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.
SON DOGOS Y TACOS ~ SAWTELLE
After years of bacon-wrapped street dog dominance, L.A. finally has a brick-and-mortar destination for Sonoran hot dogs.
Son Dogos y Tacos, which also has a food truck, is now open in a small strip mall space in Sawtelle. This adds a third Sonoran concept to the neighborhood, including Sonoritas and Adrian González’s Tres Dos Tres up the street. However, Son Dogos is one of the only dedicated Sonoran hot dog concepts we’ve seen open in L.A.
In a kitchen that features trompos of spinning al pastor and pastor negro, seven Sonoran hot dogs are built around bolillo buns cradling bacon-wrapped turkey franks topped with grilled onions, tomatoes, a house dogo sauce, and available add-ons like rib eye steak, asada, pastor, cheese, and chili, with one soy-based vegetarian dogo for the plant-based.
The dogos, however, do not feature pinto beans, a common staple on Sonoran dogs. The dogos are served with a chile guero on the side, in one beautiful disaster waiting to happen as you cautiously consider lifting the dogo towards your mouth area.
On the taco side, you’ll find lorenzas, caramelos, and campechanos, with both flour and corn tortillas offered, along with seafood tacos with octopus, ahi, and pescado sarandeado; a selection of taquitos and “gringo” tacos with ground beef, barbacoa, and chicken tinga; plus $4 street tacos, rib eye tacos, surf n’ turf tacos, and several varieties of vegetarian tacos that include ingredients like jamaica, mushrooms, and cauliflower. In summation: a whole lotta tacos.
Son doesn’t stop there. The menu also has three types of wings; loaded mac and cheese, loaded nachos, and loaded fries; Yaki burgers bearing sirloin, ribeye, and garlic aioli; quesadillas and burritos gobernadores; tortas campechanas, and desserts like churros and plantain sundaes. No matter what road your trod here, you will not leave on an empty stomach.
11106 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064
CAFE CON RON ~ DOWNTOWN
Cafe Con Ron is now open in Downtown L.A. from friends David Ortega and Alberto Mendez, with a focus on Mexican dishes and crazy cocktails.
It’s a place where you can start with either a traditional or banana bread carajillo, or a Dubai espresso martini, before diving into ribeye tacos on flour tortillas, chilorio tacos on corn tortillas, plus fried egg-topped tamales, leche de tigre aguachile, cochinita pibil, and pescado zarandeado. Finished by a Ferris wheel of colorful desserts.
The restaurant plans to introduce brunch shortly, with creative coffee drinks like Choco Milk lattes, and morning dishes like carajillo french toast, bean-spread and machaca-filled enchiladas, and a Mazatlán-inspired, shrimp-stuffed omelet topped with salsa suiza.
819 Flower St. Los Angeles, CA 90017
JITLADA'S MANGO STICKY RICE COOKIES @ JUNIOR COOKIES ~ VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Jitalada, one of L.A.’s favorite, time-tested Thai restaurants, is doing a cool collaboration in the form of mango sticky rice cookies at Junior Cookies, which has three locations in L.A. The light cookie is topped with a Thai coconut pastry cream and salty coconut sauce, along with pieces of fresh Ataulfo mango and shreds of toasted coconut. The cookie will be available through August 7 at $5.50 per pair.
2726 Main St. Santa Monica, CA 90405; 8703 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90069; 12180 Ventura Blvd. Studio City, CA 91604
PORC-OH POP- UP ~ GLENDALE
Porc-Oh! If the name doesn’t grab you, perhaps the regional sandwiches will. Currently popping up on Tuesday nights at Glendale Tap, Porc-Oh makes the Toronto-born-and-beloved breakfast treat known as the peameal bacon sandwich, which has a history stretching back to the days when the Canadian city was known as “Hogtown.”
The simple sandwich consists of a kaiser roll topped with crispy, cornmeal-rolled slices of pork loin, hand-brined in spices, and topped with a housemade maple-Dijon aioli.
Tortonto-raised, L.A.-based owner Jacob Neayam tells me he began making them himself, as you really can’t find them in the U.S. Neayam also sells his own gâteau Basque by the slice.
Catch Porc-Oh this Tuesday night in Glendale, or at one of its other local pop-ups over the next few weeks.
Tuesdays through July 21, 6-9:30 p.m., at Glendale Tap, 4227 Glendale Rd. Glendale, CA 90039
ONKI ~ TORRANCE
Korean celebrity chef Lee Won-il has opened ONKI in Torrance, a restaurant with just four hyper-intentional entrees on its menu: grilled galbi short rib with a signature sauce; a stark serving of sliced pork jowl; a seafood platter of soy-marinated crab, scallop, and shrimp; and a customizable, spicy hot pot of pork neckbone with adds-ons like knife-cut noodles, ramen, soft tofu, and fried rice.
Side dishes include cheese-skirted mandoo dumplings, wings, jeon, shaved brisket, and sizzling corn cheese, while soju, rice wine, and draft beer are available to drink. The restaurant has been thronged since opening, so expect a likely wait.
21209 Hawthorne Blvd. Torrance, CA 90503
ART BEYOND THE GLASS ~ ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
Art Beyond the Glass returns for its 14th year this Sunday, held at Catch One nightclub in Arlington Heights with the theme: “This is our circus and these are our monkeys.”
At this major cocktail industry event, you’ll find over 100 of L.A.’s most esteemed bartenders showing off their skills, personal artwork, and most inventive drinks in one big party, with funds raised for the Hollywood Fringe Festival and hospitality nonprofit Another Round Another Rally.
Tickets include cocktail samples and bar bites amid a giant festival filled with art, live bands, and DJs.
June 28, 37 p.m., 4067 West Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90019
