Table at Third & Fairfax is a weekly dining column in 2023 where Food and Drink editor Patricia Kelly Yeo will eat her way through the Original Farmers Market. Each column will drop on Thursday for a week-by-week recap of her journey through the classic L.A. tourist attraction. Last week, Kelly revisited China Depot.
50: The number of times I’ve been to the Original Farmers Market this year, not counting off-duty trips to World Market for groceries and a recent visit to pick up a Christmas tree from the North Market’s parking lot pop-up. As promised, I’ve given the guiding mission of this column much thought—and I’m still eating. This week, I visited Trejo’s Tacos despite a serious drop in motivation, waiting in line for my chicken tinga rice bowl and side of chips and guacamole. I cut a deal with myself by telling myself I’ll go and check out Monsieur Marcel’s pop-up holiday market, which opened last week to sell panettone and other imported foodstuffs alongside French- and food-inspired holiday ornaments.
My intentions have been to document the good, bad and ugly of the open-air market and food hall where tourists congregate pretty much every day of the week. I’ve eaten at every single prepared food and drink vendor except the bakeries and bars twice, and now feel fairly ready to name the places and dishes that represent the best of the Original Farmers Market.
First, though, I dig into the chicken tinga bowl, a slightly salty mix of chicken, black beans, rice, cabbage salad, grilled corn, salsa and tortilla strips that I find myself liking more than I expected. The guacamole, which comes topped with pistachios and serrano slices, is surprisingly good with the still-warm tortilla chips. It’s Mexican food for the masses, but given the decline in Chipotle’s quality over the last few years, I’d take Trejo’s Tacos over most of Beverly Grove’s fast-casual rice bowl options, including nearby Marmalade Cafe and El Granjero Cantina. Now, onto my final year-end list compilation:
The market's three best restaurants
1. Monsieur Marcel Bistro
Hands down, this is the best place to dine at the Original Farmers Market if you’re looking for both cuisine and ambience. As of writing, it’s the market’s only restaurant to nab a spot as a separate entity on one of Time Out’s editorial guides. (Our French dining guide, of course.) While a little pricey, I’ve enjoyed almost every dish I’ve had here, and the separate dining area is extra-charming for a sit-down lunch or casual dinner of classic dishes and charcuterie done well.
2. Pampas Grill
If Monsieur Marcel is the best place to dine, Pampas Grill is the best place to eat. The Brazilian churrasco here is truly delicious, and while the pay-by-weight and self-serve nature of it all seems a little gimmicky and lowbrow, the quality of the meat and fresh salads, hot items and other sides (the cheese bread!) shine through. At peak hours, the line can get gnarly, but it usually moves quickly, and the meal you’ll get at the end—at least if you’re not vegan or vegetarian—is worth the wait.
3. Friends and Family Pizza Co.
Of the three vendors that opened during Table at Third & Fairfax, Friends and Family Pizza is my favorite. The pizza crust is perfect, the toppings run the gamut from simple to chef-driven and the pricing strikes a balance between affordable and gourmet. The standard-bearing cheese slice is thin and wonderfully crispy, with just the right amount of mozzarella sprinkled on top—and it puts Patsy D’Amore’s, the market’s other pizzeria, to shame.
The 5 best dishes I ate this year
1. Churrasco plate from Pampas Grill
Your plate will vary slightly, but I loved the plate of churrasco I built for myself at Pampas. Both cuts of beef were juicy and medium-rare, pairing well with the array of flavors, textures and temperatures on the plate: the coolness of the cucumber, the sharp red onion, the sweet plantains. The black beans are cooked to perfection, and the bowtie salad is, well, a cold pasta salad. The chewy, mildly cheesy pao de queijo was the piece de resistance.
2. Escargot from Monsieur Marcel
If you’re not squeamish about eating snails or molluscs, this dish is a garlicky, buttery delight. Each silver plate contains six good-sized Burgundy snails, and the green sauce full of shallots and garlic is perfect for dipping into the complimentary slices of baguette that come with your meal. Of the escargot dishes in L.A. I’ve tried—Petit Trois, Bicyclette and Saltie Girl—the escargot at Monsieur Marcel offers the simplest version of this dish.
3. Taleggio, potato, red onion and pistachio slice from Friends and Family Pizza Co.
Visually, this slice calls to mind the lunch-only lemon alla palla slice at Pizzeria Bianco in the Arts District. White pies aren’t my favorite, but the pistachios add great texture to each bite, and the creamy flavor of the nuts blends seamlessly with the mix of two cheeses. The carbiness of the fingerling potatoes and sweetness of the scattered red onions complement all the cheese. Though I prefer red pies, I don’t find myself longing for tomato sauce when I bite into this.
4. Mee goreng from Singapore’s Banana Leaf
True, it's nothing compared to Alhambra’s Borneo Eatery, but Singapore’s Banana Leaf will still sate your craving for Southeast Asian cuisine. It's also the best place in the market for Asian cuisine, overall, though I eagerly await the opening of Noodle Art. The mild sambal and peanut sauce add heat and a little depth to the stir-fried noodles, even if the peanut sauce isn’t the best. There’s a fried egg on top, which I always love, and the chicken satay skewers on the side add protein.
5. Corned beef plate with creamed spinach and parsley potatoes from Magee’s
The oldest vendor at the market is better known for its sandwiches and nuts (located in a separate stall), but I most enjoyed the plate of corned beef with parsley potatoes and creamed spinach. Soft and tender, the meat is perfect in between bites of the buttery parsley potatoes and delicious creamed spinach. It’s the ideal old-school meal if you’re at the market and leaning into the nostalgia of the place.
Meals from Table at Third & Fairfax fall into three categories: Skip It, Worth Trying and Must Have.
Vendor: Trejo’s Tacos
Order: Chicken tinga bowl, chips and guacamole
Verdict: Worth Trying. Trejo’s might not be among my favorite places to eat in the market, but it’s your best option for Mexican food.