This is what happens when London rag The Evening Standard sends a cheerfully clueless writer to Los Angeles. He discovers an "alternative Los Angeles," one where, "You'll even find that rare Los Angeles sighting - the non-collagen-implanted, surgically unaltered human being."

Thanks, but you know where we find that neighborhood? Everywhere.

On one hand, writer Eddi Fiegel seems to genuinely enjoy the city and the neighborhood, heaping praise on Cafe de Leche, Galco's, The Coffee Table, Swork, The Luggage Room and Vertical Wine Bistro. On the other, the story is rooted in the dumbest L.A. cliché of all time.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

​An incredible journey of fortitude, discovery, willpower and weight gain, 30 Sandwiches in 30 Days is officially over. But is a journey like that every really over? In both the metaphorical and literal sense: no.

We had such a long list of sandwiches, many of them culled from suggestions sent in by readers (thank you!), we didn't get halfway through the list. We didn't have time to seek out as many far-flung locales as we would have liked or to delve into certain more obscure species of the sandwich. Hell, we didn't even do a single BLT because tomatoes are out of season. That's why we are pleased to announce that beginning in January 2012, we'll be featuring one sandwich per week as an extension of the 30 Days concept. We have only one stomach to give for this cause, but we will gladly give it.

30 Sandwiches in 30 Days: the map

​Be it burgers, ice cream or sandwiches, no 30 Days series would be complete without a map. Here's the handy Google map for 30 Sandwiches in 30 Days.

A few highlights: The Farmer at Daily Dose, open-faced turkey at Pann's, pastrami at Mezze, porcetto at Sotto and The Toron at Baco Mercat. (Chronological list of sandwiches and the map itself after the jump.)

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

Baco Mercat: The Toron.

​30 Sandwiches in 30 Days is, technically, over. We, however, can't quit. Not when there are sandwiches as spectacular as the ones at Baco Mercat. Of all the new, upscale, non-deli sandwiches we've tried over the past month-and-a-half, Josef Centeno's bäcos are, hands-down, the most original and most compelling.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

The spicy chicken sandwich at Artisan House.

​Everything about Artisan House is beautiful. The stone columns. The arched windows. The Art Deco-inspired font on the cover of the corkboard menu. The elegant, dizzying phalanx of liquor bottles separating the showpiece bar from cases of glistening fruit and pastry. The food looks every bit as lovely as the decor. Two perfectly fried eggs quiver on a grilled baguette. A pile of chilis and red onions crowns a chicken sandwich. Even the marbled rye looks artfully swirled. If only the food tasted as good as it looked.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

The pastrami sandwich, served only on Sundays at Mezze.

​Los Angeles has a new contender in the pastrami sweepstakes. Something of a dark horse or at least an unknown, it runs a close second to Langer's, the city's undisputed pastrami king. From where does it come? From Mezze, "the swankest of the new upscale meze parlors." Between the shakshouka with yogurt foam and the chopped chicken livers with challah, the "modern Mediterranean" restaurant already leans toward bubbe cuisine. On what ought to be a day of rest for a Judeo-Christian deity, chef Micah Wexler veers even more heavily into Jewish cuisine with a Sunday-only menu of potato knishes, matzoh ball soup and a pastrami sandwich. It is written: They're freaking awesome.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

Assorted sandwiches from Proof Bakery.

​Some sandwiches are mighty and meaty, the jocks of the sandwich world. Others are complex, subtly layered and sloppy -- the rockers. At Proof Bakery, they are dainty and petite, like fey literature-obsessed kids. They suit the restrained but faintly decadent vibe of the Atwater Village cafe with the micro-detailed coffee and mouth-watering strata.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

The pot roast dip sandwich at The Kettle.

​The Kettle is the sort of upscale neighborhood coffee shop where you might on a typical weekday night find a cross-section of Manhattan Beach society all under the same roof: a longtime couple on date night, a multi-generational family stretched across a long table, a high school choir fresh from their winter chorale, assorted loners and late-night gluttons. A stone's throw from the boardwalk, The Kettle encompasses multitudes -- in its clientele and its menu.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

The Farmer sandwich at Daily Dose.

​One of the truly great pleasures of a small cafe or restaurant is being in the presence of people who love what they do. Pop into Daily Dose and you'll likely find co-owner Sarkis Vartanian working the counter. Ask him about the daily sandwich special and a small plate of beef kebab might arrive at your table (gratis). Mention the accompaniment for the scone and you'll learn that the macerated grapes come from his mother's garden, while the sauce is a persimmon syrup and blueberry-red wine reduction. This is a man with an eye for detail, a fetish for "local" and a boundless desire to share it all. The focus is precise, but the sandwiches at Daily Dose are delicious and sloppy in the best possible way.

More >>

Guzzle & Nosh

Bacon & egg sandwich from Eggslut.

​Ah, the breakfast sandwich. A marriage of two disparate meals in a single dish: the sunny disposition of eggs cradled between two slices of bread. As much as it may be galling to admit, every breakfast sandwich from the hoitiest toitiest brioche and hand-ground sausage combo to the greasiest catering truck version owes a lasting debt to the ubiquitous McMuffin. Despite its filthy sounding name and white, barely distinguishable truck, the Eggslut truck (@eggslutla) makes a mean version of McDonald's breakfast classic.

More >>