Some people collect stamps, others collect vinyl, and some collect vintage convertibles. But we collect food memories. We spend our days hunting down delicious things in the hopes that they’re good enough to join our Seriously Tasty Hall Of Fame. From incredible tomatoes to a crispy large schnitzel, these are the dishes that attained Seriously Tasty status in August.
Burgundy escargots en croute
Served in white-hot ceramic shot glasses, the escargot at Bicyclette is a full-blown spectacle. Soft snails wait to be eaten while bathing in garlic, butter, and parsley, and flaky puff pastry sits on top. This is how our server instructed us to eat it: cut into the top gently, then flip the cup upside down. Let the juices soak through the crust, then pop it all into your mouth at once.
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photo credit: Jakob Layman
Galbi
Inspired by the packed lunches of Korean school children, the kalbi dosirak is a well-rounded meal perfect for a quick lunch or eating on the go. Braised short ribs are sliced nice and thick, made mouthwateringly juicy, the result of lots and lots of marbling. Depending on whether you inhale it there or not (basically, if there’s travel involved), the presentation might not be 100%. But you won’t even care because the meat is so freaking tender, all but falling off the bone.
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photo credit: Stan Lee
Birria tacos
Credited as one of LA’s birria pioneers, this family-owned truck in South Central has been serving their Tijuana-style version since opening in 2015. The magic behind Birrieria Gonzalez’s success is the smokiness of their consommé. The broth’s dried ancho, pasilla, and árbol chiles are the stars of the show and serve as the perfect foundation for the taqueros’ slow-cooked meat. In true Tijuana fashion, heaping piles of shredded beef are tucked inside large crispy tortillas to create their signature tacos dorados. Afterward, chopped onions, cilantro, and a dash of smoky salsa roja are added on top to round everything out.
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Lamprais
Commonly referred to as “lump rice,” this dish is a grab-bag of meat curry, sambal, long-grain rice, and fried egg, all wrapped in a giant banana leaf. It’s a fantastic quick-lunch option when you can’t decide what you want, but need to stay full until dinner.
Mixta torta
If you love tender, slow-cooked carnitas as much as we do, then there’s a good chance you’ll agree that no one does it better than Carnitas El Momo. Pork belly, pork shoulder, and pork skin are all on the menu, but the move is to order all three (the “mixta”) in the form of a torta. The gelatinous, chewy skin plays perfectly with the shoulder and fatty belly that come dripping in juices. All of it goes into a soft bolillo roll with onions, cilantro, a dash of salsa roja, and plenty of that brown cauldron sauce.
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Saffron cavatelli
All the pastas at Agnes are exceptional, but our favorite one at the moment is the saffron cavatelli with braised lamb. The cavatelli itself is soft and slightly chewy, but it’s the rich butteriness courtesy of the lamb fat gremolata and aged sheep’s cheese that takes this dish to another level.
Spicy ahi poke bowl
Unlike the final wing on Hot Ones, the spice levels here aren’t sadistic or capable of burning your tastes buds off, but rather create a marinade with a satisfying kick. Japanese mayonnaise is mixed with a dash of Sriracha, then studded with tiny balls of tobiko.
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