Viewers like you make
this program possible. Support your local PBS station. ROSENTHAL:
I can stuff my face guilt free! ♪ ♪ I'm finding some of
the best food in the world. - Oh, my god. ROSENTHAL: Right in my adopted
hometown: Los Angeles. - That's my entrance. - You're lucky we're on camera. ROSENTHAL:
Times are hard. Oh! And I'm bringing some
of my favorite locals along for the ride. - The spice says,
"Hey, wait, I'm not done yet." ROSENTHAL:
Los Angeles, right? Not so bad.
- Let me taste yours. ROSENTHAL:
That's just a brilliant thing. It's all happening next, on... -<i> I'll Have What Phil's Having!</i> Now, would someone tell me,
which one is Phil. ROSENTHAL: There were things
I never tasted growing up, like food with any flavor. In our house,
meat was a punishment. When I went into the real world, I was like a man
coming out of the desert. Then I started writing comedy and traveling
to other lands to eat. The world can be a beautiful,
delicious, and friendly place when we travel and eat
great food together. I'm Phil Rosenthal, and I'm here
to see and eat most of it, and to say to you, "Come on,
you can have what I'm having." I was born in Queens, New York,
I've lived in New York City my whole life. Never dreamed of leaving and
then because I got work writing, I moved out to L.A. ♪ ♪ And I hated it. I had been raised by Woody Allen
movies and the way he felt about Los Angeles, like the only
thing you could find on a menu were alfalfa sprouts
and a plate of mashed yeast. He thought it was a cultural
wasteland, and when I got here I thought that he had been kind. I thought it was like Paramus
with palm trees. And then I started to make
friends both in show business and the food business
and these friends became part of my extended family
in this far-away place. I now love showing my non-foodie
friends what I keep discovering, that L.A. has one of the most
lively and diverse food cultures in the world. - I think it has the best ethnic
food anywhere on the planet, I mean across the board. ROSENTHAL: It's my goal
in life to become a go-to guy for this. I want to be your go-to guy. So let's begin with the place
that might even be my favorite. This is the place that makes
Los Angeles feel like a small town to me. This is the original farmer's
market at Third and Fairfax. It's got everything I love--
charm and character and history and it's open air so it takes
advantage of the weather. Do you remember coming here
when? - When we first...
ROSENTHAL: We first moved in? - Yes, of course. This is how you wooed me. ROSENTHAL: I wooed you with
fruit and vegetables. - And ice cream. ROSENTHAL: My beautiful bride
Monica and I love coming here sometimes before they're ready
for us. When do you open?
- When do you open? ROSENTHAL: 9:00! I'm gonna wait right here. (chuckles) It's also a great place
to grab a meal with friends like Ray Romano
and his wife Anna. Today, we're having
some breakfast. - Where are we going? ROSENTHAL:
You like huevos rancheros? - Yeah, that's-that's... yeah,
that's an egg thing, right? ROSENTHAL:
Very good! We had a Spanish lesson! Ray Romano-- I love him,
everybody loves him. We shared very nice success
together. How often you meet a guy
that changes your life, makes it better? I love this place. I love La Loteria because they
have the best huevos rancheros and they even make them spicy. L.A., of course, is famous
for Mexican food. And one of my favorite ways
to eat it is for breakfast. Chorizo and eggs, black beans,
tortillas with mole. Can't get enough. - How far away is the bathroom
from here? That'll dictate what I order. ROSENTHAL:
He just canceled his order. My other favorite thing
about the farmer's market is the variety. While one store makes you eggs,
you can walk ten feet to another one and get
great pastries. - How about a donut with
cinnamon? I said it right-- "cimmamom." Didn't we do that on the show? ROSENTHAL:
That's how you used to say it. ROSENTHAL: We did it on the show
because you couldn't say it any other way! We had to do it. - Thank God I was stupid
or we'd have no show. ROSENTHAL: He wanted to get me
a birthday present, I had a big birthday and he
wrote me a card, he said, "What do you get the guy who has
everything because of you?" - You're lucky we're on camera. ROSENTHAL: Times are hard. Oh! Look! - Soon as the cameras are gone
I want $18 back. ROSENTHAL: One reason we've
all gotten along so well is that like so many Los
Angelinos, we're transplants. You're from Queens, too? You're from Queens, you're from
Queens, I'm from Queens. Born in Queens. The first time I saw Ray, we were in bed watching TV
and we were watching Letterman, and here comes a comedian,
and we were hysterical laughing over this bit, where my material
doesn't really, I'm... - I can't, not that I have... - I know it was the keys,
the keys. - Now that I have little kids,
it's hard for me to write jokes for adults. Because all I do is try to make
them laugh. So my perspective is gone
a little. I've written one... let's see. I've written one new joke
since my twins were born. Here, is this funny? Then I was like "Hi, everybody! Hi!" ♪ ♪ We would--
we would be eating this! ROSENTHAL:
Oh! So this is basic...
your basic huevos rancheros with spicy sauce. - Can I... let me... can I taste
that sauce a little bit? ROSENTHAL:
Yes, yes, do it. - Here.
