{chao vit with gramps, morning doughnuts, a trio of cold appetizers from a restaurant that keeps changing its name, a sweet and salty puddin’ finish at stella rossa barra, roy choi brings chego to chinatown—and the crowd goes wild, mom’s day, #thuyweek omakase, d.t.f., red boat-cured bacon by g.g.d., black sesame flavored tar, vern & grandma—my clique, quack-free duck noodle soup, good readz, bun bo hue beginnings, office lunching—extra salted caramel macarons, please}
Before dropping in at Duck House for lunch or dinner, it is essential to reserve your bird at least an hour beforehand. While this might seem like a fussy thing to do in a thoroughly unfussy neighborhood, it really is very little work to guarantee a pristine Peking-style duck served in a timely fashion. Life offers few promises as satisfying as this one.
If you’ve done your proper due diligence, a generous platter framed with crispy skin shards surrounding a heap of shredded duck meat will arrive at the table soon after you are seated.
Lunch at Bernie’s Teriyaki marked my first foray into Historic Filipinotown, the business district located in the southwest section of Echo Park. Opened in 1977, Bernie Cruz’s namesake restaurant dishes up Filipino barbecue with a nod to Hawaiian plate lunches. My friend Thien has been a loyal fan of this grillin’ hut since her high school days and highly recommended it for a laid back, no frills, damn satisfying lunch.
Value conscious consumers will feel at ease at Bernie’s, where prices are low and plates are piled high. Most everything on the menu was priced in the neighborhood of $5 and provided enough provisions for two well-portioned meals or one really hefty feast.
The Astronomer and I split one beef, chicken, and pork teriyaki platter ($5.25). After paying at the counter and waiting for a bit, we picked up our food at the front window.