If you know Los Angeles food guides, then you’ve probably heard of The Infatuation, and if you really know LA food guides, then you’ve definitely heard that some of the best of the bunch gather annually for The Infatuation’s EEEEEATSCON Los Angeles.
Now on their ninth run of the festival, the event is additionally held in NYC, Chicago and Miami. As for this year’s LA rendition, 25 vendors from all over the city, as well as guest restaurants from the aforementioned locations, gathered in Santa Monica for a weekend of feasting. Prepared with empty stomachs, BruinLife’s Emily Hsi, Reem Almarei, Gavin Meichelbock and Julia Gu arrived ready to fork up.
The lineup changes each year, but it never fails to bring in classically LA institutions, both established names like Jitlada and Sqirl and recently buzzy spots such as Rasamurah and Mustard’s Bagels. They also go national, bringing in spots like Caffè Panna from NYC, Cowy Burger from Miami and 321 Coffee from North Carolina.
The festival was buzzing from the get-go, and not just with food — located at the Barker Hangar, the venue came equipped with multiple photo ops with The Infatuation logo. There were also stands for a few of their sponsors, such as a La Croix corner giving out free drinks and tote bags and a lounge for Chase Sapphire Reserve members with exclusive access to Peach Mart by Momofuku.
Immediately as we step through the gates of EEEEEATSCON a familiar smell of home hits, with Mini Kabob’s booth stationed the first of many. We take it as our first stop and order their iconic Caesar wrap, that is usually only available for pre-order, with a side of cottage fries. This wrap encapsulates not just what’s trending in LA, but also reflects the food culture here, where it is a melting pot of cultures, and it is clearly shown through the fusion of classic tangy Caesar flavors met with warm Middle Eastern falafel crouton pieces. Adding on, the chicken thighs were charcoal-grilled using Japanese charcoal to enhance the authenticity and smokiness. Once removed from the grill the chicken is topped with a pinch of Malden salt. Reem stood mesmerized as we watched all this happen live in front of us. More into the wrap, each bite of lettuce was coated with the dressing, making each corner of this contain unbeatable ratios.
Not only that, but the cottage fries seasoned with paprika reminded Reem of her grandmother’s cooking and took her back to her childhood.
By the end of the day, as we walked to the entrance, we had the chance to speak with Armen, the chef behind Mini Kabob, as he shared how he sold out of 430 pounds of chicken thighs over the two days.
Our second target was one of the festival’s most popular stops, L’Industrie Pizzeria from NYC, one of The Infatuation’s guests from out of town. Highly anticipated by festival goers, the line took at least half an hour, but it still beats a five-hour plane ride across the country. L’Industrie’s burrata is a tomato slice decorated with two generous dollops of creamy stracciatella. The rich indulgence of the burrata is nicely counterbalanced by the slight acidity of the tomato sauce, all atop a thin, beautifully browned crust. Though criticized for being slightly too floppy when lifted to the mouth, it served as a great carrier for the superior toppings. The accompanying slice, the fig jam and bacon, was the preferred of the two. As the name might suggest, the subtle sweetness of the fig bounced wonderfully off the salty meatiness of the bacon.
Possibly one of the festival’s most anticipated booths was Miya Miya, with a line that took us close to two hours. Unfortunately this place is worth the wait, delivering quality and flavor, comfort and flavor in each bite this has got to be the best shawarma in the city. We got it the Yaz way, which meant spicy garlic sauce. This on its own would heal any heart. The blend of chicken marination, topped with garlic acidity and pomegranate molasses sweetness, hugged by a crisp, lightly charred pita bread, I’d definitely stand back in line for it. On the side we also got their beef tallow fries topped with zaatar. As Gavin shared his reaction upon first trying them, “I’m glad to be alive in the same time as people who know how to make fries.” From the golden outer layer, to the fluffy inside, the mix of saltiness and richness from zaatar make for a show-stopping side. One more hack — dip your fries in the molasses sauce on the shawarma for an immersive experience.
If there’s one thing The Infatuation knows, it’s when to focus on restaurants in LA just as they rise to the spotlight, and they brought one of the buzziest spots in the city right now. Sqirl, brought an exclusive “sqimp on a stick,” which, if you haven’t guessed, is a skewered squid stuffed with shrimp, and their chocolate chip cookie, which The Infatuation blind taste-tested and declared the best in LA. The sqimp was well-cooked with a nice grill and a tender bite, which was an impressive feat to pull off in a festival tent considering the fickle nature of squid — it tends to run tough. The chocolate chip cookie, on the other hand, was certainly good, but perhaps not the best in LA. You’re going to have to be a chocolate lover to appreciate it, as it’s the main flavor profile overpowering the buttery goodness of the dough.
Another new opening visiting EEEEEATSCON is El Moro, bringing fresh churros over from their origin in Mexico City. When they first touched down in LA, they boasted hours-long queues, but lines were minimal at the festival with a precisely honed assembly line. Each batch of mini churros came generously proportioned in a classic checkered cardboard boat, and they were one of the best sweet bites of the festival. Dunked in cinnamon sugar and delicately crispy on the outside, the interior was fluffy and warm, creating the perfect textural contrast.
One of the most special aspects about the Infatuation festival is that they celebrate not only food local to the area, but good food from all over the nation. They brought a food truck from Texas called Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q out for their first visit to California. In a festival full of Angelenos, the Texans brought some of the best fare.
Their Texas brisket open-face sandwich was a good bite with tender, flavorful brisket atop a slice of potato bread marinating in the savory runoff, but the barbeque that truly sold it was their honey mustard belly bites. These hefty chunks of pork belly came glistening in the sunlight with a generous slathering of sticky sweet sauce, which cut well through the fatty cut of meat. Another sleeper hit, also in the running for best sweet bite, was their bourbon bread pudding, which was easily declared the best bread pudding that both Emily and Gavin had ever tried. From the gooey interior and caramelized center to the slight crisp on the sugared edges, just writing it down evokes a good time.
Aside from the food, The Infatuation kept the festival exciting by incorporating other ways to celebrate, such as guest DJs and performances from local groups like Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation, who we listened to on Saturday. They also brought out a small marching band to parade through the hangar — very Disneyland-esque.
Most exciting for food aficionados and fans of the publication itself was their Ask The Editor panel, during which some of their editors answered questions from the crowd. They also had a small booth near the Juice Bar where guests could ask questions one-on-one. (If anyone’s curious, when asked about birthday dinner spots within a college budget near UCLA, editors Brant Cox and Cathy Park suggested Folk Pizzeria in Culver City and Shamshiri Grill in Westwood).
After hours of waiting in lines and munching on everything we could get our hands on, we rolled our way out of EEEEEATSCON. What’s so great about this experience was being able to try a bunch of different restaurants, both local and out of LA. It is also a great way for small businesses to gain publicity, shining a light on hidden LA gems, and a way to step out of your comfort zone and just try out new flavors and dishes.
As great as the food was, we were only able to enjoy it through dividing and conquering the lines. Were the long lines a result of restaurants going viral, or a lack of efficiency? We do hope there’s no long wait lines next year, while maintaining the quality of the food.
