Plugs — Eddie Salinas

L.A. food and drink recs from a desert-bred photographer

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. (Plugs are for paid subscribers of The Angel only. However, if you’re in the restaurant industry and want a free subscription, hit me up. :))

The Angel is art-themed this week in honor of Los Angeles Frieze Week. My longer piece is being written in real-time over the next few days and will be published on Saturday, which means Plugs is coming in early.

#22 is Eddie Salinas, a photographer from Victorville who lives and works in Los Angeles. I met Eddie two years ago through our shared group of friends, and we’ve been close ever since. His pictures center around the High Desert where he grew up, specifically the bureaucratic neglect of its buildings and landscapes. Eddie started off shooting his friends while working at skate shops (he’s also a skater and a dirt bike rider), then spent time on staff at David Kordansky while earning his BFA from UCLA. He’s a talented photographer who also shoots commercially, and he’s on the come up. This week, you can see his work in the flesh at the downtown gallery Vielmetter. Here are his L.A. Plugs!

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Restaurant — Crispy Pork Gang

For me, it’s Crispy Pork Gang. I’ve been there on dates with my girl. I’ve been there with the homies at 3 a.m. having walked from a bar in Silver Lake all the way to Thai Town. It’s located in the corner of a shopping center, and it’s the exact kind of hole-in-the-wall, cutty spot that I like. They have a good seafood fried rice that I get, and I also love the crispy fried pork jerky — something about it just soaks up all the alcohol. When I leave Crispy Pork Gang, I feel restored. And the staff is so friendly.