los angeles 2011: food, part 1

upon hearing that i was going to travel to los angeles for work this november, i didn’t even blink before starting to  research food in L.A. i got some great recommendations from friends and some terrific picks from nytimes and serious eats, and i headed out on what ended up being a three day eating adventure.

lunch at pinches tacos:

i started out at pinche’s tacos, a local (and almost fast-food like) taco joint, with multiple locations in the city. i ordered the carnitas and the al pastor, and both were incredible. tons of flavor and some spice, with just light toppings on the wonderfully flavored meats. and who doesn’t love a squeeze of lime to top it off?

breakfast at huckleberry’s: a must

one of the highlights of my trip was the breakfast at huckleberry’s in santa monica. one bite of their breakfast burrito and maple bacon biscuit and i was in heaven. that biscuit is savory, sweet, crunchy, salty and doughy all at once. yes, please.

lunch at umami burger:

this is the classic umami burger: beef patty,  shiitake mushroom, caramelized onions, roasted tomato, parmesan crisp, umami ketchup. super juicy and an absolutely excellent burger. so what if i made a mess of myself (stain still on shirt) after one bite?

pizza mozza: snack

i heard from more people about pizza mozza than i did any other place in L.A. – the mario batali/nancy silverton pizza joint really has a cult following, and we soon learned why. that dough is so puffy and crispy, and you can actually taste how simple and fresh each topping and ingredients is. if i weren’t so stuffed, i might have even ordered a second pie. if i did, i think it would have been a tie between the squash blossoms, tomato & burrata pie and the funghi pie with taleggio and fontina. i wish they delivered to new york…