Every Friday our editors compile a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here now are four places to check out this weekend in Los Angeles. And if you need some ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town. For a Bakersfield Indian food adventure: Punjabi Dhaba With the election frying our collective brains this week, why not go on a totally random adventure to Bakersfield for Indian food? If getting away sounds good right about now, set the GPS to Punjabi Dhaba for a delightfully comforting meal that may or may not provide more clarity about the state of the world.
Located in a desolate truck stop off a two-lane highway, the family-owned mobile operation prepares a succinct menu full of stick-to-your-bones gravies and griddled flatbreads. Order the whole shebang, especially the samosa chaat, because the leftovers travel exceedingly well. For those wondering if a weekday lunchtime jaunt to Bakersfield is at all possible, the answer is yes.
The trip takes just under two hours one-way from Downtown LA, which means one can drive to Punjabi Dhaba and back in time for a 2 o’clock meeting or after-school pick-up. 99 Exit 13, 16020 Costajo Road, Bakersfield, CA 93313. — Cathy Chaplin, senior editor For the closest thing to New York’s Via Carota in Los Angeles: Osteria Vera I’ve heard a few people say they wish there were something like West Village’s charming Via Carot.