Garrett SnyderLeading 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.
51: The Southern Fry at Plan Check Kitchen + Bar.
While the centerpiece of Plan Check Kitchen + Bar on Sawtelle is undoubtedly its dripping, concentrated burgers — head chef Ernesto Uchimura was an ex-corporate chef at Umami Burger, after all — there seems to be a populist swell in favor of the restaurant's smokey fried jidori chicken. Could the fried chicken sandwich could be the new burger?
We hope more are like the Southern Fry, a combination of sharp tangy pickles, house-made spicy green pimento cheese, a layer of griddled duck ham and a crunchy mass of heavenly fried chicken. The crunch of the fried chicken crust is loud enough to hear over the restaurant's bumping soundtrack. The pickles add the right amount of acidity, while a thin layer of funky cheese oozes out from the edges of the toasted bun. And duck ham? We don't have to tell you how good that stuff tastes.
Staying true to its Americana theme, Plan Check's Southern Fry resembles a slicked-out simulacrum of something you might find at a truck stop diner while hauling a load on up to Chattanooga. Add in some sweet potato waffle fries with peach ketchup and some cruller donuts with banana cream, and you'll be happier than a pig in slop, as the expression goes.
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
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