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 Chinese banquet feast: Seafood Palace in Monterey Park
I recently shot a video at Seafood Palace with cookbook author and content creator CJ Eats (you can watch the video here) and found my stomach audibly rumbling as I edited together the footage this past week. From ginger-scallion lobster to fried crab showered with crispy garlic, I can’t stop thinking about the meal I had here. In addition to platters of seafood, we also enjoyed glazed sweet and sour pork with bright pops of cubed pineapple all covered in a neon red glaze, crispy honey walnut shrimp tossed in sweet mayonnaise, seafood gravy ladled over crunchy chow mein, garlic green beans, and fried rice featuring both bouncy shrimp and smoky char siu. I think to satisfy my craving, I’ll have to gather up a group of friends this weekend and load up the lazy Susan at Seafood Palace. 684 Garvey Avenue, Monterey Park, CA 91754. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For saucy flavor-packed wings: Melnificent Wingz at Smorgasburg
After a short break, Smorgasburg returns this Sunday to Row DTLA. It remains one of my favorite places to gather with a group, where we can all take a lap around the courtyard to see what the nearly 60 food vendors are cooking. And while this weekend showcases nine new vendors, please celebrate the ones that have been holding the bazaar down, like Melnificent Wingz. As an obsessed wing lover, I’m a moth to flame for what owner and chef Melissa Cottingham prepares at her compact stand. If you have time to grab those lemon pepper wings, there will be no disappointment — just perfectly brined, deeply juicy, and peppery wings that you can keep coming back to Smorgasburg for. 777 South Alameda Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90021 — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For creative French-ish cooking: Mr. T in Hollywood
Set aside your expectations when headed to Mr. T, a French-ish destination in Hollywood that is a sibling to the Paris restaurant of the same name. Occupying an expansive corner along the buzzy corridor of Sycamore also home to Sightglass Coffee, the restaurant doesn’t let its French roots limit its creativity, with dishes that comfortably live between cuisines. During the day, a breakfast burrito gets filled with chicken sausage and hash browns, while mimolette foam blankets the Mr. T burger. Evenings bring crispy rice cubes domed with avocado mousse, truffle macaroni and cheese crowned with shimeji mushrooms, and a crunchy chicken paillard dressed with lemon chimichurri. The menu feels approachable enough that it should work for most without becoming boring — a simple margherita pizza makes sense in the same lineup as rock cod beurre blanc and steak frites. Don’t forget to hit the daytime pastry case, which gets loaded with cookies including chocolate chip and peanut butter and jelly. 953 North Sycamore Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. — Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
For a Seoul-level cauldron of pork neck stew: Onki in Torrance
Korean celebrity Lee Won-il quietly debuted his first U.S. restaurant this year called Onki, which translates to “warmth” but is also the name for the dark brown pots that are used to ferment jang (sauces) and other dishes. The menu is super-simple, featuring spicy stewed gamjatang, pork necks cooked in aged kimchi with huge chunks of potato (incidentally, gamja also means potato in Korean, but in this dish it refers to the pork necks). Their version is the best I’ve had that’s not in Seoul, boasting super tender pork that falls off the neck bones. The broth, rich and deeply umami from the aged kimchi, has that “can’t-stop” quality especially with some rice to soak it up. The other dishes to try — grilled short rib with mashed potatoes — and lightly steamed pork jowl, are terrific appetitzers to the gamjatang, though if you prefer noodles, the japchae, which uses wider pasta-like vermicelli, is another solid pick. If Onki were in Koreatown or Buena Park, it might make greater waves, but since it’s right near my house in Torrance, the South Bay crowd gets to benefit from this Korean chef’s brilliance. 21209 Hawthorne Boulevard, Unit B, Torrance, CA 90503. — Matthew Kang, correspondent, Eater.
