The Best Dishes Eater LA Editors Ate This Year, Mapped
"I used to live close enough to where Carla Cafe launched its sandwich “drops” in the early days of the pandemic; pick-ups were at the door of the Bootsy Bellows nightclub in West Hollywood. After I moved further west, the mini deli’s impeccable sandwiches became an only once-in-a-while treat — until this year, when Carla Cafe moved its operations to Colony Kitchen in Santa Monica. Anyone who knows me well knows that a tuna sandwich is one of my favorite lunches — and the tuna chop from Carla Cafe just might be my favorite iteration, ever. It combines the vegetable-packed brightness and crispness of a chopped salad (in this case, lightly dressed shredded lettuce, chickpeas, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and avocado) with a well-seasoned, mayo-based tuna salad studded with little slivers of red onion. It’s all piled on a crunchy ciabatta roll slicked with yellow mustard; every bite is packed with an explosion of flavors and textures. My hope is that one day Carla Cafe will have its own standalone storefront, but for now, I’m just happy that I can order the tuna chop (and other superior sandwiches) any time my heart desires. —Karen Palmer" - Eater Staff
