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Cool report as always.
On the purslane salad, I don’t think the sour-pungency was from the purslane itself but from the yogurt as purslane tastes very much arugula or watercress to me.
A while back, I went with some friends, one of whom is vegan. Aside from two dishes, we all decided to go full on plant based that night. We did not want for anything. Thanks for the reminder.
You had me until this. Sacrilege!
Seriously, though, I love that brisket banh mi at GTA. Interestingly, I think the brisket has changed in the last year or two. Looks to me like they’re now using the smoked brisket they make at Gjusta.
BTW, have you tried the pizza by the slice at GTA? I think it’s actually one of the best slices in LA, though it may be a little charred for your taste. I also really, really like the pork meatball sandwich at GTA.
Anyway, thanks for another fantastic report!
Thanks @ipsedixit. Good point. I think it was maybe a combination of any remaining yogurt (I tried to wipe away from a piece of the Purslane to sample the base vegetable) and my own lack of vocabulary. There’s this strange herbal note that didn’t taste like Arugula or Watercress to me (both of which I love).
Overall that salad didn’t work for us though. Thanks.
Purslane can be very grassy-tasting. So can sheep’s-milk yogurt.
I liked Gjelina when I went there last year. The menu’s very Berkeley-Oakland to me.
I’d paste some of my report from Chowhound but there’s another topic that is either lost or hidden from Google and their own search.
Everything looks so delicious and they do indeed know how to make deliciousness with vegetables.
btw, I never thought of Gjelina as a love or hate type of place. Never met anyone that didn’t like Gjelina.
There was a representative group of Gjelina naysayers back in the CH days. I could be wrong but the vast majority of haters seemed peeved about Gjelina’s “no substitute/changes/omissions” policy.
Now that this type of policy seems more common, it’s no longer news- or hate-worthy. I think many have come to accept this. Those that don’t agree with it probably opt not to go or just accept it and go anyway.
Hi @Bigmouth,
Thanks! Ooh, not I haven’t tried GTA’s pizza by the slice. Thanks for the tip.
And the Pork Meatball Sandwich sounds delicious. I will have to try it next time. Thanks.
The pizza by the slice at GTA is far better than the pizza proper at Gjelina. Worth trying.
Your reviews are glorious, and this one is no exception, @Chowseeker1999! I’m salivating just looking at all the vegetable offerings.
I third @Bigmouth and @Haeldaur’s endorsements of GTA’s pizza. I still dream about their nettle pizza.
So is GTA’s pizza like gjelina’s, thin and charred, or thicker like gjusta’s?
I spend a lot of (perhaps too much) time at Gjelina and I tried the purslane salad last week. Server who knows I’ll eat pretty much anything vegetable-wise talked me into trying it with an assurance that if I really hated it they’d switch it out for something else. I liked it ok but agree that it was a bit too one note to enjoy a whole plate. And I agree that the pungency seemed to come from the yogurt, and also the za’atar, which is an acquired taste in my book.
I cannot wait for the heirloom tomato salad to come back on the menu later in the summer! It’s just a simple, beautiful, perfect plate of many different varieties of tomatoes with excellent olive oil and a little sea salt.
Hi @MaladyNelson,
Thanks. I know you’d love their cooked Vegetable dishes. I’m seriously thinking about their Roasted Queen Beans, and that Heirloom Bean & Herb Stew is really really good! And if you’re in the mood for some Curry & Rice, their Spring & Root Vegetable Curry Rice (so much better than the Curry options nearby).
Thanks for the suggestion about their Nettle Pizza. Noted.
Hi @wienermobile,
Nice pics! What is that dessert you had? Looks amazing.
Agreed, the pizza is awesome! To be clear, however, both @Haeldaur and I talking specifically about the slices they sell in the glass case at the far end of the counter. There’s something about those big, foldable slices that really tickles my pizza fancy.
The pizzas at GTA are basically identical to the ones at Gjelina. The slices we’re talking about resemble pieces cut from a larger version of those same pizzas. Now that you mention it, the pizza at Gjelina and GTA is slightly different from the rectangular slices they serve at Gjusta.
That was not dessert, that is from their brunch menu: Goat And Cow Labneh with Jam, Salt and Olive Oil and it was wonderful…
Hi @wienermobile,
Wow! Nice. That sounds really interesting.
So far I think I enjoy the slices at Gjusta more. But I want to try the ones from GTA and see.