Newsletter: Counter: 10 best dishes, ‘Tasty’ Chinese restaurants and a fancy vending machine
The holidays are a time for giving thanks. And while we prepare for our own holiday dinners, it seems fitting to pause and give thanks for this city's ever-growing culinary scene. Thus Jonathan Gold has chosen his 10 best dishes of the past year, reminding us once again that we live in an incredible food city.
There's never a dull moment, and nothing is as it seems. Plan Check is opening a new location, fine-dining chef Josiah Citrin experiments with casual fare, and a Beverly Hills chef decides to move his operation to the San Fernando Valley. And from food trucks to fancy vending machines, this city really does have it all. This week, we take a look at a food truck serving classic Philly cheesesteaks, vending machines stocked with gourmet coffee and Jonathan ponders just how many restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley include the name "Tasty."
And if you're still looking for holidays gifts, check out our Daily Dish blog for a beer gift guide, wine gift guide and a handful of creative stocking stuffers for everyone on your list.
And be on the lookout for Wednesday's In the Kitchen newsletter, with cooking tips and news, including new recipes from the L.A. Times Test Kitchen.
The 10 best dishes of 2015
From a plate of creamy pink mold to foie gras funnel cake, Jonathan's picks for his 10 favorite dishes of the year include everything from exotic fermentation techniques at a strip mall in Hollywood to a simple pomelo salad from a Vietnamese restaurant in Orange County — which speaks volumes about the city's current restaurant scene. His selections remind us once again, that this city is indeed, an exciting place to eat.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Tasty, Tasty and more Tasty in the San Gabriel Valley
In a recent column, Jonathan alluded to the flood of San Gabriel Valley Chinese restaurants with the word "Tasty’" tucked somewhere into their English-language names. When you consider all of the doughnut shops, burger stands and other businesses with the name Tasty, you discover there are a lot of them. You could organize your own Tasty tour, but Jonathan was kind enough to share his picks for the tastiest.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
Restaurant openings
The L.A. restaurant scene isn't slowing down anytime soon, especially when you consider all of the existing restaurants and their new locations. The latest trio to expand includes Plan Check, the burger-centric restaurant known for its ketchup leather and fried chicken sandwiches; Scratch Bar and Kitchen, Phillip Frankland Lee's now-closed Beverly Hills restaurant, and Melisse chef-owner Josiah Citrin's new Charcoal. Plan Check is opening a location in downtown, Lee has opened a Scratch Bar and Kitchen in Encino and Citrin's Charcoal is now serving dishes cooked using charcoal in Venice.
(Plan Check Kitchen and Bar)
Familiar with the Philly lean?
You'll want to familiarize yourself with the Philly lean. It's a stance that allows you to eat a Philly cheesesteak sandwich without dripping on your clothes or shoes. You'll need it when eating a Philly cheesesteak from the South Philly Experience food truck, where the sandwiches come stuffed with paper thin slices of tender beef that melt into a sort of meat jam with grilled onions and Cheez Wiz. You'll also need plenty of napkins.
(Amy Scattergood / Los Angeles Times)
Fancy holiday vending machines
When you're staring down a vending machine and wielding a handful of quarters, the choices before you are often junk food. Unless you're at Westfield Century City, in which case a new crop of holiday vending machines may be stocked with exclusive merchandise from Alfred Coffee, notebooks and accessories from design company Poketo, prints and iPhone cases by photographer Gray Malin, and cocktail kits.
(Westfield Century City)
A beer gift guide
Beer lovers can be really simple to shop for — just give them beer. But if you’re looking for something that’s a bit more thoughtful than a six-pack of local suds (a perfectly fine gift), John Verive has some ideas, including beer books, glasses, gadgets and even a brewers guild membership.
(John Verive / For The Times)
Jonathan Gold's 101
The 101 is here! Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers. Find the list at latimes.com/jonathangold. Official hashtag #JGOLD101.
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