Plugs — Jason Stewart

L.A. food, drink, and leisure recs from the How Long Gone co-host + 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!)

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#89 is Jason Stewart, co-host and producer of How Long Gone, the self-described bi-coastal elite podcast he helms with Chris Black. Jason, aka Them Jeans, is also a former (and occasionally still) professional DJ, a Glendale resident, and an Orange County native. And he’s on Substack, where he writes an incisive, funny, often food-related, but currently dormant eponymous newsletter. Before How Long Gone, Jason had a food podcast called The Stew, where he interviewed chefs like Miles Thompson, Courtney Storer, and Arielle Skye Mosse, in addition to a music industry podcast called Tall Tales. What’s more, he’s an apparently excellent cook, and he has great taste in food. I’m excited to have him on today. Here’s Jason with his Plugs.

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Restaurant — The Oinkster

I’ve been coming here since they opened. Owners Fred and Max quietly took over from their dad, who launched it in 2006, and have made subtle updates since. The Guy Fieri-signed poster from his 2010 visit still hangs next to an illustration by my friend Adam Villacin. As Guy might say, they’re cooking up scratch-made burger joint classics plus slow-cooked pastrami and pulled pork, hence the name. The housemade ketchup is actually good, and the aioli is one of the best I’ve dipped a Belgian fry into. You can scratch that fast food itch, but with healthier mods. Grab a Bacon Crispinator, my go-to, a nod to childhood Carl’s Jr. runs, and go lettuce-wrapped if you think that will help. Pair it with chili cheese fries, just as good sans queso. Don’t miss their annual Burger Week, which riffs on classics (think Sourdough Jack) without descending into TikTok slop — just great local ingredients, like sourdough baked nearby.

Photo by Jason Stewart.