Susan Feniger's Street: Around the Globe in 2 Hours

I've had the select privilege of officially stoking the fires of the internet masses with a peculiar and incendiary comment I initially left on Eater just last week, just before Susan Feniger's Street opened at the former Highland Grounds location. Just steps away from the renowned Mozzas, Feniger was looking to reflect her global travels in a variety of gussied up street food served on white porcelain china and a sleek space that belies all that street food stands for. My initial comment on the place was just my surprise at the atrociously priced $16 bowl of pho. Despite this sentiment, I felt I was coming in with an open mind, wondering where Feniger's appoach to street food would take me.

Early on the service had a few road bumps, as we arrived on-time for our 8:30PM reservation but ended up being relegated to the bar for nearly half an hour. I ordered a tamarind ginger cooler that never surfaced, but Christine's gargantuan bottle of Flying Horse Lager from India ($6), with its malty but refreshing notes, arrived within a few minutes. Neil from Food Marathon was just finishing up his meal on the patio while Matt from Diglounge was looming in the back in a large table. We hadn't coordinated this, but I was certainly aware that they were going to be here. If you don't know, those two guys are two of my favorite bloggers for food marathoning, evidenced in our Koreatown Marathon some 5 months ago.



The interior of Street is more vertical than horizontal, with thin black beams coverin the walls and a steady flurescent glow coming from well placed accents. The din of the crowded dining area was pleasant and I sorely wished to be seated in this area for the advantageous lighting, but we ended up on the patio - more romantic to be sure, but a deathtrap for even a digital SLR wielder.

We started with a slew of recommended dishes while I ordered a Beer Hue, listed on the menu for $12 though it ended up costing $7 (perhaps we received a smaller bottle). The Beer Hue had a slightly creamier touch compared to the Flying Horse, and a steadier finish that cleansed the palate well. I also finally received the tamarind ginger cooler which was cloyingly sour and would've worked well as an apertif, but didn't mesh at all with any of the dishes. It would've been nice drinking at the bar if you're waiting to be seated, but it wouldn't pair well with the meal ($3). HC also ordered a yogurt based drink that was like V-8 flavored yogurt; probably worth trying if you're curious ($3)



First up were the Thai Bites, a dish that the LA Times Food section (through Twitter) had recommended to us. A mini-smorgasbord of toasted coconut, peanuts, dried shrimp and chilis came with POG-sized slivers (those cheesy 90's toys) of collard greens to wrap the goods. We sprinkled bits of each topping and wrapped them in our collard only to be overwhelmed by the Thai chili, or underwhelmed by the general crunchyness of the ingredients. I didn't really know what I was tasting nor really cared for this dish, but perhaps the extreme dimness of the patio and our inability to recognize any of the sprinkled bits was to blame. The saving grace was the sweet tamarind palm caramel (whole dish cost $12).



Next was the celebrated paani puri, a popular Indian street snack, mini-bites of potato, chutneys and beans in a crispy dough shaped like rounded eggshells with the sides sliced off. A yogurt-cilantro sauce is poured over before plopping the whole thing in your mouth. Though the flavors were there, I would've loved to have this thing hot instead of cold/lukewarm ($6)



Vietnamese corn came with small chunks of pork belly, succulent and savory. Easily a table favorite, the textured kernels were a sweet counterpart to the glazed pork. The portion was also generous for $6.



Our only entree was the saag paneer with kokum daal and yogurt rice. A stellar rice with comforting aspects all around. The house-made paneer, from fresh cut spinach and flavored with rich cheese meshed with the creamy yogurt rice while the lentil mash of the daal provided a middling counterpoint. Generously portioned at $18, it was a huge hit at our table and something I plan to order on future visits.



Next came perhaps the most anticipated dish, the $16 bowl of pho which I questioned on Eater LA just a few days before Street opened. First let me say that while I've had stellar bowls in LA from reputable pho joints around Southern California, one of the best I've had was at Out The Door at the Ferry Building, an annex to the well-known Slanted Door. To say that pho has to be "tuned down" to American tastes is poppycock, as the simple spiced broth and (traditionally) thin rice noodles is something anyone can enjoy. Feniger's version was served with limp vermicelli noodles; the broth was an overly sour and thoroughly unfocused one that didn't harmonize at all with the noodles. The meat was forgetable though not objectionable. And while the portion you see here is actually a split of the full size, even the combined bowls we received wouldn't equal a third of a "small" sized bowl one might get at a $6 pho place in El Monte or Little Saigon.



Moving on, we ordered the mung bean pancake, also called "bindae dduk" in Korean, and popular comfort food of mine. Feniger's version comes hot-rodded with pork belly, pan-fried kimchi, and grilled scallions. The texture, which is critical, was just crispy enough to pass muster while the toppings made for a delicious new take on what I grew up on. However, the pancake was way to salty to enjoy with reptition; doused with soy sauce and seasoned with too much salt on the pancake, I stopped after a few bites (also because I was feeling uncharacteristically full at this point; $8)



We also received our "bread" course at this point, sticky balls of millet that were just chewy and relatively unpalatable. You don't have to ask for them if you don't want.

Next came another dish that was questioned on Eater, the Cuban potato cake, filled with small diced pieces of seasoned meat, raisins, and caper; It lay above a poblana crema, a slightly sweet, creamy sauce while a simple salsa garnished the top. While the price exceeds the standard potato balls at Porto's Bakery in Glendale, the $10 is worth it - the pancake is exceedingly large and more than enough for two or three people to share while the flavors are pure comfort.



Last, but certainly not least, we ordered the kaya toast, a typical Singaporean street food that's essentially toasted bread with a cocunut jam topped with a gooey egg and laced with reduced soy sauce. Addictive, sweeted with the jam, and sauced with the egg yolk, it was a winner. The toast made for a nice dessert though it's available on the appetizer menu.



After a while, we had the opportunity to chat a bit with our server, Minda, who was not only gracious and entertaining, but convivial and accommodating at every step. She mentioned all the Eater chatter that had happened in the week prior and HC, perhaps fueled with a little too much "fun juice" blurted that it was in fact me that had started the hubbub. We all found it maddeningly funny and later asked if we could talk to Chef Feniger. When Chef Feniger came out, we applauded her efforts and approach to street food while commending some of the well-made dishes we had that night (we didn't mention the "miss"). Feniger seemed pumped and excited to showcase the foods that she had enjoyed in her world travels and even offered to show us the wood-burning oven. Upon entering the kitchen, we realized how small it was - no more than 600 or 700 square feet. This tiny kitchen was pumping out easily 100-150 covers that busy night and will have to prepare for more during the weekends. The wood burning over glared with radiant heat while a few serving of lamb kofta were being fired up.



We left with a positive impression, hopeful that with Chef Feniger's dedication, Street would continue to improve and hits its stridge with its take on world street food - foods with which many of us are unfamiliar. Of course, I encourage any dedicated and responsible Angeleno to seek out the best of each ethnicity's cuisine in our splendid and sprawling town, but for Susan Feniger to elegantly and creatively whip together dishes that are inspired by these ethnic cuisines in the heart of the city - well that's more than commendable, it's excellent.

NB: We found the meal not too-expensive of you orderly strategically. Aside from the $16 pho and the $7 beer, we could've walked away at around $40 a person. Our tab came out to about $47 a person including a monster tip we left for Minda as a response to the stellar service - all in all a great meal for the price.

Susan Feniger's Street
742 N Highland
Los Angeles, CA 90038
(323) 203-0500