Adventures of a Quantum Cowboy

Produce on display in the core of the market.

“They call Los Ang-hal-les the city of angels,” drawls the narrator in the opening line of The Big Lebowski.  “I didn’t find it to be that, exactly.”  It’s true… Angels, CA is full of all kinds of interesting people, and is well-known for being the intersection of glamor and grit.  I actually honestly expected to hate the place when I moved to southern California for the first time; if the media and the movies are to be believed, why LA is nothing but smog, crime, and traffic.  But I’ve come to learn that because of (and sometimes in spite of) the incredible diversity of people and culture in the LA metro area, it really can be a fantastic city for just about anything you want to do.

One of my favorite places to hang out in the city is Grand Central Market.  Tucked away in the block defined by Hill, Broadway, 3rd, and 4th streets a short walk from Pershing Square, GCM is neither as big nor as cosmopolitain as its rather more well-known downtown street market - Seattle’s Pike Place Market.  However, it is a vibrant intersection of food, smells, people, spices, liquor, and sweets… and defintely the place to go when looking for a tasty, filling, and cheap lunch downtown.

Unlike Pike Place, which is really closer to shopping mall than street market these days, Grand Central Market’s wares consist almost exclusively of food and drink.  Besides the produce trucked in locally  from around the southland, and the rows of fresh meat and seafood, the stalls are packed with vendors of made-to-order eats.  The fare is mainly different flavors of east Asia and Mexico (it is California after all), but middle eastern, grill, and desserts can also be found.

It was hard to choose (I was eyeing the blacken whole tilapia… head and all), but last Saturday morning, I got the craving for a real taco… “Uh… taco por favor?… pollo… si, con todos, everything!… salsa? uh… roja.  Er… cuanto?  Dos?!  Sweeeeeet….“  So for $2, I stumbled my way into getting a rather large chicken taco, wrapped with onions, cilantro, and pico de gallo in a warm tortilla, and drenched in spicy salsa.  And I’m seriously not kidding about large… check out the load of fire-grilled chicken the guy was chopping for my taco in the image at right.  Mmmmmm, best… taco… ever.

After lunch there’s plenty to wash it down.  Choose from standard sodas and juices to exotic fruit concoctions with shady names, a nice cool horchata or tamarindo, or one of the most well-stocked bars around (see photo).  Oh, and don’t forget dessert; at least one of the vendors has a glass display lined with pies, cakes, tarts, and other sundries to satisfy the sweet tooth.

With no shortage of tastes, and sitting just a quick walk from the central part of downtown and a Red Line subway station, Grand Central Market is a perfect, quick, and authentically Los Angelino lunch stop on your busy day of exploring the city.

Spices and chilis for sale... dare to brave the heat?

The grilled meat of my $2 massive chicken taco gets chopped.