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.
84: Mool Naeng Myun at Yu Chic Naeng Myun.
The season for cold noodles is upon us. A metal bowl filled with a heap of pitch-black arrowroot noodles, the kind you slurp loudly and chewy profusely, is one of the most invigorating things you'll find in town. Even at the finest Koreatown spas, the ones where old dudes sit in saunas until their skin is as red as clay, there's a good chance that you'll be able to order a bowl of naneng myun before someone hands you a towel.
Yu Chic, a bare-bones dining halls off Olympic, is the undisputed champion for cold noodles in some circles, and for good reason. The mool naeng myun broth, made tinged with the slightest amount of boiled beef, is soothing enough to cure a sunburn. Little crystals of ice bob at the top. There are a few shreds of cucumber and radish, a hard-boiled egg, some crushed sesame seeds, a sharp dab of red chile paste, and a bottle of obscenely hot mustard if you prefer. You tilt the bowl for a sip; the numbing frost hits you in waves. This might be the only time in your life that a bowl of noodles gives you an ice cream headache.
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
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