Blog: The Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week, January 2019

The editors of Eater LA dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve their time in the limelight. Here now, the very best of everything the team has eaten recently.

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January 8, 2019

Smashed burger at Smosh Town in Pasadena

One of the perks of this gig is being the first to know about new openings and happenings. Smosh Town set up shop over the holidays in the shadows of Gabriel’s Auto in Pasadena. While street-side tacos are a common sight around town, street-side burgers are quite the novelty. There are only two burgers on the menu: the Smosh Town Classic with raw onions, cheese, pickles, mustard, and ketchup, and The O’s Way with grilled onions and all the fixings. Both are priced at $7 and are made with Wagyu beef. Each burger comes with two smashed patties, crisp and caramelized around the edges, as well as two slices of all American Cheese. Burgers begin coming off the flattop at 7 p.m. and the entire operation closes once everything is sold out. Be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes for food to be ready depending on the size of the evening’s crowd. 250 N Hill Ave, Pasadena —Cathy Chaplin

Dungeness crab and garlic noodles at Crustacean in Beverly Hills

Crustacean’s Dungeness crab, roasted, garlic-infused, and served out of the shell or cracked in shell, is truly a marvel for anyone who grew up eating this specialty at Cantonese restaurants. Crustacean’s version isn’t necessarily leaps and bounds better than what one would find in SGV or Orange County, but this version boasts quite a bit of finesse, from the pre-cracked shell (it’s always more fun to scoop the meat out of the shell, right?), to the excellent and endlessly-imitated garlic noodles on the side (which costs $15 extra). Crustacean is certainly pricey, with the Dungeness crab running $78 an order, though it’s generous enough for three adults or a nuclear family of four. With an updated, if slightly tacky, dining room, Crustacean still carries its mid-1990s character well, and it’s always a bonus to see the regal Helene An working the room on choice nights. 468 N Bedford Dr, Beverly Hills, CA 90210 —Matthew Kang

Mario-style Fries at Howlin’ Ray’s in Chinatown

Having family in town is always a great excuse to retread old favorites, even if they haven’t fallen anywhere close to out of favor. That’s certainly the case with Howlin’ Ray’s, the unstoppable Nashville hot chicken paradise in Chinatown. The line, the Howlin’-level wings, the service…it’s all a rite of passage for folks coming through the city, especially when it’s a wide-eyed little brother from the wilds of upstate New York. And despite the allure of the simple fried chicken sandwich, the impressive move for newcomers will always be going off-menu, playing the part of insider and scoring a box of medium-heat Mario-style fries. Soaked in slaw, cheese, Comeback sauce, pickles, and cut-up chicken, the fries are a welcome mat to the city of Los Angeles, offered one bite at a time. 727 N. Broadway, Chinatown. —Farley Elliott

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December 20

Hot chicken tender sliders at Dave’s Hot Chicken in East Hollywood

Sometimes, a line just feels like a line. It’s easy to walk past people queuing up for boba tea or avocado toast and, with a roll of the eyes and a light snicker, to dismiss the work being done inside. With Dave’s Hot Chicken on Western, the line can seem — from the outside at least — like a branding win, or a bit of Instagram magic. But inside the energy is palpable, a room filled with real people actually enjoying themselves outside of the saturation of social media. There are plenty of photos being taken of those hot chicken tender sliders, naturally, but the most important thing is that the food actually works for the intended audience. The well-spiced fries, the cheese-laced chicken, and the varying levels of heat all work here, to delicious effect. Add in some beer and a crowd that’s happy to be in the room, and this world starts to make a little more sense. At first glance a place like Dave’s may not feel like it’s for everyone, but stop and look a little closer next time. 970 Western Ave., Los Angeles. —Farley Elliott

Dry-aged wagyu (and more) at Tamaen in Lomita

Is there a better birthday meal than grilled beef? And does grilled beef get any better than dry-aged wagyu? Tamaen, a standard-issue Japanese barbecue joint all the way down in Lomita, is one of the few places to find the rare beef, though it’s served in a ridiculously small portion in a ridiculously grandiose tableside presentation. Is it worth the $150 for a total of seven ounces of meat? Probably not. A trip to In-N-Out might be a necessary post-meal “snack.” But in terms of pure beefy deliciousness, it’s hard to argue with Tamaen’s quality, which is virtually perfect.

One can see the influence of yakiniku in places like New York City’s Michelin-starred Cote, and a number of other high-end Korean barbecues sprouting up around LA’s Koreatown: that the more expensive wagyu and American dry-aged stuff is becoming more desirable. Here’s a recommendation: come to Tamaen, order a more reasonably priced meat set, and splurge for one serving of the dry-aged wagyu. Grill it gently on the tabletop fire to give it a tinge of smoky flavor and browning then dip into the sweet soy sauce. The bite bursts with glorious rice beef fat and finishes with the nutty, profound flavors of dry-aged goodness. It’s a beautiful time to be alive. Tamaen, 1935 Pacific Coast Hwy, Lomita, CA. —Matthew Kang

