The Great LA Lunch Adventure: Covid Era Version

I'm a checklist nerd.  The feeling of dragging the ball of a pen horizontally across a word or series of words scribbled on a piece of paper represents accomplishment, large or small.  Checklists have become essential to my life and, for better or worse, provide the rationale for most of the activities I spend my time doing. 

 

So on March 15 when my employer told me not to come into the office tomorrow and the covid era began, my first thought was this would be a perfect opportunity to keep working on my life checklist.  I had plans to drive to the Klondike region of Canada, hang at Hollywood bars/clubs on Mondays & Tuesdays for industry nights and finally commit to beach volleyball on a consistent basis.  Little did I know over the course of the next few weeks basically every conceivable idea for interesting and fun activities would be ripped from the list of options for Angelenos (and most of the rest of the country/world). 

 

I'm incredibly spoiled to work at a company that provides free lunch, and I'm almost embarrassed to admit it's been since 2012 that I ventured outside my office for lunch with any regularity.  Finding myself now working from home on March 16, I was a fish out of water, flopping around my apartment trying to locate sustenance options.  I remembered 20-30 restaurants on my Google Map I eventually planned to visit and decided I would go out for lunch to make the most of the day working from home.  I chose Boo's Philly Cheesesteak in Koreatown on Day 1.

 

Driving to Boo’s, I quickly discovered what all of us came to learn about the covid era: everything sucks...but there are a few silver linings.  I got to Boo’s in less than 15 mins from Brentwood; there was NO ONE on the road.  I stored that fact for later use.

 

I happily ate my cheesesteak in my car, looking around the world outside, wondering how long this ridiculousness was going to last, coming to terms that it may be a few weeks before things got back to normal.  After lunch, I drove around K-Town and the surrounding neighborhoods somewhat aimlessly, observing, thinking.  Day 1 lunch was complete. 

 

As covid life in LA blew past “a few weeks” and the months began dropping like dominoes, I continued my carry-out lunch strategy every Mon-Fri, selecting restaurants that landed on my checklist via word-of-mouth, friends' recommendations, LA Times or Eater LA articles, YouTube videos, Google Maps searches, drive-by discoveries & writing on a notepad or just through my knowledge of LA since moving here from Chicago in 2006.  Carry-out, eat in my car, drive around neighborhoods I hadn’t fully explored while observing and thinking - this became my covid routine, my therapy.  Although it might have been easy to let all the new aggressive restrictions derail my efforts, this was my secret project and no one could stop me from ordering carry-out! 

 

I was careful to pick restaurants I knew had great food or thought might have great food and focused on family-owned businesses with unique recipes, preparation or presentation, in architecturally-interesting buildings or in random areas (I love random), all across LA county and Ventura & Orange counties as well.  I downloaded a map of LA's 400+ neighborhoods as a filter on top of my Google Map and found myself enjoying microscopically analyzing the different neighborhoods & streets where LA’s great restaurants can be discovered. 

 

By early May I was zigzagging across LA county’s empty freeways, from Glendale to Long Beach, Oxnard to Boyle Heights, Weho to Watts, DTLA to Santa Monica, and everywhere in between.  The days & mileage racked up, and I decided to trade in my car for a new lease so I could further embrace my covid road warrior lifestyle.  I was crushing my checklist, feeling productive in my own weird way, and there was no reason to stop now. 

 

Delis, taquerias and burger joints were my staples, but I enjoyed expanding to Chinese, Filipino, Thai, Italian, Argentinian, Israeli, Greek and quite a few other cuisines.  Goal was to spend between $12 and $22 a day and ideally be able to eat the meal in my car without it being a total disaster.

Given the effort, you might think I’m a total foodie, but I’m not at all - just someone who appreciates a good meal as much as the next person.  Moreso, the restaurants of LA and my covid cruises gave me something to look forward to during the week, got me out of the house and was a perfect reason to spend a few dollars at businesses I want to make sure STAY in business.  And as I continued checking my list, I realized the delicious food I was eating was really just a vessel for exploring my love of LA, it's streets, it's neighborhoods, it's history.  Although LA was getting rocked by covid, it was still providing the support I needed.  “I drive on her streets ‘cause she’s my companion” as I channeled Anthony Keidis from RHCP. 

