An Ace Up My Sleeve

Greetings, Readers!

I hope you have all recovered from the festivities of National Sandwich Day like I have.

To celebrate this special day, I decided to have some lunch with family at the Ace Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles.

The Ace opened earlier this year on Broadway in the historic United Artists Building. Originally built in 1927, the building has been updated but still keeps a lot of its old school charm and feel. Broadway has been going through a bit of a revitalization over the years and this is a gleaming anchor of the district.

The rooftop bar provides not only excellent drinks but a great view of DTLA that is well worth visiting the hotel for on its own. Even better for sandwich lovers though, is the restaurant, L.A. Chapter, on the main floor. Taking a seat on the sidewalk seating, I took my time with the menu. The salads and other eats all looked amazing, but the sandwiches showed someone had taken their time in crafting them.

The Lobster Roll won out over all of the other options, though i'm sure I will be back to try the others. Savory chunks of lobster are stacked in a toasted roll with harissa, celery, hearts of palm and furikake. This savory sandwich surprised me with a bit of sweetness throughout along with a kick of spice. The buttery lobster was an incredible experience and some of the best seafood I've had in awhile.

The roll was buttery and lightly toasted, a great complement to the savory insides of the sandwich.

If you're in Los Angeles, or you live here and want someplace new to check out, hop on Metro (yes it exists) or drive on down to this bright and shiny updated section of Broadway and get to know a little known neighborhood. Starting at the Ace and LA Chapter are definitely the way to start this visit off on the right foot.

Until next week, Readers...


The Lobster Roll
**** Stars
L.A. Chapter at The Ace Hotel
927 S. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA

A Stroll In The Heart Downtown

Greetings, Readers! And welcome back after a self-imposed exile last week. Apologies for that, I did not mean to deprive you of sandwich goodness, so let's waste no more time and get to this week's sandwich.

While recently walking through Downtown Los Angeles I stopped in at the Artisan House at 6th and Main Streets. Half market, half restaurant this place has a great atmosphere with a beautiful interior of exposed brick and a modern look.

Settling into a seat with World Cup games playing at the bar, I ordered a Snapshot Wheat from New Belgium and looked at their sandwich menu. With a bit of deliberation, I settled on The Artisan Burger. What better choice than to go with a burger named after the place?

Served on a wooden platter, the Artisan Burger is made from grass-fed beef, topped with cheddar cheese, organic wilds baby arugula, tomato, caramelized onions with aioli and dijon mustard. The burger was delicious and juicy, while cooked to a nice pink medium. The arugula and dijon mustard added a slightly peppery spice kick to complement the smooth and delicious beef. The buttery bun held together mostly until the end and the cheddar cheese was a great choose that still pushed some flavor through all of the other tasty ingredients.

If you're looking for a great place to unwind on a Sunday afternoon with a burger, a beer, and some sports on the television without being in a place that is overly noisy, The Artisan House is a great place to head to. If you're looking for a good burger to enjoy any day of the week though, you can't go wrong with the Artisan Burger.

Until next week, Readers...

The Artisan Burger
**** Stars
Artisan House
600 S. Main Street
Los Angeles, CA

A Horse Thief Among Us

Greetings, Readers!

Today, before I even get to discussing the sandwich of the week, there's something I must get out in the open. This week's blog is an incredibly special milestone, one that I could not have achieved without all of you reading my blog each week.

This is the 200th entry on the blog. Seriously. 200.

That's insane. When I first started this blog, I couldn't have imagined that the blog would still be going this long, despite my strong love of sandwiches. So I owe a great deal to you and your readership.

Now, onto the sandwich of the week.

While in downtown Los Angeles this past weekend, I stopped into one of my favorite spots to eat down there: Grand Central Market. It had been a little while since I last visited, and the changes that have happened since then were noticeable.

The market still had lots of its old taco stalls and produce sellers, but now there were a few newer places that had opened. One of the most noticeable was Horse Thief BBQ, on the edge of the market.

On this warm and sunny Saturday afternoon, the idea of authentic Texas barbecue with a refreshing lemonade sounded like a spectacular idea. When I saw that there was a brisket sandwich on the menu, I couldn't pass it up.

The bun here is nothing special, but really would I have expected it to be? The bread simply serves as a delivery mechanism for the delicious brisket. It's obvious through the taste that this brisket was given ample love through the cooking process. The meat was full of a deep, rich and savory flavor with a smooth infusion of smoke and burnt ends. Each bite pulled apart easily and nearly dissolved in my mouth while chewing.

All brisket should be made like this.

For the sides, I chose the cornbread (slightly sweet with some crispy edges) and the absolutely phenomenal bacon and blue cheese potato salad.

Yeah, I said that.

The blue cheese imparted its characteristic flavor, but not with the usual punch that accompanies it. This is a good thing though as too much blue cheese flavor would have been way too intense. Along with the crispy bacon bits and well cooked potatoes, this was an excellent side to have along with the brisket.

If you're downtown in LA, I would always recommend stopping for lunch at Grand Central Market. Now with the revamp, along with the classic taco stands and produce sellers, I recommend it even more. A visit to Horse Thief BBQ should be your first stop.

Thanks again, Readers, for your following over these past 200 posts, I hope to keep you engaged and hungry for 200 more and beyond if you'll allow me.

Until next week...



BBQ Brisket Sandwich
**** Stars
Horse Thief BBQ
324 S. Hill Street
Los Angeles, CA 90013
http://www.horsethiefbbq.com/