The Bang Bang Thread

Mmmm… sourdough yeasts? Most really good baguettes seen to have a very slight “tang”. For example, Republique and Gjusta. This baguette as missing that, it tasted of water and flour, not much salt.

I’m pretty sure baguette dough doesn’t include butter. I think it’s flour, water, salt and a starter.

Hmm, yes, not sure what I was thinking there, pre-espresso brain linked croissant for some reason.

However, the sourdough tang in Gjusta seems wholly American to me. Compared to the baguette’s I recall having in Paris, which were pretty much the same as the ones at Petit Trois (which I just had again the other night along with a Big Mec haha).

I think I know what you’re talking about, but I don’t know what accounts for it; perhaps a difference of yeasts or malts used.

I know it’s a tempting bang-bang with both practically across the street from each other. We haven’t had BB for a while now (the turn-off was pulled pork being a serious fail).

MPP hits the curiosity button, but with Gjusta only four or five blocks away…

Common person’s roast chicken alternative: Costco. Hard to beat $5 consistency. Maybe I’m a cretin, but no one has ever turned away their chicken. Couple it with Lao Gan Ma/S&B crispy chile garlic or ABC sambal also or sambal belacan and the skies open.

Take that money you saved on MPP and get a rack or two of ribs at Maple Block. My family was against me at first on their ribs v. Bludso’s. They preferred the “fall off the bone” tenderness. I preferred the more toothsome quality and the pure smokey porky essence. We are one family again.

MB also now has “family dinner” combos on the menu. Smoked chicken dinner (~$40) or their meat combo (~$50). Not a bad deal. They throw in a fair amount of sides including biscuits or corn bread. We got the chicken and supplemented with ribs and brisket.

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Petit Trois has such good baguettes. I would drive across town for those if they sold them whole. I buy a baguette pretty much every other day.

Did they specifically refuse to sell you a whole one? I see the whole ones in there…

Btw, they’re doing a classic duck a l’orange for $59 currently on special. Might be worth a gander for anyone interested! I might give it a go. I sadly only noticed after inhaling a baguette and a Big Mec haha

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Bang, bang today

No luck again trying to track down the quesadilla huitaloche cart, settled on some good pork tamalè and champurrado instead. (Sunset & Echo Park)

Bun Rieu from Thanh Thai in Monterey Park. Not their strongest daily special…

Lobster quesadilla and Wild boar taco at
Guerilla taco. Ran out of bacon, foie gras taco by the time I arrived


Going out with a bang @ Golden state. Love the place, burger prepared with TLC. Option of healthy fresh and well dressed arugula & cucumber salad. Curated beer menu, small selection but great variety. And the guys who run it are so pleasant, curteous and efficient. Very evident they run a tight ship. LOVE IT!! note to self: bring some fleur de sel next time

No dinner tonite😣… not sure how @PorkyBelly does this on a regular basis

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#The @Chowseeker1999 Bang Bang

#Guerrilla tacos
I got scared when i was walking towards blue bottle coffee and didn’t see guerrilla tacos parked on beverly, but all was well when i turned the corner and saw it on sweetzer.

strawberry aqua fresca
Nice and refreshing

soft shell crab taco - chile japonese, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, cilantro, chipotle crema
I came for the lobster quesadilla thanks to @Chowseeker1999, but stayed for soft shell crab. This turned out to be the highlight, fresh crispy soft shell crab on a blue corn tortilla, delicious.

lobster quesadilla - chile morita, oaxaca cheese, aged cheddar, chives
This was about the size of a small pizza and had chucks of lobster claw meat, really good.

yellowtail tostada - chile del valle, white miso, furikake, cashews, avocado, uni

#Gjusta
prime rib butcher with extra fucking horseradish

ham and cheese

chicken pot pie

vegetable

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Hi @PorkyBelly,

Nice! :grin: So glad you liked their Lobster Quesadilla, but especially the Soft Shell Crab Taco! :slight_smile:

And Gjusta afterwards?! :open_mouth: Love that Prime Rib Butcher, and their Chicken Pot Pie. :heart:

How was the Ham & Cheese? That seems new… either that or no one mentioned it before in our FTC Gjusta Club luncheons! :angry: :stuck_out_tongue: (j/k)

And nice “vegetable”! :slight_smile:

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Prime fuckin reeeeb!!!

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The ham and cheese was one of their pre-made “to-go” sandwiches in their glass case. It’s super simple with ham, cheese, mustard, evoo, on their baguette, delicious.

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Taks coffee shop loco moco pretty solid never had a tomatoey loco moco gravy before

Then stopped by Petes Louisiana sausage for some fresh made beef hot links

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I have a totally unexplainable soft spot for their chashu fried rice.

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It looked decent I’ll try it next time if I’m ever in the neighborhood again

Tribute to this thread.

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Bang Bang Bang

Tacos San Pedro

Grabbed their amazing carne asada flautas, ask for the habanero salsa and use with the red salsa in the squirt bottle :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes: They use flap meat steak.

Also got a bean and cheese burrito add chorizo. This was a grease bomb and didn’t finish it. It was too greasy and too salty. :confused:

FYI, this place is right next door to Matiki Island BBQ.

Beelined it straight to ST Patisserie to make up for the greasy burrito.

I don’t know the name of it, but it was excellent. The lady said this dessert is very French. It tasted like a Mille Feuille with torched sugar. Highly recommend it if you see it. :heart_eyes::heart_eyes::heart_eyes:

I asked her if they make any desserts with peanut butter, she told me they can possibly make a dessert with peanut butter mousse. Hopefully they do.

Then went to Hi-Times to grab some wine and beer and Sidecar is right across the street. I have to say, they have vastly improved their donuts. The last four times I have been, they are batting a perfect .1000 Grabbed a strawberry buttermilk is it was great. My favorite to date is their Meyer lemon cake donut. Sidecar is my current fav in the city right now.

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#Isaan Station
papaya salad - green papaya, peanuts, dried shrimp
Getting my cardio in :sweat_smile: :fire:

kai yang - charcoal grilled tumeric marinated chicken
Fantastic, perfectly rendered fat, with crispy skin, and tender and juicy meat.

charcoal grilled pork neck

crying tiger - charcoal grilled beef tenderloin

#Here’s Looking At You
Does anybody know a good mechanic? I tried driving home after dinner but my car drove and parked across from HLAY instead.

bar pie - dutch apple pie, vanilla ice cream
Loved the crust, crumble, and ice cream.

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Nice report @PorkyBelly. :slight_smile: Thanks for the reminder, I need to tr Isaan Station soon. :slight_smile:

Besides the Chicken (which looks delicious!) what else do you recommend? Thanks!

Isaan Station might just have the best gai yang chicken around! Pair it up with some papaya salad and sticky rice to dip in the salad and chicken juices.

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Honestly, not much. Get the papaya salad and the tom saab (and honey toast). Maybe other people feel differently, but almost everything else other than the kai yang, which is extremely good (besting most of the $28 chicken in this city served at high-end spots) has been disappointingly mediocre at Isaan Station. The tom saab is also really good, papaya salads are funky, and the honey toast is outrageous (baked to order), but nothing really lives up to the kai yang. I have a feeling that is why it doesn’t get more press or appear on the big lists etc…

Whew, if there’s a BETTER kai yang in town I would LOVE to know about it. Kai yang usually sucks whenever I’ve tried ordering it at other Thai spots, but the kai yang at Isaan Station goes way beyond just besting other Thai spots, it’s remarkable in its own right as a chicken prep. Top 5 chicken in all of LA, going against any chicken at any price level I would say. So good it makes me wonder what they’re doing to it to make it so bizarrely great.

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