Cooler Cuisine

On the South side of Beverly blvd. in between New Hampshire and Berendo, just before Vermont if you are heading east is a sidewalk filled with some of the better tamales I've had in Los Angeles. Now you won't see any "A, B's or C's posted outside here because the women are selling treats on the sidewalk out of a cooler.

You can't be squeemish about eating their delicious Plantains, Frijoles Negro or the Arroz de Leche (Mexican Rice Pudding) or the fact that they don't wear rubber sanitation gloves to serve you food. You have to dive in, otherwise you'll be bucking the tide of a tradition that has gone back long before you carried around your anti-bacterial wipes. These women set up shop, rain or shine.

And in the rain, their Caldo de Pollo (Chicken Broth) tastes even better. Now you might not find what you're looking for if you go there because their menu is ever changing. But this is about good fast food, something we know next to nothing about in this country. They have a respect for what they have cooked you and are more than happy to serve it up. They are not making a fortune doing this ( a Tamale costs a mere $1), but are supplying people they know with food they've cooked.