Bicycle Bread Company

4-6pm

Tuesdays and Thursdays
Corner of 29th/Ellendale


Thursdays
Corner of 30th/University

I can't remember who told me about this place long ago (Adam?) but today I finally decided to get over there on my bike and pick up a loaf.

The Bicycle Bread Company folks are super friendly and told me a lot about their project.  They've been baking for two years, and they have an idea about bringing people together through baking. I might be mis-interpreting a bit, but it seemed to me that they were specifically interested in getting neighborhood families good bread, not just students. Though when I visited, it seemed that it was mostly students who were standing around the bread table chatting and trying samples. I'm not sure if their motivations are entrepreneurial, anarchist, christian, or some combination. There was definitely a vibe...and it wasn't an anarchist vibe specifically (i.e., you had to ask if the bread was vegan (they say it is, but they list honey as an ingredient, so it's not strictly vegan) and everyone seemed like they had showered within the last few days) Maybe it's just that they like to bake, why be suspicious?  They also have a website that has news and info about styles of bread and locations.

I tried the rosemary bread and the cranberry orange bread. Both were very springy loaves, but with a solid sandwich bread crumb. I bought a loaf of the rosemary bread, but as I was munching my huge sample slice on the way home, I realized it's a very sweet loaf, despite its savory flavor. Perhaps the sweet cranberry would have been a better option. I'm not really sure what to do with the bread. I don't think it will be good with PB&J given the rosemary, and we don't really eat bread with dinner, unless it's hard bread or bread that I bake, which isn't so sweet and also definitely not Christian or entrepreneurial. I anticipate that this bread will be good for tofu sandwiches with avocado.

Definitely a project worth supporting, no matter where their motivations or inspirations lie. We need more bakeries in the neighborhood, that's for sure, and once they establish themselves in a storefront, perhaps we can convince them to make big-holed round loaves of so-called "artisan" bread for the neighborhood bourgeoisie.

Mayura Amrit (Authentic South Indian delight!)

1277 W. Jefferson Blvd, LA, CA 90007
323-766-9775
310-559-9645
www.mayura-indian-restaurant.com
Go here Now. This new restaurant with a full range of south Indian delicacies is the smaller cousin of Mayura Amrit in Venice, CA. The food is simply spectacular. Dosas, Uthappams, Chicken, and Mutton populate the menu along with a host of vegetarian dishes. We tried the Spinach Masala Dosa, a large sheet of spongy flat bread impregnated with spinach and beautifully folded to hold a mixture of potatoes and other veggies. The Vegetable Chettinadu was mind-numblingly delicious with its (for us) uncommon mix of spices in a kind of stewy goodness.
The Nan was superb as was a side dish of lentil-vegetable soup.

The friendly owners are from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu state in south India. According to the proprietor, Chettinad cuisine is famous for its use of a variety of spices; it's one of the most aromatic in India. You should believe him and you should believe us that this is some of the best Indian food we've had in a long long time.

The decor is spartan, the place having been stripped of most of its former fast food Chinese kitsch (but the Buddha is still there, happier with authentic Indian cuisine).

They deliver with a minimum 15 dollar order and 3 dollar delivery charge.

Visit our old review:

World Wide Tacos

2419 West MLK
323-291-1500

Likely the largest taco selection in the neighborhood, WWT serves them up vegan and flesh-style, in mind-boggling combinations that jump forward from where most other restaurants have stalled. The agenda is culturally embracing, with fake Belizean shrimp, for example, or mock chicken teriyaki. Not your basic taco selection, certainly. The tacos I inhaled were unlike any other tacos I've had in this town. The tortilla is not a signifier that the food has a root in Mexican cuisine. In this case, it's basically just an enclosure for a big taste party.
I ate a teriyaki taco, which was something I would never ordinarily order, but I inquired as to what a tasty option would be and this is what was suggested. I also ate a fried fake chicken taco. The flavors were super yummy, delicious in both cases. Anything fried is always good anyhow! My friend had a fake beef and potato taco, for some reason fake beef sounds disgusting, but he really enjoyed it. I had a taste and it wasn't so bad. He also had a tofu thing which he said was really, really good and very unusual. It looked sort of pureed, but I don't know what the flavor was like. Will have to try that out next time.
Here's the thing you may have heard about WWT, and yes, it's true. It can take some time for the food to be prepared. Which makes it a great place to catch up with someone you feel like hanging out with, but a terrible place to drop by if you're starving. There's a tarp with some folding chairs where you can wait it out. Most people are sitting in their cars. When I visited, there were 5 SUVs, all blasting different tunes. No Pantera. Those with bikes sat under the tarp. It took one hour and ten minutes to get the tacos. About an hour in, the chef brought out some amazing deep fried fake chicken wings that had a smokey flavor. Thank you.
You can go to WWT, order food and pay for it, and leave your number. They'll call you when it's ready. But it's also nice to take a book or a friend, and just chill out until the food arrives.

USC Wagons Part 1

A flock of gourmet food trucks have come to roost near USC, typically staking out positions along Jefferson and Hoover, beginning in the afternoons.

