LA’s Best Bites: Tacos, Meringue, Pizza & French Steak Frites

Eater LA's editors highlight standout meals: Damian's meringue, Old Gold Tomato Pies' Sicilian pizza, Bagel + Cut's bagel pizza, and French steak frites at a Santa Monica resort.

Throughout a weekend break Contramar cooperation dinner at Enrique Olvera’s Damian, I took pleasure in fish and shellfish plates like briny delicacy sopes, an octopus taco made more formidable with charred sweet potato puree, and branzino a la brasa offered alongside silky black bean dip and heirloom corn tortillas to marry them. What struck me most, though, were the timeless Olvera-coded meringue treats that I had actually never ever experienced previously. While Damian has long had a hibiscus meringue on its menu, the cornhusk meringue, which has been offered at Olvera’s dining establishment Cosme in New York, made an appearance, along with a coconut-lime performance. Cosme’s cornhusk version is incredibly subtle with blue-corn-tinged meringue that obtains burglarized halves and piped with scorched vanilla lotion and corn mousse. It’s a mic-drop coating despite where you have it. 2132 East 7th Area, Los Angeles, CA 90021– Nicole Fellah, Eater editorial manager

Damian’s Delight: Meringue Magic

After years of turning up around town, cook Jeff Vance’s Sicilian pizza task Old Gold Tomato Pies is now open in its long-term Los Feliz home slinging thick-crusted square pies. In the afternoon, rays of sunlight stretch from the high front windows to illuminate the pies resting in the glass case, prepared to be heated when gotten. There’s something for everybody below, whether it be a classic cheese, a clam-topped slice, or a fully vegan pie; the pizza is reminiscent of San Francisco’s Golden Child, a North Coastline institution built around sturdy yet light Sicilian pie crusts. Begin with a piece of the standard Old Gold, covered with a smear of tomato sauce and cheese, to completely absorb all the flavors of the crust, before carrying on to the extra innovative pies like the Fun Individual with creme fraiche and fennel pollen. 4681 Hollywood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027.– Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

Old Gold: Sicilian Pizza Perfection

I have actually invested the previous several weekend breaks trying new-to-me bagel spots around Los Angeles and was extensively excited by the breakfast pizza and bagel hybrid from Bagel + Cut. The flattened sesame bagel crust is topped with cheese, diner’s choice of bacon or chorizo (I went with bacon, which included a welcome degree of saltiness and smokiness), slivered red onions, and a yolky fried egg in the. The texture of this pizette is the very best part; there’s so much crunch in the crust that is multiplied by the freckles of sesame seeds. The garnishes really feel red however abundant onions protect against the dish from being too hefty. I am eager to return and try various other interpretations of the store’s bagel pizette, including a pepperoni pizza variation. 4751 York Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90042.– Kat Thompson, target market editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

Bagel + Cut: Bagel Pizza Hybrid

The editors at Eater LA dine out numerous times a week, otherwise each day, which suggests we’re always running into standout meals that are worthy of time in the limelight. Below’s the best of everything the team has eaten this week.

The brand-new Southern French dining establishment nestled into the Oceana resort in Santa Monica is the type of location to flex a billionaire’s budget plan without too much excitement. Inside the tiny however beautifully appointed dining-room, made by Martin Brudnizki that feels tweezed out of a Downtown Manhattan participants’ only club, chef David Fricaud assembles a hotel dining establishment food selection with most likely a couple of too many choices. There’s handmade pasta and innovative applications like escargot poppers (miss the salads as they supply marginal dressing and simply a couple of environment-friendly bits in the bowl) coming before bigger keys like grilled steak, roast poultry, and entire fish. The component quality is fine dining level, and most prep work are worthy of their provenance, like the dry-aged Flannery rib-eye, scorched over a barbecue grill but still radiating great intricacy. Tender and somewhat rakish with a deep essence, this is a very solid cut of meat. The component that actually obtained me was its peppercorn sauce, which Fricaud makes with fresh environment-friendly peppercorns and velvety veal demi-glace. Without any butter or lotion, the peppercorns end up being exceptionally great smelling, virtually spicy in the manner in which other pepper sauces can not achieve, and it cuts through the fatty beef truly well. I additionally liked the crisp french fries dusted with herbs and the whole baked cherry tomatoes as an additional acidic side to solidify the splendor of the steak. It’s type of a quintessentially Californian strategy to steak frites, which I quite appreciate. 849 Ocean Method, Santa Monica, CA 90403.– Matthew Kang, correspondent, Eater

Southern French Steak Frites

2132 East 7th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90021– Nicole Fellah, Eater content manager

— Rebecca Roland, deputy editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

I’ve spent the past several weekend breaks trying new-to-me bagel spots around Los Angeles and was completely excited by the breakfast pizza and bagel hybrid from Bagel + Slice.– Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

— Matthew Kang, contributor, Eater