Fried Green Tomatoes at Johnny Rebs
By Tara de Lis
For dineLA.com
There’s a theory that you could deep-fry pretty much anything and it would probably taste good. While my research didn’t involve sacrificing random foodstuff into bubbling vats of oil, I still managed to carbo-load the heck out the city. The result? Not everything crispy is worth the calories, but when it’s good, it’s absolutely fabulous.
French fries are basically America’s favorite vegetable, and there are some darn great ones in LA. The latest trend involves utilizing unusual animal fats. At RH, the hip new eatery at West Hollywood’s Andaz hotel, they are first blanched in water, then slowly cooked in duck fat and finished off with a final dip in vegetable oil. Over the hill in Studio City, Laurel Tavern serves up a secret type of special Belgian-style beasts that are double-fried and then lightly drizzled in pork fat. Owner Will Shamilan describes the result as “off-the-charts decadence.”
Vegetarians can find relief at two Santa Monica restaurants: Musha, a Japanese izakaya where tofu blocks take the place of potatoes; and Fraiche’s cousin Riva, where polenta frites (a.k.a. thin semolina strips) are popular.
On the Sunset Strip, Chateau Marmont Chef Carolyn Spence revisits her comfort food roots (she’s a former chef de cuisine at NYC’s original gastropub, the Spotted Pig) with down-home Sunday suppers of crispy buttermilk-coated poultry without the greasy finish, plus mashed potatoes and kale. It’s delicious.
Visitors are also like moths to the flame at Koreatown’s Kyochon, which has developed an almost cult-like following of hipsters hungry for their crackling spicy fried chicken wings.
At the Larchmont Grill, the "chef's daily tempura" special has a following all its own. What started as a one-off experiment with farmers’ market green beans has expanded to include all manners of veggies, from jalapenos to artichoke hearts. Co-owner Mark Donofrio says, “we have people that will call before dinner time to see what the chef is ‘tempuring’ that night.”
In Downtown’s Industrial District, haute Mexican newcomer Yxta features long, fresh squash blossoms that are lightly coated in tempura batter and ooze with Oaxacan cheese.
For all the food trucks in LA, it can be hard to find great seafood tacos. However, at the Best Fish Taco in Ensenada (actually a stand in Los Feliz), the name says it all. They nail it with made-to-order, puffy basa (white fish) and minimal grease.
Nearby at Silver Lake’s new Reservoir restaurant, crispy panko-fried shrimp is sandwiched inside a jicama “shell,” along with cabbage, spicy aioli and a jalapeno slice.
Also along the inventive lines, Redondo Beach gastropub Bouzy offers a signature “shepherd’s balls” appetizer modeled after shepherd’s pie. Wine and Beverage Director Daniel Franks describes the process behind this suggestively plated dish: “braised short rib meat is encased in corn mashed potatoes then battered, deep fried and set in onion gravy, resulting in two tennis ball-sized mounds.”
English ex-pats can also find more familiar pub grub like lightly battered fish and chips at Brits in Pasadena. Home of “warm beer and lousy food,” it’s run by a former Royal Family chef. San Pedro’s welcoming Whale & Ale does up jumbo Pacific tiger shrimp in a Bass beer batter of greasy goodness.
New Englanders file in to Ford’s Filling Station for the fried Ipswich clams, made in the traditional method with their bellies attached. It’s not an easy process to acquire these critters, between sourcing and shipping (the shells are very brittle), but chef/owner Ben Ford’s says, “the looks on my customers’ faces when they see it on the menu makes all the extra effort worth it.”
For a taste of the South, Johnny Rebs’ Southern Roadhouse in Long Beach boasts fried green tomatoes “better than the Whistle Stop,” thanks in part to freshly fried bacon bits on top. For a nice catfish (and eggs) breakfast, low-key cool Kokomo (relocated from the Original Farmers Market to Beverly Boulevard), features fish that is memorably moist inside its corn-meal-crusted casing.
Not to be overlooked, desserts are equal opportunity frying. Downtown at The Edison, a late-night favorite are the pan-fried Elvis sandwiches, composed of banana, peanut butter and caramel. And Santa Monica’s Xooro serves up bran-oil-based, churro-like Spanish fritters in flavors like traditional dulce de leche and tiramisu.
Best Fish Taco in Ensenada, 1650 Hillhurst Ave, Los Feliz, No phone
Bouzy, 1611 S. Catalina Ave, Redondo Beach, 310.540.1222
Brits, 1770 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, 626.578.1301
Chateau Marmont, 8221 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.656.1010
Ford’s Filling Station, 9531 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310.202.1470
Johnny Rebs’ Southern Roadhouse, 4663 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, 562.423.7327
Kokomo, 7385 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.933.0773
Kyochon, 3833 W. 6th St, Koreatown, 213.739.9292
Larchmont Grill, 5750 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, 323.464.4277
Laurel Tavern, 11938 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818.506.0777
Musha, 424 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.576.6330
RH, 8401 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, 323.785.6090
Reservoir, 1700 Silver Lake Blvd, Silver Lake, 323.662.8655
Riva, 312 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, 310.451.7482
The Edison, 108 W. 2nd St., Downtown Los Angeles, 213.613.0000
Whale & Ale, 327 W. 7th. St., San Pedro, 310.832.0363
Xooro, 125 Broadway, Santa Monica, 310.260.2919
Yxta, 601 S Central Ave., Downtown, 213.622.5540
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