Welcome to Friday’s Weekend Eats Newsletter from L.A. TACO’s Hadley Tomicki, a look at some of the newest and most exciting food-and-drink finds and culinary throw-downs in L.A., made just for members of L.A. TACO. You get this every week in your inbox when you become a member of L.A. TACO.
For any hungry Westsiders seeking morning satisfaction, we see The Window is offering $5 breakfast burritos on Saturday from 9-11 a.m. at its new Montana Avenue location. Over in Hollywood, a new location of kava business Kavahana is now serving on La Brea, as well.
For previous Weekend Eats collections, look here and here.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES PIZZERIA~ SANTA MONICA
You could probably call any old thing a Ninja Turtles pizzeria and comic book fans, stoners, and children alike would rush to it.
But Santa Monica’s new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizzeria goes several steps beyond. Now soft open on the Third Street Promenade from restaurateur Andy Nguyen, the immersive space recreates the Turtles’ sewer lair with nods to the 1980’s, crazy neon signage, oversized lava lamps, a free Ninja Turtles standup video game, and tons of references to the franchise, while the pizza is thankfully not an afterthought.
The classic, New York-style pizza here was concepted by Brooklyn’s Angelo Womack, whose pizza credits include Roberta’s, Scarr’s, Mama’s Boy, Oak & Rye, and Glide. The pizza uses hand-stretched mozzarella, natural U.S. flours, a three-day dough fermentation, Stanislaus tomatoes, and water with a PH adjusted to mirror New York’s own.
There are slices streaked with stracciatella. And a pie with pepperoni, jalapeños, and hot honey. A mushroom pizza named for mutagens. With sides like “ooze,” a clarified pesto, and cheesecake for dessert.
This California-raised, ten-year veteran of New York City tried the giant slices during a media tasting this week and found it to be a seriously solid New York slice that outdoes many an L.A. competitor.
The pizzeria is now soft-open, albeit with irregular hours, through June 15, before closing for a few days, then grand-opening on June 20. The business has signed a ten-year lease for the space, so it’s also got plans to stick around. Maybe someone can find a job for Brennan’s laid-off reptiles here? Cowabunga!
1444 3rd Street Promenade Santa Monica, CA 90401
MALAYA ~ ARCADIA
Filipino cafe Malaya recently debuted a new location in Arcadia, serving tapa loco burgers topped with a fried egg and gravy; pandan churros and ube churros; lumpia; chicken and mushroom adobo bowls; brioche ensaymaya pastries; and fries loaded with SPAM, fried egg, sriracha ketchup, and chile crisp aioli.
To drink, you’ll have choices of ube cream lattes; caramel banana espresso; pandan espresso; and flavored matcha drinks such as banana, mango, ube, and strawberry.
420 S. 1st Ave. Arcadia, CA 91006
MONTE BAKEHOUSE ~ GLENDALE
Monte Bakehouse just opened in Glendale, centered on simple sandwiches built on freshly baked focaccia, plus flatbreads, croissants, and pastries.
Sandwich choices include porchetta, pastrami-and-brie, bresaola, caprese, and mortadella with stracciatella. Sweeter stuff, meanwhile, will find you choosing between temptations like cranberry pavlova, pistachio eclairs, Napoleon cake by the slice, strawberry profiteroles, and pain au chocolat, to pair with cappuccino and espresso. Focaccia sandwiches range from $11-$16.50.
238 N. Brand Blvd. Glendale, CA 91203
CARTEL ROASTING CO. ~ BEVERLY GROVE
Tempe, Arizona-born, community-owned Cartel Roasting Co. is opening its first L.A. store this weekend in Beverly Grove, serving coffee, pastries, and other in-house-made eats. The company’s growth is funded through its customers by crowdsourcing, who have become shareholders themselves while raising money for the concept’s growth.
Its Ethiopian Sidamo and Hambela Guji have both taken home bronze in the Global Coffee Awards. You’ll find those here, along with a single origin daily drip coffee chosen by its baristas, plus lattes, mochas, espressos, cappuccinos, plus tonic-water-laced espresso, teas, chai, and matcha drinks. You can also buy beans for home, such as Ngozi-sourced Burundi Nkanda and a blend of Colombian and Guatemalan beans known as “Desert City Dark.”
There will also be freshly baked items on hand, with vegan and grain-free options, plus products from local vendors. Online, the company is transparent about its sourcing and processing methods, and also has a blend called “Give Back” that donates 10% of its total sales to local non-profits. Right now, those proceeds are going to My Friend’s Place, which works to support homeless youth in L.A.
8018 W. 3rd St. Los Angeles, CA 90048
SORA TEMAKI BAR ~ BRENTWOOD
Temaki concepts rule Los Angeles right now. Sora opened just last week in Brentwood, putting on a stylish spin on the trend, from its marble-topped, 36-seat chef’s counter to a wide, plant-accented outdoor patio.
The open-style handroll options are similarly unique, smaller than many we’ve seen, with balanced proportions of soft, warm rice in crisp nori sheets, and fresh seafood, A5 wagyu, and vegan-friendly ingredients.
Temaki include spicy lobster with unagi sauce; seared Ora King salmon; seared nodoguro (blackthroat seaperch) with red yuzu kosho and olive oil; scallops with ponzu and masago; Hokkaido uni; and vegan handrolls, like the “avocado toast” with crispy shallots and red yuzu, and Japanese eggplant with red miso. There’s also sashimi and appetizers like toro tartar with caviar, and Kumamoto red snapper with yuzu and truffle.
The restaurant is awaiting its liquor license. Until then there are house-canned drinks like a pomegranate cold foam matcha and strawberry matcha cloud.
908 S. Barrington Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90049
SEE’S CANDIES “SEEGARS” ~ CITYWIDE
Looking for a local Father’s Day gift for the daddy in your life? See’s Candies, which opened its original shop in what is now Koreatown back in 1921, is selling sleek three-packs of milk chocolate “seegars” that look like big old blunts and come in a nice-looking tin for $17.75. You can get them at See’s stores or online. Either way, your dad or closest approximation to a father figure will be stoked on these stogies.
