By Alex Ripepi
Senior Reporter
Welcome to The Curious Kitchen: Los Angeles edition! This weekend, I attended the Associated Collegiate Press conference along with The Runner staff, which was a five-minute stroll from Universal Studio’s CityWalk.
This week, I thought I would take you on a culinary field trip and discuss memorable meals I enjoyed- and maybe you will too, should you head down south.
Karl Strauss is a brewery and eatery on CityWalk. There is a large menu, accompanied by an eclectic collection of beers. The group split four appetizers: asada fries, shrimp and grits, ahi poke, and a salted pretzel with several sauces.
The first sauce, a beer cheese, disappeared before I could taste it. I did, however, try the spicy mustard, which I could only describe as an interrogation technique. I wasn’t sure if I even had sinuses anymore after that sauce. Damn.
The asada fries, thankfully, didn’t give my mouth third degree burns. The fries, while delicious, felt all over the place. There was pickled onion involved, blue cheese, and something that was reminiscent of delicious sauce in attendance. When eaten all together, this was easily the winner of the night.
The ahi poke, a raw tuna dish, was sweet, was served with avocado, wonton crackers and a tomato salsa.
I couldn’t taste much sesame with all of the other things happening on the plate, and although it wasn’t very decidedly a poke, it was still very enjoyable.
Lastly, the shrimp and grits were the appetizer that I had personally decided on, and considering I’d never been a huge fan of grits, I figured this would be a good test of the restaurant. I definitely made a good choice.
This also contained avocado though, and I wasn’t really sure why, because it just got overpowered by the cheesy grits, somewhat spicy sauce, and shrimpy flavor.
The last place I ate at was Pink’s, a famous Hollywood hot dog joint at CityWalk.
I had the Philly cheesesteak hot dog. Now, I can hear you saying, “A hot dog? Really?”
Yes, really. This hot dog was amazing. It by itself constituted an entire meal, which was nice, as the price was a bit steep at $8.
Los Angeles is brimming with restaurants, and I would have loved to have visited more of them, but I’m in college and therefore broke.
However, you should definitely check out Karl Strauss for their asada fries and sip a microbrew. Or, if you’re just wanting some good ol’ Americana, head to Pink’s for a hot dog. You will leave each place full and happy.