 

After I ate at my 50th restaurant, Hank's Pizza in Playa Del Rey, it occurred to me what I was doing had possibly never been done before.  Visiting this many of LA's best lunch restaurants within such a condensed period of time with such great ease (given the empty roads) - there's probably a food critic having dined at this many establishments as a full time gig, but as an average joe eating carry-out in his car, was it possible this was... remarkable?

 

My passion for analysis eventually took over, and I began rating the restaurants on a 10-point scale, 1-5 for Food, obviously important, and 1-5 for the X-Factor, essentially whatever makes the restaurant special to me.  Restaurants were getting scores anywhere between 3 and 10, and I began to feel confident that my 9s and 10s were totally legit establishments worth visiting.  On August 26, I hit restaurant #100, The Apple Pan in West LA, definitely 10/10!   I absolutely love their tagline: Quality Forever.

 

All of the restaurants I visited are special in their own way, a requirement just to be on my goofy list.  Sadly, many are in survival mode. They are performing an essential task by feeding the residents of LA, but for me they did much more.  They helped me keep my sanity at a time when I was desperate to find a small amount of purpose and feel productive.  For that I am eternally grateful...and I plan to show my appreciation by going for #200 :)

 

Number	Date	Restaurant	Neighborhood	Food Score	X-Factor	Total Score
1	3/16	Boo's Philly Cheesesteak	Koreatown	5	4	9
2	3/17	The Trails	Griffith Park	3	4	7
3	3/18	Larchmont Village, Wine, Spirits & Cheese	Larchmont	4	3	7
4	3/19	La Azteca	East LA	5	5	10
5	3/20	Kelly's Korner	Rolling Hills Estates	4	4	8
6	3/23	Hawkins House of Burgers	Watts	5	5	10
7	3/24	Country Kitchen	Malibu	4	4	8
8	3/25	Ramona's Mexican Food	Gardena	3	3	6
9	3/26	Domingo's Italian Deli	Encino	3	3	6
10	3/27	Jus' Poke	Redondo Beach	5	3	8
11	3/30	Mama Lu's Dumpling House	Monterey Park	3	3	6
12	3/31	Sonoratown	Fashion District DTLA	5	3	8
13	4/1	Busy Bee Market	San Pedro	2	3	5
14	4/2	Papa Cristo's Greek Grill	Pico-Union	5	5	10
15	4/3	Tony's Pizzaria	Ventura	4	3	7
16	4/6	Taco Nazo	South El Monte	3	2	5
17	4/7	Kye's	Montana St Santa Monica	4	3	7
18	4/8	Tarzana Armenian Deli	Tarzana	3	4	7
19	4/9	L'Antica Pizzeria da Michele	Hollywood	5	5	10
20	4/10	Little Fisherman's Fish & Chips	Cypress	4	2	6
21	4/13	Eastside Market Italian Deli	Victor Heights DTLA	3	4	7
22	4/14	The Munch Box	Chatsworth	4	4	8
23	4/15	Juice Crafters	Brentwood	3	2	5
24	4/16	Beckers Bakery & Deli	Manhattan Beach	5	4	9
25	4/17	Sarinana's Restaurant	Santa Ana	1	2	3
26	4/20	Hinano Cafe	Venice	5	5	10
27	4/21	Matt & Tony's	Mission Hills	3	2	5
28	4/22	Northern Thai Food Club	Thai Town	2	2	4
29	4/23	Dave's Hot Chicken	Melrose Hill	4	4	8
30	4/24	Burgers Never Say Die	Silverlake	4	3	7
31	4/27	Rib Ranch BBQ - Woodland Hills	Woodland Hills	3	3	6
32	4/28	Moffett's Family Restaurant & Chicken Pie Shoppe	Arcadia	4	5	9
