The Best Dishes Eater LA Editors Ate This Week, August 2018

As professional eaters, the editors of Eater LA make it a habit of eating out several times a week, if not per day. That means there are always standout dishes that deserve their time in the limelight. Here now, the very best of everything the team has eaten recently.

August 2, 2018

A mix-and-match affogato from Go Get Em Tiger and McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams in Los Feliz

Farley Elliott

When the thermometer starts to tick above 85 degrees, things change. The sprawling, open world of greater Los Angeles no longer feels like a place where anything is possible, but a hellscape where nothing is achievable without first sweating through a dress shirt and sitting in stifling traffic. It’s at that lowest of low moments that Go Get Em Tiger in Los Feliz can help. Stop in for a simple affogato, ice cream — from next door’s McConnell’s, it must be said — with a pour-over of espresso.

The combination is guaranteed to kill the heat throes at least for a few minutes, and offers a boost to make the rest of the day seem tolerable. Plus the move feels insider-y and fun, supports two local small businesses, and honestly is delicious even on those non-sweltering Los Angeles days, whenever one might happen again. 4630 Hollywood Blvd., Los Feliz —Farley Elliott

Mole negro at Gish Bac in Mid-City

Crystal Coser

There are many moles in Los Angeles. None compare the that at Gish Bac, Mid-City’s enduring eatery by the lovable chef and owner Maria Ramos. Their version attains a silky consistency that sets the gold standard, with a deep complexity that layers spices, nuts, and seeds in a way that sets off fireworks across your tastebuds. While the order may come with chicken, the dish is the sauce, with bits of protein and tortilla as mere vessels to highlight true mole mastery. 4163 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles —Crystal Coser

Tsukemen at Menya Musashi in Sawtelle Japantown

Matthew Kang

Sawtelle’s already the hotbed of ramen in Los Angeles so it’s no surprise that a big name chain from Tokyo’s Shinjuku District, Menya Musashi, would pick this spot to open its first continental U.S. location. Along with Okiboru in Chinatown, which seems to have invited in every notable Instagram influencer already to try its dip ramen, Menya’s starting to land on local social media accounts with increased frequency. 2018 is the year of tsukemen in LA.

The star of the show here, the flat-noodled tsukemen, looks more like linguine than the alkaline strands at Tsujita, and they come alongside a porky, fish-tinged dipping broth that comes either standard or rich. Order it rich and the gravy-like broth clings to those bright yellow noodles. And while Tsujita’s tsukemen might still be king of the block, that soy-marinated pork belly, which comes in baby fist-sized nuggets, could be the best bite of meat coming out of a ramen shop in LA at the moment. 2012 Sawtelle Blvd. —Matthew Kang

The 7-Up cake at Sweet Red Peach in Inglewood

Mona Holmes

When entering Sweet Red Peach’s parking lot, it’s impossible to miss the construction project directly across the street. LA’s almost-finished football stadium already has a handful of neighboring restaurants that overlook the future home for the Rams and Chargers, and one shouldn’t miss the family-operated Sweet Red Peach Bakery. Owned by Carolyn Plummer, Sweet Red Peach does a few things incredibly well, with pies, cobblers, cookies, and custom cakes.

But there is one rare item that is challenging to find unless situated in an predominantly African American neighborhood, the 7-Up cake. Any 7-Up cake uses an unapologetic amount of butter, sugar, and a full can of 7-Up to produce a moist, satisfying sweet, slightly bubbly pound cake that’s unlike any pound cake on earth. If they sell out, there’s always the German Chocolate cake or anything in the display case. 1035 S Prairie Ave #2, Inglewood —Mona Holmes