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.
55: Duck Fried Rice at Jar.
Walk through the heavy wooden doors at Jar, Suzanne Tracht's 11-year-old West Hollywood chophouse, and you'll probably feel like ordering a steak. And a few martinis. It's that kind of place: a gloriously atavistic restaurant, with white tablecloths under low light, an iceberg lettuce wedge on the menu, and a maître d' wearing a suit rather than a canvas of tattoos. But if 16 ounces of dry-aged steak is too much on a hot summer evening, order the duck fried rice instead.
If finding a terrific bowl of fried rice on a steakhouse menu surprises you, you haven't been to Jar enough. Thailand native Preech Narkthong has been Jar's chef de cuisine since the place opened — the pair also cooked together at Tracht's previous restaurant Jozu — and he's been putting his touch on the menu ever since. Thus you can order water spinach with your bistro steak, or lemongrass chicken instead of it. But the duck fried rice is in a league of its own, the ideal marriage of both chefs' traditions.
The kitchen makes the duck confit for the fried rice, rather than the other way around, then the vegetables — shiitakes and julienned carrots, pea sprouts and leeks — are sautéed in the duck fat. Stir in a generous portion of Japanese brown rice and top the dish with a chiffonade of green onions, then serve — with or without that char siu Berkshire pork chop. With or without that martini. And if you have leftovers (right), Tracht says that they're pretty fantastic reheated for breakfast, with an egg on top.
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
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