Plugs — Alex Menache

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from a culinary creative producer + LINKS

Plugs is The Angel’s recs column. Every week, you’ll get six picks—a restaurant, a bar, a shop, an ingredient, a person, and a treat—from someone in Los Angeles who knows what they’re talking about, plus a selection of Angel-curated links. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only; upgrade your subscription to receive all six!)

#80 is Alex Menache, a multi-hyphenate culinary producer, connector, and host. Alex is the culinary partnerships lead for Biite, and has helped bring myriad fun, cool, food-centric parties to life over the years (including my and Balo’s salad party at Little City Farm!). She’s led culinary curation for Summit Series, Daybreaker, and Wagyu of Japan. She works as a food stylist and writes a column on the past and future of gathering for Edible LA. And, notably, she’s a native Angeleno who not only knows our food scene exceedingly well but is also one of the most connected industry players around. Here’s Alex with her Plugs!

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Restaurant — Otafuku

Otafuku in Gardena is a family-owned izakaya from Tokyo that serves homemade soba, udon, and tempura. I’m guilty of neglecting these gems across the city as someone who likes to dine within a .2 mile radius of my house, but if Otafuku was anywhere near me, I would be sitting at that bar weekly. They do what they do and do it so well, going strong since 1997. The salt-roasted ginko nuts are one of those things you have to eat in silence.

Photo by Alex Menache.