1 week Ago
Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Calic Bagels in Westlake. | Rebecca Roland Follow Eater editors as they share their favorite dishes they ate in LA The editors at Eater LA dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here’s the very best of everything the team has eaten this week.
Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Calic Bagels in Westlake Rebecca Roland Bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from Calic Bagels in Westlake. Calic Bagels seems to have recently leveled up its bagel sandwich game. Since opening, the lightly crisp and fluffy bagels have always been the star, with the sandwiches taking somewhat of a backseat.
But on a recent return trip, I found myself really impressed with the classic bacon, egg, and cheese. Unlike a lot of other sandwiches around town that use a fried or scrambled egg, Calic’s sandwich comes with a steamed egg that is reminiscent the Korean gyeran-jjim. The bacon is thick and salty, and is generously piled on and held together with a melty slice of cheese.
Order the sandwich on an everything bagel for the best experience. And for those who avoid gluten, Calic has gluten-free bagels. 2748 W.
Eighth Street, Suite 107, Los Angeles, CA 90005. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Southern California/SouthwestSmoked mozzarella sticks at Cosetta in Santa Monica Nicole Adlman Smoked mozzarella sticks at Cosetta in Santa Monica. Cosetta is a new Cal-Italian restaurant from chef Zach Pollack, of Alimento fame, tucked into a sparsely occupied business park off Ocean Park in Santa Monica.
Don’t let its humdrum location fool you: This is a neighborhood restaurant through and through, with droves of locals already embracing its relaxed string-light-lit patio and crowd-pleasing menu. The dish lineup seems to merge the easy seasonality of Alimento with the nostalgic Italian-American riffs that made Pollack’s Cosa Buona a bona fide hit in Echo Park. One of its more compelling aspects, for me, is how allergen-sensitivity inclusive it strives to be — crispy Milanese mains can be made gluten-free; dishes like the mega-crunchy smoked mozzarella sticks, Buffalo chicken wings, and garlic-bread-crumb-covered Caesar salad already are.
The standout might be those mozzarella sticks, which come in a Jenga stack with marinara sauce that cuts through the richness of the smoked cheese. It’s a dish that lends to the fun and conviviality of the restaurant, perfect for splitting with the rest of the table. 3150 Ocean Park Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405.
— Nicole Adlman, cities managerChurrasco from Fogo de Chão in Santa Monica Matthew Kang Churrasco from Fogo de Chão in Santa Monica. The uber touristy section of Santa Monica has replaced one of its more basic chain restaurants, Del Frisco’s Grille, with a branch of Fogo de Chão. Opened last week with ocean views and a bustling corner spot across from the Santa Monica pier, I expect Fogo’s newest Brazilian barbecue outlet to do quite well.
Over the past few years, this chain has made further inroads in Southern California, with new branches in Woodland Hills and El Segundo. One nice feature of the new Santa Monica restaurant is the wide salad bar that looks right into the grill area where cooks rotate various cuts of meat like picanha, garlic beef, and lamb. A proper Brazilian barbecue feast should always have vinaigrette (chopped tomato and onion salad), farofa (toasted manioc flour), rice, and feijoada (or feijoao — just the stewed beans).
While Fogo sadly doesn’t offer another essential element — sauteed collard greens — the salad bar is still terrific. With its best foot forward, Fogo de Chão tends to be best early on when management and operations are at their tightest. 1551 Ocean Avenue, Suite 105, Santa Monica, CA, 90401.
— Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/SouthwestOctopus taco from Daisy Margarita Bar in Sherman Oaks Matt Egan The octopus taco from Daisy Margarita Bar in Sherman Oaks. When chef Alan Sanz and celebrated mad scientist barman Max Reis first met while working at Gracias Madre, they made a meaningful connection. It’s always fascinating to see how these LA restaurant relationships manifest into future projects.
The pair launched one of the region’s most fascinating restaurants with Mirate’s Matt Egan last week, called Daisy Margarita Bar. It’s a Mexican Norteño-inspired cantina where Reis serves some of the quirkiest must-try margaritas, especially the savory salsa verde one. Sanz’s longtime skill is also on display with a twist on traditional Mexican dishes.
And though every shareable plate that landed on our table was a hit, the pulpo taco made my night. I rarely order octopus, because it’s often overcooked or not fresh, but this one has such wonderful smokiness and is beautifully tender, a perfect match with the house-made tortillas. It pairs well with mezcal, and if dining with a group, just order one of your own to enjoy while speakers pump out punk, pop, or rock and roll.
14633 Ventura Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, CA, 91403.— Mona Holmes, editor Eater Southern California/Southwest.
