Trap Draw: Los Angeles

Maybe the Buttfuck, East Dakota location has quality control issues. Five Guys blanches, dries, and double fries its french fries, which are the best in the game.

While other fast-food chains drop dehydrated frozen fries into hot oil to keep the baskets full, Five Guys soaks its potatoes in water after hand-cutting them. “You need to blanch the fries to rinse the starch off of them or else the the outside will burn up before the inside cooks. It used to take two hours to aggravate them enough to get rid of the starch, but now we’ve got it down to a three-minute power wash.”

Fries are precooked for about two and a half minutes at 350 degrees until the outside of the fry is golden brown. Then the batch is allowed to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes and as long as two to three hours. Murrell explains, “The benefit is that the waiting period allows the inside to cook slowly without burning the outside.” Then the fries are dropped in oil of the same temperature for another two and a half to three minutes à la minute before service.

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The only problem with their fries is that you get too many.

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You have to eat Five Guys fries fresh.

My wife hates Five Guys fries but I think she’s only ever had them carry out. I mean, not a lot of fries are anywhere near as good after having sat in a bag for 15 minutes, but 5G especially suffer because they aren’t super breaded and crispy to begin with.

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Who Framed Roger Rabbit is also a sneaky great LA movie. Mulholland Drive obviously too.

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This is 100% fact. Chick fila fries are fantastic when they’re still burning your mouth, and dogshit after 5 minutes

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I used to go to Koo Koo Roo in Studio city as a kid. Fantastic. California Chicken Cafe is my go to place these days simply out of convenience.

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There needs to be a federal investigation into why places can’t do both.

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The Nice Guys (Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling) also set a good time and place in LA.

I’d be remiss to not mention Tarantinos LA films should also make the list: Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

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I really really really really love La La Land. Would love to hear @Lazstradamus take on this masterpiece.

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Agreed on all counts.

What Tarantino did to recreate 1969 LA in Once Upon a Time is really remarkable.

It’s not a movie but Insecure is great LA tv show. Love how much Issa Rae highlights different pockets of LA, especially south central/Inglewood.

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Few LA movies that I love not mentioned yet include:

Nightstalker
Barton Fink
Miracle Mile

A movie that never gets its due.

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Not a movie, but Bosch on Amazon Prime is quintessential LA.

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For sure.

Connelly’s books that the show is based on are good, too. My man goes into almost too much detail about the city’s geography. I chuckle every time Harry needs to get somewhere because it’s like the old SNL Californians sketch with his longwinded descriptions of which highways he took.

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That was a running bit I had with friends - figuring out all the different freeway routes to get from say Orange to Ventura.

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They’re calling it a freeway … You lack vision, but I see a place where people get on and off the freeway. On and off, off and on all day, all night. Soon, where Toontown once stood will be a string of gas stations, inexpensive motels, restaurants that serve rapidly prepared food. Tire salons, automobile dealerships and wonderful, wonderful billboards reaching as far as the eye can see. My God, it’ll be beautiful.

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Have you had the bacon cheese dog at five guys?

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It does such a good job of showing the “car culture” place in LA

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I think I’m due for another rewatch of Jackie Brown, so good