It's ironic that, at the very height of Ludo Lefebvre's fame, there's not a whole lot of his food to be had. With a new Hancock Park restaurant in the works but not open as of press time, and the long-running Ludo Bites series of pop-ups on indefinite hold, the main way to experience Ludo is through the media. You can watch him on The Taste, being gloriously French and tattooed alongside Bourdain and Nigella, and you can buy his new cookbook. But the only place to actually taste Lefebvre's cooking is via his food truck, which he launched in 2010. The Ludo Truck, while limited in its offerings, is pretty great. It's a fried chicken–mobile, and you can choose from buttermilk fried chicken, honey-garlic glazed wings, chicken strips and a fried chicken sandwich. Go for the buttermilk chicken, which is on the bone, juicy and crispy, the fry slightly perfumed by rosemary, giving this American staple an Italian edge. Grab a honey lavender biscuit and a basil–blood orange agua fresca. Be glad that everything this guy does, from no-longer-available, high-concept tasting menus down to his fried chicken–mobile, sings with quality. Locations and hours via website (ludotruck.com) or Twitter (@ludotruck). Chicken $5.50-$8.25.

 

Besha Rodell's Introduction

Anne Fishbein's Photography

The Google Map

 

The 99 Essential Restaurants List:

A-Frame
Alma
Angelini Osteria
Animal
Attari Sandwich Shop
Bäco Mercat
Bar Amá
The Bazaar
Bestia
BierBeisl
Bludso's
Cacao Mexicatessen
Canelé
La Casita Mexicana
Cemitas Poblanas Elviritas
Chichen Itza
Chung King
Cole's
Coni'Seafood
Cube Cafe & Marketplace
Din Tai Fung
Eva
Father's Office
Fred 62
Gjelina
Golden Deli
Go's Mart
Il Grano
Guelaguetza
Guisados
Hatfield's
Ha Tien Quan
Hawkins House of Burgers
Hayat's Kitchen
El Huarache Azteca
Huckleberry
The Hungry Cat
ink.
Jar
Jitlada
JTYH Heavy Noodle II
Kang Ho Dong Baekjong
Kiriko
Kiyokawa
Kogi Truck
Krua Siri
L&E Oyster Bar
Langer's
Little Dom's
Lucques
Ludo Truck
Lukshon
Mariscos Jalisco
Matsuhisa
Meals by Genet
Mélisse
Milo and Olive
Mo-Chica
Musso & Frank
Nem Nuong Ninh Hoa
Nickel Diner
Night + Market
Oinkster
Osteria Mozza
Pann's
Pa-Ord Noodle
El Parian
Park's BBQ
Philippe the Original
Picca
Pink's
Pizzeria Mozza
Playa
Pollo a la Brasa
Providence
R&R Soul Food
Ración
Red Medicine
Ricky's Fish Tacos
Rivera
Rocio's Moles de los Dioses
Salt's Cure
Sapp Coffee Shop
Savoy Kitchen
Sea Harbour
Shanghai No. 1 Village Seafood
Soban
Son of a Gun
Sotto
Spago
The Spice Table
Superba Snack Bar
Tacos Leo
The Tasting Kitchen
Tavern
Tsujita LA
Vincenti Ristorante
Wurstküche
Zam Zam Market

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