Grant's, Los Angeles
INGLEWOOD
SOUTH LOS ANGELES
By Joshua Lurie
For dineLA.com
It doesn’t exactly take Magellan to track down good food in neighborhoods like Santa Monica, Beverly Hills or Downtown LA, where population density keeps very few finds hidden. However, some of the best eating is on the fringes, in areas that don’t get foot traffic (let alone traffic). This month we highlight compelling options in a trio of unsung neighborhoods.
KHYBARKhybar is the last Afghan restaurant standing in Northridge, a community that feeds an international assortment of CSUN students and a coterie of adventurous eaters. Kabul native Mohammed Yasin Safdari named his restaurant for the Khyber Pass, a treacherous mountain route that connects Afghanistan to Pakistan. Qabili Palau – “Afghanistan’s National Dish” involves fluffy basmati rice cooked in beef broth, aromatic cardamom, fork-tender veal cubes, strands of carrot, raisins and shaved almonds. Thin-skinned Mantoo are juicy beef and onion dumplings blanketed with tangy yogurt, chili-like ground beef curry and assorted vegetables. Safdari’s brother runs an adjacent bakery, producing soft, crisp-edged rectangles of wheat bread.
- 18601 Sherman Way, Reseda, 818.757.0510
PITA POCKETSThis Israeli sandwich shop from Haifa native Amin Elmor and mother Sawson specializes in laffa, which is baked to order behind the counter. The puffy, naan-like bread serves as an ideal vessel for spit-shaved chicken shawarma, which is curry-soaked, crisp-edged and wrapped with crisp lettuce, tomato and rice or French fries. They drizzle on creamy, sesame-fueled tahini sauce and spicy jalapeno vinaigrette, which packs a lingering punch. If the mammoth sandwich isn’t enough, consider kebabs, stuffed grape leaves or green falafel, which is flecked with cilantro and parsley.
- 9127 Reseda Blvd., Northridge, 818.709.4444
TOP THAIApple Mungjam and mom/chef Yaow, who hail from Pichit, a small town near Chiang Mai, purchased Top Thai last year. The family tweaked the menu and added specialties like the larb roll, ground pork, chicken or beef mixed with ground chilies, mint leaves and lime juice, wrapped in wontons and deep-fried. Khow Soy is a classic northern Thai curry that’s enriched with coconut milk, loaded with egg noodles, topped with a crispy nest of fried noodles and served with pickled vegetables and red onions that cut through the dish’s intensity. Kang Hung-Lay is even more unique; a murky curry loaded with bone-in nubs of pork sparerib, julienne ginger, roasted peanuts and caramelized onions. The space is lined with Thai figurines and the type of A-framed roofs – galae – that you’d find in northern Thailand.
- 7333 Reseda Blvd., Reseda, 818.705.8902
BAYOU GRILLEBayou Grille bridges the gap between NOLA and LA, with an owner from each city and a clock telling both times. The restaurant has been offering Angelenos “Authentic New Orleans Taste” for 11 years. Posters tout Louisiana treasures like Tabasco and the Super Bowl champion Saints. Order at the counter from a sprawling menu. Bayou Grille is a haven for po’ boys, seafood platters and beignets, but it’s the etouffée that stands out, prepared with a tomato-based roux that’s chock full of onions, celery, spices and a choice of chicken, crawfish or shrimp. Opt for the latter, then spoon the peppery roux over white rice.
- 1400 N. La Brea Ave., Inglewood, 310.673.0824, www.bayougrille.net
MARISCOS CHENTE’SVincente “Chente” Cossio founded this Nayarit-style seafood restaurant in 1991, but now cooks across town. Now Sergio Penuelas, who hails from Los Mochis, Sinaloa, anchors the kitchen at Connie Cossio’s restaurant. The space features aqua booths, a sky blue patio that hosts weekend banda music and sea creature. Penuelas became famous in Mar Vista for his pescado zarandeado, butterflied snook that’s marinated in soy sauce, slathered with flavored mayo and grilled to perfection over charcoal. The restaurant also features a number of different ceviches and 15 different shrimp dishes, plus chicharron de pescado, crispy cuts of skin-on tilapia that are pan-fried with a tangy sauce of soy and lemon juice and sprinkled with seasoned salt.
- 3544 Imperial Highway, Inglewood, 310.672.2339
MUTIARAMyo Aung operates one of LA County’s only Burmese restaurants near the famed Forum, naming his humble restaurant and market for a pearl. A wall-mounted photo menu advertises dishes like murtabak, a rectangular flatbread filled with ground chicken, onion and spices. Biryani is a spice-tossed mountain of basmati rice and chicken that’s available with lamb instead on weekends. Other interesting options include fluffy naan and bony nubs of goat soaked in murky, oily red curry. De-bone the goat and you have all the makings of a flavorful sandwich. You’ll also find moh hin gha, funky chowder loaded with chunks of catfish, rice noodles, split peas and hard-boiled egg. Customers looking for “Indo-Pak/Oriental Groceries” will find racks in back.
- 225 S. La Brea Ave., Inglewood, 310.419.7221
PRAYER ASSEMBLY CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRISTPrayer Assembly Church of God in Christ was literally built on barbecue. Rev. Clevester Williams Sr. used proceeds from barbecue sales to fund construction and to operate the assembly. Every Friday and Saturday, the church continues to sell ‘cue from a silver BBQ trailer, which sits on blocks outside the holy edifice. Affable pitmaster Big Jack oversees a trio of well-worn black drum smokers. He uses a secret combo of hardwood and mesquite charcoal to smoke beef, pork ribs, chicken, beef links and turkey necks. Opt for tender sliced brisket and pork ribs that feature a smoky bark, both of which are slathered with lip-tingling sauce. Earthy beans and hearty potato salad come with each plate.
- 442 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles
BLUDSO’SKevin Bludso opened his eponymous barbecue establishment in Compton in April 2008. He learned to smoke meat from his grandmother at her roadside stand in Corsicana, Texas. Bludso employs four smokers out back, including his grandmother's smoker, now affixed with Dallas Cowboys logo. He smokes brisket for 15 hours with red oak until it’s meltingly tender and caramelized at the edges. He blasts pork ribs with wood smoke for four hours, inspiring begging to gnaw on the bones. Bludso even makes links in-house, including beef and cayenne-spiked chicken, with pork on the way. Sides include a luxurious seven-cheese mac and onion-flecked greens that are devoid of bitterness. Order at the window and sit at one of four worn stools at counter, underneath a colorful mural of a family barbecue feast.
- 811 S. Long Beach Blvd., Compton, 310.637.1342 www.bludsosbbqandcatering.com
GRANT’STodd Grant’s three-month-old café stands at the forefront of a new crop of soul food emporiums. Grant worked construction for years, jobs dried up when the economy took a downturn, so he returned to his roots. His grandmother owned a soul food spot in town, and he used to help her cook in middle school. He’s continued her legacy by cooking fried chicken to order, producing crunchy, well-seasoned skin that locks in the juices. Tender braised oxtail meat pulls easily from the bone-shrouded chambers. Grant also cooks monstrous trays of beef meatloaf, several smothered meats, the soon-to-be notorious G Burger, and on Fridays, several types of fried fish, including sole, catfish and snapper. Scintillating sides like cabbage and collard greens are cooked with smoked turkey parts instead of pork, leading to a cleaner finish.
- 7118 Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.455.0773
