Spicy sesame sauce dry noodles from Dai Ho
Rain activates my desire to eat spicy foods, hot soup, or a combination of both. So while an atmospheric river drenched Los Angeles, I visited Dai Ho. This no-fuss Taiwanese beef noodle soup joint has been around since the ‘80s, slinging glossy bowls of chile oil–slicked noodles with a sign that says, “No book or newspaper reading, please.” The translation: get your noodles, eat, and go. Dai Ho is only open for four hours per day, six days per week, so I understand their no-nonsense attitude, which extends to the food. Yes, the famed beef noodle soup is gloriously rich and comforting; with its fistfuls of spinach and beef morsels that melt on the tongue, I understand why it’s a favorite. This time, though, the spicy sesame sauce dry noodles wowed me. The noodles are satisfyingly bouncy, each strand coated in the silky, nutty, heat-forward sesame sauce. They arrive with a mountain of sliced green onions on top, which add an allium bite while simultaneously refreshing the dish. I want to go back and eat this winning bowl of noodles again and again and again. — Kat Thompson, audience editor, Eater Southern California/Southwest
Kat Thompson