Issue 26 — Some thoughts on Restaurants + Social Media, A Tangent 🤳🍝
Plus the usual B.S. news bites and recent eats
Just wanted to start off with a kitchen I love…
News Bites
You probably saw a lot of Carmys over the weekend, and you’ll likely see more. Looks like The Bear Season 3 is happening.
The Camber App is here! 👏 “A platform for finding new places with familiar faces. It’s for tourists that want to feel like locals and locals that want to feel like tourists.” Huge congrats to Mady + Lauren 🤍
Kismet Rot. just dropped their a la carte Thanksgiving Menu ft. rotisserie pot pie, caper ‘caesar’ salad, + an apple pecan crumble... (plus a portion of their profits will be donated to Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance) 🥧
If you like the pastries at Canyon Coffee, note Sasha’s Thanksgiving Pies will be available to pre-order 11/06. 🍰
Nomadica was named Rising Drink Brand of the Year by @vinepair. Yay Kristen! 🍷 Plus they’re launching their their first BOX soon!
My girls at Sorella Collective are hosting a Cheese & Charcuterie workshop in the Palisades 11/5. 🧀
Everyday this this Long Beach restaurant owner walks three blocks to buy Popeyes chicken to serve on her menu — says it’s the best product for the dish.
David Chang’s Latest Momofuku Closure Marks the End of an Era (And maybe the final step in a transformation from restaurant chef into the sort of celebrity food figure that exists more on our screens than in restaurants…) — Bon Appétit
A Vegetarian(ish) guide to K-Town by Food & Wine editor, Khushbu Shah
Ft. Surawon Tofu House, Two Hands, The Prince, Mumu Bakery + more
Here is the LA Times guide to fries (complete with map + pictures) 🍟
No one asked, but a few of my faves are at: Goldburger, Zinc Market, Burgerlords + Spitz (which to be honest I forgot about and just looked up to see if it was still around!)
Famed New York Bakery L’Appartement just opened L’Apéro, a natural wine bar upstair from their bakery, and they dressed up for halloween. P cute.
‘She Eats, She Pays, She Gets the F– Out’ Servers, bartenders, and owners explain what happens when Taylor Swift visits their NYC restaurants.
Byline interviewed Rainbo founder, Tonya Papanikolov. (The cool girl mushroom supplement I see all over IG)
New To Try —
Cafe Telegrama — coffee shop + cafe just opened in Melrose Hill yesterday.
A few of my friends went:
‘Canyon coffee’s mid-city cousin’. ‘
‘Hinge dating pool with good coffee & food.’
‘Pancakes are dank.’
626 Hospitality Group — whimsical soft serve in Arcadia
Le Champ — new french wine bar in the Arts District
Wavy Gravy — glizzies, burgers + poutine on York in Highland Park
Little Ripper - coffee shop + wine bar, softly reopened in Glassell Park
In case you didn’t know (I didn’t!) you can get fresh pasta made by Evan Funke at LA Home Farm for $15. 🍝
Califia Farms had the audacity to launch a bottled matcha.
Mandarin x Hot Jamn Preserves Seasonal Mocha: Freshly made cranberry orange marmalade by @hotjamnpreserves, vegan dark chocolate ganache from @askinosie, orange bitters, house espresso, milk, and garnished with 100% zero-sugar dark chocolate shreds on top for complexity.
Miya on Lake: Thai Pumpkin Sankaya (Coconut Custard). Served with sweet sticky rice.
Fly By Jing’s new Chengdu Crunch: While a typical chili crunch relies on fried garlic for that classic crunch, Chengdu includes crispy fava beans, yellow split peas, soy beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame and sunflower seed.
The Caker collaborated with Recess on a Strawberry Rose Cake Kit bundle.
Thoughts on Restaurants + Social Media — An Empty Tangent
I’ve been reading more and more about restaurants banning photos (or really, banning influencers). My marketing lens can understand both sides of this — while I too cringe at the sight of people using ring lights to get the shot, I’ve also had the benefit of discovering new places because of the people that had the balls to do so. I’m sure restaurants can relate — while taking videos and photographs might disrupt the ambiance of their dining room, it also has the potential to keep them busy for the next few months.
