While I certainly love and appreciate the monuments of our city’s food scene, I think we all know that Los Angeles has got so much more to offer than the same 4 places that seem to be frequented by 85% of the LA population. That being said, it’s time for you to veer from your standard stomping grounds in pursuit of a little adventure. Here are a few of LA’s most buzzing restaurants and their lesser-known but completely swap worthy counter parts.
Pizzeria Mozza –> Osteria La Buca
We all know how GD difficult it is to get a reservation at Pizzeria Mozza. You either call a week ahead or wait in line for an hour and a half for a spot at their pizza bar. While I will say that their pizzas are mostly unrivaled here in LA, Osteria La Buca (just a few blocks down Melrose) is certainly a lofty contender –cheaper too. The menu is very traditional –you’ll find no leek, clam or finnochiona (fennel seed enhanced salami), sorry fancy pants– but with a moon beckoning skylight, fireplace and an upstairs dining room, it’s not a bad change of pace from Mozza’s modern Hollywood chic.
The Swap: Instead of a Mozza pie, grab Osteria La Buca’s Jijo pizza with mozzerella, speck (in the family of prosciutto), walnuts and truffle oil.
Check out your substitutes for Pink’s, Fathers Office, Rivera and Intelligentsia…
Pink’s Hot Dogs –> Slaw Dogs
Pink’s is basically an LA relic, a monument to be revered. But how often can you wait in line for 45 minutes on the corner of La Brea and Melrose for a flimsy-ass grease soaked wiener without being mistaken for one of the local prostitutes? Instead, steer eastward on the 110 and head out to Pasadena’s (sorta) new dog den, Slaw Dogs. It’s a tiny storefront with sizeable seating and a wall full of thematically constructed hot dogs.
The Swap: The Green Monster (I swear this used to be called the Hulk…copyright issues?) is slathered in chipotle mayo, roasted green chilies, pepperjack cheese and spicy garlic salsa.
Fathers Office –> The Burger Kitchen
If I have to hear one more UCLA student tell me that the only place worth getting a burger is “this really cool spot in Culver City called The Fathers Office” I’m going to patty-slap a bitch. I understand that it was revolutionary for its time, but it paved the way for tons of other gourmet burgers to frolic and prosper. Let the children wait in line outside the tiny restaurant, it may as well be called the Interns Cubicle, and go check out The Burger Kitchen –a 4 month old burger joint opened by father and son, Alan and Daniel Saffron. As opposed to FO’s limited menu, The Burger Kitchen offers 22 varietals of geographically patented patties.
The Swap: Try the Eiffel Tower with blue cheese, lemon fennel and mustard grain sauce, or The Moroccan Bazaar, a lamb patty dressed with chopped cilantro, garlic and mint yogurt.
Rivera –> Mo Chica
John Sedlar’s Rivera, near LA Live Downtown, is a latin American landmark for LA foodies. Always bustling, it’s often hard to lock down a few seats to enjoy their trademark, though fairly traditional, Bar Playa Ceviche. If you don’t have the time (or the wallet) to settle in for a lengthy 8 course dinner but have a hankering for some acid cooked fish, head west and seek out Mo Chica, a tiny Peruvian joint 3 blocks east of USC. Don’t be fooled by the janky strip mall or the “order-at-the-counter” service or the fact that you’ve got to use a token to get into the restroom, Mo Chica offers a refreshing taste on the vast palate of Peruvian cuisine.
The Swap: Their Ceviche is based in sea bass, mixed with fresh hominy, seaweed, sweet potato and corn nuts? WTF? It’s awesome.
Intelligentsia –> Coffee Commissary
Intelligentsia is great, and if I’m in the mood to see one of the Jonas Brothers over a 5 dollar cup of joe, then I’m totally in. But if I don’t have a flannel handy, or say if I happen to leave my New Yorker on the toilet at home, then I’m rolling out to the Coffee Commissary –opened in April on the corner of Fairfax and Waring. While they didn’t win a design award for their industrial savvy spacial superiority, the space is modern and clean but without that whole “don’t step on the carpet” experience you remember from your childhood.
The Swap: Try the Vanilla Latte with house made vanilla syrup (complete with small flakes of vanilla bean) … and one of their Lasagna cupcakes from Heirloom L.A.
