Newsletter: Counter: Organic produce in South L.A., an Israeli food truck in downtown
Produce at Renée Günter’s organic produce container shop, Daily Organics, in South L.A.
If you frequent your neighborhood weekend farmers market, you may be busy going through your reusable bags of produce, flowers and hummus as you read this. For some, a walk to the market for fresh, organic produce is simply a Saturday morning ritual. This week, we take a look at a former model who wanted to bring organic produce to an area of South Los Angeles, where it has always been sparse.
We’ve also been thinking about the recently approved plan to raise the minimum wage in California to $15 an hour over the next six years, and how it will affect your dinner bill and the many restaurants in this city. And in other news, there’s a food truck in the garment district downtown serving Israeli food, including shakshuka; another poke restaurant pops up, but this time, you don’t build your own poke bowls; and because these sorts of lists are endlessly helpful, our beer writer John Verive has a guide to finding craft beer at Grand Central Market.
Jonathan Gold is on vacation — sort of. There is no review this week, but you can see him in Laura Gabbert’s new documentary, “City of Gold.”
Model-turned-produce-queen
Renée Günter is photographed at her store Daily Organics in Los Angeles.
Former model and current produce shop owner Renée Günter grew up hungry in South L.A. She’s now the owner of Daily Organics, which she operates out of a shipping container at the Shops at Adams Gateway, just a couple blocks from where she grew up. Writer Lara Rabinovitch takes a look at how Günter went from being a top model in Europe to a champion for healthful food in her hometown.
A taste of Israel in downtown L.A.
If you want to find a kosher food truck in Los Angeles, there are more than a couple options. A glatt kosher truck (which requires stricter requirements for meat), not so much. The Holy Grill in downtown L.A. is a glatt kosher truck serving traditional Israeli food, including shakshuka, shawarma and plenty of hummus. If you’ve eaten in Israel, one meal at the Holy Grill will bring you right back to Jerusalem.
More poke please
The Hama Time from Okipoki comes with hamachi, citrus soy, watermelon radish, edamame, cilantro, cucumbers and black sesame.
One of the latest additions to the growing L.A. poke restaurant scene is Okipoki in downtown. But this poke restaurant isn’t like all the rest. Okipoki doesn’t use a build-your-own poke bowl model. Here, you order off a menu of composed poke dishes. The restaurant is also using Satsuki Koshihikari rice, used by most high-end sushi and seafood restaurants in Los Angeles.
The new minimum wage, and your dinner bill
If a new statewide minimum-wage proposal is adopted, California’s restaurants will be assessing its effect on wages, particularly with regard to tipping.
The California Legislature just approved a plan to raise the minimum wage to $15 over the next six years. Here’s a breakdown of what the wage increase would mean for restaurants in L.A. and how it could affect your dinner bill.
Grand Central Market brews
A glass of beer from the new Golden Road Brewing stall at Grand Central Market.
If you find yourself walking through Grand Central Market, trying to decide between a Wexler’s Deli sandwich and a Madcapra falafel wrap, the one thing you don’t need to worry about is where to find a beer. Beer writer John Verive has put together a list of where to find beer at Grand Central Market (and it includes how much the brews cost).
Your “City of Gold” reminder: It’s playing. Maybe go see it. Maybe don’t go hungry, which brings us to ...
Jonathan Gold’s 101
Jonathan Gold’s 101 Best Restaurants, the authoritative annual guide to local dining, is online for subscribers.
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