Pho 21 - Oxtail Pho

Pho 21 - Oxtail Pho Soup - 705 South Western Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90005-3113

With its clear broth and fresh array of leafy greens, sprouts, and onions, Pho soup can be considered kind of healthy and lacking major grease. But add a bowl of flavor filled, rendered down oxtails into the mix and now you have a giant bowl of greasy goodness. Plus you still have all the fresh stuff that you started out with, so it’s a good balance. And a place like Pho 21 serves it up good and cheap 24 hours a day. Oxtail Pho is one of my favorite soups and Pho 21 does it right.

Tacos Leo

Leo’s Catering - Taco plate - Corner of LaBrea and Venice

Since I have been making videos for the website I have been hanging out with a group of night editors working on cutting various projects for the web and T.V. The one thing that editors working the graveyard shift know how to do best, is seek out great late night eating joints. Leo’s Catering fits the bill for sure. While my city wide taco knowledge still needs improvement, I know when I am upon greatness. Leo’s tacos have that rare ability to make me crave them at any given moment. While the editors and myself try to mix it up with other restaurants, we frequently come back the the bread and butter of Leo’s. Among us, the taco eating record used to be 11. When I decided to break that record I did it with relative ease due to the fact that the tacos are so darn delicious. I ate 12, but I probably could of went up to 15 before trouble would happen. Everything is great, but they are known for their pastor, and they bust out a giant spit of it on the weekends. While I’m a hard shell guy, soft shell tacos are the real deal, and it sure seems like it doesn’t get much better than Leo’s.

Lemongrass - Beef Sandwich

Lemongrass Beef Sandwich - Banh Mi Bo Xao

Lemongrass is a popular Vietnamese restaurant in Eagle Rock. It also must be noted that the Vietnamese are some of the most underrated sandwich makers in the world. A former French colony, Vietnam has adopted the baguette, and the Vietnamese have filled it with their local flare. A great fusion of east and west. Take that Kogi Taco truck! With it’s pretty appearance and seemingly fresh and healthy ingredients, the sandwich was still very fulfilling, delicious, and cheap. Good Stuff indeed.

D.K.'s Donuts - Bacon Maple Log

D.K.'s Donuts - Bacon Maple Log - 1614 Santa Monica Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90404

The Bacon Maple Log seems like a no brainer. Bacon on a donut? Why didn’t they think of this years ago? However, the actual offering did not seem to live up to such an avant-garde idea. The bacon was a bit chewy and did not work well with the soft donut. Perhaps if the bacon was hot and greasy I would be singing a different story. This particular log had no cohesion with it’s meaty counterpart. Bacon and maple logs do not exactly meld like macaroni and cheese but then again bacon can really do not wrong. How about a Breakfast Sausage infused Bear Claw? Hmmmmm......

Daikokuya - Ramen Special

Daikokuya - Ramen Combo - 327 E 1st Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Daikokuya is thee L.A. hotspot when it comes to Ramen. For those who don’t know, real Japanese Ramen is so much more than those 10 cent packages that you get at the supermarket. Real Japanese Ramen is a giant bowl full of flavor, goodness, and culinary surprises. While Daikokuya’s popularity comes at the price of waiting 30-40 minutes for a table, once you’re in there’s no better feeling. Unlike Pho soup which has a clear broth, Ramen soups are very rich and extremely filling. Loaded with al dente noodles, green onion, slices of pork belly and a whole boiled egg, Daikokuya filled me up fast. One great surprise was the fried rice that came with my combo. While it was totally unnecessary, it turned out to one of the best fried rices I have ever had. The giant bowl of soup sloshing around in my stomach induced me into one of the more major food comas that I have been in recent memory.

Bay Cities - The Godmother

Bay Cities - The Godmother -1517 Lincoln Boulevard Santa Monica, CA 90401

The Godmother may be the best Italian Sub in L.A. This is an extra special treat since there are not that many good second options around town. The meats are great, the giardinera spread gives the sandwich its own identity, and the ciabata bread is fresh yet has a resistance upon biting. Hold this sandwich with a firm grip because things tend to slide around with such a hearty bread. But rest assure that your sandwich is made fresh because there is such a high demand. If you go during the lunch rush you will see exactly what I mean.

Willie's - Breakfast Burrito

Willie’s Grille - 929 S Victory Blvd. Burbank, CA 91502 (Alameda and Victory)

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Willies Grill prepares their breakfast burritos like they prepare their pastrami, Big Willies style! What I’m talking about is they chop everything up on the griddle in a medley of breakfast staples; bacon, eggs, cheese, and hash browns. Everything is mixed together so every bite is as consistent as the last. The service is as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned because at Willies they go the extra mile. If you request the cook to throw the burrito back on the griddle to give it a nice toasted outside not only does he comply, but he does it with enthusiasm. “You want it toasted? Yeah man I can toast that bad boy for you!” I love Willies because they are as passionate about making their breakfast burrito as I am eating them. Solidarity Baby! Big Willie’s style.