Lunch Time: Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff

Sometimes when you’re looking for lunch, you want something without as much see-and-be-scene as The Little Next Door and every so often, you can do without the I’m-not-looking-for-celebrities-I-swear scene at Mauro’s Café.  In a few corners of Los Angeles, there are establishments, which have long served delicious, fresh fare with no pretension and, in most cases, no tablecloths.

Any Los Angeles native who can’t reminisce about all the times they’ve dined at Reddi-Chick at the Brentwood Country Mart is nary a local at all.  The fresh rotisserie chicken, addictive French fries, delectable BBQ ribs, and proximity to picnic benches and fantastic shopping makes this a recipe for success.  Nearly every other neighboring food stand or shop in the past twenty-five years has gone as quickly as they came.  No match for Reddi-Chick.

Lemonade on Beverly Blvd. near Doheny may have some nearby competition in Soda Pop’s on La Cienega.  It’s a salad/sandwich shop with menu choices like Flank Steak with Blue Cheese Sandwich, a French Ham’n’Cheese Sandwich, or a B.E.L.T (your favorite bacon sandwich with a fried egg).  They also offer some delicious soda pop, of course, as well as some vintage décor and a pretension-free environment.

Mendocino Farms in Downtown LA has all the sophistication of Napa Valley mixed with the down-to-earth feel of your coveted lunch spot.  They serve up Orecchiette with Broccoli Pesto and Mozzarella, a succulent Wine Country Steak and Brie Sandwich, and even some vegan options (this is LA, after all).  Long popular with Downtown’s daytime-foodies, Mendocino Farms is your next favorite lunch stop.