Best Dishes Eater Editors Ate This Week: March 31

The editors at Eater LA dine out several times a week, if not per day, which means we’re always encountering standout dishes that deserve time in the limelight. Here’s the very best of everything the team has eaten this week.

Champurrado long Juan doughnut at Santa Canela in Highland Park

Mona Holmes

It’s pastry chef Ellen Ramos’s time. The young baker spent years working alongside notable chefs at 71 Above and Redbird, only to keep evolving her obsessions into an eventual primary role at Loreto and Cha Cha Cha LA, where she served modern and bold takes on everything sweet. Santa Canela opened on March 12, steps away from Homestate; it’s a gorgeous, compact space by architect Lena Kohl that evokes Mexico City vibes right in Highland Park. The line is consistent, so prepare to wait for Ramos’s rotating menu of pastries, which will likely include her signature LA-shaped churro. My current favorite standout is her maple bar-inspired champurrado long Juan doughnut with a delightfully spongy texture and icing that’s not too sweet. She takes inspiration from the traditional champurrado, a thick Mexican hot chocolate typically made with masa, piloncillo sugar, and spices. After ordering the champurrado latte, take a bite of the long Juan for a joyful moment. If Santa Canela’s line is too long, walk less than a block south for the longstanding and excellent Delicias bakery. 5607 N. Figueroa Street, Highland Park, CA, 90042. — Mona Holmes, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

Mentai tororo soba at Inaba in Torrance

Matthew Kang

A lot of food enthusiasts are aware of Ichimiann in Downtown Torrance, one of the best spots for casual soba in Los Angeles, but few know of its sister spot Inaba, which occupies a sleepy strip mall spot on Hawthorne Boulevard. The near windowless space feels like a busy Japanese train station restaurant or office worker go-to, with the place packing in with mostly Asian folks for lunch. The mentai tororo is admittedly going to be a Marmite dish, with the slimy grated mountain yam something that takes a little getting used to. Once you understand what the tororo does, which is provide a thick almost creamy binder for the noodles and broth, it starts to make sense. The firm, nutty buckwheat noodles here are as good as Ichimiann’s while the balanced dashi brings it all together. The salty cod roe gives that extra umami punch to a dish just bursting with deliciousness. My only wish is that they served a larger version so I could actually get completely full with this bowl (I ordered a pork tonkatsu bento as well and easily ate both dishes). 20920 Hawthorne Boulevard, Torrance, CA 90503. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

BLT from Barbara’s at the Brewery in Lincoln Heights

Rebecca Roland

Although tomato season hasn’t really hit Los Angeles yet, BLTs are starting to sneak back onto menus as early crops ripen. This weekend, I had my first BLT of the season at Barbara’s at the Brewery in Lincoln Heights, which sits on the Brewery Artist Lofts complex. While my usual order here is fish and chips, I was surprised by a weekend brunch menu that offered more breakfast-like options, including pancakes, biscuits, an egg-topped burger, and the BLT I ended up choosing. A good BLT is so dependent on the tomato quality, and luckily, these tomatoes were great. While not as sweet as mid-summer heirlooms, they were juicy with the right balance of acidity and sweetness. The rest of the sandwich was simple but well-executed, with thick, toasted sourdough bread, garlic aioli, lettuce, and crispy bacon. The za’atar tossed fries on the side made it all the better. 620 Moulton Avenue, Suite 110, Los Angeles, CA 90031. — Rebecca Roland, editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest

Porcini-dusted short ribs at Chi Spacca in Melrose

Matthew Kang

The kitchen at Chi Spacca is firing on all cylinders under chef Armen Ayvazyan, a veteran of Auburn, the Barish, and the Rose, who has now helmed the Nancy Silverton-owned steakhouse for the past year and a half. Since coming on board, Ayvazyan has prepared a much more California-style menu with only just a few nods to Italian cuisine in the focaccia de recco and bistecca/costata alla Fiorentina (the English-style meat pies are also still there). Otherwise, Ayvazyan’s menu leans international, like basturma-style veal tongue dressed with salsa verde or these terrific porcini-dusted short ribs with scallion ribbons. Inspired by Osteria Mozza’s chef de cuisine Elizabeth Hong’s mother, Jennie Kim, who owns Park’s BBQ and K-Team BBQ, these are a Korean American’s dream. Growing up, I had charcoal-grilled galbi that came in big white buckets that my family would cook up at church picnics or family gatherings. Here, the marinade is less sweet, more earthy-savory with the porcini dust, and juicy to the last bite. I love the way they’re cut LA-galbi style, though with the ultra-sharp steak knives it’s easy to slice away bite-sized pieces instead of gnawing on them like cavemen. But honestly, either approach is completely acceptable. 6610 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038. — Matthew Kang, lead editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest