Chef / Owner David Kuo doesn’t mind making fun of himself. His first restaurant was “Status Kuo.” For some reason, he quickly renamed the restaurant to “Little Fatty,” a name that his mom used to call him when he was a young boy. His latest endeavor is “Skinny Dave’s,” another self-effacing poke at himself.
Skinny Dave’s is located in the Westchester Triangle. The Triangle is a small historic district containing 28 commercial buildings. It is bounded by Manchester Avenue, Truxton Avenue, La Tijera Boulevard, and Sepulveda Eastway; 87th Street runs through the community to form a triangle in the southern portion.
I visited them on a recent Sunday, a day when the Westchester Triangle hosts their farmers market event. The street is closed to cars, and the vendors occupy booths on 87th Street and Sepulveda Eastway. Nearby parking is available directly behind the Staples on Sepulveda Blvd in Westchester.
This street has always been known for good food as they are home to Ayara Thai, Ramen Joint, Truxtons, and now Skinny Dave’s. Before the pandemic, they also hosted many gourmet food trucks on Westchester First Friday. Since that time, the event organizers have canceled the event.
Skinny Dave’s has a small footprint and lacks indoor seating. They do, however, offer two outdoor tables. While I waited for my order, I tried the Forbidden Horchata; a rice drink prepared using black rice. They offered to top it with milk to dilute it. I declined and thought that is what horchata should be like (i.e., not watery).
Skinny Daves uses top-quality ingredients. At $16, this is probably the top-end price for a banh mi sandwich. This sandwich includes smoked banana leaf ham, BBQ pork, pork belly, and chicken liver pate. Sriracha aioli adds moisture and heat to this sandwich.
The Cubano is equally impressive. Thoughtful ingredients such as mojo roasted pork belly, braised pork shoulder, swiss, dill pickles, and mustard comprise this Cubano before going through the sandwich press. The combination of flavors makes this a delicious offering.
Other sandwiches that caught my eye include the Italian. It is made with hot capicola, prosciutto, pistachio mortadella. The other is the tuna sandwich made with albacore, fennel mustard, bibb lettuce, and heirloom tomato.
One of their side dishes, a Mac and Cheese, is made using 18 month aged cheddar cheese from Cabot, a farmer-owned co-op in Vermont. The cheese is creamy beyond words and the perfect cheese to create a gourmet mac and cheese.
The Potato Salad is unique and made with Dutch Yellow and Ruby Gold potatoes. These petite potatoes remain firm and are naturally sweet and creamy and combined with mayo, fresh dill, and chopped celery. The best part is that the potatoes stay intact and don’t disintegrate.
In addition to the Forbidden Horchata, they have two beverages cases. One refrigerated case features imported lychee, Chinese and Japanese teas. Many of these I have not seen before. The other display case features drinks commonly found elsewhere.
Make sure you note their address because they lack a sign with their name on the building.
Skinny Dave’s is open 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. daily.
Skinny Dave’s, 6208 W 87th St, Los Angeles, CA 90045; 310.431.4934; skinny-daves.com