Last Week
$1 Cups of Vegan Ice Cream at Besties Vegan Paradise
Right next to Found Oyster on Fountain Avenue, there’s a small vegan shop specializing in snacks, alternative meats, cheeses, and other vegan goodies. They have a soft serve machine that spits out some really good vegan ice cream, too. On Mondays, those cups of soft serve cost a dollar. A dollar!
The flavors rotate, but I tried the vanilla frosting and the carrot cake. The vanilla frosting has a lot of sugar in it, which tasted just like cake frosting, but that sugar kind of messes with the soft serve texture too much. It was a bit….firm. However, the carrot cake soft serve was delightfully creamy, smooth, and had a potent carrot flavor. I really took my time with it because it was so refreshing. Also, again, it’s a god damn dollar on Mondays.
Besties Vegan Paradise
4882 Fountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90029
The Bamya and Falafel Wrap at Nawal
This is the first time Nawal has served bamya, a traditional okra stew which takes on many different names throughout Levantine cooking. Depending on where you are, it can contain lamb or beef shank, but okra is always the constant. At Nawal, the bamya ($18) is a simple vegetarian dish made with fried okra, tomato sauce, almonds, Egyptian rice, and sharaya (vermicelli noodles). Doesn’t sound like much, but the flavor sneaks up on you. This is the kind of low-key, deeply flavorful cooking that hits hard in cold weather. The combination of rice and vermicelli together is a formidable 1-2 punch that generates a superbly chewy texture. The okra was wonderfully bitter. The tomatoes bright. Everything was tangy and savory and fuck it, I’ll say it: This is most sumptuous okra has ever tasted. Forget soup, bamya is what you want when it’s chilly outside.
Simply put, this is the most tender, soft, and creamy falafel I’ve ever had. It had me audibly saying: Hey, what the fuck now? Because of that awesome falafel, everything tastes new like the first falafel wrap I’ve ever had in my life. I love how cavernous the pita shell is, too. Really reminds me of the kind of pita wraps people use at home. Also, that Nawal adds hot peppers here is awesome. They taste zippy and aggressive like sport peppers, and sit snugly at the bottom of the pita, so your last few bites are guaranteed to taste fresh and new. The falafel pita is also $12 and it’s worth every god damn cent.
You might remember that Nawal had gotten famous for serving Syrian food out of their backyard. Apparently, they had some issues with the neighbors, and now they’re doing a roaming pop-up. I caught them over the weekend at La Fe in Echo Park. Make sure to follow them on Instagram for where they’re popping up next, and hopefully they’ll be back in the backyard before too long.
Nawal
Roaming (aren’t we all?)
The Breakfast Burrito at Corner Cottage
Cash only and busy as hell, Corner Cottage in Burbank is exactly the type of place one would expect to sell a stellar breakfast burrito. Burbank locals go here, and it shows through the familiar chit chat permeating the small restaurant space. While you wait for your tightly wound, weighty breakfast burrito, sitting there and listening to the soothing clanks of metal spatulas on a flattop is a delightful way to start the morning.
Of note: Saturday at 9am is very busy. I waited 30 minutes for my burrito. It’s worth it, though. The bacon breakfast burrito costs $8.35 with tax, and comes loaded with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and cheese. It’s an absolute missile, and it really gives me bean & cheese burrito vibes. The hash browns are creamy not crispy, and everything is smooth and cohesive. Their salsa is actually spicy and comes loaded with jalapeños, so get that, too.
Corner Cottage
310 S. Victory Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91502
The Fish Al Pastor from Simón
This mariscos truck in Silver Lake is serving some of the best fish tacos you’ll ever have (all of them for $6), but I came specifically to try Francisco Aguilar’s flagship fish al pastor.
The fish pastor is a sticky, savory, sweet & jammy salmon taco that I would say is a crucial taco for anybody wanting to get a sense of what makes Los Angeles’ food so great. With all the amazing pork al pastor here in the city, seeing something so different and just as good as traditional al pastor is nuts. This thing is so damn buttery and coagulated that the corn tortillas practically stick to the salmon. It features achiote paste, pineapple, some guac, plus crispy fried onions and caramelized onions. This taco melts away in your mouth, man. Go get it.
