Hey, kids: guess what time is it? It's time to restart that Long March known as 100 Favorite Dishes (INSERT YEAR). YEAH!!!
Hey, don't ding us for listicles: Weekly DataLab studies show ustedes love this gimmick, launched in honor of our coming Best Of issue. Besides, it is rather fun to do this for us Forkers–an opportunity to highlight dishes from restaurants we'll never fully review, or secrets from old standbys. Anyhoo, let the march begin…
When it's a party of one, we typically end up dining at a luxe lonchera. We're familiar with most of the menus, so deciding on what to order comes down to which trucks are present. Coming up with new and original items can be challenging when you're confined to a kitchen on wheels, but not for our next entry.
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There's a certain camaraderie between loncheras; an unspoken understanding between owners. They experience similar growing pains, triumphs and stories of mechanical SNAFUs. If you linger long enough at a roundup, crews will start taking orders and delivering meals to each other. It's a gesture of friendship and respect (plus reason to go on a diet after a while). So it was a natural progression when chef Tony Lu from Slummin' reached out to a certain Wu-Tai waffle duo with a light bulb moment. The end result: a genius collaboration of taste.
Lawrence Tai and George Wu specialize in dessert waffles. Pearl sugar and Fosselman's a la mode are their not-so-secret weapons. While most patrons line up for their eats as a final course, they agreed to step away from their comfort zone and cook up a limited-run entree. The guys were in charge of a savory, aged cheddar waffle. Tony's flavor profiling skills made it a base for savory Jidori chicken, rich maple butter, corn gravy and balsamic drizzle to finish. It's a little Southern, a bit New American and a mouthful of umami flavor.
We commend The Slummin' Gourmet and Waffles de Liege on their teambuilding skills. It's only occurred twice so far– but if you start rallying now, we bet a third time isn't out of the question.
The list:
75. Ahi Tuna Tartar at Nieuport 17
76. Chicken Wings at Hashigo Korean Kitchen
77. Brussels Sprouts Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
78. Breakfast Sausage Hash at Thasos Greek Island Grille
79. Chocolate Doughnut with Jacobsen Sea Salt at Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee
80. Loco Moco Dog at Dogzilla
81. Fruit Tart at Le Croissant Dore
82. Daing Na Bangus (Marinated Milkfish) Silog Breakfast at Chowking
83. Strawberry Basil Lemonade at Mick's Karma Bar
84. Lemongrass Chicken Salad at Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
85. Tofu Soup at Tasty Thai
86. Take-Out Dim Sum at Capital B.B.Q. and Dim Sum Express
87. Hodo Gwaja at Cocohodo
88. Popcorn Chicken Salad at Guppy House
89. Fried Okra at Memphis Soul Cafe & Bar
90. Salted Egg With Bitter Melon & Scrambled Egg at Tasty Noodle House
91. Boysenberry Lemonade from Bautista Creek Local Produce at SOCO Farmers' Market
92. Scallop Carpaccio with Curry Oil and Yuzu Vinaigrette from Cafe Hiro
93. White Board Specials at Taco Adobe
94. Coney Dog at LinX
95. Halal Pizzas from San Giovanni Pizzas
96. Clayuda at El Fortín
97. Lunch Buffet at Dosa Express
98. The Meats at Darya in Orange
99. Panocha at Taquería Zamora
100. Bean-and-Cheese Burrito from Del Taco
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A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.