Cha gio at Golden Deli in San Gabriel

My husband and I managed to finally throw our four-year-old a proper birthday party this past weekend. It took place four weeks late, but it’s the thought that counts, right? Cooking for a crowd is something best left up to professionals, so to supplement the birthday cake that came out of our home kitchen, I turned to Golden Deli to handle the hard stuff. I wasn’t sure how well their wares would travel, but everything turned out stupendously, particularly the cha gio, which were blistered on the outside and somehow even more delicious dipped in fish sauce. So while the children bounced ‘till their heart’s content, the parental set piled plates high with cold vermicelli noodles, grilled shrimp paste, and the best cha gio in LA. Golden Deli, 815 W Las Tunas Dr., San Gabriel, CA. —Cathy Chaplin

The lamb burger at Belcampo Meat Co. in Grand Central Market

Grand Central Market’s magic is all about the selection. A group visit ensures that everyone will get what they want, since no one is required to eat the same thing. Vegetarians can head straight to Ramen Hood, while meat eaters wait in line for carnitas from Tacos Tumbras a Tomas or at Belcampo Meat Co. They have a six seat counter, but that’s no problem. Send your crew to grab their favorites, order the lamb burger and a beer, and grab a table in the main hall near G & B Coffee. Belcampo’s lamb burger is an imperfect, messy patty smeared with black garlic aioli and onion sprouts. And let’s be real, organic and grass-fed is the way to go for juicy, medium-rare meat, as the source comes straight from their farm in Mt. Shasta. Grand Central Market 317 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA —Mona Holmes

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December 12

Kanpachi ceviche at NoMad in Downtown

When walking around Olive and 7th, make a detour through the NoMad. Better yet, if you have an extra hour or two, take a seat in the lobby dining room and order lunch. NoMad is gorgeous from the morning hours until nighttime, but taking in all those details with sunlight is worth a visit. Settle into one of the plush red and blue sofas and observe the exalted ceilings, art, and built-in bookcases. It’s not necessary to dress up, but many do while ordering rounds of drinks, NoMad’s custom French 75, bottles of wine, or the kanpachi ceviche. It’s served in a round bowl with a slow burn, but the freshness is what you’ll notice most about this dish. Scoop up a bite with a spoon, butter lettuce, or thinly-sliced watermelon radish, while finding something new to behold in Downtown LA. 649 S. Olive St. Los Angeles, CA. — Mona Holmes

Perrón taco at Tacos 1986 in Hollywood

LA is already the best taco scene in America, but it’s still miles behind a city like Tijuana, which is one of the best tacos cities even in Mexico. Tacos 1986 serves an excellent rendition of TJ-style tacos in the heart of Hollywood, which is a massive boon for taco fans who live far away from the amazing South LA tacos of Tire Shop Taqueria. With handmade tortillas and actual grilled carne asada, the perrón is a direct version of the famous bean and cheese-filled taco of Rosarito’s El Yaqui.

Tacos 1986’s version is a bit smaller and more manageable versus Rosarito’s massive flour tortilla taco, though 1986’s version sports a similar thin tortilla to match the original. Loaded with diced carne asada and a dollop of guacamole, it’s reminiscent of what Loqui used to serve in Culver City before it had to shut down its grilling operation due to neighbor complaints. Tacos 1986 is already drawing massive crowds for its social media-first approach to marketing, but the word of mouth is spreading quickly too. Get there early to beat those lines. 1200 N Highland Ave, Los Angeles, CA. —Matthew Kang

Duck ham on rye at Rustic Canyon in Santa Monica

Truth be told, I haven’t dined at Rustic Canyon since the days when Evan Funke was serving up drippy burgers on Monday nights circa 2011. However, I recently picked up a copy of current chef Jeremy Fox’s On Vegetables, and after zipping through the forward and skimming some of the recipes, I immediately made dinner reservations for two. I wanted to taste the cooking of a chef who had finally found peace and balance in a professional kitchen. The duck ham on rye with preserved kumquat and salted spruce, essentially an open-faced sandwich, was as thoughtful as it was delicious. The citrusy puddles delighted with each bite. 1119 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA. —Cathy Chaplin

Tacos at an unnamed stand in Highland Park

With the holiday season comes a sprouting of Christmas tree sale sites, billowing bushels of suddenly green space occupying former parking lots and open bits of leftover land. There’s a particularly large site situated at Figueroa and York in Highland Park, alongside some midway-style games and other fun kicks for families to enjoy. And, almost just across the street, is Highland Park’s newest street taco setup. The unbranded stand carries all the significant signifiers: Bright string lights, a spinning trompo turning al pastor meat, and a separate table just for salsas and sides.

The bonus here is the drum-style open grill, where wide patches of carne asada cook fast over charcoal. The resulting setup is perhaps just as alluring (or more so) than the red and green streamers and holiday music from around the corner, at least to weary Angelenos returning home from a long trip abroad. Like any of the thousands of other largely unheralded street stands that operate nightly across Los Angeles County, this place does the classics well, and serves its community precisely where and when it’s needed most. Add in the adjoining churro guy who works Friday through Sunday nights, and the whole station becomes just another part of the fantastic fabric of Los Angeles, holidays or not. 6326 N. Figueroa, Highland Park, CA. — Farley Elliot