Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Feeling Lou-py


mole, fennel, and sweet salami plank

A few years ago a coworker and I were discussing where to grab lunch, and he, apropos of nothing, definitively announced, "Bacon makes everything better." It was a strange non sequitur, but I had to agree. Bacon, or more broadly--pork--makes everything better. Including LA's newish, crowded, east Hollywood wine bar, Lou.

Lou has a short yet satisfying menu, with lots of pork--the above salami plank, with a rotating variety of meats from Batali, Sr; an ever-changing slow cooked pork dish, and, my new favorite oinkster product, pig candy. We sampled all three (plus a frisee salad, for healthy balance, of course) on our recent trip to Lou. I first read about pig candy in Jonathan Gold's column in the LA Weekly--and it lived up to Gold's accolades. The crispy, brown-sugary, long-cooked bacon pieces are so, so, so good.

Having only been open a few weeks, Lou's still struggling to hash out service issues--the one waitress was overwhelmed and I'm almost convinced it was Lou's owner's wife, NY movie reviewer, Manohla Dargis, helping clear plates for awhile last Friday. Whoever it was, she was a goofy gal--as she took my empty glass, she remarked, "I'm never sure if I'm supposed to talk to the customers or not," followed by a question to J, "Are you done, or do you want to fondle it [his wineglass] a bit longer?"

Lou
724 N Vine St.
Los Angeles CA 90038
(323) 962-6369


Erin's Kitchen LA Restaurant Index: East-ish

2 comments:

jasmine said...

Bacon is one of life's joys :)

j

Anonymous said...

Bacon. Sigh.