Everything at Simón is said to be incredible and I’m dying to try their aguachile and ceviche, but the selection of tacos on homemade corn tortillas are what really caught my eye. I love that Francisco, who was born in the U.S. but raised in Oaxaca City according to this Bill Addison article, isn’t afraid to straightforwardly pair soft shell crab with chipotle mayo and pickled onion. Simple, good flavors just work. So does engineering a classic al pastor with salmon. Best of both worlds, really.
The Move: The truck has a great selection of diet soda like Coke Zero and diet Canada Dry. Something about a diet ginger ale just hits, man. You can also get small bags of Tostitos salsa verde. You should do that, then open up the small condiment cupboard and load up on salsa. The carrot habanero is awesome—sweet and spicy and earthy. Dip your chips in that. You won’t be sorry.
Simón
3667 Sunset Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
A French Omelette and Side Salad at Loupiotte
I am a staunch advocate for eating omelettes at all times of the day. I also fully endorse the spelling of omelette with an extra te at the end and not this bullshit omelet. Omelet. How dare you, sir. I am a man of stature!!
There is something simple and elegant about a textured, country-style, French omelette and a well-dressed side salad. It’s both hearty and light. Pair that with a glass of red wine, and that’s the real move at Loupiotte. Go between 11am-2pm. Eat an omelette with spinach and melty elemental cheese, and drink a glass of red. Then go feel like a god damn champion for the rest of the day.
The Move: Add potatoes for $3.50. Loupiotte’s potatoes have that sweet spot texture for breakfast potatoes—crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and seasoned so damn well. They come garnished with some sweet caramelized onions, too. This is one of the more perfect potato sides that I’ve had to a breakfast dish. I’m still thinking about it.
Loupiotte
1726 N. Vermont Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Cinnamon Raisin Bagel with Salted Butter and a Breakfast Bagel from Hank’s
Everybody drop what you’re doing and give it up for a classic, cinnamon raisin bagel. I didn’t walk into Hank’s wanting one, but something about a sweet, raisin-filled toasted bagel and salted butter beckoned me to get nasty. Hank’s famously doesn’t short you on cream cheese (I seriously want to ask for less sometimes), and this bagel came with murderous gobs of salted butter. It’s like they know your deepest, most unhealthy desires. The cinnamon raisin bagel is sweet and salty and delightfully indulgent. I couldn’t believe how much it hit the spot. The bagel is $3.50 and the butter is $1.75. That’s $5.25 for breakfast. You feel me?
This country loves breakfast bagels, so in honor of my Dad eating McDonald’s every morning I got an everything breakfast bagel from Hank’s, the #1, which costs $12.50. It comes loaded with a crispy fried egg, maple-glazed bacon, sharp cheddar, tomato, and aioli. You can also sub turkey sausage for bacon.
Another indulgent banger here. Man, the cheddar cheese is fucking good, whatever Hank’s is using. It also features nice and crispy edges like it’s been cooked on a flattop. Those cheese edges, the aioli, fried egg, and the sweet, peppery bacon and the everything spices absolutely barrel you over with flavors. I fucking loved it. McD’s could never.
The breakfast sandwich tastes great, but I find bagel sandwiches to be a whole lot of messy mouth work. I had to eat this one on the sidewalk like an animal, as the yolk dripped down onto the ground and glossed my fingers.
The Move: Parking is tough, so park in the red zone and put your flashers on. It’s easy to keep an eye on your car. I was at Hank’s for almost an hour and didn’t have any problems. Also, the steps to the left of the shop are a wonderful place to sit with your dog.
Hank’s Bagels Burbank
4315 W. Riverside Dr.
Burbank, CA 91505
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Hope everybody has a good week! Go eating something that makes you feel good.
I was curious about that market next to Found Oyster! Don’t know why I’ve never gone in but might need to go rn