Maybe it's the recession.
But there's a street food zeitgeist in full swing.
From Kogi to Susan Feniger's Street to Soi 56, food most people stopped eating when they could afford to has now become the food people are willing to line up for 45 minutes to eat.
OK, maybe not strictly true of Soi 56 but it was only their fifth night open. Yes, the parking lot was packed, but I think that had more to do with the game screening at Big Wang's next door than the crowds clamoring for Thai street food.
But give it time. And maybe a Twitter feed.
The first bite of their beef tongue skewer took me straight back to eating at satay stalls in Malaysia. The smokiness of the charcoal grill, the slight caramelization of the meat, the gamey taste of offal.
I moved on to the nok tort. A small quail, deep fried until crispy and crunchy, served with a sweet chilli lime dipping sauce. Don't worry too much about the bones. Just crunch right though them.
The rest of the menu continues in a similar vein. A vast selection of offal, exotic meats and various beef, chicken, pork, seafood and vegetarian offerings all skewered and grilled over charcoal.
They also serve the standard soups, salads, noodle dishes, stir fries and curries you come to expect in a Thai restaurant in LA but, really, that's not the reason for coming here. It's all about the charcoal grill.
I wouldn't say this was authentic Thai street food. There's a fair amount of fusion going on here. Bacon wrapped scallops, grilled Japanese shishito peppers, and chilean sea bass in banana leaves pepper the menu. But there's also a lot of tongue, chicken gizzard, liver, hearts, Issan sausage, and frogs legs if you want to keep it all street.
The space itself is open and sparse. All exposed concrete floors, reclaimed wood and Buddha murals. A large, three sided white laminated bar dominates the space, like a large sushi bar but with the charcoal grill behind it. Funky red stools complement the bare industrial look.
This restaurant comes from the same family that owns Rambutan in Silverlake and Chadaka in Burbank so don't come expecting a grimey undiscovered hole in the wall with wildly authentic but inaccessible dishes.
But, if like me, you'd prefer to valet park your car rather than take your chances in the hood, Soi 56 is right up your alley.
Or your street, to be accurate.
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