This week in L.A. restaurants: Carnitas darling El Momo adds first bricks-and-mortar spot
Carnitas El Momo
The Acosta family’s acclaimed carnitas operation has grown from two taco carts to a full restaurant in Monterey Park. Carnitas El Momo — named for patriarch Romulo “Momo” Acosta — sells multiple cuts of pork that have been long-simmered in classic copper cazos and can be served in tacos, quesadillas, mulitas and tortas, or sold by the pound. The Monterey Park restaurant offers all of this and more: a massive new torta ahogada, as well as cafe de olla. On Saturdays and Sundays birria de chivo is also available in the same formats as the carnitas (along with the consommé). The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating, and the Carnitas El Momo trucks will remain in operation; the restaurant is open beginning at 10:30 a.m. from Tuesday to Friday, and from 9 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, until sellout. Follow along on Instagram for truck location and sellout updates, posted each day.
1470 Monterey Pass Road, Monterey Park, instagram.com/carnitaselmomo
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Lodge Bread Co. on Pico
Alex Phaneuf and Or Amsalam recently closed their lauded hummus restaurant, Hasiba, and have opened another of their businesses, Lodge Bread Co., in its space on Pico. Fans can still find Hasiba hummus and fresh pita on offer, but the Lodge menu spotlights the founders’ fresh sourdough bread, sandwiches, naturally fermented-dough pastries and other daytime fare. Lodge Bread Pico is now open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The duo hopes to expand their pizza pop-up, Full Proof Pizza, to a full restaurant in both Brentwood and Beverly Hills this summer, as well as bring Lodge Bread Co. to Long Beach.
8532 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, lodgebread.com
Burger She Wrote Los Feliz
The Beverly Grove smash burger spot from restaurateur Steven Arroyo (Escuela Taqueria) and pro skater Don Nguyen has expanded with a second location, this time in Los Feliz. Burger She Wrote first launched last year with alfresco seating and a pared-down menu of cheeseburgers and fries; the second location features a larger kitchen, which translates to new items such as a vegan smashed cheeseburger, a vegan Caesar salad, onion rings, pickle chips, and chocolate, vanilla and strawberry milkshakes. Burger She Wrote Los Feliz offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and is now open from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily, with plans for extended hours upon permission to serve beer and wine.
4655 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, instagram.com/burgershewrote__
— riff on pastry chef Jiyoon Jang’s Korean-American upbringing.
Chimmelier and Mil
In Hospitality Group, the Koreatown-centered team behind restaurants Hanchic and Kinn, will open two additional concepts in the neighborhood this weekend. The group’s Korean fried chicken pop-up, Chimmelier, which already appears on Sundays at Smorgasburg, will now also open within cafe-cum-incubator All Good Things beginning Friday at 5 p.m. A new daytime-only bakery, Mil, will offer cookies, loaf cakes and other sweet treats inspired by Korean ingredients and flavor profiles, made by pastry chef Jiyoon Jang, opening in the same location on the same day at 8 a.m. With a new location for Chimmelier, the concept will expand beyond sandwiches to reflect more of a traditional Korean fried chicken concept, such as Kyochon or BBQ Chicken, with whole and half chickens and wings, plus Korean street food such as tteokbokki and fried rice. Chimmelier will open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with Mil open from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. daily.
2748 W. 8th St., Los Angeles, instagram.com/chimmelier.la and instagram.com/enjoy_mil
Sweet Corner Coffee and Cakes
A new cafe is bringing pastries and coffee to the base of the Hollywood Historic Hotel. Sweet Corner Coffee and Cakes is now open from the Simonian family, which also operates adjacent restaurant and cocktail bar the Edmon, serving croissants, cookies, danishes, and cakes whole and by the slice, plus a full espresso bar for coffee, matcha and other drinks. Limited indoor seating is available. Sweet Corner is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Saturday, and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
5174 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 990-3800, thesweetcornerla.com
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