The editors at Eater Los Angeles dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here’s the very best of everything the team has eaten this week.
Hainan-style turkey salad sandwich from Jeff’s Table in Highland Park
I’ve been on a sandwich
kick recently, from tuna blanketed in cheese on crisp slices of sourdough to creamy egg salad tucked between milk bread and rounds of mozzarella smashed between focaccia. One of my favorite recent sandwiches was the Hainan-style turkey from Jeff’s Table in Highland Park, which operates out of Flask. The sandwich was everything I love about a Hainan chicken plate, with refreshing cucumbers and garlicky chile crisp, but in handheld form. Plus, even this certified turkey hater can admit that this is some good turkey. 5900 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90042. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Cornbread from Darling in West Hollywood
In the last week, I was lucky enough to try three cornbreads from stellar Los Angeles operators. A Jamaican-LA soulful one at the Anjahles by Jazzy pop-up, a classic cornbread I always order at Dunsmoor, and chef Sean Brock’s version at Darling in West Hollywood. Though I thoroughly enjoyed all of them, Darling’s is the one I can’t stop thinking about: It felt like a dish I haven’t experienced before. Made with Anson Mills Fine Yellow Cornmeal and bacon fat in a hot dish, this crackling cornbread is served exceptionally warm. Cut a slice, spread on the butter and tomato jam, and you’re very, very good. 631 Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069 — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Steamed fish with lime sauce from Thai Central Cuisine in East Hollywood
A friend visiting from out of town had a very specific request for dinner: a whole steamed fish. If you ever encounter this niche scenario, I suggest dropping into Thai Central Cuisine in East Hollywood, tucked away in the northwest corner of New Hollywood Plaza (also home to Ruen Pair and Bhan Kanom Thai). The whole steamed fish dressed in a fiery lime sauce comes out sizzling, with a flame beneath the fish-shaped pot to keep the dish hot for the duration of the meal. The trout is tender, and the sharpness of the limes, garlic, and chiles permeates the fish. Complement the dish with some of Thai Central Cuisine’s other appetizers, like sour fermented sausage and shatteringly crisp pork belly. For a Thai Town bang bang, head next door to Ban Khanom Thai or across the plaza to Kanomwaan for dessert. 5269 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90027. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Louisiana banana ice cream from Perlas Ice Cream in Montrose
Great restaurants, like streetlights and sidewalks, are few and far between in the foothill communities at the top of the 2 freeway. (They do exist, though.) Excellent ice cream shops, on the other hand, are as abundant as big trees and Flock cameras — everywhere you look. Perlas is the most interesting of the bunch, a diminutive, cheery storefront just a little outside the action on fast-moving Verdugo Road, south of landmarks La Cabañita and Schreiner’s Sausages. Flavor inspiration comes from Filipino and Southeast Asian dishes and ingredients, like halo halo, black sesame, and takes on both Ipoh white coffee and Milo chocolate. My favorite flavor on a recent visit looked to another part of the world. Louisiana Banana has a vanilla ice cream base, with chunks of banana and a swirl of caramel made with the Filipino rum Tanduay. The texture was rich and creamy, and the bananas Foster-style flavor combination is always a winner. 3405 Ocean View Blvd, Glendale, CA 91208 — Ben Mesirow, editor, Eater Travel