I take photos of my food. We know this. I share the photos here every week. Of course I like to think, “I’m not like the other girls.” I’m not the one they’re writing about in those articles… I have etiquette. I know how to read the room and I certainly don’t bring a tripod. *That being said, if the restaurant invited me to come in and take content, then 100% I’d stand on the table to get the shot for them. (lol)
So many of us discover new places or a ‘hidden gem’ while scrolling. Maybe Instagram/Tiktok is the new form of ‘word of mouth’, especially if you discovered a new place through one of your friends posts — A concept, not inherently bad per say, just different.
I mean truly, when is the last time you parked in an unfamiliar neighborhood, and walked straight into a restaurant without looking it up first.
An even further digression…
Last week, I saw someone in search of a company ‘that was not on social media but had a big “real life” following’. She quickly realized that was a hard thing to search for and resented the fact that many of us feel the need to be “extremely online”.
Ironically, she was sharing these thoughts with her massive following on Substack that she originally obtained through blogging and instagram in the 20-teens. (I’m talking about Lee from America if anyone made it through her bowl cut era.)
I’m sure some of the most amazing restaurants + cafes out there don’t have an online presence — But putting a search out for these places / brands via social media is a paradoxical way to find them.
Towpath started as one of those places.
I had never heard of the London cafe until a friend of mine, Chloe gave me the Towpath cookbook for my birthday. It’s a charming place along the Regent’s Canal that overflows with cappuccino drinkers + ‘unfussy food that sings of its season.’
Lori writes about how they had ‘zero enthusiasm for spending their energy on creating a website, blogging, instagramming, tweeting or doing whatever else one does to establish an on-line presence.’ For a while, a fan of the restaurant was running an instagram on their behalf: @friendsof_towpathcafe. Very Olsen twins of them.
And maybe that’s it…create an experience so interesting that other people will want to talk about it, so you don’t have to say much at all.
Lori and Laura keep their menu small, partly out of spatial necessity, but also because there is simply ‘too much choice in the world.’ For a long time, they only offered one kind of milk (cow’s).
‘Surely there are enough places in this big city to satisfy ever proclivity.’ Why does one tiny cafe on the river have to take on the burden of pleasing everybody that walks by?’
(I feel this statement so hard ^ )
It’s almost as if — when you keep your head down and focus on the experience, the product, or the service itself… the right customer will come.
…at least for the few that really are creating magic... I still think about MhZh.
When Towpath’s book was written in 2020, they really didn’t have any of those online things — now they do. (I’m guessing it’s because their book publisher told them to.) Lori runs their instagram. They’ve also been experimenting with making their own house oat milk, but only cold. ‘Not everyone is happy.’
I recognize this is pretty unorganized lengthy chunk of writing that pretty much says nothing. I’ve just been thinking more about social’s role in business lately (It’s a pretty big chunk of my day job). I love reading stories about places like Towpath —thriving in their rejection of expected marketing tactics. And that’s what this substack is for — my tangents and + B.S. right?
Recent Bites (As always, with photos of my food…)
Woon: Scallion Pancakes — someone said they taste like McDonald’s chicken nuggets and tbh, I see it.
Mason’s Dumpling Shop: for when you don’t feel like DTF. Thanks Lauren + Chloe for reminding me of this spot, perfect for a cloudy day.
Gyoza Bar: I guess I was on a dumpling kick? The vibes in here are immaculate — the kind when you walk out at 2pm, you have to adjust back to reality and to daylight, the way you would coming out of a good movie. My favorite thing was definitely was the chili tofu. I want to bathe in that sauce!
Delicias Bakery & Some: Ran into my friend Mar here — It’s truly a crime I didn’t stop in sooner, considering it’s been open for 32 years. The vegan queso y rajas tamales are going to be my new $4 savory breakfast bite. This photo does NOT do it justice.
Good Housekeeping: The Psychic Hand, a perfect tart cocktail. Suggested by my bestie, Danielle. Made with Amaras Verde Mezcal, Végetal chartreuse, clear sour, chareau aloe, luxardo cherry.
Samosa House: samosas for the road! (Not pictured, but worth mentioning lol)
I had a divine Umbria Bianco at Voodoo Vin — we were just there for a nightcap, but will definitely be going back to try their new Persian menu. 👀
🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link:
5 people sent me this reel, so I figured y’all should see it too. The unparalleled ennui of getting a matcha at Maru. #HoldingSpace
I two would like to bathe in the tofu sauce from Gyoza bar..
love the delicias shoutout!!! one of the best spots in highland park