We had to take last week off from writing this newsletter to embrace an ascetic lifestyle deep in the woods, following a particular gluttonous TACO MADNESS festival.
But we're back today with an unholy banquet of bacon pupusas, ice cream laden with California's classic centurion candy, fry-stuffed gryos, uni toast with jalapeno marmalade, and more as spied by our deputy editor Hadley Tomicki.
Buen provecho!!
NORTH HOLLYWOOD
L.A. Greek Food is a new truck posting up in North Hollywood, wrapped in a Santorini dream of blue roofs and bluer sea. Gyros stuffed with pork or chicken, tomato, onion, yogurt, and fries are their main thing, along with Greek salad, feta cheese dip, and sweet crepes containing strawberries and Nutella, and savory crepes with chicken or pork and fries, as well as one with ham, salami, turkey, and bacon.
5157 Lankershim Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601
CITYWIDE
Two classic California confectioners are melding into four indulgent flavors of ice cream as Santa Barbara's McConnell's Fine Ice Creams is partnering with L.A.'s 102-year-old See's Candies, beginning today.
You'll find McConnell's R.R. Lochhead vanilla bean studded with See's "California Brittle," coffee with See's dark-and-milk chocolate-coated molasses honeycomb wafers and chocolate swirls, chocolate with See's Polar Bear Paws (caramel and salt-roasted peanuts covered in white chocolate), and banana cream with See's famous Toffee-ettes, available in McConnell's scoop shops (where See's chocolate sprinkles are also offered as toppings) and in pints, available online.
317 South Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90013; 12073 Ventura Pl. Studio City, CA 91604; 15209 Palisades Village Ln. Los Angeles, CA 90272; 1456 Third Street Promenade Santa Monica, CA 90401
SAWTELLE
Taqueria Chaoz is now serving West L.A.'s Sawtelle neighborhood, setting up at night on Santa Monica Boulevard to make tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and mulitas with your choices of asada, al pastor, suadero, lengua, cabeza, buche and pollo.
11400-11426 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90025
EAST HOLLYWOOD
L.A. Pupusa House, which comes from the former owner of Koreatown's El Rinconcito Salvadoreño, has a new address after opening in East Hollywood.
The concept has a menu of "crazy pupusas," including ones inspired by asada tacos, pepperoni and Hawaiian pizzas, and one laced with bacon and cheese, in addition to traditional pupusas and Salvadoran antojitos and breakfasts.
4814 Melrose Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90029
BEVERLY GROVE
A vintage European Citroen H 1971 truck is now parking a few steps from Alfred Coffee on Melrose Place. This is Blessed Bread, a new stuffed sando concept hinging on daily baked, proprietary brioche. It comes from Liana Kazaryan, founder of the international superfood chain Avobar.
Among the sandwiches, you'll find those with smoked chorizo-and-scrambled eggs, chocolate ganache-peanut butter-and-banana, pastrami with pickles, spicy sauce, and caramelized onions, and one known as the Avoholic with guacamole and jalapenos.
8428 Melrose Pl. Los Angeles, CA 90069
DOWNTOWN
Encaletao's Food Flavors, a new Colombian fast food truck, is open in Downtown. The menu includes a build-your-own "super arepa" packed with sausage, shredded beef, shredded chicken, chorizo, bacon, egg, avocado, and cheese, plus various forms of salchipapas, burgers on pan artesanal, sandwiches, hot dogs, ceviche de chicharron, and specials like picada and carne a la plancha.
4 pm -12 am, 924 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90012
GLENDALE
Umi By Eden is open in Gardena from the owners of Eden on Brand, where the Japanese sushi and seafood concept takes up the whole first floor. The restaurant is helmed by Michelin-starred chefs Kirk Sandel and Hoon Kang, whose menu includes red snapper sashimi with kumquat-and-panna cotta creme fraiche, wagyu tartare sushi with truffle vinaigrette, halibut sashimi with leche de tigre, albacore sushi with red kosho, baked crab handrolls, lemon cut rolls, and uni toast with jalapeno marmalade.
214 N. Brand Blvd. 1st Floor, Glendale, CA 91203
L.A. DISPENSARIES
Award-winning cannabis brand Kanha has a new line of fast-acting edibles in hard-shell coated mini chocolates. Kanha Minis come in three varieties: Float with a a 2:1 ratio of indica THC and CBG; Fly, which is infused with a little green tea; and Groove, with a 2:1 ratio of hybrid THC and CBC. 25 chocolates in each pack, at 4mg each and made with rich Belgian chocolate and all-natural, pesticide-free ingredients.
Will melt in your brain, not in your hand...
Available at select L.A. dispensaries.
D.M. FOR DELIVERY
**We also wish to draw attention to Don Chamorron. No sooner did we write about his new Michoacan-style restaurant a couple of weeks ago than we received unfortunate word that a fire at a neighboring business has shuttered it. Please take a second to visit his GoFundMe and if not possible to help with a donation, you can still order its delicious pork shanks over DM.
