:smack: Yeah, I realized my mistake when JohnnyLA posted. The bit between LAX and PCH (the western terminus) is only about 4 freeway exits.
A fish taco can be a few things. It isn’t really an LA food so much as it is Baja California food which has made its way up to LA. Traditionally it is fried whitefish with lettuce in a soft corn tortilla with a salsa of some sort. It can also be made with other types of fish, and I personally prefer grilled fish to fried.
The mexican food in California is a little different (and IMHO better) than the food in the rest ofthe southwest. It is less TexMex and more baja food. In the Valley there are dozens of little taqueria’s, particularly in the northeast portion. My best friend is Mexican (rather first generation American with mexican parents.) I asked him once if the little stand down the street from his place was worth going to. His response “It’s the same as all the little walkup stands in this neighborhood, AWESOME!”
I never had a fish taco with lettuce until I moved to Washington. It’s always been cabbage, and that’s the way I make it at home. I’d also suggest a white sauce in addition to the salsa. I don’t know the proper way to make it, so I just mix some taco seasoning with sour cream.
So: Fried whitefish (usually tilapia for me) and shredded cabbage on one or two soft, warm corn tortillas, topped with fresh lime juice, white sauce, and salsa. Or use grilled fish, but I like fried.
Cabbage! Yes, that’s a better call than lettuce. They are a very occasional thing for me. I don’t care for the white sauce personally, but I like a spicy mango salsa. Not exactly traditional, but I am not looking for tradition as much as just good taste. For example Wahoo’s is my favorite place to get a fish taco when the urge hits. And I believe that they started in Hawaii.
Also, for me, the key to any good taco is the quality of the corn tortilla. Flour tortillas are only for burritos, and then only because you can’t make corn tortillas large or strong enough for burritos.
The best public transportation is the private car. Takes you anywhere, anytime – no other method can make that claim. And it’s faster than anything else except an airplane.
Nowhere is this more true than L.A., where I lived for 30 years.
The 110 goes North and South, and the 110 Northbound ends a few miles Southeast of where the 210 (Foothill Freeway) merges with the 34 - the end/beginning of the 34 and where the 210 turns from North/South to East/West.
I went to Taco del Mar for lunch. What an ordeal. I said I wanted a combo. (Actually two combos, since I offered to get something for my boss as well.) I had to walk the guy through the entire order, telling him I wanted combos at each step. When we got to the cash register he asked, ‘Do you want to make that a combo? You get a drink. Or do you just want the rice and beans.’ :smack:
The combo comes with two tacos. My second one was so we with white sauce and salsa that I couldn’t pick it up; the fish shot out the end.
But I did get my fish tacos today. (And decided that I make them better.)
Hey man, that freeway number ends in a 0, which means it runs east west and no amount of silly things like “fact” or “geography” are going to convince me otherwise! (Can we agree that I simply misspoke because I was focusing on other things and that the freeway runs NE to SW?)
The convention of the Interstate Highway System is such that east-west highways end in an even number. North-South highways end in an odd number.
Therefore Highway 10 runs from Santa Monica, CA to Jacksonville, FL. Highway 5 runs from the Mexico border near San Diego, CA to the Canadian border near Bellingham, WA.
The 3 digit routes are spurs or loops off the main highways. So in Los Angeles, the 405 is a loop off the 5, and the 210 is a spur off of Interstate 10. Those highways can run in any direction.
I forgot to come back here and mention that I convinced one of my coworkers (most of us use public transit, so few of us have cars at the office) to make a Señor Fish run for lunch yesterday. I am sated.
I wonder if I can get anyone to hit Tommy’s today…
Twice in my life, I think, I’ve had a sissy burger. I couldn’t tell you why, exactly – probably fear of heartburn. But I have to say, while it wasn’t spectacular, they use exactly the right amount of mustard to still make it quite good even without chili.
Sounds grammatically incorrect otherwise, so yeah, I do.
I know them which is probably standard for people my age. Actually using the names–that’s more from my parents’ generation. Perhaps it’s because forty years ago, the local freeways were all still new, had been much-debated projects, and had recently been opened. “San Diego Freeway Ribbon Cutting Ceremony” rolls off the tongue quite a bit better than “Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the 405 Bypass from Newhall to El Toro”. OTOH one or two newer freeways that had only numbers have recently been dedicated to and named for individuals. The 118 is now the Ronald Reagan freeway; the traffic announcers use the name but I don’t know if other people do.
See what Rico said. It was actually an honest mistake on my part, I really do know what direction the 110 runs, but when I was learning to navigate the freeways I was told to remember that if a freeway ends in an even number or 0 it runs east west and if it ends in an odd number it runs north south. I have since learned that this is only true of interstates, but you would be surprised at the number of people who would say differently.
Best pizza in LA is going to show my Valley bias.
My current favorite is Pitfire Pizza, because it is good and walking distance from my apartment.
I am also a fan of Barones which I am told, by people who I know that are from Chicago, is the closest thing you can get to a real Chicago pizza in LA.
I used to work across the street from Santio’swhich is also very good, but a little too pricy for my taste.
Albano’sused to be my favorite but they have gone out of business. The owner opened under a new name, but I haven’t tried the new place yet.
Village Pizzais very good, but too far away from me to go on anything like a regular basis.
When I was on the westside a lot I used to love Abbot’s Pizza, home of the bagel crust, and Jacopo’s
And for my favorite chains I like Greco’sbut will order from Ameci’s.
I hear good things about Joe Peeps and Mullberry Street, but haven’t eaten at either.
And on preview. I love me some Tommy’s and In-N-Out too, but my favorite fast food burger is Fatburger, which gets little love generally.
IIRC there’s a 405 in Seattle so it appears that #0# numbers are reusable. I’m remembering this from that movie where Angelina Jolie played a Seattle woman who thought she was going to die…what was it…ah hah, it was Life Or Something Like It. At one point, the homeless soothsayer says “there will be traffic on the 405”.
Do they say “the” in Seattle or was that just a flub to be expected because the writer probably lives in L.A.?
You know, if you weren’t male and I weren’t married, I might be inclined to propose to you (but don’t tell Antinor01 I said that, please)!
Most people I know think Fatburger is overpriced and overrated, but it is far and away my favorite as well. There is SO little love out there for Fatburger! But there is just nothing like a thick, juicy burger with a fried egg on top.
Someday I dream of having $20 to spend on a burger. When I do I will go to Fatburger and order:
A Double Kingburger with grilled onion, cheese, double bacon, chili, and an egg. Lettuce and mustard will the the only other condements and I will wash it down with Fat Fries and a large lemonaide.
I will then fall over dead from a heart attack, but it will be worth it.
I can no longer handle the Double Kingburger, sadly, but I’ve had a few in my day. My ideal Fatburger has cheese, egg, mustard, relish, tomatoes and mayo. I have rarely had Fatburger’s chili because I just don’t need it on top of everything else, but I think very, VERY highly of their chili. I’ve been known to eat a side of it on its own before.
Ironically, many of us who live here are more familiar with downtowns in cities that we visit than we are with the one here.
Seems to happen a lot. Now when the producers want a generic subway scene, they can just go downtown instead of traveling to DC or San Francisco. As for NYC, I don’t see how any other subway in the world could stand in for that; it’s just too distinctive.
