Issue 56 — Sometimes You Need to Eat an Entire Cucumber
And a side of sushi rice. And maybe a coupla donuts.
We were overdue for a silly food trend. Then the internet blessed us with our very own Danny Phantom cucumber king, Logan. Cucumbers are super affordable, accessible, and versatile… making them a perfect base ingredient for virality.
What sounds better than a cold crunchy cucumber salad on a hot day anyway?
Someone get Kendall a mandoline so she can join the fun…
I wasn’t surprised to see Sweetgreen hop on the trend, but it looks like Chipotle paid up.
Absolutely shocked there’s confusion about MSG in the comments… Grow up!
Now go get yourself some cucumbers.
Bites
El Prado has a new house orange — Vin de Clown 🤡 Should we just get a bottle…?
Akira Akuto, chef behind Konbi, was on the Taste Pod. He’s ‘brutally honest about why a seemingly successful restaurant was anything but.’ And in case you haven’t heard, he’s a seed investor in Yuzu Co. Thanks Matt for sharing these conversations 🍋 Appreciate you!
A couple recent closures:
Otium just announced they’re shuttering after 9.5 years
La Pharmacie du Vin closed — so they could focus on Cafe Stella, set to reopen soon.
ICYMI, ‘A woman hurled a burrito bowl at a Chipotle employee. Then a judge made her walk in the victim’s shoes.’ Grubstreet is calling it the empathy punishment. 🌯
The 2024 Michelin stars were awarded last week 🌟 — they tend to go to French restaurants and omakase experiences… The category I’m more interested in is Bib Gourmand — No stars, just outstanding and ‘affordable’ restaurants.
Congrats to Grá, Little Fish, Liu’s Cafe, Quarter Sheets + several more…
Sydney Lynn Carlson dropped cookware + kitchen accessories. So far, the line consists of a cheetah print apron, and a fry pan. It’s giving the Always Pan, but worse?
Here are 5 things that bring Woon founder, Keegan Fong, joy right now — love this series by
.Mike (Collage Coffee + Side Pie) was in a bad bike accident and the team is turning to the community for some financial support. Go fund me here. 🤍
TikToker + Octopus influencer Jake Shane has beef with Sugarfish becasue they refused to give him a side of sushi rice. In the DM back and fourth, they exchanged poems.
Roses are red
Violets are Blue
SUGARFISH rice is only for kids.
Not for you.
Sweetfin caught wind and partnered with Jake on his own poke bowl, which of course comes with a side of sushi rice. The internet is so quick sometimes.
A few other new menu items:
Clark Street: Lemongrass Chicken Sammie
Ospi: just launched a new 3 for $30 aperitivo hour.
Majordomo: Melons from H-Mart, cheers.
Holy Basil: not sure if this is new but their Bangkok Style Seafood looks fun — Scallops, Mussels, White Fungus, Larb Cuttlefish.
Voodoo Vin: spotted a shrimp toast on the menu for a Ha’s Dac Biet pop up.
7-11: ‘The U.S. arm of the company is working closely with its international counterparts in Japan and beyond to introduce new items, including chicken teriyaki rice balls, miso ramen, and sweet chili crisp wings, to its stateside stores.’ — Eater
Someone wake me when the onigiri arrives.
Openings —
Butchr Bar ^ — (exactly what it sounds like) just softly opened in Echo Park
Mala Class — Sichuan Restaurant in Highland Park (think spicy beef noodle soup)
Civico 2064 — Calabrian restaurant in Los Feliz — familiar Southern Italian cooking, and a strong vegan point of view
Belle’s Delicatessen — Bagels, Delicatessen and Bar (mitzvah) finally in Highland Park
Community Goods — 2nd location at the Pacific Design Center, West Hollywood
Byron Blatty Wines — small production wines made from Los Angeles vineyards on York in Highland Park
— also mentioned last week, but noting them here again:
Bar Sinizki — Grandma’s Pierogies and Classic Cocktails by the Dune owners, in Atwater
Zizou — Moroccan-French spot Lincoln Heights with a big patio
Camelia — Japanese-French bistro in the Arts District by the Ototo / Tsubaki team.
Tendon Tempura Carlos Jr. just opened in Pasadener
Popular Caribbean pop-up Bridgetown Roti opened their permanent location in East Hollywood.
Ggiata — east coast inspired Italian Deli hit York in Highland Park
Carnal by Símon — Oaxacan on Fig in. Highland Park
The Benjamin — a new place to order shrimp cocktail in Hollywood by a co-founder The Hundreds
Cassell’s — burgers in Victor Heights (next to Perilla + Baker’s Bench)
Barr Seco — new cafe / wine bar opening by San-tō + Olivia Lopez in Silver Lake. Dishes inspired by Mexico City, Manila, and the Mediterranean from chef David Potes. Natural wines curated by Kae Whalen. SOON.
Recent Bites
Belle’s Bagels → Now Belle’s Delicatessen: Wow this has been a long time coming… I started going to Belle’s when it was a takeout window at Hi-Hat (where Sticky Rice is at the Goldfish). Now a full service deli, open day to night with leather booths and a full bar. Huge congrats to the team at making the interior feel lived-in and charming. Get a pickle martini and latkes for the table.
Shin’s Pizza: Took myself on a solo date for this warm crunchy slice of cheese and salad. TBH I almost enjoy their salads more than I enjoy the pizza. This one especially hit. Quality melon, green papaya, and herby stuff… On IG I called it a perfect $14 meal.
…And to anyone that thought calling out a ‘$14 dinner’ was out of touch — The LA Times included Courage Bagels on their list of affordable options…
Azizam: Never made it to the pop-up but was glad to finally make it to their permanent home on Sunset. I forgot how much I love Persian food until I dug into this mazeh plate. So fresh. No notes. Will definitely be back.
Queen St. at Low Tide: Again… I know! I’m addicted to the happy hour fried oyster slider / chilled red pairing... not pictured here, but it’s in the last issue. This time, they threw down an apricot green tomato salad for us and WOW. I’m so glad they did.
Cafe Tropical: I’ve had 2 donuts this month. That’s 2 more than usual if I’m being honest. But I heard great things about the apricot one.. so I had to try that. Then a week later Javier came out of retirement to man the fryer. He made a delicious black raz donut with yuzu glaze… so obviously I had to try that one too. It was so light, like eating a cloud. The best. I got the last one.
Javi was also making scotch eggs which I’m sure were good… I’ve only ever had Chloe’s scotch egg before (which I mentioned somewhere in Issue 41). She was kind enough to make me a vegetarian version at a supper club. They’re usually encased in sausage before being fried.
That’s all for now. I’ll leave you with this reminder —
Thanks
.🔗 Last Week’s Most Clicked Link
Gaby (
) asked me what restaurant I’d suggest to someone who had one night in LA. See what I said (along with 6 others) here.
thanks for the lists!!!! enjoy your latte :)
i loveeeee the whole cucumber salad sitch - it just makes sense with the brat summer green of it all