For years, the only part of Los Angeles I saw was the trip from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to whatever hotel I was staying in.
The plan was always the same: To cover E3 2019, the big annual video game trade show, held downtown.
Across the next week, I’d mostly experience a small section of blocks in downtown Los Angeles that were close to the Staples Center, where the Lakers play and the Los Angeles Convention Center resides. That last bit is important because that’s where E3 is held.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten smarter about my annual trip west. I stay in an AirBnb instead of an overpriced hotel, for instance, and I schedule travel time between appointments at the show.
But there’s one thing I’ve always made sure to do, as long as I’ve been going to E3 annually: Eat well. These are the four places I look forward to eating at all year:
What you see above may look pedestrian — scrambled eggs, some country ham, a bit of hot sauce, a side salad, and some rye toast.
What it is in reality is the most absurdly delicious, perfect version of those things. That’s what Sqirl does: Perfected classics.
This dish is known as “Rugbrød Toast,” and the menu describes it as, “Triple-egg soft scramble, house ham, Rugbrød, lacto-fermented hot sauce, Shu greens.”
So, uh, what’s “Rugbrød”? That’s just how you say “rye bread” in Danish, because this is a particularly Danish variety of rye bread. It’s been buttered liberally, and grilled until the outside is crisp and the inside is warmed through.
The eggs are, as advertised, soft and right on the edge of being too soft. The house ham is, also as advertised, made in house. And the hot sauce is absurdly delicious. It’s got a beautifully subtle spank of tang from fermentation, and a slightly sharper spike of spice kick.
I could just eat at Sqirl for every meal while in Los Angeles. It is tremendously heartwarming food.
I look forward to eating at Fernando’s Taco Inn all year.
The small breakfast and lunch spot is just one block from the Los Angeles Convention Center, yet it’s never overrun by E3 attendees. As the name suggests, Fernando’s specializes in casual Mexican fare: tacos, tamales, chalupas, and burritos.
They make their own salsas, and the prices are great, but in truth it’s the carnitas that brings me back every time: Succulent, delicious roast pork nestled into a burrito alongside rice, beans, a bit of onions and cilantro.
The tortilla is soft and flavorful, and — most importantly of all — the burrito is about medium in size. This is far from the rice-filled monstrosity Chipotle is pushing.
Korean barbecue? Oh yes.
You need a group for Soot Bull Jeep, in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood, but that group is going to be incredibly happy they joined you.
The first thing you notice when entering Soot Bull Jeep is that there’s an overwhelming amount of smoke inside. The Korean barbecue restaurant has coals burning at every table waiting to perfectly sear a wide selection of meats and seafood.
When those meats arrive at the table, uncooked and ready for action, they’ll arrive with a gorgeous array of “banchan” — a variety of small plates with fermented delights, from kimchi to pickled daikon. This is nothing new if you’ve ever experienced Korean barbecue before, but Soot Bull Jeep does these sides especially well.
This is the “nam khao tod” — which the restaurant translates to “crispy rice salad.” I’ve never not ordered it because I like it so much. It’s Thai food at its most bombastic — a vibrant combination of textures and flavors that all magically coalesce into something entirely unique.
Okay, okay — it’s possible you’ve eaten at Uncle Boon’s or Ugly Baby in New York City, or you’ve experienced the Pok Pok empire of Portland. Maybe you’re an expert on killer food in Jackson Heights! You are the exception.
There are a small handful of other restaurants in the United States that approximate the level of quality that Night + Market brings to Thai cooking, but they are few in number, and only in a handful of places.
All of which is to say one thing: Night + Market is a special spot with some of the most delicious Thai food on this side of the Pacific. If you’re in Los Angeles, it’s one not to miss (and that includes the other locations from the same chef).