I should have mentioned in the original post! I went back and edited in some info about tortilla variety where relevant.
Have you been to the taco stand that sets up right about here? I don’t know if they are there all the time, but, judging by the line, it seems they were a known quantity in the area. It looked like they might have been a Oaxacan spot but this is an assumption based on seeing a string of chorizo and (maybe) tasajo/cecina on the grill. The line made it seem promising, though I’ve been burned by lines before…
Aqui Es Texcoco has been on my list for years but I have not made it! I thought they had actually closed down during the pandemic but I may be misremembering, or maybe they just reopened. Regardless, I’ll check them out soon.
I didn’t want to veer the thread away, but…well, here I am doing so anyway Thanks for the kind words @JeetKuneBao, and for yours in the past @EattheWorldLA And thanks to the others for their suggestions I appreciate the feedback.
And, yeah, @JeetKuneBao, JGold and Bourdain (and Man Bites World’s Noah Galuten) were my main influences. I’ll always appreciate the feedback and support I got from Jonathan. I would have never written about food without him, and I mean that literally. Ok, back the subject at hand here…
I haven’t been to that spot on the corner (old Skateland location if anyone recalls) yet, it’s seemed to change up a fair amount over the past couple of years. I mostly hear about Mochomitos when friends talk about eating around there.
Texcoco did reopen fairly recently over here (previously in Commerce)
I had lunch on Saturday at a new to me (although it’s been there for 6 years) restaurant called Prospect Gourmand at the northwest corner of Robertson near Wilshire. But for the terrible parking situation (even on a Saturday) and the fact that it was a bit pricey, I would say it’s a lovely neighborhood hang.
The chef, according to the website, worked with Michael Mina, and according to the host (who is the wife of the chef), he started his culinary career as a pastry chef.
The weekend lunch menu is heavily geared toward egg dishes and since I had already had eggs for breakfast, I ordered the fish tacos.
The tacos were “cheffy” and very tasty, although next time I would ask for less crema.
There are only 4 desserts on the menu, but since the host mentioned they were all made in house, I had to try one. She recommended the chocolate tart, but since I am not a huge chocolate person I ordered the Basque cheesecake instead.
The menu said peaches, but I guess they are out of season, so it came with figs. I enjoyed it.
I ate outside, but the decor inside was very cute. I would definitely return, but the parking situation is absolutely horrendous. Most of the meters were only for 20 minutes (obviously not sufficient for a meal). I did eventually find a 60 minute meter (again not sufficient for a meal) and the meter was broken anyway, not accepting my credit card, so I just took my chances on a parking ticket. I can just hear the crowds chiming in, as they did on a post about Jade Rabbit in Santa Monica (apparently also not a parking friendly destination) saying, “don’t be lazy, just walk.” Until 3 weeks when my meniscus was torn after being thrown to the ground from a moving Uber (driven by a reckless Uber driver who is hopefully off the road) I would have thought the same, but now all I can think is “boy, those comments about just walk a few blocks are quite ableist.” Perhaps I will return to Prospect Gourmand after (hopefully) some talented orthopedic surgeon puts me together again.
I didn’t thoroughly read all the posts on Jade Rabbit, but I don’t distinctly recall anyone writing that. My own impression (incl when I posted about the parking situation) was that many didn’t want to see a promising eatery die b/c of something that the eatery can’t really help (although the staff inside did confirm that, after 6PM, customers can park at the lot for the bicycle shop that is roughly across the street).
Regret not hitting up Medan when I was in SGV. Indonesian food always looks so pleasing to my eyes. Also its been years since I been here. Maybe even a decade?
Menotti’s. Washington Blvd location. In the mood for a “sweet” drink so I got the Spanish. For the vinyl heads/music nerds curated bins from In Sheep’s Clothing with mostly African records (reissues and comps not beat up OG’s), International Anthem releases, ambient, funk.
I actually wanted to go to Sobar next door but the lights were out at 1730 when they should have been opened.
Weather’s getting cooler and it was time for Venice ramen. Man their karaage is so good, very juicy and a light thin crust. Got the spicy chuka soba with the mixed chicken and pork broth. So good.
There’s an impressive street food hub around the intersection of Sunset and Figueroa. Several vendors grilling kebab meat to order over charcoal as well as other vendors offering middle eastern and/or central Asian food. There are also a few Colombian spots but they were less popular. Many of the customers in the area seemed to be central Asian themselves, which was cool to see since I do not think LA has historically had a large immigrant population from that part of the world.
I tried adana kebap from Baba Kebap (IG). It was very good but I think I’d like to go back and try the shish kebap next time.
I then had the original knafeh from Mrs. Knafeh (IG), an Arabic dessert spot. I had never had knafeh before, but I loved it. It was a large dish and I planned to just have a taste, but I wound up (quickly) eating the entire thing by myself, even though I had just finished the entire adana kebap from Baba… I plan to go back and try the crispy knafeh next time. Mrs. Knafeh said that the crispy knafeh is their most popular item but I decided to try the original for my first time.
Because of poor planning and lack of self control, I was not able to hit other spots in the area. I plan to go back and go on a kebab bender, hitting at least Halal Kebab by Farhod (IG) and Shashlyk by Qazak (IG), as well as anything else I spot in the moment.
Writing this is reminding me that I still need to hit the central Asian food trucks in Valley Village at the corner of Magnolia & Laurel Canyon. There’s too much to try.
I know folks have been down about the state of food in LA lately, but there are still some bright spots!
I just drove by this the other night! Had my window down and got a whiff of the siren smell of charcoal + meat. Looked like a great scene, thanks for digging in, I’m hoping to follow up on your research soon.
I am not aware of anything that pulls all the info together, but they set up in the parking lot of the Jons there. They’ve been there long enough that they show up on Google Maps, so take a look at this and you’ll see at least some of the options. If you go, report back!
Thanks for the kind words 
And thanks to the others for their suggestions 
