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Have you ever taken a bite of something truly spectacular at a restaurant, then wished you could make it at home? That was the crux of the L.A. Times’ Culinary S.O.S column, a formerly regular feature where readers requested recipes for their favorite restaurant dishes.
Thanks to the column, we ran recipes for everything from the Nutella chocolate espresso Kahlua mousse at Lawry’s to the Tallegio mac ‘n’ cheese at Chateau Marmont.
While the column may be a thing of the past, we still feature recipes from restaurants all over the city.
The following is a list of nine favorites, including a couple from restaurants that are no longer with us, and a recipe for a much loved, but off-menu burger from L.A.’s most famous Thai restaurant.
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Mini Kabob’s Pan-Seared Chicken Cutlets
The Martirosyan family has been serving kebabs from their petite storefront in Glendale for the past 30 years. The restaurant’s chicken cutlets call for lamb fat, pork fat or pork belly to help add moisture and flavor to the ground chicken. They’re cooked until golden brown and finished with a touch of melted ghee.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes. Serves 6.
(Cody Long / Los Angeles Times)
Post & Beam’s Fried Jerked Catfish
The Baldwin Hills restaurant may be closed, but the Post & Beam spirit lives on in John Cleveland’s intensely spiced fried jerked catfish. Though catfish is preferred, feel free to use tilapia, flounder, trout or any thin fillet of white fish for the recipe. And if you can’t find fresh fish, frozen and thawed fillets will work too.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour. Serves 8 to 10.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Found Oyster’s Scallop Tostada With Yuzu-Apple Vinaigrette
This has been one of my favorite dishes in the city since chef Ari Kolender opened his tiny seafood-centric restaurant in East Hollywood. Sweet scallops are dressed in a punchy yuzu and apple vinaigrette and served over a crunchy tostada. Cilantro and opal basil leaves are fresh and floral, scattered over the finished tostada.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 20 minutes. Serves 2 to 4.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)
Bridgetown Roti‘s Macaroni And Cheese Pie
Rashida Holmes uses a combination of five cheeses to create the perfect balance of creaminess, heat and salt in her macaroni and cheese pie. A teaspoon of curry powder gives the pie a golden hue and a spicy sweetness. The chef also uses fusilli instead of macaroni to ensure that the cheese sauce gets into every nook and cranny of the noodles.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes. Serves 10 to 12.
(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)
Bavel’s Hummus Masabacha
Bavel chef-owner Ori Menashe soaks his garbanzo beans overnight then cooks them until tender. To achieve the specific smooth, airy texture, Menashe uses a mortar and pestle to combine the garbanzo beans, tahini, water, lemon juice, parsley, garlic and salt.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Makes a generous 2 cups.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Fat + Flour’s London Fog Brownies
Nicole Rucker’s brownies are fudge-like in the center, and cakey and chewy at the edges and corners. They’re flavored with Earl Grey tea and white chocolate, which gives the treats a creamy dairy flavor. And Rucker says that if you’re not into the flavor of Earl Grey tea, feel free to leave it out.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: About 35 minutes, plus optional cooling time. Makes one 9-by-13-inch pan of brownies.
(Catherine Dzilenski / For The Times)
Pasjoli’s Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich
This is likely the most decadent grilled cheese you will ever make, layered with Gruyère, caramelized onions, thinly sliced cured ham and creamy Mornay sauce. The onions will take some time to caramelize, but each minute spent hovering over the stove top will be worth the wait.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2 hours and 25 minutes. Makes 2 (7-inch) sandwiches.
(Zoe Cranfill / Los Angeles Times)
B.S. Taqueria’s Nachos
These are the nachos Ray Garcia served at the now-closed B.S. Taqueria in downtown Los Angeles. They feature a mountain of chips stacked atop pinto beans spiked with habanero, picadillo, escabeche and pico de gallo. The cheese sauce gets a jolt of heat from serrano peppers and its thick and creamy texture from the addition of rice flour. And to finish the dish, a bright tomatillo-avocado salsa that you can put on the nachos, or anything else in your kitchen.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 2 hours. Servers 12 to 16.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Jenn’s Jazz Burger
The Jazz burger is Sarintip “Jazz” Singsanong’s not-so-secret, off-menu creation at her Thai Town restaurant Jitlada. She originally made the burger for her kids’ school lunches, but over the years, it became a fixture at the restaurant. While the exact recipe remains a secret, this recipe was inspired and approved by Singsanong herself. The burger is flavored with fish sauce, soy sauce and a combination of dried and fresh chiles for a powerful, lasting wallop of heat.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 4.
(Mariah Tauger / Los Angeles Times)