Amy ScattergoodLeading up to this year's Best of L.A. issue (due out Oct. 4), we'll be counting down, in no particular order, 100 of our favorite dishes.
47: Lucky Baldwins' Traditional Full English Breakfast.
Breakfast can mean many things to many people. A perfectly constructed pastry from Joan's on Third. Brunch at Salt's Cure or Canele. A bowl of natto somewhere in Gardena. But for some people it means the sort of meal that is best served with a pint of lager and a Birmingham City match. The kind of meal that can last for many hours — and many pints. At Lucky Baldwins, the 16-year-old British pub in Old Town Pasadena, this is accomplished with eggs (any style) and bangers (English) and bacon (Irish) — all that protein nestled in amongst fried potatoes, a pool of baked beans (Heinz), a small pile of mushrooms and a lovely halved tomato fried up on the grill.
Of course you can consume all this with a cup of strong coffee if beer at 8 a.m., when the pub opens, is not your thing. Or if it's one of the mornings when owner Peggy Simonian opens at 4 a.m. for early soccer matches and you need to wake up properly, before the place can start serving you (at 7 a.m.) pints of Craftsman Smoked Black lager or Hoegaarden witbier or Buffalo Belgian stout.
And should you have a craving for such a glorious breakfast anytime between now and the end of the month, you can help the pub celebrate its 16th birthday. Until Sept. 30th, you can buy a pint glass and a beer and a t-shirt for $24 (the shirts are pretty cool), or make it 2 beers and the rest of it for $30. Or, during L.A. Beer Week, go on Lucky Baldwins' pub tour (of all three Lucky Baldwins pubs: two in Pasadena and one in Sierra Madre). Because after such a breakfast it's often helpful to have an extra shirt to change into. Especially if you've been drinking since dawn.
Check out the rest of our 100 of our favorite dishes. Suggestion? Write us a comment.
100: Lukshon's Dan Dan Noodles
99: Cemita de Milanesa at Cemitas Poblanos Elviritas #1
98: Chichen Itza's Cochinita Pibil
96: La Cevicheria's Bloody Clam Ceviche
94: Peruvian Chicken at Pollo a la Brasa
93: Squash Blossom Quesadilla at Antojitos Carmen
92: Thai Boat Noodles at Pa-Ord
90: Furikake Kettle Corn at A-Frame
89: Live Santa Barbara Spot Prawns at Providence
88: Fried Pig Tails at Night + Market
87: Egg Salad Sandwich at Euro Pane
85: Truffle Honey-Laced Fried Chicken at Manhattan Beach Post
84: Mool Naeng Myun at Yu Chic Naeng Myun
83: Chicken Vampiro at Mexicali Taco & Co
81: White Anchovy, Tomato and Fresno Chile Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza
80: Shu Mai at Elite Restaurant
79: Tandoori Chicken at Al-Watan
78: Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding at The Hungry Cat
77: Agedashi Tofu at Izakaya Bincho
74: The Sea Urchin Tostada at La Guerrerense
73: Wood-Roasted English Peas at Tar & Roses
72: Persian Mulberries at Weiser Family Farms
71: Hunan-Style Preserved Pork with Tofu at Hunan Chilli King
70: Brisket Banh Mi at Gjelina Take Away
69: Yukhwe Bibimbap at Oo-Kook Korean BBQ
68: Lamb Pie at Beijing Pie House
67: Son of a Gun's Uni and Burrata
66: Pastrami Reuben at Art's Delicatessen
65: Beef Koobideh at Kabab Mahaleh
64: The Whipper Burger at Hawkins House of Burgers
63: Slippery Shrimp at Yang Chow
62: Whole Channel Island Red Sea Urchin at Water Grill
61: Going Dutch Panini at Bread Lounge
60: Huckleberry's Green Eggs & Ham
59: Pickled Watermelon Salad at L&E Oyster Bar
58: Spaghettini with Abalone, Pickled Cod Roe and Truffles at n/naka
57: Brown Brown Bread Ice Cream at Scoops Westside
56: Smothered Chicken at R and R Soul Food
53: The Sycamore Kitchen's Double BLT-A Sandwich
52: House Wonton Soup at China Café
51: Almond Croissant at Proof Bakery
50: The Southern Fry at Plan Check Kitchen + Bar
49: The Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium
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