The Jetpacker

One of the great privileges of traveling is trying street food in other countries.  But how much does it suck to return home and not be able to get that food again?

Well, we don’t have to worry about that problem anymore thanks to a restaurant called Street in Los Angeles.

This up-scale eatery from chef and TV personality Susan Feniger has gathered street food from all over the world and put them under one roof.

Now, the food isn’t as cheap as it would be from a street cart, but at least you don’t have to worry about contracting food poisoning.

Even though the menu at Street isn’t that extensive, you’re bound to find some interesting flavors from nearly every continent.  Here’s what we tried:

Brazilian Acaraje – crispy black eyed pea fritters topped with a sweet and spicy citrus cabbage and chile sauce.  The dish comes with four fritters and each one is a two-biter.

Cheese Grits – creamy Southern-style grits made with butter and white cheddar cheese. A surprisingly light dish without an overwhelming cheese flavor.

Mexican Ricotta Noquis – light and airy sheep’s milk ricotta formed into small dumplings and simmered until they literally melt in your mouth.  They’re topped with two salsas: a mild, citrusy green tomatillo and a smoky chipotle.  The dumplings are delicate and nicely pick up the flavors of the salsas.

Smashed Potatoes – mashed Yukon gold potatoes that have been lightly fried to create a crisp outside and creamy inside. The mashed potato fries are topped with sour cream, chives and pink peppercorns that give the dish a real pop.

Vietnamese Corn – a dense dish consisting of corn sauteed with small chunks of pork belly, chile peppers and scallions.  Unfortunately the super salty fish sauce really overwhelmed the sweetness of the corn and pork.

Kaya Toast – by far our favorite dish.  This Malaysian sensation features toasted white bread topped with an egg, sugar and coconut milk spread, and served with a soft fried egg drizzled with soy sauce.  Once you dip the sandwich into the egg, you get these great complimentary flavors and textures of sweet and salty, custardy and crunchy.  It’s expensive for what it is, but here’s how I justify it: it’s cheaper than flying to Malaysia to get Kaya toast.

The food was so good, almost like taking a mini culinary vacation to various places around the world, but I wish the menu was more comprehensive.  It would be cool to go to a restaurant that had just about every popular street food in the world, even the big things like tacos from Mexico City or sausage from Germany or crepes from France.

But until that happens, we get to enjoy unique foods from exotic countries we may never get a chance to visit — all in one place.  And that makes Street a travel destination in and of itself.

Susan Feniger’s Street
742 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038-3415
(323) 203-0500
www.eatatstreet.com