johnnyhongkong says…

Taking a break from the pilot that just won’t land, I caught up on a few episodes of Anthony Bourdain’s “No Reservations” on the TiVO and was pleasantly surprised to find that Monday’s episode was in the culinary wilds of our very own Los Angeles.

Since I’ve been a little down on Hellay of late, it was nice – almost theraputic – to hear Bourdain give his usual “this place is worthwhile because [if, in LA's case, you ignore the Industry and most of us silly folk who take ourselves waaay too seriously in it] it’s just full of normal people doing their best every day, in the face of hardship, and sometimes that ‘best’ results in nothing at all and other times, it results in something really special and magical,” treatment which coincidentally aligns to my feelings about this fair town.

Well, in my more sanguine moods that is.

So in LA, Bourdain spent time at:

Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles for chicken and waffles with Jerry Stahl
Philippe The Original for french dip lamb sandwiches with some L.A. Derby Dolls
Bhan Kanom Thai for Thai deserts with the “mayor” of Thai Town
Sapp Coffee House in Thai Town for Thai Boat noodles with Noodle Whore
Birreria Chalio in East L.A. for goat stew tacos with a mariachi band
The Alameda Swap Meet in L.A. for pupusas and cheese
Acosta Taco in Hawthrone for late night tacos with the Hawtorne gang unit
Prime Selection meats run by the man who inspired him to start cooking (pictured above with a young, punky Bourdain)

I like Roscoe’s but I also think its overrated. Bourdain didn’t like the chicken and waffles combo but seemed to enjoy the chicken livers. Jerry Stahl didn’t seem too into the whole endeavor.

Philippe’s is the bomb. If you love french dip with spicy, pungent mustard and sawdust on the floor, it’s a must. Be careful that the bitches from Cole’s don’t do a driveby. I love a culinary blood rivalry.

Bhan Kanom Thai is great and a must for any fan of Thai desserts. Before going, you might want to consider dinner at Ruen Pair, which is in the same strip mall, across the lot.

Still, it was an odd feeling seeing him at these places because before this episode, I’ve always taken it as a given that wherever he ate on on the show, that they were the best examples of the fine dining or the fast, cheap, and out of control street food options of that place, that somehow, his crack team of producers had researched and found all of the objectively BEST places.

For example, when he ate cobra heart in Vietnam, I thought to myself, “that’s probably the best place to get cobra heart in Vietnam.”

When he was in Namibia eating warthog anus with the Bushmen, I thought to myself, “that’s gross but it’s probably the ‘best cooked’ anus around in Namibia.”

Now that he was in Hellay, all I could think of were the places he didn’t go. What about:

Spicy Armenian Sausage at Sunnin Lebanese Cafe on Westwood
The mighty Catalinas Catering truck (aka: the burrito truck) usually on 8th and Hobart
Ruen Pair on Hollywood
Pollo a la Brasa on Western
The food court at California Market on Western
The clam noodle at Ma Dang Gook Soo on Western
Ramen at Atch-Kotch on Vine
Dumplings at Mei Long Village in San Gabirel

I could keep on going but I’m hungry…