Welcome to L.A. TACO’s weekly Investigations Newsletter, I’m Lexis-Olivier Ray, the Head of Investigations for L.A. TACO.
Like Joni Mitchell, weed gummies, and taking care of outdoor cats, really good food is something I indulge in to maintain my sanity while covering violent protests and working on investigations that can take months to complete.
A tasty meal and cold beer hits differently when you’ve just narrowly avoided arrest, even if you’re covered from head to toe in a chemical substance banned in warfare. Or when you find out that your reporting likely led to a corrupt police officer losing their job.
Here are a few of the food spots that keep me full.
Homage Brewing ~ Chinatown
After dodging rubber bullets and navigating clouds of tear gas, my first stop after covering a protest in Downtown is almost always Homage Brewing. The locally-owned brewery on the edge of Chinatown is known for their funky saisons, hoppy beers, and vintage Klipsch sound system, and happens to be the mid-point between my studio and the federal Metropolitan Detention Center, which has been the focal point of the majority of anti-ICE protests over the last year. I usually order a double smashburger, which resembles a McDonald’s double cheeseburger (white onion, pickles, cheese and sauce, on a soft brioche bun), and then find a corner where I finish uploading my video coverage from whatever protest I was at. Drink-wise, I always pair my meal with whatever’s new on the menu or whatever the generous owner, Matt Garcia, pours for me.
1219 N Main St. Los Angeles, CA 90012
Saint-Raf Bagels (inside 1802 Roasters) ~ Cypress Park
There are two signs of a good bagel shop: they run out of bagels and close early. Both are true at Saint-Raf Bagels, an artisan bakery in the back of 1802 Roasters in Cypress Park. But what I appreciate the most about Saint-Raf Bagel is the fact that they don’t toast their bagels (unless you request them to).The bagels at Saint-Raf remind me of the very best bagels that I grew up eating in Connecticut. They have a crispy exterior, are covered in fermentation bubbles, and little remnants of cornmeal, while the interior of their bagels are soft and not too dense. Technically, I have to drive past my office to get to Saint-Raf Bagels, but it’s well-worth going out of the way for.
1206 Cypress Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90065
Henrietta ~ Filipinotown
On a recent date night, my girlfriend, Doy, and I had one of the best dinners we’ve had in recent memory at Henrietta, a new sandwich shop by day that turns into a bistro at night. We grabbed a seat at the counter, just before the sun began to set, in their little market area which features wine and beer, snacks, as well as pantry items. The meal began with an endive, avocado, snowpea and tangerine salad that was so good it inspired us to make our own version at home later that week. Next, we were served two plump dumplings oozing with warm ricotta cheese that came in a umami-rich mushroom and Portuguese wine sauce. The dumplings were topped with English peas, more cheese, and morel mushrooms. After soaking up the broth with a side of toasted sourdough that was baked a couple doors down the street at Clark Street Bakery, we moved onto the star of the show, extra crispy potatoes that were steamed, boiled, and deep fried, then covered in aioli and parmesan cheese. I’ve never had potatoes quite like them. After that, despite being full, we shared a plate of short rib and Bloomsdale spinach pasta, made with delicate oversized rigatoni. Our meal ended with me staring into Doy’s eyes as she ate panna cotta (which she said was her least favorite dish of the night).
343 Glendale Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90026
LaSorted’s ~ Chinatown and Silver Lake
L.A. has had good New York-style pizza for decades, but in the last 10 years or so, the pizza scene in L.A. has exploded. I find myself eating pizza here almost as much as I did when I lived in NYC. The closest pizzeria to both my house and office is LaSorted’s, the Dodger-themed pizza shop whose pies have 100% sourdough crusts, and that many consider to be one of the best in L.A. The shop is helmed by Tommy Brockert, a party photographer, born-and-raised Angeleno, and life-long Dodger fan. The upside down pizza at LaSorted’s is a work of art that deserves a spot in the Pizza Hall of Fame. But recently, I’ve been really into the monthly MLB-themed pizza and hotdog specials that Tommy has concocted. The “pie of the month” this month (“the Lefty”) was inspired by a pizza shop in east-Boston that Tommy described to me as being probably owned by “the mob.” There they make a simple sausage and garlic pizza that Tommy likes to indulge in before heading back to L.A. during his trips to Fenway Park. What makes “the Lefty” unique is that the toppings go underneath the cheese (the science behind layering toppings needs to be studied), which somehow transforms this no-frills pizza into something a little different than your typical sausage pie. It’s also garlicky as hell. Run, don't walk, “the Lefty” special ends at the end of May.
LaSorted’s Silver Lake ~ 2847 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026 (Silver Lake)
LaSorted’s Chinatown ~ 984 N Broadway. Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Chinatown)
Komal ~ Historic South Central
When I first tried Komal’s taco de costilla, I instantly felt it was the best taco that I’d had in Los Angeles and deserved to take the #1 spot on our annual list of the top tacos in the city. The taco features a thin slice of beef rib topped with a really concentrated green salsa, and , crispy shoestring fries. All on Komal’s insanely good heirloom corn tortillas, which are made fresh in-house. This taco has only gotten better since I first tried it over the summer last year, when the city was under siege and good food like this felt like a comforting dose of reality. It’s a taco that I recommend everybody try when visiting Los Angeles, especially if there is a line out the door for Holbox (which is equally as good).
3655 S. Grand Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90007
A Good Used Book ~ Filipinotown
Some of the best food I’ve had in recent months has been at this tiny book store in Historic Filipinotown. Since they opened their brick and mortar location three years ago, A Good Used Book has been hosting weekly markets at their shop on Glendale Boulevard (just down the street from Henrietta). The markets feature a mix of local vendors selling hand-drawn pet portraits, ceramics, vinyl records, and plants, in addition to a rotation of local food vendors. In the last few months, I’ve had freshly fried donuts dusted with sugar and cinnamon from Nyletta that had an incredible custard-like interior (I’m not usually into sweets but these blew me away). I’ve had perfectly marinated beef and chicken thigh skewers with Tamaki Gold rice from Three Pigs, a Japanese yakitori popup based in Long Beach. And a French onion soup-inspired sourdough pizza made by Pizza Ananda, a pop-up started by a Black photographer turned pizzaiolo. All three vendors regularly pop up at A Good Used Book.o keep an eye out for them.
307 Glendale Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90026
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