These are the best breakfast burritos in LA

The best breakfast burritos in LA - @thedashanddine

Breakfast burritos are glorious – and LA has almost too many of them.  Someone has to sacrifice their health for the incredibly important Breakfast Burrito Quest, so once again, I’ve sorted the great ones from not-as-great ones (because, let’s be honest, all breakfast burritos are pretty good). You’re welcome.

Here are my obvious and inarguable criteria for the perfect breakfast burrito:

  • It needs to taste breakfast-y, which means eggs. A top tier breakfast burrito can’t taste like lunch – that would be anarchy.
  • It needs proper ingredient distribution. The first bite is crucial – don’t give me a mouthful of just beans or guac.
  • The corollary to this rule is that the flavors need to work in harmony. Seventeen separate tastes is equally disqualifying.
  • The texture should have a little variation. Hashbrowns, bacon, something to give it a little crunch. Which leads to…
  • The tortilla shouldn’t be an afterthought. My favorites have usually taken a trip back to the griddle for crunch and heat. Ideally, I’m losing my fingerprints trying to hold it. And unlike most breakfast options, a breakfast burrito gets better with a slight delay (looking at you, breakfast sandwich)
  • It shouldn’t cost too much. I have loved breakfast burritos that are over ten bucks – but deep down, I judge them for not being egalitarian. Breakfast burritos should be for everyone.
  • Finally, it needs to be a guilty pleasure. You can’t eat an entire breakfast burrito and feel like you made a good decision for your body. (Although one time, a trainer told me that the best time to eat something unhealthy is early in the morning, so #healthychoices. Enjoy one of these carb/calorie bombs for breakfast and sacrifice on later meals. It’s worth it!)

I’ve really tried to find my favorite in the city, or at least a top three, but it’s too hard… there are too many good choices.

Here’s my list of the best breakfast burritos in LA broken down into Gold, Silver, and Bronze categories:
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Where to get some truly life-changing pancakes in LA

You know that I’m all about waffles. But sometimes I get a massive craving for pancakes. But not just any pancakes — life-changing pancakes. Pancakes that you can’t get anywhere else but at certain restaurants.

So here’s where I go when I wake up with a craving for pancakes in LA… Continue reading “Where to get some truly life-changing pancakes in LA”

Wifi while you eat: Our favorite restaurants with wifi in LA

Restaurants with wifi in Los Angeles @thedashanddine

We’re both writers, so we spend most of our days eating and typing, and sometimes doing both at the same time. This means we are in need of great cafes and restaurants with wifi in LA.

Our needs are this: comfortable seating, free wifi, not so busy that we feel guilty for camping out at a table for a couple of hours, bonus points for access to outlets.

If your needs are similar, this is our list of the best LA restaurants with wifi… Continue reading “Wifi while you eat: Our favorite restaurants with wifi in LA”

Watch this backwards and upside-down spin on Thai rolled ice cream

A new ice cream place opened down the street from us on Melrose. It’s not the one with the giant ice cream macaron sandwiches, it’s not the kosher place that has the best mint chip, or the ice cream place that only uses seasonal farmers market produce, or the truck that makes liquid nitrogen ice cream treats. (We may be spoiled for good ice cream in our ‘hood.) It’s the Cold Rolled Ice Cream Company!

Yup, a new ice cream trend that started in Southeast Asia — Thai rolled ice cream — has made its way to Melrose. We stopped into Cold Rolled on a hot rainy night, and left feeling… overwhelmed by the whole process, but happy with our cold-rolled treats!

Watch the magic:

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Bread, books & bombolone: The best food gifts Los Angeles has to offer

food gifts Los Angeles
California cutting board by Left Coast Original

When you’re a foodie and you want to give a gift from the heart, the first thing you think of is giving the gift of food! Therefore, I’m constantly researching the best food gifts Los Angeles has to offer, and I’m pretty proud of my collection.

So whether you’re a foodie, or your shopping for one, these are the best food gifts that’ll work for holiday gifts, birthday gifts, or “thank you for getting me that audition” gifts…

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The Vespertine experience: A peek into LA’s most mysterious restaurant

Outside Vespertine. Photos by Damon Seeley — friend and fellow dinner-attender.

When chef Jordan Kahn’s first restaurant Red Medicine was A Thing, I was lucky to have a close friend who was a chef there. In an effort to expand my toddler-esque palate, chef Ari Kolender (now of Hayden fame) and I had a special arrangement…

He’d send out food, instructing the servers to rebel against their training and not tell me anything about the dish. Then I’d have to at least try EVERYTHING that came out.

Because I never knew what I was actually putting in my mouth, I would come up with my own names for Red Medicine’s menu items. I was shocked (SHOCKED!) to find out that the “Awesome BBQ Balls” were actually beef cheek. (I still think “Awesome BBQ Balls” sounds more appetizing.) But my favorite special name for one of Red Medicine’s menu items was the “Science Salad”…

I’d sit at a table next to the open kitchen and watch as Jordan would construct his worlds of salad — using both his tongs and architectural skills. Then, once the salad was perfectly constructed and dropped at our table, I’d mix all the ingredients together, and it magically turned into both the salad AND the dressing. It was a culinary science experiment that delighted me with its beauty, creativity, and taste. Basically the Science Salad blew my mind.

After leaving Vespertine that night, I realized what Jordan has done… Continue reading “The Vespertine experience: A peek into LA’s most mysterious restaurant”

Where to find the best chicken and waffles in LA

Last time we talked waffles, this time let’s talk about the Holy Grail of Waffles: chicken and waffles. Here’s the deal with me… if chicken and waffles is on a menu, I’m ordering it. Every time. Which means, means I’m constantly on the “chicken and waffles LA” search.

Here’s where I found the best ones… Continue reading “Where to find the best chicken and waffles in LA”

How to use your stomach to help Puerto Rico

This week in LA (October 7-14, 2017) 60+ restaurants, bars, and food trucks are donating all the proceeds from certain meals and drinks to Unidos Por Puerto Rico — providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María. Which is awesome, because Mike and I can help Puerto Rico (beyond our previous donations) by just doing the thing we do every day — eating at restaurants!

But since most places only have just one or two charitable things on their menus, I broke down how you can turn this into a restaurant crawl and put your helpful money where your hungry mouth is…

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Where to find the best waffles in Los Angeles

If you know me, you know one of my favorite things in this world is waffles. I love them oh-so-much, that I think everything would taste better if it were waffled… or served on top of a waffle… or sandwiched between two waffles… or includes a character who’s also obsessed with waffles.

Just ask Mike, nothing ruins my day more than a bad waffle. Seriously, there will be tears and a sad George Michael/Charlie Brown walk home afterwards.

Therefore, much like our Deeply Important Avocado Toast Quest, is our Search to Quench Megan’s Ever-Present Waffle Craving.

So here are our top places to go when I wake up and desperately need a waffle in LA… Continue reading “Where to find the best waffles in Los Angeles”

7 quick, good, and cheap restaurants on Melrose

So you live/work/find yourself on Melrose Ave during lunch or dinner time, and you need to eat on the cheap and quick. Here are the best places to grab a quick but also still delicious meal for cheap. I’m talking $10 and under on Melrose…

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