‘We’re in a dip’
A bit of a notebook dump
Bangers & Jams is now a West Coast operation. I moved to LA on Wednesday — you can trace a kind of inevitable trajectory of that here, here and here — and am still settling in. Besides a slight tilt toward LA vs. New York restaurants and maybe an uptick in cooking stuff, I wouldn’t expect too much to change over here.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been compiling notes across nights out and conversations with food industry friends. There’s something going on in dining culture on both coasts I can’t quite crystalize into a full piece yet, so in the meantime, I’m deferring to advice I used to give as an editor and just letting it fly with a big notebook dump. Enjoy.
A successful New York chef told me before I left that the city is in a dip. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to talk me out of or into leaving, but I think he’s right. I’m excited to make return visits for the budding spring of 2025 upswing.
The Pete Wells and Will Guidara discourse around technology, fine dining and the value of service at restaurants has mostly had me thinking about the growing disconnect between traditional newspaper reviews and the way in which my friends and I actually want to eat out. The best critics weave storytelling, narrative and big picture observations into their work. Pete was often quite good at that. But ultimately the medium itself is designed to be utilitarian: is the food worth my money, is the reservation worth the hassle, and once I get in what should I order. There’s little a writer at a major institution can do to break free from that. While Will is incorrect that Pete did not regularly celebrate the service at the restaurants he reviewed, there’s also the reality that people don’t want to read about, like, “My front of house homie at Frenchette always hooks me up with the dopest wine, and flirts with me in a way that makes me feel hot and cool. Four stars.” Even if that’s a lot of the reason why we end up loving and returning to a place.
Mission Chinese was the restaurant of the summer. Danny, please bring it back.
I like Etra, but there’s something weird about all the LA food people I know giving the same quiet rec to order their scampi dish without the 'nduja sauce, so it’s just … perfectly cooked prawns? (Most things are better without the 'nduja).
Last Friday, I saw my friend
read some work from his new poetry collection Mouthful. It was great. Go buy the book via . Matt opened for the Broadway show Job — more plays should have openers? — which was kind of like if Nic Pizzolatto directed a bad episode of Girls.I just finished a West Wing rewatch, which has a real I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside kind of energy to it when you’re mid-binge. Would not recommend.
I don’t think I’d book a dinner reservation there anymore, but swinging by Swan Room or Corner Bar at Nine Orchard for fries, crème brûlée and sorbet to close out the night has become a very good and very reliable move.
Bar Contra feels like the most successful version of a deeply 2024 New York restaurant. You can walk in for a drink and a snack. You can ball out and order most of the menu. You can make it whatever you want it to be and it will deliver. And, most importantly, you don’t have to plan weeks in advance to get a table. The food at the new Contra is wonderful, but not so ambitious that sitting down resembles the pain of starting a prestige TV pilot. I think that’s another reason why Industry is the only scripted show I’m excited to fire up right now. I know it’s going to deliver, whereas a new thing in TV consistently feels like … homework.
It’s incredible that New Yorkers got so tired of Dimes Square they ended up at El Prado.
LA can’t compete with New York when it comes to menswear stores, but moving always puts me in a bit of a shoppy state. I like a big purge followed by a slow buildup of new purchases, and I’m looking forward to hitting up Lady White Co., Varsity, Mohawk General, Ghiaia and General Quarters this week.
There are a couple Substack settings I’ve found helpful as I attempt a bit more of a digital detox during this move. One: You can flip your Notes feed from Explore to Following and opt out of pure discovery mode. Two: In the Appearance tab in your app settings, you can switch your default tab to Inbox and just have your subscriptions be the first thing you see.
Jabroni’s is officially happening in LA in mid September. Pairing down the menu a bit, thank you for your notes. More details soon. To my New York friends … book a flight?
'Nduja sucks