On May 29, Mayor Eric Garcetti said that Los Angeles restaurants can reopen at 60% of their capacity and apply for outdoor dining permits, under social distancing guidelines. This caused many restaurants to scramble and figure out how to re-establish a new norm. In the meantime, many have elected to continue operating as “to go” only.
Mogu Mogu Mazemen
When the weather warms up I usually don’t crave a bowl of hot ramen. Instead I can appreciate and enjoy a version of ramen that doesn’t include the steaming broth. That would be either hiyashi chuka or a dish called mazeman. I recently visited Mogu Mogu Mazeman in West LA.
Deluxe Mazemen with pork chashu 
After the poached egg is added
Mazemen, from maze meaning “to mix” and men meaning “noodles,” is your typical bowl of ramen without the broth. You begin by adding the noodles to the bowl, cracking the soft boiled egg over noodles and mixing it in with the toppings. Midway through eating the mazemen, you pour the provided umami vinegar and mix that in. Finally, a small ball of steamed rice is added to use with the left-over sauce.
After mixing everything together 
Korean-spiced fried chicken
Mogu Mogu’s noodles are thick and wavy. The sauce mixed with spicy minced pork naturally adheres to them and they are a joy to chew. The package includes a ball of grated fresh garlic and when combined with the red chile paste, the taste veers Korean. The Deluxe Mazemen adds lean slices of pork chashu meat. If you love noodles and the temperature is warm, this is the ideal dish to satisfy your noodle craving.
Mogo Mogu Mazemen, 11555 W Olympic Blvd Suite B, Los Angeles, CA 90064; 424.343.2909
mogumoguus.com
Lowkey Burritos
When you see roundups of LA’s best breakfast burritos, Low Key Burritos is always on the list. Unlike the other breakfast burrito vendors, they operate a roving pop-up, publishing their location on their Instagram channel. Their locations have been in downtown LA, Long Beach, and Torrance.
Applying melted cheese to the outside of the burrito 
Red Chile Beef Breakfast Burrito
I caught up with Lowkey Burritos in South Torrance and it was easy to find them with their white pop-up canopy and people surrounding it. After parking nearby, I walked up and placed my order. While I waited, I enjoyed watching the chef prepare each breakfast burrito. Cheese-lovers would find it addicting to watch how he wrapped the melted cheese with sliced jalapenos around each burrito.
I ordered two burritos – guajillo beef chile and the green salsa. For my options, I added bacon and avocado. Both burritos were delicious, but we both agreed that the guajillo beef chile could have been better if they added a bit more chile inside. The charred cheese wrapped around the burrito provided a crunchy cheese experience.
Lowkey Burritos, find them on their Instagram channel
IG: lowkey_burritos
Frogs Bakery
My recent dinner to go from Dominique’s Kitchen included a baguette from Frogs Bakery. Eating that baguette gave me a flashback to Paris and because I like good bakeries, I had to seek them out.
I discovered that Frogs Bakery is a wholesale bakery located in Gardena. Fortunately, they have a small retail operation stocked with artisan breads, cookies, and pastries. Unfortunately, they were out of baguettes, but I did manage to pick up a loaf of sourdough bread and some pastries.
Sourdough Bread 
Assorted French pastries
Frogs Bakery makes their sourdough in a unique way. They use a slow fermentation process, without yeast, which results in a bread that is not nearly as sour and much fluffier on the inside. The crust is delightful when you toast a slice. The croissants are the real deal. While they aren’t as flakey as some, they certainly can match up with any of LA’s finest.
Frogs Bakery, 14809 Crenshaw Blvd, Gardena, CA 90249; 310.386.0406
frogsorganicbakery.com