I am looking thru Mixtape Club and Mr Bongo, lots of interesting records that I want. Never been to Sound and Vision but looking thru their IG page $$$. Fun to look at pristine Japanese presses of the classics. Not an audiophile I actually dont mind surface or cloudy noises.
Funny you mentioned Bowie. Working on collecting from Man Who Sold The World to the Berlin Trilogy.
Somewhat relatable note I went to Woon the other day and it was also packed. I wish they go more Shanghainese with Mama Fong’s recipes. They have a menu that a lot of people seem to enjoy I guess. I love their tofu cucumber cold dish lol
Last time I went to Pine and Crane also packed. I think Pine and Crane has been there for almost 10 years. Pretty amazing.
It sucks to wait but we should be happy for these restaurants. Also it’s kinda cool to see a wider audience eat “real” Chinese food. I hope maybe these places are gateway to seek out places in SGV.
This is how I feel about places like Pine and Crane. I can’t speak to their “authenticity.” But the food is good and fairly priced, and there are worse things in the world than them becoming popular, neighborhood restaurants.
Among other things, they put people on to trying new food and cuisines. They’re also educational. My guess is that, before Pine and Crane, many people in Silverlake weren’t even aware of the differences between “Chinese” food and Taiwanese food — much less were they complaining (as they do now) about how dishes like the mapo tofu aren’t as flavorful and spicy as the “real thing.”
Yes mostly Alhambra. I’ve timed pick ups right at Jiang Nan Spring and Kang Kang. These days I prefer Temple City Kang Kang more than Alhambra, but the latter is often very low-key too. I’m pretty sure this is the last place I had Dan Dan and they usually have a mapo.
Also: Mason’s on Fig, as mentioned above. I have been here once but their pork on rice was good.
Yeah. I regret that I didn’t delimit my disregard for Joy or P&C from the wider context of Chinese foods in neighborhoods that have historically only experienced their Takeoutified (read: Westernized) form. They are successful and have proven their success, and do hope that more people seek out the SGV establishments. But I can’t say I’m not convinced many of them do.
I won’t wade into Woon because I have some strong feelings but to say that anyone I’ve talked to who’s been to Woon has never been curious about trying Shanghai chu cao mian, their “mama fong noodles,” anywhere else but Woon. Fine. Mama Fong is really nice and we had a really nice chat about Shanghainese home cooking years ago.
To me, it seems like the risk with these places is that the food is bad or otherwise scares people off from trying or seeking out the “more authentic” version. For all the criticism, I’m confident that Pine and Crane isn’t scaring anybody off of Taiwanese food. But I agree that I can’t say the same for other restaurants.
I love Low. If you can get an original copy the mastering is much better! Mine cost $30
I see where you’re coming from with this, but when a place like Jiang Nan Spring got validated by an agency most here on FTC and even the less enthusiast millieu that is wider Silverlake/HLP would trust (Michelin Guide and, by extension, Eater), wouldn’t you think that would temper some trepidation? To be cynical, one is certainly much less “a vibe” than another. One looks “less Chinese” than another, even though the former traffics in decor precisely to summon its ethnic roots than the latter.
Would love to hear them! I’ve only been to woon once and thought it was ok.
I am wholly unconvinced by the “chewy noodle” thing. The three times I’ve had it ive always thought they were under done, even as a deviation from the conventional preparation where the noodles have bounce and feedback on the bite but do indeed separate like you’d expect. Every time I had it I just wished I’d stayed home and made it myself, since it then felt that I was paying more to be in the space and have “an experience” and to be among a crowd than eat really good chu cao mian. Then I did.
The bao is fine and I remember it being not worse than Eddie Huang’s variety in NYC.
EDIT: Sorry, there are some other things coming up now that Woon is in the mix. I’m thinking about that room, the posters of Mao and the branding as a “homestyle Chinese,” appealing to a sense of nostalgia. The posters are really the worst kind of kitsch. Are they still up?
2nd’d on the noodles! they’re 100% undercooked and have that deeply unpleasant chew.
Yeesh
I agree with you that, for many people (including people on FTC), there’s little to no need for these kinds of “gateway” restaurants anymore – particularly in LA, where I think the media (e.g., Jonathan Gold, Bill Esparza) has done a pretty good job of educating people about restaurants and cuisines that are not as historically well-known as others. But I think that you’re still overestimating both the knowledge base and open-mindedness of the average person, even in Silverlake/HLP.
MEH.
Yay just what we need another smash burger place. No more lettuce and tomato. Sounds like a different vegan patty. Look I want a classic LA style cheeseburger but vegan with in-house patty. $25 now for burger and fries. This Richter dude says he loves Burgerlords concept but completely misses the point. The same guy who has aioli for a breakfast burrito. “California native”……yeah sure lol
this dude is smoking straight crack - "It’s a higher-end product, so pricing is going to change,” says Richter. “We think that we’re still giving great value given the product changes.”
While def on the higher end, I actually think $25 is okay in theory b/c it includes the fries and staff gratuity (so I assume $25 is the full out the door price?)… But I’m really going to need to be able to taste the diff in quality to justify that (and I don’t know if a smashed patty is the best way to do that).
I hear that. 99% of the time I am ordering pick up or delivery. Although the few times I’ve eaten there the wait hasn’t been outrageous. That said, I do see it as a delivery spot mostly!
lol this is gross as hell:
“We think Fred built such an energetic and cool brand,” says Richter, the founder of Wake & Late. “We want to build on that heritage, whereas the product is what’s going to see a lot of evolution.”
ie we like the marketing and name recognition they have but we’re going to change everything of actual substance about it.
Hard pass on a $25 smash burger + fries. Also find it funny the price is justified by including gratuity, isn’t this going to be a take-out spot so why should I need the price to reflect gratuity for no service?
I used to walk around to the chinatown joint for just fries 
i know sustainable business is important but not a huge fan of these changes