Store-Bought Udon

I was so tired tonight that I did not want to cook dinner and certainly did not want to wash any dishes. So, I picked up this udon to go for $5.55 at the Asian takeout bar at Whole Foods. It probably cost the store 20 cents to make (if that), but I wanted udon and this dinner was great to eat while watching Fringe. The broth was surprisingly flavorful and spinach is something I adore in Asian soups. Definitely better than the instant udon with broth power packets! Oy, I need to take some Tylenol Allergy now.

Bagel Sandwich

I usually have to struggle to finish bagel sandwiches for their sheer density, but today was a breeze as I was starving after a jaunt out to the farmers' market again. My favorite bagel shop is The Bagel Broker, which is where I picked up a ham sandwich to go. It's a popular spot on the weekends and with a modest sized parking lot, I had to circle around a couple times before finding a spot on the street.This little shop has held my hand through a housing search, unemployment and lovely Saturdays alone when my only concern was finishing a book.

Their sandwiches come with potato salad, a pickle and (strangely) unpitted olives. Generally, I'll just get a toasted bagel (everything or onion) with chive cream cheese, but I needed something to carry me through an afternoon movie. I've made bagel sandwiches at home before and yes, it's cheaper than forking over $7. But, there are times when you really don't want to go through the very small trouble of cutting up vegetables and toasting your own bagel. And, I never use up all the cream cheese when I buy it for the house. I discovered The Bagel Broker through a film school professor who taught me some things about screenplays, but I've got to believe the biggest gift of all was providing a local's invaluable tip of where to find a decent bagel.

Pairs well with Moonstruck:
New York City in movies usually makes me yearn for bagels, pretzels, and corned beef sandwiches. If you do not have the same reaction, you will probably think of baked goods at least once while watching Nicolas Cage (my 2nd Cage recommendation! I am not the president of his fan club, I swear) and Cher carry on tempestuously as he plays a surly baker with one good hand (especially during their first meeting where he is dealing with a scary oven). Good thing you will have been smart enough to have a bagel sandwich handy before popping in this movie. You may find yourself also plagued by visions of red sauce pasta and strong martinis, so that route might be a sexier alternative to a bagel sandwich.

The Bagel Broker
7825 Beverly Blvd # 5
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 931-1258

Takeout from Nakkara

I had a bit of a day, thus tonight's dinner was drunken noodles with chicken from Nakkara with a cold Stella Artois. This is my third visit to Nakkara (only one of them has been a dine-in experience) and I've liked the food everytime (I don't know if the first one counts for much as I only got tom kha gai soup, but it was some good soup). I may stick to takeout for now, though; when we ate there, it took us a long time to get our entrees. Granted, there was a large party of 6 or so, but that doesn't serve as much of an excuse when you've only got a handful of other tables.

Still, the food seems good across the board; for example, Charles has been hard-pressed to find good vegetable curry at local Thai places, but he found a very tasty version here. The menu is a bit strange as it offers an array of Asian dishes not just limited to Thai (Korean beef short ribs are definitely not something one would expect alongside panang curry).

I love takeout in general in all its packaged up glory, especially when I've got a 95% full DVR list to make my way through. I know I'm not the only one, so please share with me your favorite takeout places/options in your neck of the woods!

Nakkara
7669 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
(323) 937-3100