I think most LA FTC’ers have gotten around to seeing the transformation of Downtown’s Grand Central Market, from understated food stalls to being a showcase for the hottest new concepts from various famous chefs. I’ve taken so many friends to Grand Central Market to show them just how much it’s changed. Each time there’s usually something that stands out and makes our trip worth it.
This past week’s visit, however was just disappointing. Maybe an off-day, maybe just fatigue?
Wexler’s Deli
Had to try their Smoked Fish plate with Bagels. I’ve never been a fan of their Pastrami (Langer’s blows it away IMHO), but people kept touting their Smoked Fish, so we had to try it:
I was so looking forward to this, but after one bite: SALT CITY! WTH?! 
This seriously tasted like someone opened an entire bottle of salt and just bathed the fish in it. It was inedible. I’m not joking. Every single piece of fish we tried was disgustingly salty (and I like salt). Gjusta’s Smoked Fish plate blows this away; no competition.
Madcapra
Madcapra is a hugely hyped food stand from a pair of NY chefs wanting to bring the NY Falafel experience to LA. The menu looked pretty interesting with lots of interesting sauce and ingredient pairings with the falafel itself.
We tried the Green (Cauliflower, Pickled Fennel, Labneh, Cilantro, Mint):
I’m no expert on Falafel at all, but there was some interesting texture and flavor combinations going on here. It was crunchy from the pickled fennel and the falafel, and a bit sour or tart from the labneh. While it was interesting, the problem was that the grilled flatbread (made fresh to order) was burnt (way too much). All I was tasting was burnt flatbread, which overpowered a lot of the other flavors. This might’ve rocked, but instead it just was disappointing. Maybe next time I can ask them to go easy on the “toasting”? LOL.
Olio
Heard many good things about Olio, and they had that $5 Margherita Pizza special celebrating some anniversary, so we figured, why not? 
Olio’s pizza crust was adequate. Not bad at all, but there was nothing really that stood out for us. Just tasted like an OK Margherita pie. The sauce was a bit dried out, the flavors were fine. If I worked nearby I’d hit up Olio once in a while.
Belcampo
There are many things I like about Belcampo. As TonyC and others have mentioned, it’s the first completely vertical meat purveyor in So Cal I believe, literally from farm to your plate in terms of raising and sourcing the meat. Their cuts at their butcher counter, while pricey, look gorgeous:
Had to go with their Belcampo Burger (caramelized onions, white cheddar, house sauce, lettuce, Bread Bar brioche bun):
While I enjoy the Belcampo Burger, it’s always been a bit too sweet for me. This visit’s example was similar: It was cooked to a perfect medium-rare, and that first big bite had a nice beefy flavor, but after a few more bites, we both got tired of it. Just too sweet from the bun and caramelized onions, or maybe it was the house sauce, but something just made finishing the burger a chore. Don’t get me wrong it’s very solid, but I’d rather eat a Golden State Burger (just my preference).
Pulled Pork Benedict (Fried Eggs on house English muffin, shishito peppers, frill mustard & mustard sauce):
This was decadent! 
Probably the best thing we had all day at GCM. But it was super heavy and rich (duh! ). Their house English muffin was more like a doughy, fluffy bread than a traditional legit English muffin that you might be used to, and it just was soaked in fat & oil, so it was kinda gross eating that (we just ate one or two bites and left the rest).
We didn’t even bother going to Eggslut (not that we had any room). The line is absurd these days, I think it’d be like 1 hour in line just to get food from a food stall. But I do like their breakfast items there.
So maybe it was an off day or bad luck. Grand Central Market is still such an interesting / odd place these days, and there are more and more chef concepts popping up soon.
Grand Central Market (Downtown L.A.)
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
Update 2: On a recent visit, hit up a few more places and revisited some others.
Eggslut
I usually skip the ridiculous lines (usually wrapping around the booth and blocking other stalls), but decided to try brave the lines today, in the mood for some Eggs.
Slut (a coddled egg on top of a smooth potato purée, poached in a glass jar, topped with gray salt and chives):
Their signature Egg dish, the “Slut” tasted the same as the first time I had it. Pretty luscious, with a delicate coddled egg that breaks open and fills in a gorgeous orange hue as the yolk rolls out onto the pureed potato base. Is it worth the 45 minute wait during the madhouse peak hours? Not sure.
Ramen Hood:
Chef Ilan Hall’s (Top Chef, formerly of The Gorbals) new “controversial” restaurant has opened at Grand Central Market. It’s a 100% Vegan Ramen Noodle joint.
They offer 2 types of Vegan Ramen (Spicy or Non-Spicy). We went with the original.
“Ramen” (Sunflower Seed Broth, King Oyster Mushroom, Bean Sprouts, Scallions, Chili Threads, Nori):
Definitely skeptical, but I wanted to see what was up, LOL. A sip of the Sunflower Broth and it’s… surprisingly tasty! It won’t make you miss real Ramen Broth, but it’s a White Miso and Sunflower Seed base, giving the Ramen soup a smooth, lush quality.
The Ramen Noodles (Vegan) have a little bit of spring to them and some chew. Probably the best Vegan Ramen Noodles I’ve tried so far (the one at Shojin was nowhere near as good).
The “Egg” is an interesting thing: Chef Hall has created a faux-Egg from Soybean Milk. It dissolves quickly in your mouth, so it’s not really like a real soft/hard boiled egg, but it’s a fun treat to give vegans an experience like a traditional ramen joint.
The only major miss in this Ramen was the “meat,” the King Oyster Mushroom chunk. There’s a large chunk of King Oyster Mushroom that is supposed to be the vegan equivalent of Chashu I suppose. Some Mushrooms have excellent texture to give a “meaty” type of chew and feel, but the King Oyster Mushrooms they were serving when we went was not very tasty. Just lacked any real flavor and tasted flat. Compared to say, a great Portobello, Shiitake or Crimini Mushroom.
A side order of Broccoli (Soy Chili Glaze, Scallions):
Was just awesome! Really really flavorful Broccoli, with a nice sear and that Soy Chili Glaze was great.
The menu listed a “Banh Mi Poutine” which at first caught my eye, until I read that it was: Fries covered in Hoisin Gravy, Pickled Veggies, Sriracha, Daiya Cheese, Jalapenos, Cilantro. 
It just sounded unappetizing, imagining super sickly sweet Hoisin Sauce with Sriracha and Pickled Veggies and Daiya Cheese, etc. LOL.
I’d be down to try their Spicy Vegan Ramen next time to see how that compares.
Madcapra (Part 2):
Went back for another visit to Madcapra to give it another shot.
Red (Falafel with Tomato, Cabbage, Pickles, Tahini & Basil):
This time it was much better than the last visit. The flatbread was grilled, but nowhere near as charred burnt as last time (which ruined the dish for us). This non-burnt flatbread this time allowed us to actually enjoy the food, and the Red had a good flavor combination, with the Tomato, Pickles and Cabbage crunch and the Tahini.
The one knock is that it was just too goopy. Just way too much slathering, oversauced feel (your hands get covered in the oozing sauce, kinda gross. It also overwhelms the sandwich.
Villa Moreliana:
Birria Taco (Goat):
Since @kevin was asking about this last time, I decided to resist temptation in ordering Villa Moreliana’s ridiculously great Carnitas and tried their Birria (Goat) Taco.
The Birria was tender, juicy and pretty solid. It wasn’t as great as their Carnitas, but if someone wanted non-Pork this is a good order.
Grand Central Market (Downtown L.A.)
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
