Our very own burger master in the land of tacos, Ali Khan, travels all over L.A. to find you the best burgers you may have missed, the burgers that won’t get written up on the fancy blogs and in L.A. Magazine, the hamburger sandwiches that give you bang for your burger buck.
It has taken me a few days to recover from the burger onslaught that took place in the house that Hawkins built. While I normally always go for a double, at Hawkins House of Burgers, it was a miscalculation of epic proportions. As much as it pains me to admit, this was the first burger I failed to finish since an 8 year old boy named Ali Khan waived a white flag over the plate of a 1lb burger.
Al and Bea’s is a Boyle Heights institution. Cops, kids, old people, and everyone else in between all seem to find an excuse to make a mid afternoon snack stop on 1st street. The history of Boyle Heights is the story of Los Angeles itself; a constantly changing landscape of immigrants, trying to live the American dream through hard work and molding and shaping this city with their respective cultures and traditions. What was once the home to the original Canter’s is now an oasis of famous Mexican eateries. The food at Al & Bea’s is classic Mexican American: comforting bean and cheese burritos, vintage hard shelled tacos, fast food french fries effusing guilt ridden grease and of course, burgers.
Our very own burger expert in the land of tacos, Ali Khan, travels all over LA to find you the best burgers you may have missed, the burgers that won’t get written up in the fancy blogs and in LA Magazine, the hamburger sandwiches that give you bang for your burger buck.
While some may balk at the idea of driving to the SGV for an affordable burger, the hunger driven Los Angeleno in the know, knows that a Valley Boulevard pilgrimage is a once month minimum necessity. No stranger to value, the Bahn Mi joints that litter Valley Boulevard clock in prices that make laudromats jealous. Burgers and More is no exception to the trend, coming in with hefty burgers, plenty of indulgent options like pastrami, chili, bacon and avocado and still reins it in at around $5.
Pita Popix Grill in Gardena hosts the “Full Circle Show” in the South Bay area of Los Angeles. This free community event with emphasis on art, music and culture is organized by Diego A. Mendoza and Omowale Oniyide. Erwin Recinos was able to talk to the young organizers about this creative endeavor.
How did you both come up with this event?
(Omowale speaking) The idea for Full Circle came from Diego noticing there was something lacking in the South Bay. We kept bumping into people we knew from the South Bay at L.A. Artwalk and different shows as far out as the 626. (Diego speaking) I realized it made sense to create a community event closer to home to emphasize and celebrate the talent already present in the area. A place where everyone can get together and vibe off each other. A place where everything that makes our culture, the art, stickers, food, dancing, music, clothing, etc. can all come together and synchronize with each other in a Full Circle.
Civic Art invites you to a tree-planting as part of the Del Aire Park civic art project commission with artist collective Fallen Fruit. Come and be a part of California’s first public fruit park!
When my radar first picked up Pier Burger I got seriously stoked. I grew up on griddled, stacked burgers ala Steak n Shake and I still have dreams about finding a shining example of this burger in the Southland. I can’t knock In n Out for its value but I am looking for a little more in the beef department.
Over the years, I’ve heard a lot about Loteria Grill, and all of it was good. I’d seen their location atFarmers Market the last time I visited, but I had a different target in mind that day. So when I visited again earlier this week, I was pleased to find no line and plenty of seats. I decided on tacos, allowing me to taste more than one thing. Onecimo, the person behind the counter, was very helpful in giving me the rundown of what was available. Oh, the choices!
After some thought, I decided on one pollo blanco and one calabacitas taco. Later, I also got a chicharron(not shown). The chicken taco was fantastic. Really great. Deceptively simple, it is all about the chicken, as it should be. The light marinade only enhances the flavor of the meat. And it was the right size, allowing for three or four good bites (okay, two for some folk). The hand-made tortilla’s held it all together without getting in the way.