33	4/29	Havayit	West LA	3	2	5
34	4/30	Pecos Bill's Bar-B-Q	Glendale	3	5	8
35	5/1	Cafe 27	Topanga Canyon	3	3	6
36	5/4	Pasty Kitchen	Los Alamitos	5	5	10
37	5/5	Jackson's Cafe	Cameo Plaza Culver City	4	2	6
38	5/6	Tacos 1986	Westwood	3	2	5
39	5/7	Hotville Chicken	Baldwin Hills	4	2	6
40	5/8	Big Boi Filipino	Sawtelle Japantown	3	2	5
41	5/11	Mariscos Jalisco	Boyle Heights	5	2	7
42	5/12	Honeybird	La Canada	2	2	4
43	5/13	Cielito Lindo	El Pueblo DTLA	3	5	8
44	5/14	Empanada's Place	Mar Vista	4	4	8
45	5/15	Santa Fe Importers	Long Beach	5	4	9
46	5/18	Maru Pit Stop	Eagle Rock	2	1	3
47	5/19	Daichan	Studio City	3	4	7
48	5/20	Bill's Burgers	Van Nuys	5	5	10
49	5/21	Sorrento Italian Market	Culver City	4	4	8
50	6/1	Hank's Pizza	Playa Del Rey	3	3	6
51	6/2	Mike's Deli	Windsor Hills	3	3	6
52	6/3	TikiFish	Palms	3	1	4
53	6/4	King of Crabs	Reseda	3	1	4
54	6/5	Lilian's Bread and Sweets	Northridge	3	4	7
55	6/8	Canyon Country Store	Laurel Canyon	3	4	7
56	6/9	The Bombay Frankie Company	Sawtelle	4	4	8
57	6/10	El Barrio Neighborhood Tacos	North Redondo	3	2	5
58	6/11	Apollonia's Pizzeria	Sycamore Square Miracle Mile	3	2	5
59	6/12	The Chori-Man	San Pedro	5	4	9
60	6/15	Lanza Brothers Market	Lincoln Heights	4	4	8
61	6/16	Sunnin Lebanese Cafe	Tehrangeles	3	3	6
62	6/17	Berth 55 - Fish Market & Seafood Deli Restaurant	Port of Long Beach	4	5	9
63	6/16	DeFranko's Submarines	Van Nuys	3	3	6
64	6/22	Quicksand	Sawtelle	2	1	3
65	6/23	The Stonehaus	Westlake Village	3	3	6
66	6/24	Fonda Don Chon	Covina	3	3	6
67	6/25	Peking Tavern	Fashion District DTLA	4	3	7
68	6/29	Jerry's Market	Culver City	3	4	7
69	6/30	Health Nut	Sherman Oaks	3	2	5
70	7/13	Heroic Italian	DT Santa Monica	2	2	4
71	7/14	Bay Cities Italian Market & Bakery	Santa Monica	5	5	10
72	7/15	Amboy Quality Meats	Chinatown	4	3	7
73	7/16	Roma Market	Pasadena	5	4	9
74	7/17	Giamela's	Atwater Village	3	3	6
75	7/20	Earle's on Crenshaw	Crenshaw	3	3	6
76	7/21	Chili John's	Burbank	3	4	7
77	7/22	e stretto	The Historic Core DTLA	3	3	6
78	7/23	KAVA	Westwood	3	2	5
79	7/24	Green Store	Hermosa Beach	3	3	6
80	7/27	Waterlily Cafe	Topanga Canyon	3	3	6
81	7/28	Prime Pizza	Fairfax	3	2	5
82	7/29	Dan's Super Subs	Woodland Hills	4	3	7
83	7/30	Sky's Gourmet Tacos	Wilshire Vista Highlands	3	4	7
84	8/3	Langer's	Westlake DTLA	5	4	9
85	8/4	Eagle Rock Italian Bakery & Deli	Eagle Rock	4	3	7
86	8/5	Maury's	Silverlake	3	4	7
87	8/6	Honey's Kettle Fried Chicken	Culver City	3	2	5
88	8/7	Kanaloa Seafood	Oxnard	4	4	8
89	8/10	Greens up! Salads	Montana St Santa Monica	3	3	6
90	8/11	Al & Bea's Mexican Food	Boyle Heights	4	4	8
91	8/12	Sr. Cliff's Texas Style Burritos	Compton	3	3	6
92	8/13	Kogi Taqueria	Palms	3	2	5
93	8/17	Ercoles 1101	Manhattan Beach	5	5	10
94	8/18	Corner Cottage	Burbank	5	3	8
95	8/19	Uncle Paulie's Deli	Beverly Grove	4	3	7
96	8/20	Morfia's	Venice	3	4	7
97	8/21	Richmond Bar & Grill	El Segundo	3	3	6
98	8/24	Pie'n Burger	Pasadena	5	5	10
99	8/25	Coral Tree Cafe	Brentwood	3	2	5
100	8/26	The Apple Pan	West LA	5	5	10