Every Friday, our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest
places to get cocktails in town.
For a sourdough pizza that feels like summer: Wallflour Pizza in Eagle Rock
Summer is my favorite season, so while we’ve now reached the first week of September, I am still clinging on to the sunny days and seasonal produce. One of the ways of keeping that summer feeling alive is eating the A Maize ing pie at Wallflour Pizza: a sweet corn and crema medley topped with dashes of zippy Tajín and salty, squeaky chunks of queso cotija on a bubbly, blistered sourdough crust. The sourdough complements the flavors of elote well here; its sharpness enhanced by a wedge of lime that arrives with the pizza. Elote in the summer in Los Angeles feels as inevitable as a 90 degree day, so I’m closing out the season with as many slices of this pie as I can. My only wish is that Wallflour served its tavern style pizza on the weekends, too (right now, they’re currently available on Tuesdays and Thursdays). 2128 Colorado Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90041. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For salt bread worth the wait in line: Out of Ordi in Koreatown
More than a year after salt bread specialist Out of Ordi opened its first permanent store in Koreatown, the hype has not died down — for good reason. The former pop-up from husband-and-wife team Gemma Lee and Luis Kim serves its plush plain rolls imbued with salt and butter alone or filled with a choice of flavors such as strawberry cream, grilled corn, or matcha cream. A near-constant line stretches out from the bakery’s strip mall location, but just know that those who wait will be rewarded. Be sure to go early for the best selection of salt breads or if you want to get your hands on one of the more limited seasonal flavors such as the mango and yogurt cream wakkpu. 3524 W. Eighth Street, Los Angeles, CA 90005. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For long-weekend-ready Los Angeles barbecue: Ray’s BBQ in Huntington Park
Sometimes, an Angeleno just needs grilled and saucy meats that they don’t need to prepare on their own. That’s when to stop by Ray’s BBQ: The Huntington Park barbecue joint is still one of the best places to find a specific style of barbecue from Central Texas, described by historian Adrian Miller as “beef and other meat cooked using indirect heat and minimally seasoned with pepper and salt.” At Ray’s, load up on meat by the pound with brisket, spare ribs, or pulled pork. The smoky sandwiches come especially juicy and pair perfectly with macaroni and cheese, barbecue beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. Get there during daytime hours (they’re closed on Sunday), and settle into the weekend. 6038 Santa Fe Avenue, Huntington Park, CA, 90255. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a trip up the coast and Y2K-coded desserts: Bistro Amasa in Santa Barbara
Bistro Amasa, the newer sister restaurant to the Michelin-recommended Barbareño, nails the casual, coastal elegance that its setting in a Victorian-era hotel begets: Intimate marble tables dot the wraparound porch where guests dine on steak frites and hot smoked salmon. It’s a classic American Riviera–style menu, but one that, upon closer inspection, flashes playful Y2K snack and comfort-food twists; there’s an inventive s’mores dessert made with a cacao-avocado mousse, a Gushers-inspired cocktail, and a Cinnamon Toast Crunch cheesecake that I, as a millennial, had bookmarked in my “must-try” list for months. The latter gets made with cereal milk infused with cereal overnight, a brown butter crust, and caramel made from cereal-steeped cream. A satisfyingly crunchy handful of Cinnamon Toast Crunch on top leaves both my inner child and adult self very happy — and eager to return. 1404 De La Vina Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. — Francky Knapp, Eater staff writer
