**I apologize for the skipped week! I had a couple huge auditions back to back that carried me through the weekend and by the time I sat down to write, my brain couldn’t string more than a couple words together last week. By Sunday, I gave up and decided to just skip it and move on.**
This week’s post is inspired by the other great love of my life: food. There is little more satisfying to a living being than filling your belly with something so tasty that even after your stomach is bursting, you still want more. And Hollywood is filled with hungry humans.
Food is an excellent portal for a lot of things in the industry. If you’re just getting in, you may be surprised to know that most ‘meetings’ between artists and everyone else happens over food. It’s the standard ask: “do you have five minutes to answer some questions over coffee?”. This is true whether you are trying to secure mentorship or just picking another person’s brain to figure out their secret sauce.
Also, the key (one that took me ages to learn) to becoming a part of the industry is to find the thing you love outside of it. Are you into music and concerts? Do you collect rare sneakers? Are you a crafter, cat hoarder or make taxidermy-squirrel art? I guarantee you, if you lean into what you nerd over, you will find like minded people in this industry who will very quickly become your friends.
Me? I love food. I love eating it, making it and watching the Great British Bake Off while I pretend I’m a contestant and bake my own desserts. My best areas are probably baking and making ice cream, though I all-round quite decently. I really got into making boozy ice cream during the pandemic and have figured out about 8 different varieties of cocktail ice creams to date.
I owe most of my skills to my mother, the most talented chef I know. I spent most of my childhood watching her cook and learned so many things through osmosis. Whenever mom and I have trouble understanding each other, we always come back to food. It’s the great equalizer, the one thing all humans want and need, no matter where you come from, what you look like or who you are.
I guess that’s why I love the foodie side of #screenwriting Twitter so much. We can argue about bolded slug lines all day long, but at the end of it, we unite around the dinner table.
One of my favorite writers to follow is Gennefer Gross (@Gennefer on Twitter and Instagram) and not just because she’s an awesome talent. Nope, my favorite part about her feed is the food porn. One in five posts is about the most delicious looking burgers I’ve ever seen and she frequently recs delicious restaurants and pop-ups around LA. (I highly recommend following her if you are looking for good food!)
We connected a couple years ago when I stumbled on all her foodie posts and had to respond to each and every thirst trap. It is to my unending sadness that I do not eat beef at all and therefore must live vicariously through her.
I’ve made so many friends in the industry through food. One of my best friends feeds both my stomach and soul whenever I go over to her house and I’m the only one who makes her favorite lemon and chocolate cake for her birthday.
So if you are struggling to find your niche in Los Angeles, use life to inspire you. And if you end up in my corner of food coma land, please make sure to bring at least three new foodie hot spot recs so I can plan how to stuff my face all weekend long. Thanks!
Of course, I can’t post about food without sharing some of my favorite ‘good eats’ in LA. (I am a meat-eater, so I apologize in advance for a lack of vegan or vegetarian recommendations, but I will try to list what I do know):
Totoyama Sushi & Ramen (on Hollywood & Argyle): This is hands-down my favorite ramen place in Los Angeles. It’s a small hole in the wall near the Pantages, but the food is out of this world. They have indoor (bar and small tables) and outdoor seating and inside they play Japanese pop/rock music to create a very pleasant ambience. While they have a couple vegetarian/vegan options, this is more of a place for meat/animal-product eaters.
NBC Seafood (in Monterey Park): NBC is my favorite dimsum place in town. It’s a long drive from the Valley, where I live, but the food is totally worth it. If you aim for just outside the brunch rush, it’s not too crowded and the service is quick. Brunch can be very noisy, but otherwise the ambience is pleasant. This one is not very veg friendly and isn’t ideal for people who don’t eat pork and/or seafood.
Village Tandoor (Devonshire & Reseda in the SFV): There are a lot of places to eat Indian food in the Valley, but this one is by far my favorite. The food tastes the most like ‘home food’ of them all and isn’t as heavy in oil as some of the other restaurants. I usually do carry-out, so I’m not sure about their sit down conditions. Also, their mint chutney is to die for. Lots of veg and non-veg options here!
Kravings (Ventura Blvd between Reseda and Wilbur): This Brazilian-fusion restaurant is delicious and a little more on the upscale side. Their food comes in good portions and they serve cocktails and in various ala carte or meal options. They also cater big groups, so I highly recommend them for fancy events. Their ingredients are organic and locally sourced, so everything always tastes super fresh. My favorite dish is their tequila lime chicken with their tahini sour cream/yogurt and pita bread, but everything I’ve had here tastes phenomenal. They have veg and non-veg options here too, but most of the entrees are non-veg! Plus they have delicious cocktails!
Aroma Coffee & Tea Co. (North Hollywood): This is a popular spot in NoHo for folks in the industry because it provides fairly standard pastries/bakery/coffee/tea goods as well as a breakfast and lunch menu. The food is tasty and there’s plenty of outdoor/patio seating. There are plenty of options for lots of palates and the atmosphere is very chill, so conversation is easy. I’ve done a couple meetings here and it’s a great place for it!
Blu Jam Cafe (Ventura Blvd, between Sepulveda and Van Nuys): A yummy breakfast place with pancakes, waffles, eggs, etc. The food is organic and locally-sourced and the restaurant has very bohemian, eclectic hipster vibes. It’s nearly always packed at brunch, but that’s because it’s so good! Definitely a go-to if you are in the area for a reasonably priced, hipster-type brunch.
Italian Pasta Co. (Ventura Blvd, between Haskell and the 405/101 interchange): I haven’t been here in person, but the homemade pasta here is literally a pleasure that will kill me. Every time I get their homemade rigatoni in pesto, I feel as if I have died and gone to heaven. Their portions are large (enough for two meals or one very big eater) and there are veg and non-veg options. Again, don’t know about the atmosphere, but the carryout is YUM!
Yamato’s (Ventura Blvd between Balboa and White Oak): Almost anyone you talk to will say that Benihana’s is the place to go for teppanyaki, but I will say that that is an egregious lie. Yamato’s is a mid-size restaurant in the middle of a busy shopping center, but there’s usually very little wait once you get inside. The atmosphere is moodily-lit but it’s family friendly or good for a group of people. I highly recommend for group meetings or lunches, but not for one-on-ones. It’s very awkward to sit around a teppanyaki table with a bunch of strangers when you wanted to do a work lunch. It can sometimes get noisy too — this is good for celebrating with family or chill meetings. The food always tastes fantastic, though the portions are average sized. The chefs are engaging and the cooking show is entertaining. It’s mostly meat and seafood entrees here, but you can order some vegetarian options on the menu.
Bea’s Bakery (tucked on the edge of a small shopping center on Reseda and Clark St. in Encino, about a stone’s throw from the Tarzana Medical Center): My last rec is also vegetarian friendly! Bea’s is a local, mom-and-pop bakery that has DIVINE desserts, pastries and bread. I stop here whenever I can for their delicious butter cookies and recently discovered their to-die-for apple pie. It is now my favorite pie place in town. They also make cakes, homemade bread and fancy desserts!
I hope this list tempted you or made you a little hungry? I know I am. Gonna go eat more of that pie I’ve been saving… Happy Friday!
Until next time,
Nandini
Are you kidding me?! Now I’m starving! And wanting to make my own list of the best vegan places in town.