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.
Cornbread with anchovy butter from Dom’s Taverna in Santa Barbara
The best cornbread
I’ve ever had in Los Angeles — and maybe my life? — is the sour milk version at Dunsmoor inspired by Edna Lewis. The iteration at Dom’s Taverna, however, is highly competitive. The skillet cornbread has a crusty exterior that gives way to an impressively soft and cake-like center. What makes it so surprising is the addition of a quenelle of anchovy butter on top, with a small divot in the center to cradle a pool of honey. As the butter melts, the honey waterfalls into the cornbread, seeping into each crevice. The salinity and deep umami of the anchovies in the butter make an ideal contrast to the sweetness of summer corn and honey. If it’s not the best cornbread of my life, it’s certainly a contender — and definitely the most unique I’ve had. Yes, Dom’s Taverna is known for its seafood (don’t skip the cioppino and Louie salad), but you can’t miss the cornbread. 30 E. Victoria Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Café de olla and mole rojo from El Huarachito in Lincoln Heights
On rainy days in Los Angeles — they do happen, and will theoretically arrive with some regularity this winter — there are few greater pleasures than café de olla and a big plate of Mexican food, in this case mole rojo from Lincoln Heights staple El Huarachito. The café de olla gets a heavy dose of piloncillo, the sweetness of which plays well with the dark fruit and subtle heat of the mole. A thin and salty chicken breast makes an appropriately sober vehicle for the complex mole, especially when rolled up in sturdy, still-warm corn tortillas. The atmosphere is casually raucous, with good vibes and plenty of easy shouting back and forth from the front to back of house staff. The simple table salsa is about as good as it gets, too. 3010 N. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90031.— Ben Mesirow, editor, Eater Travel
Potato rosemary focaccia from Clark Street Bakery in Larchmont
Spending much of the height of the COVID-19 pandemic (and the years since) at home making copious amounts of bread has only given me an even greater appreciation for our local bakeries, and how much work it takes to turn out consistent loaves. My latest reminder was a seasonal potato rosemary focaccia from Clark Street Bakery crowned with Yukon Gold potatoes and fontina cheese. The focaccia here has my ideal texture: an exterior that glistens with olive oil; a slight crisp on the crust; and a light, but still chewy interior with consistent bubbles throughout. I’ll definitely return for at least a few more slices of this seasonal special before it leaves the menu. 139 1/2 N. Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Fried scamorza from Bar Fortuna in Santa Monica
I rarely recommend dining at a new restaurant: I try to give the owners of any business some time to work out the kinks in their day-to-day operations. But at the charming Santa Monica spot Bar Fortuna, chef Brian Bornemann seems to have hit his stride already. Bornemann grew up in the neighborhood and has created the kind of place where you want to hang out for a while. Cocktails by Noah Castellanos are booze forward and inventive; the room is casual and inviting. A group of four can order the squid ink fried rice with soffritto, serrano, and crab, a handful of pastas, and spiny lobster. Please accompany it with Jyan Isaac bread, served with butter from a local producer. And order the deep-fried scamorza. Though I am not often drawn to fried cheese, Bornemann’s is appealingly crispy, and scamorza has a texture that melts far better than mozzarella. Slide it around the light tomato sauce and basil on the plate and it will be gone within seconds. 2917 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA, 90405. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
