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.
Chicken piccata and buttery pasta at Marvito in West Hollywood
A Tex-Mex place that
deals in pasta and burgers sounds like food trend madlibs, but it’s also the thesis behind Marvito, a gorgeously unserious restaurant tucked into North Harper Avenue in West Hollywood. Here, I found myself less attracted to the requisite Mexican American restaurant slate of guacamole, enchiladas, and crispy tacos, and instead more drawn to menu outliers, one of the best being a massive platter of chicken piccata with cheesy buttered pasta on the side (gluten-free penne can be subbed in for the normal wheat variety, and they actually know how to cook it, which makes it even better). The piccata arrives much creamier than classic renditions at Italian restaurants around town with enough caper-brininess to balance an ultra buttery sauce. Its portion size lives up to Marvito’s Tex-Mex branding: one of these piccata plates can easily feed three people as a main. Needless to say, next time I come in will be to try the spicy penne alla vodka alongside fall-apart lamb shoulder or cotija-crusted chicken wings. 1113 North Harper Avenue, West Hollywood, 90046. — Nicole Fellah, Eater editorial manager
Pork belly eggs Benedict from Momed in Atwater Village
As a longtime Northeast Los Angeles resident, I have seen a number of neighborhood gems maintain crowd-drawing menus for more than a decade. Momed, a 12-year-old restaurant led by Los Angeles chef Vartan Abgaryan since 2023, fits well into Atwater Village thanks to its easy menu; lively dining room and bar; and lush, spacious outdoor area that sometimes has a Metrolink or Amtrak train pass by in a charming rush of urban living. Though Momed’s nighttime scene has a romantic, festive feel, its weekend brunches contain an irresistible energy with colorful drinks and compelling dishes such as a pork belly eggs Benedict, whose unique approach starts with focaccia and wonderfully ripe summer tomatoes along with harissa hollandaise pooled over poached eggs. Order the whipped feta with pita that comes fresher than flatbread just about anywhere else in Los Angeles. 3245 Casitas Avenue, Atwater Village, CA 90039. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Maple glazed crumb doughnut from Monarch Donuts in Arcadia
I’ve wanted to try Monarch Donuts for a long time but always missed their opening window, a slim margin that runs from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily. Finally, over the weekend after dropping my dog off at a grooming appointment at 8:30 a.m., I booked it to Monarch before it closed. By this time, the selection of doughnuts had dwindled, though there were still glazed rings and twists and Monarch’s famed crumb doughnuts available. I got a mix of four doughnuts and felt blown away by how tall and fluffy each arrived, completely filling the box they had been packaged in. My favorite among the four was a maple glazed crumb that did not taste syrupy sweet or artificial like other maple doughnuts tend to. The crumb casing kept its crunchy texture with warming hits of cinnamon while the maple glaze tasted almost floral. The texture of the yeast doughnut itself is light and feathery. Put simply, this remains a doughnut worth waking up early for. Monarch is rumored to be closing soon, although owner Jonathan Ung confirmed on social media that he will be operating the rest of July. If true, I’m glad I finally got to try them — but sad I missed out on the apple fritters, which Jenn Harris of the Los Angeles Times called one of the best in Los Angeles in 2015. 15 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia, CA 91007. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Rib-eye and heirloom tomatoes from the Backyard at the Hollywood Bowl in Hollywood
My usual Hollywood Bowl dinner provisions include some form of easy-to-eat at the bleachers dish, like tuna-filled gimbap or a burrito brimming with carne asada. Over the weekend, as the Bowl flooded with red beanies and tracksuits for the weekend-long Wes Anderson program, I departed from my longtime tradition for dinner at the Backyard, a full service live-fire restaurant with a menu by chef Suzanne Goin, who also oversees the rest of the venue’s food. Balmy July weather and chilled wine were the ideal aperitifs to a meal of Larder sourdough smeared in butter, peak season heirloom tomatoes, and a rib-eye steak bathed in salsa macha. The quiet star of the meal was the huitlacoche mash, which has layers of earthy corn funk nestled between cheesy potatoes that reminded me of my go-to Echo Park quesadilla stand, Alejandra’s. 2301 Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90068. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
