Monthly Archives: February 2017

Brooklyn’s Here


Of all the neighborhoods in LA, Downtown remains my favorite in terms of interesting new restaurants and unique food experiences. With Smorgasburg now happening every Sunday in the Arts District, Downtown has gotten even cooler.

A spinoff of Brooklyn’s outdoor foodie market of the same name, Smorgasburg in LA has something for everyone and, for someone like me, it requires a lot of tough decisions. Do I go for a Peruvian Pomegranate-glazed Pork Belly Taco or a giant Korean Shrimp Mandoo Dumpling with Carrot Juice Dough? Should I satisfy my sweet tooth with a Filipino Blue Velvet Butterscotch Ensaymada or a Donut stuffed with speculoos (Belgian cookie butter), glazed with chocolate and topped with sea salt. Usually my answer to these dilemmas is “all of the above,” but with the large amount of excellent vendors each week curated by expert food blogger/podcaster Zach Brooks, choices unfortunately need to be made.

Of course there are some easy calls. The insanely amazing sliced-to-order Pastrami on Rye Sandwich from Ugly Drum is an absolute must-have, as are the BBQ Pork Ribs from Black Sugar Rib Company. Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster is also something not to be missed. Besides all of the food options, Smorgasburg has live music, craft vendors, a beer garden and picnic benches to eat on. It’s all located in an outdoor section of an exciting and newly gentrifying mixed-use warehouse complex called ROW DTLA, which has a few really cool high-end shops already open and and will add many more unique shops, as well as restaurants, in the next several months.

Smorgasburg is located in ROW DTLA at 777 S. Alameda St, Los Angeles and happens every Sunday between 10am and 4pm.

Fresh Uni in the Shell from Jolly Oyster

Mandoo Korean Fusion Dumpling from Workaholic

Awesome BBQ from Black Sugar Rib Company

“The Nomad” (Chicken Burger with Truffle Mayo, Frisée & Pickled Shallots) from the NoMad Truck

Serio Smoothie from Verde with avocado, macs, kale, dates and almond milk.

Brothecary Dumpling & Broth

Lobsterdamus and Little Llama Peruvian Tacos

Lychee Butterflypea and Thai Float from Popdup

Bubble Waffle with Chocolate Ice Cream, Marshmallows and Honey Crackers from Yellow Business

Lots of choices of Filipino pastries from Ensaymada Project

My old friend Donut Friend is here.

Something for everyone

Which way to the Beer Garden?

Live music!

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No Bones About It


There has been no food in the past couple years trendier than bone broth. Pitched as a miracle cure for all kinds of ailments and an elixir to make you look and feel younger, both Silverlake hipsters in flannel shirts and Santa Monica health food fanatics in yoga pants are lining up to buy overpriced jars of the stuff. But long before the bone broth craze, Han Bat was selling steaming hot bowls of Shul Lung Tang — Korean Bone Broth — in a divey little hole-in-the-wall in the heart of Koreatown.

The menu at Han Bat could not be simpler. They serve only two kinds of dishes besides the complimentary kimchi and rice: Suyuk (boiled beef) or Oxtail Soup with noodles and either brisket, flank steak, tongue, mixed meats or, for the adventurous, a combo of intestines, tripe and spleen. The soup is milky white as a result of the bones being boiled down for hours and it’s served with containers of green onions and salt so you can season it to your liking. I’m not sure if there are any real health benefits to bone broth, but the Sul Lung Tang at Han Bat is tasty and inexpensive; the perfect comfort food for a rainy day or a cold winter night.

Han Bat Shul Lung Tang is located at 4163 W 5th St, Los Angeles (in Koreatown)

Cabbage Kimchi

Radish Kimchi

Salt and Green Onions to season your soup

Spartan digs

A menu without complicated and confusing options, but with Intestine, Tripe & Spleen!

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Filed under Koreatown