Blogs : Los Angeles Area Digest
Los Angeles Area Digest Weekly highlights from the most interesting Chowhound posts on the Los Angeles Area board, including restaurant and bar reviews, best-of lists, and hidden local spots for eating and drinking.
Order the Paprikash, Not the Dracula Burger
At Restaurant Transylvania, “the notion of being open when the customer is hungry takes second-fiddle to the notion of being open when the family wants to be open,” says lil mikey.
Even if you can find it open, the experience is a little awkward, says lil mikey. “First, I was the only customer in there. And when I arrived, they looked at me like I was the taxman…. First seemingly challenging my existence in their shop, then questioning me on what I want.” lil mikey was eventually shown a menu, but was told that nothing was available from it except the Dracula burger, chicken paprikash, and a sandwich.
And the big surprise at the end of this long, gloomy tunnel? The chicken paprikash is really excellent. It comes as a stew, ladled over fresh spätzle. “The spaetzle was tender and buttery, but it had a perfect firmness, and occasionally I’d get a crispy bite,” says lil mikey. The chicken is fresh and tender from hours of simmering; the sauce creamy, with a light flavor of paprika.
Restaurant Transylvania [Hollywood]
5615 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles
323-466-2508
Board Link: Transylvania Restaurant–Hollywood
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Your Carnitas Wonderland
Metro Balderas is a family operation with four locations in Los Angeles, each run by a different member of the family. exilekiss visited the Highland Park branch, run by Jasmine Guzman. Every Saturday and Sunday, Metro Balderas offers eight types of pork carnitas in the Distrito Federal style for a barrage of carnitas taco glory.
There’s buche carnitas—braised pork stomach—with a good, light chewiness and a bit of elasticity that gives way to a soft, braised quality. It’s the best buche taco exilekiss has had in LA.
The cuerito carnitas—braised pork skin—is satisfyingly salty and unctuous. Trompa carnitas—braised pig snout—is even juicier, showing off its four hours of braising time with “ultra juicy, fatty, sultry pieces of super tender pork goodness,” says exilekiss.
Costilla carnitas—braised pork ribs—is very fresh and lean. There’s a nice crunch from the cartilage, and a wonderful brightness and clarity to the flavor, says exilekiss. And then there’s nana carnitas—braised pork uterus. It is intense, thick, chewy, and amazingly earthy.
But the greatest thing here according to exilekiss is oreja carnitas, braised pig ear. It has just the right balance of fat and delicious cartilage crunchiness; it is “at once wonderfully porky, succulent and crunchy,” says exilekiss. It has the “moist, sexy fattiness” of pork belly or bacon, but it’s not quite so overwhelming.
Be aware: If you arrive late, you may find that all the carnitas has sold out.
Metro Balderas [Highland Park]
5305 N. Figueroa Street, Los Angeles
323-478-8383
Board Link: A Celebration of Succulent Pork–The 8 Types of Carnitas at Metro Balderas! [Review] w/ Pics
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Perdue's Secret 'Cue
Perdue’s Q BBQ is a hidden gem, with pork spare ribs that are “dark, meaty, crusty, and delicious,” says Hershey Bomar. Rib tips are equally nice, but beef ribs not so much.
The ribs come with crunchy, garlicky Texas toast and the best red beans and rice Hershey Bomar has had in Los Angeles. The place is on the first floor of an unfortunate building seemingly designed to hide whatever’s in it.
Perdue’s Q BBQ [San Gabriel Valley]
456 E. Orange Grove Boulevard, Pasadena
626-229-0742
Board Link: Perdue’s BBQ is great — Pasadena
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A Worthy Cajun Oyster Po' Boy
sku spent a couple of years roaming around the entire state of Louisiana. He developed “a deep love and respect for Cajun food. Not the refined Creole dishes of New Orleans, but the rustic, fried seafood, jambalaya and gumbo of the Cajun country. The object of my deepest affection back then was the fried crawfish po’ boy.” And good Cajun food is one of the hardest things to find in Los Angeles, says sku—far harder than the Creole stuff.
Crawfish is hard to find west of Houston, says sku; the best you can hope for is a decent oyster po’ boy. “In the best version of this delicacy, the oysters are fresh and plump, flash fried and slapped on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and mayo,” says sku. “Then, you add hot sauce to taste, which for me, means enough to saturate the bread and blend with the mayo, turning it the color of Russian dressing.”
Most oyster po’ boys in California disappoint, says sku. But Big Mama’s version does not. “A smaller version than is typical, featuring just two large oysters, but biting into that po’ boy was one of those moments in life you treasure, when you realize that you have found something truly and unexpectedly wonderful. The first bite revealed a crisp, nicely spiced cornmeal crust encasing a beautifully cooked, huge, juicy oyster within,” says sku.
Note: Very little else at Big Mama’s is worth eating. sku thinks the ribs are unexciting and the catfish is musty-tasting. Other hounds agree: The rest of the menu is not worthwhile. But the po’ boys are a treasure.
Big Mama’s Rib Shack [San Gabriel Valley]
1453 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena
626-797-1792
Board Link: Bayou Worthy Oyster Po Boys: Big Mama’s in Pasadena
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The Roaming Ecuadoran Hallacas Man
bolonpinpon is a South American expatriate left dissatisfied with local Ecuadoran restaurants. “I had almost completely lost hope… until just recently, when I happened upon a man selling Ecuadorian hallacas” on the street at night. “I don’t even know if what he does is legal, but the hallacas are delicious and very authentic, and I wished I could have bought a whole bucket of them!” says bolonpinpon.
Hallacas are made of cornmeal and wrapped in banana leaves, rather like a Central American tamale. The Ecuadoran version is stuffed with chicken, peanut sauce, raisins, olives, and other delicious tidbits; it’s savory and a little sweet.
The hallacas man wanders around on Venice Boulevard in the vicinity of the bar Saints & Sinners.
The Hallacas Man [Westside–Inland]
Near Saints & Sinners
10899 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles
310-842-8066
Board Link: The ever-so-elusive Ecuadorian food
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Chinese Beef Jerky Specialists
There are such things as Chinese beef jerky specialists in the San Gabriel Valley. Of course, if you can imagine anything eaten by any Chinese person anywhere, there’s probably a specialist for it somewhere in the San Gabriel Valley. This jerky is not tough or leathery, unlike regular American beef jerky or supermarket Chinese stuff; it’s freshly made beef jerky from people who have basically devoted their lives to making beef jerky.
ipsedixit, one of the ruling kings of San Gabriel Valley chow, sends us to Prime Cut. Many Chowhounds also like Champion for beef jerky. It’s “my go-to place,” says fdb.
Prime Cut Beef Jerky [San Gabriel Valley]
2017 S. Hacienda Boulevard, Hacienda Heights
626-333-8393
Champion [San Gabriel Valley]
140 W. Valley Boulevard, Suite 113, San Gabriel
626-571-8188
Board Link: Chinese Beef Jerky
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