Actually agree on the bagels. If he had stopped at bagels I would've told him about Sam's on Larchmont. Not a substitute for the NYC bagel, but damn good.
I never knew about Sam's until I moved back to LA (from NYC). I too was looking for better bagels. Sam's is where I go when I need my fix. Also, and this is really important, after you hit Sam's, pick up a sandwich from Larchmont Wine & Cheese for your next meal. That's a Valley hack. When I used to live in Larchmont, I'd just get whatever I wanted. But now that I'm back in the Valley, I make the most of each Larchmont visit by grabbing both. The sammys keep for a bit.
But wrong about the pizza. That tired cliche about LA hasn’t been true since at least 2007. LA is oversaturated with that burnt crust artisanal Italian-authentic stuff, just not the NYC dollar slice.
It's true, LA has had a pizza renaissance, and 2007 seems about right for the timeline.The NYC dollar slice, however, is not part of that renaissance. But I'd stack Tomato Pie in Silver Lake up against anyone. What's your fav LA pizza spot?
But also, I think they have to complain about the bagels and pizza. Not just because it’s become part of their identity, but because realistically LA does almost every other food better.
We don't get many New Yorkers here in New Mexico, but we do get a lot of California and Texas transplants, which the locals are never happy about. Texans are interesting because they tend to complain about how everything they encounter isn't as good as it is in Texas (so, like, go back??) but the Californians seem to take a more colonial approach. They just bring California with them wherever they go, which sometimes manifests in pretty cool vegan juice bars or hot yoga studios, but then also manifests as sky-rocketing rent prices. "Mmm, smells like gentrification!"
State cultures are funny. The U.S. really is just fifty rats in a trench coat.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm glad Californians aren't all bad (vegan juice and yoga are always good). I think the California transplant issue is common all over the west. I know in Idaho they're downright hostile to Californians. We lots of California friends who moved to Colorado and they've said the general reaction is "not another Californian." I've heard similar complains from people in Oregon. My mom moved to Vegas four years ago, and while she knows dozens of Californians there, she's told that she gets shade from the locals.
Wow, as an nyc transplant myself, I apologize for that guy. I do my share of complaining, but try to be aware of my audience, as well as the many reasons to leave nyc in the first place. I’ll try even harder now. I must say though, I used to work in a restaurant in Manhattan that sold burritos, and you should have heard the Californians lecture and complain about how we weren’t doing it right...
No need to apologize for that guy. But you make an important point. There's certainly a genre of Californians in NYC complaining about Mexican food. I may have been one of them from 2000-2003. If so, I'm sorry, New York!
Love it! I think LA's cuban food is only so-so. I love Versailles, but I think that's about it. Which is by way of saying that when we come to Florida, we're getting Cuban with you guys, but when you come to LA, we're having Mexican.
LA is dope. He's right about those bagels, though...
Actually agree on the bagels. If he had stopped at bagels I would've told him about Sam's on Larchmont. Not a substitute for the NYC bagel, but damn good.
Oh crap okay I made a post looking for the best bagel places and this one didn't come up, so I'm officially adding it to my list.
I never knew about Sam's until I moved back to LA (from NYC). I too was looking for better bagels. Sam's is where I go when I need my fix. Also, and this is really important, after you hit Sam's, pick up a sandwich from Larchmont Wine & Cheese for your next meal. That's a Valley hack. When I used to live in Larchmont, I'd just get whatever I wanted. But now that I'm back in the Valley, I make the most of each Larchmont visit by grabbing both. The sammys keep for a bit.
But wrong about the pizza. That tired cliche about LA hasn’t been true since at least 2007. LA is oversaturated with that burnt crust artisanal Italian-authentic stuff, just not the NYC dollar slice.
It's true, LA has had a pizza renaissance, and 2007 seems about right for the timeline.The NYC dollar slice, however, is not part of that renaissance. But I'd stack Tomato Pie in Silver Lake up against anyone. What's your fav LA pizza spot?
But also, I think they have to complain about the bagels and pizza. Not just because it’s become part of their identity, but because realistically LA does almost every other food better.
We don't get many New Yorkers here in New Mexico, but we do get a lot of California and Texas transplants, which the locals are never happy about. Texans are interesting because they tend to complain about how everything they encounter isn't as good as it is in Texas (so, like, go back??) but the Californians seem to take a more colonial approach. They just bring California with them wherever they go, which sometimes manifests in pretty cool vegan juice bars or hot yoga studios, but then also manifests as sky-rocketing rent prices. "Mmm, smells like gentrification!"
State cultures are funny. The U.S. really is just fifty rats in a trench coat.
Thanks for sharing this! I'm glad Californians aren't all bad (vegan juice and yoga are always good). I think the California transplant issue is common all over the west. I know in Idaho they're downright hostile to Californians. We lots of California friends who moved to Colorado and they've said the general reaction is "not another Californian." I've heard similar complains from people in Oregon. My mom moved to Vegas four years ago, and while she knows dozens of Californians there, she's told that she gets shade from the locals.
I love the phrase "50 rats in a trench coat"
Wow, as an nyc transplant myself, I apologize for that guy. I do my share of complaining, but try to be aware of my audience, as well as the many reasons to leave nyc in the first place. I’ll try even harder now. I must say though, I used to work in a restaurant in Manhattan that sold burritos, and you should have heard the Californians lecture and complain about how we weren’t doing it right...
No need to apologize for that guy. But you make an important point. There's certainly a genre of Californians in NYC complaining about Mexican food. I may have been one of them from 2000-2003. If so, I'm sorry, New York!
I need to jump in here to say Florida has no good Mexican food. Cuban yes. Mexican no. Thanks for writing. I love reading.
Love it! I think LA's cuban food is only so-so. I love Versailles, but I think that's about it. Which is by way of saying that when we come to Florida, we're getting Cuban with you guys, but when you come to LA, we're having Mexican.