Plugs — Matt Rodbard

L.A. food and drink recs from an editor-in-chief, podcast host, and cookbook author

Quick announcement: The Angel is going on spring break for the next two weeks, as David and I will be traveling. Upon return, I’ll publish the first of several TRAVEL GUIDES (first up, NYC) and share some updates. This gives you time to catch up on anything you’ve missed! Since we launched last September, here are our four top-performing stories:

My Los Angeles, Right Now

Tuna in Los Angeles Never Tasted This Good

Home Sweet Home

Out of Thin Air is a Bakery on a Mission

And now, onto this week’s Plugs…

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. :))

#28 is Matt Rodbard, the editor of TASTE and co-host of This Is TASTE, a podcast about food and culture (and the best food world podcast out there right now). He lives in New York’s Hudson Valley after 20 years in NYC and considers Los Angeles his second home—and Palm Springs his future h👴🏼me. On April 23rd, he’s releasing his latest cookbook, Koreaworld, with the San Francisco chef Deuki Hong. Deuki and Matt are hosting a launch party in Los Angeles on May 3rd with cooking from NÜNCHI, Perilla, Seoul Sausage, Soban, Erik Bruner-Yang, and friends. (Tickets include food, drink, and a copy of Koreaworld.) Matt was an early supporter of mine when I started my career as a food writer, so I’m excited to welcome him onto The Angel! This also marks the first time someone who doesn’t live in Los Angeles but knows it very well is being featured on Plugs (take note, L.A. stans!) Here are Matt’s Plugs.

Matt Rodbard (left) and Deuki Hong, pictured inside Koreaworld (pre-order now).

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Restaurant — Ham Ji Park

So many choices. So many Korean spots to list. But for me, the go-to is always Ham Ji Park. When I was writing Koreatown in 2014, I met Jonathan Gold there for a pretty memorable meal. His flowing, thinning red hair kept getting in the sticky pork ribs and I prob ate a few strands. I consider this my writing vitamins. I also LOVE gamjatang (pork neck and perilla), and they do a really good one. Runners up: Holbox, Kobawoo, République (pastry), Danny Boy’s Famous Original (fam), Kiriko (RIP).