The Bull Kogi Truck offers Mexican-Korean fusion, tacos and burritos.  I tried the Kimchi beef, and spicy chicken tacos.  Neither was impressive.  While the beef was nicely smokey-sweet, the kimchi was wilted, without the zesty garlic redolence that might a great contrast make.

The Slice Truck, orange in color, endears with the simplest of menus: cheese slice, or pepperoni.

The cheese slice boasts an extremely thin crust, crispy and even, end to end.  Garnished with fresh basil and mozarella, it earns my recommendation.  A single slice is $3, but two can be had for $5.

Mayura Amrit

1277 West Jefferson Blvd, 90007
323 766 9775
See the updated post above
On the north side of the street, in a mini mall very close to USC, this new Indian place showed up a couple of weeks ago. I noticed it when I was riding past, and I dragged Louis and Adam over to check it out for lunch. Turns out it's the new venture from the folks who run Mayura restaurant over in Culver City. We've been there before, and it's pretty good, so very nice to have a branch nearby.
The restaurant was furnished in China-style, since it had taken over the premises of China Bowl. A lot of buddhas everywhere. There was a steam table with a fewIndian entrees, and a kitchen could make other items.
Louis and Adam had some premade food, which they said was delicious. There weren't very many choices for vegetarians that were there, so I had a big pancakey thing from the kitchen which was pretty good, but I think I ordered the wrong thing. It wasn't really spicy enough for me.
I rode by the other day and the place was already closed. I was disappointed until I got closer and saw the small taped sign which said the restaurant was closed for remodeling until August 2. I'm hoping the steam table will be fuller with veg options when they reopen- perhaps they were just testing the waters when we were there.
Stay tuned!

LAB

3500 Figueroa Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90007

(213) 743-1843

thelab.usc.edu

Louis, Adam and I visited The Lab last Saturday evening. We are too old or out of touch to realize that Saturday was the second night of the Electric Daisy Carnival. We'd never even heard of the EDC, even though it's been happening at the Coliseum for something like 13 years. The streets around USC were full of scantily clad ladies and their gentleman escorts and the traffic was a mess. Anyhow, we did manage to finally get to The Lab for dinner after sitting in traffic for longer than it would have taken to get there on foot.

The Lab is a gastropub style restaurant across the street from USC and next to the Galen Center. It's interor is "science-classroom chic" a la 1950's, with clean white tiled walls, chalkboards and big community tables for experiments and more. Unlike any other science classroom I've been in, The Lab also has an outdoor patio complete with couches, heat lamps, and fire pits.

The Lab is owned and operated by USC, which is sort of a bummer if you want to get away from the large conglomerate that is the university, but also pretty great because it's doubtful anything like this could exist without them making it happen. We got an earful about the how, what, and why of the USC/The Lab relationship from the guy in charge of the establishment, but we will spare blog-readers the details and go instead to the important stuff.

Those in the 90018 know what happens if you're hungry after 9pm. The options aren't pretty. So for that reason alone, The Lab is a great addition to the neighborhood. The kitchen is open until 11pm!

The food is pretty good. Big portions of "gastopub" fare like steak sandwiches, fish and chips, and burgers. There are a few vegetarian options on the menu, but not an abundant selection. The beer and wine menu is impressive, and The Lab would be a good place to go to get a drink and some appetizers.

Adam had the steak sandwich, which came adorned with onion rings. He reports that the onion rings are yummier than the fries, which came in huge portions and were good but not great. They are shoestring variety, which I usually love, so not sure what was wrong with them. Something about the flavor. I had a flat bread thing, which I thought would be cold, but it was like a big pizza. It was prettty good, but not what I expected. I think I'd try something else next time. Louis had fish and chips and he claimed it was really good, that the fish was very "light."

We will definitely go back to The Lab and if anyone reading this wants to go get a beer, I'm in.

8 oz. Burger Bar

"Bloody burgers," Luis exclaimed joyously as the serving commenced.
He had chosen the house blend, a burger crafted of sirloin, tri-tip, short rib and chuck; whereas, I opted for the Estancia Grass Fed. The burgers can be a bit customized, with various extras, a choice of cheese, condiments, sauces. A fillet of fish, turkey and veggie burger is offered as well, along with small snacks, a couple sandwiches, tempting shakes & malts, and basic salads.

The burgers were served on slightly crunchy rolls, a welcome upgrade over the usual limp bun, without overt seasoning or taste modifying additives. The sides were terrific as well, sweet potato chips and broccolini.

8 oz. Burger Bar is located amidst the small boutiques of hustle-bustle Melrose in a dual storefront that, on this night at least, seemed cavernous and energy dissipating. Whereas we secured a metered space, parking is likely a frustration at most times.

The burgers run $8 - $10, and can be paired, in various specials, with different micro brews.

8 OZ. Burger Bar
7661 Melrose Ave
323-852-0008
M-Sat 11:30 am - midnight
Sun 11:30 am - 10 pm