In which L.A. TACO's Hadley Tomicki fills you in on the most exciting new restaurants, pop-ups, and events cracking in Los Angeles...
West Hollywood
We've previously written about the French escargot and Korean short rib pupusas served at chef René Alesandro Coreas' Walking Spanish pop-up. Now you can find this Petit Trois vet cooking every Sunday and Monday afternoon at Las Perlas in West Hollywood.
Coreas' creative Salvadoran menu will include chile masa-and-sweet corn pupusas, birra de res pupusas with consomé masa, a fried chicken sandwich with relajo, loaded yucca fries with optional pork belly on top, a fried plantain-and-black bean tartine, and much more.
Sundays, 2 P.M. to 12 A.M. and Mondays, 5 to 10 P.M. 7511 Santa Monica Blvd. West Hollywood, CA 90046. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 4 - "Santa Monica/Gardner."
Vernon
A pho specialist named Pho BYOB (Build Your Own Bowl) will have a grand-opening this Saturday, May 18, in Vernon. The restaurant touts its broth as being slow-simmered for 48 hours using a 100% beef bone stock. A tight menu features pho, a proprietary pho salad, fresh or fried shrimp spring rolls, daily made passionfruit juice, and Vietnamese ice milk coffee made with beans from a Vietnamese farm.
This pho star comes from owners Khanh and Helen Tan, who founded our treasured KTown Pho and Downtown LA Pho. Helen says her grandmother was a former chef for the French embassy, and everything in the restaurant, down to the custom-made furniture, comes from Vietnam. The grand opening fun starts at 10 a.m. with free spring rolls for the first 100 guests and free hats for the first 50.
2528 S. Alameda St. Unit E Vernon, CA 90058. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 60 - "Santa Fe/25th" or Metro A Line - "Washington Station."
Willowbrook
Whatever you chose for lunch today, we hope it looks as good as the large tacos placeros, huaraches, memelitas, tacos arabes, and namesake sandwiches of Cemitas Poblanas Los Chaparritos in Willowbrook.
The Puebla-style stand stuffs cemitas with cabeza de puerco al vapor and three types of large thin milanesas, its burritos with chile rellenos and French fries, and its quesadillas with flor de calabaza and mushrooms, and makes its own tortillas. Check out its Instagram and be ravenous all over again.
Open Friday through Sunday ~ 13000 Avalon Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90061. Closest Metro line and stop: Bus Line 51 - "Avalon/132nd."
Downtown
Few things bring us as much pleasure as seeing Clifton's Republic, the whimsical, wonderful L.A. classic, comeback. It's currently softly reopening in phases starting next month and, right now, is featuring a residency by AirOtic Soirée, an aerial cabaret with circus feels, and a whole dinner experience. Illustrium is performed on Friday and Saturday nights and includes such Clifton' s-specific marvels as mermaids that go great with its unparalleled Pacific Seas Bar and "magic cocktails." Tickets can be purchased here.
648 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90014. Closest Metro lines and stop: Metro B and D Lines - "Pershing Square Station", Bus Lines 4, 30, 40, 45, and 51 - "Broadway/7th", or Bus Lines 16, 18, 20, 53, 55, 60, 62, and 720 - "6th/Broadway."
North Hollywood
Belly Rubb is a new family-owned ghost kitchen that offers slow-cooked, sous vide barbecue for delivery pickup and catering. Dishes include big beef short ribs with a house demi-glace, glazed pork belly bites and sliders, baby back ribs, steak sandwiches, and wings.
Downtown
Ditroit, the sister taqueria to Enrique Olvera's Damian, is holding a monthly mercadito, starting this Sunday, May 19. The event will highlight local businesses and friends, including Yalala Ceramics, Hecho by Caye, Tepache Zapoteca, Sunset Culture, and Topo Chico, while Ditroit will be serving tacos straight off the plancha in its Downtown parking lot.
Sat., 12-5 pm, 2117 Violet St. Los Angeles, CA 90021. Closest Metro lines and stop: Bus Line 60 - "Santa Fe/Violet" or Bus Line 62 - "7th/Santa Fe."
Delivery and Pickup
An enticing roster of Venezulean eats is available for pickup and citywide delivery from Venezulean Fast Food, a business that sells patacon burgers that use fried plantains for buns, six types of arepas stuffed with the likes of carne mechada (shredded beef), avocado, and cheese, seven types of empanada from pizza to chicken, and tequeños sold individually or by the party platter. To order, DM or WhatsApp the owner.
