Welcome to Free Lunch! This week we accompanied blogger and photographer Cathy Chaplin and writer Lien Ta to one of their favorite restaurants in Highland Park, Good Girl Dinette. The two women are Vietnamese-American, as is Good Girl's owner, Diep Tran, so they feel a kinship with the restaurant ... and its pot pie.
Another all-star dish on Good Girl's menu is the oyster mushroom banh mi. The mushrooms (and the jalepenos, as Cathy explained) aren't traditional ingredients in the sandwich, but the pickled vegetables and soft baguette are.
Chef Diep changes the menu seasonally, and on our visit long beans (very similar to green beans) from the farmers' market were on the menu. The beans were stir-fried in a sauce that posed a bit of a mystery to Lien and Cathy, though they suspect it was mostly Maggi Seasoning, a staple from their childhoods.
Chef Diep took some time out of her prep work to speak to us about the mission of her neighborhood restaurant, too.
Want to go on a Free Lunch? Tell us about your favorite restaurants!
Twitter: @KCETfood
Facebook: KCETfood
Good Girl Dinette
110 N Avenue 56
Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 257-8980
2 Comments
love this series! it's fun to see 'regular' people with a passion for food share their passions with us!
i love ink.sack on Melrose, which also has a great banh mi amongst a number of other great sandwiches and spiced fruit - should definitely try that out as the next restaurant in your series, especially since they are open exclusively for lunch!
-
The King Eddy Saloon: A Historic Haunt
Tom "TK" Nagano takes Free Lunch to the quintessential Los Angeles dive bar. Meet a colorful cast of characters in this one time speakeasy and haunt of Charles Bukowski.
-
Artisan Cheese Gallery: Bacon, Sage and Cheddar
Becca Weber told Free Lunch she dreams about the sandwiches at Artisan Cheese Gallery. That's a pretty strong endorsement, so we went with her to check out the store and restaurant.
-
Elite Restaurant: Dim Sum College Reunion
Old college friends Ben and Leah reunite over dim sum at Elite Restaurant in Monterey Park.
-
Charles Phoenix: Total Pann's Fan
Charles Phoenix takes Free Lunch to his favorite restaurant in all of Los Angeles, Pann's. "Homespun and family run since 1958!"
socalfood.tumblr.com
KCET Food
RSS: Full KCET Feed
kcetfood@kcet.org
Letitia says :
oooh. i have ggd pork confit in my belly and so happy. thanks for a great din! and, the servers read minds!