LA's Grand Central Market

On a corporate scavenger hunt through the streets of downtown Los Angeles, chasing our clues from the public library to Disney Concert Hall, one of our stops led us to The Grand Central Market.  Opened in 1917, Grand Central Market is a 30,000 square foot arcade whose mission is to celebrate the cuisines and culture of Los Angeles.  The space houses over 30 vendors, with everything from a coffee shop, to an oyster bar, to a pupusería.  We were intrigued by one vender with a rather unappetizing, and slightly disconcerting, name of Eggslut that had an unusually long line.  What on earth was everyone waiting for in this interminable line?  And was it worth it?  I had to return to check it out, so return we did the following morning.

Wandering around the Grand Central Market is a food lover's paradise...Bento Ya Japanese Cuisine, Berlin Currywurst, McConnell's Fine Ice Cream (from Santa Barbara!), and Horse Thief BBQ, just to name a few.  This was one occasion where I wished I were part cow so that I could have 4 stomachs: one for tacos, one for cheese, one for Chinese noodles, and one for Eggslut sandwiches.  I made a pretty good effort with just one stomach (minus the noodles...they just wouldn't fit).

And at stall D-10, on the Broadway Street side, a bright neon sign that simply reads "Eggslut".  Eggslut is the brainchild of Chef Alvin Cailan, an Oregon Culinary Institute grad, whose love of the egg inspired him, in 2011, to provide an "eggstraordinary" culinary experience to diners all day long.

The problem was the line...it was super long.  What to do while we wait?  Turned out it was pretty fun.  We took turns walking around and tasting what other vendors had to offer, as well as making friends with others in line (a shout-out to the nice rep from KeVita probiotic drinks...Mango Coconut is my fave...found at Whole Foods). 

The line for Eggslut weaved in and around

We bought some cheese from DTLA Cheese

Tasted kombucha teas at Better Booch

Sipped on juices from Press Brothers Juicery

Ordered some carnitas at Las Morelianas from a very jolly fellow

Amazing carnitas...must order with cuerito and add the red salsa

The counter at Eggslut

After 45 minutes, we made it to the counter at Eggslut.  What to order?  I threw out the question on Instagram and, based on the replies, decided on the Fairfax, the Bacon Egg & Cheese, and the Slut (had to because of the name).  Hubby's belly was full of tacos, but I told him we had to do it, you know, in the name of research....dieting will come later.

The menu

The kitchen

The Fairfax

The Fairfax sandwich has soft scrambled eggs with chives, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and Sriracha mayo on a warm brioche bun.  The brioche buns are made fresh daily by a bakery in Arcadia, CA, and are melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  The Fairfax as a whole was so flavorful and soft, you almost didn't have to chew.  Definitely comfort food at its finest. 

Another shot of the Fairfax sandwich

The Bacon, Egg & Cheese includes an over-medium egg with cheddar cheese, hardwood smoked bacon and chipotle ketchup on a brioche bun.  A little more chewing involved, but delicious nonetheless.

Bacon, Egg & Cheese

And when we thought our stomachs couldn't handle it any longer...we found the room to squeeze in the Slut.  OK, so the name may be a bit off-putting, but many in line had told me it was their favorite.  A coddled egg that has been cooked in a jar, on top of mashed potatoes, the Slut can be served with a baguette, or with a salad, for the wheat-free set.  When I return, and I will return, I will order this with a salad (while I am taking bites off of Hubby's egg sandwich), for the express purpose of leaving room to try other delicacies in the market.   

The Slut

So, bottom line: run, don't walk to LA's Grand Central Market (and actually, as we found out, you can take the subway...did you know that LA has a subway?).  There is something for everyone there...a culinary wonderland.

LA's Grand Central Market
Hours: Sun - Weds 8AM - 6PM, Thurs - Sat 8AM - 9PM
317 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
TEL (213) 624-2378
FAX (213) 624-9496
www.grandcentralmarket.com  

Have a very merry weekend!
xo M

All photos by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com, and yes, all opinions are mine.

Above The Blue And Windy Sea

Hubby and I recently found ourselves driving north along Highway 1, winding our way from Los Angeles towards the iconic city of San Francisco to spend a couple of nights doing what I love to do the most, namely eating and celebrating my birthday.  Hubby likes to joke that the birthDAY experience has recently turned into a birthWEEK, or even a birthMONTH.  I don't have to heart to tell him that when we celebrate the big 5-0, it will be a birthYEAR...ignorance is bliss in that case.

San Francisco seemed a logical choice for us, as the city has been the backdrop for many a big birthday celebration in my family.  I was first introduced to San Francisco when my mother turned 50 and had a large bash for all of her friends at the renowned SF institution, Ernie's (closed in 1995), which according to the culinary critic Roy Adries de Groot was the "most elegant, famous, finest, and luxurious restaurant in San Francisco".  Thereafter, she enjoyed returning to the City By The Bay to celebrate her other milestone birthdays...70, 75 and 80, to name the most recent.  A year after Mom passed away, we spent a couple of nights in SF on our way to Napa Valley.  Maybe it was too emotional for me to be there nearly a year to the day of her death, but halfway through the five-course tasting menu at Gary Danko's, I turned to Hubby and said I just had to get out of there.  I couldn't see or hear...I think I may have been having an anxiety attack (never having had one, I still have no clue, I was just too choked up and had to leave asap).  This was our first time back since then, and I was in a good place to take that trip down memory lane and relive some of our happy times with Mom and Dad.  

The absolute must-do was to have birthday lunch at Tadich Grill on California Street.  Not only was it one of my parents' favorite spots, but I also credit Tadich Grill with having been the place where I had my "a-ha moment" with Dungeness crab (they truly have the best Dungeness crab cakes ever).  My mom and I had a lot of fun over the years trying to re-create them, and perhaps it was the accompanying rosé that made them taste so good, but I feel we came pretty close.  Tadich Grill has been serving seafood in the bay area for over 160 years, and since 1967, has been at this location in the financial district.  They do not take reservations, but I find that part of the fun...to put our name in and wait with growling stomachs while sipping on Bloody Marys.  Then we sit down with a bottle of vino blanco and tear through at least two loafs of sourdough loaf while waiting for our dishes.  This year it was just the two of us, a much needed break from kids and work, but I had to dig through some old pics and compare it to the fall of 2008 and the celebration for Mom's 80th.

Tadich Grill on 240 California St

Dungeness crab cake appetizer

Kampachi over Japanese noodles

Mom (on her 80th) and Mickey Mouse shared a birthday

This is one of my favorites as she loved to talk with her hands

So check this out...

...do these two look familiar?

Next time I need to remember to wear my tiara

Stayed tuned for more posts on our trip to SF, specifically a once-in-a-lifetime meal at Saison, plus some posts from our road trip: Grand Central Market in LA, Hearst Castle, and Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur. 
xo M

Tadich Grill
240 California St, San Francisco, CA  94111
www.tadichgrill.com 



All photos and opinions by Marci Symington for texaztaste.blogspot.com, with the exception of those taken of my mother, which were taken by my fabulous sister, Liza B Lewis.