- Oh, that's good. - This, of course,
everyone taste the chilaquiles with mole. ROSENTHAL: This is killer. Because this is just... it's
really just chips and sauce. - Ooh, that's a little spice,
ooh that's a little spice. ROSENTHAL: The spicy huevos
rancheros morita are my favorite, but the sleeper
could be the chilaquiles-- a classic Mexican breakfast
of nachos tossed in a dark mole sauce and
topped with eggs or chicken, cheese and a triple barrel blast
of sour cream. - What is mole? ROSENTHAL:
Mole is a sauce that has many, many different spices in
it, but one of the things that's in it is
unsweetened chocolate. - Chocolate, right. ROSENTHAL:
Which makes it that color. - Really?
ROSENTHAL: Yeah. The four of us love eating
together. You just told me one thing that
she said that you said I wish the show was still going. (laughs) Should I clean it up a little? It's not really dirty, but...
- Clean it up. - I can't...
(laughs) ROSENTHAL: See that's the thing,
we loved all these times you would put us down. Because it's easy for us
to think of the wife jokes, but we actually needed
the other side. More importantly was to make fun
of him. - So we get writer's credit? ROSENTHAL:
And you're great at that. To the wives. - Yes. - To the husbands. ROSENTHAL:
We wouldn't be here without you. (laughter) ♪ ♪ One of the coolest things about
Los Angeles is you'll be driving down the street, and you pass
a lot of nondescript buildings, a lot of nondescript
architecture, and you'll drive past
one of a million strip malls. Well, behind the Raffallo's
Pizza and behind the Thai place, are two of the better
restaurants in America. That's not a pizza restaurant
on the right, only the sign is. What's there is really Trois
Mec, a modern experimental powerhouse and behind the old
Thai place sign on the left is Petit Trois a classic bistro. The masterminds behind these
tricks that turn out to be treats are the phenomenal bad
boy French chef Ludo Lefebvre along with John Shook and
Vinny Dotolo, the duo behind game-changing
L.A. restaurants Animal and Son of a Gun. - A taste of France. A bistro like this it's all
about the bread and the butter. ROSENTHAL:
This is awesome. You don't need anything
on this bread. It's so good. But if you have butter... French butter. Special delivery from Normandy. - Look, look. - Shave it. Shave it. Like this? Come on, like this? Close your eyes and you'd think
you are in France. ROSENTHAL: Could you come
to my house in the morning and just do that for me? If you gave me nothing else
today, I would leave happy. Ludo doesn't take me up
on my offer, thank God, but instead shows me how to make
a most classic French dish. Look at this. A master class in eggs. - Omelet is very simple. It's really about technique
and texture. Good quality of eggs, of course,
from farmer's market. Do you understand what I say?
ROSENTHAL: Yes. You look at me like. ROSENTHAL:
That's how I look. That's just my natural look. - Okay, Phil. So eggs, salt, pepper. ROSENTHAL: Yes. - So, beat very well your eggs
okay, beat very well your eggs, it's very important. You want to mix the egg yolk
and the egg white. I saw so many mistakes in
restaurants, where you can see the egg yolk and the egg white
is not mixed together. And you see some pieces
of egg white in the omelet. That's wrong. ROSENTHAL: And Ludo's serious
about his eggs. He's like an omelet
drill sergeant. - So, beat your eggs. Melt your butter slowly--
no coloration. And when you're doing omelet,
the most important thing is to be gentle. See? You don't hear...
(imitates sizzle) No. Gentle. Okay? Just shake it all the time. ROSENTHAL: All the time? It demands your attention. - Yes. Yes, put back inside. ROSENTHAL: Because if you let it
stop it gets brown and you don't want that. - Voila. You can put any garnish
you want. Here at the restaurant we use
Boursin. With Boursin, everybody has that
in France in their fridge. ROSENTHAL: What do you call it?
- The French Velveeta. (laughs) Love it, I grew up with that ROSENTHAL:
The eggs almost look scrambled, but Ludo knows exactly how long
to let them set before rolling. And there it is. My perfect omelet. - So you see this inside? Look at this. ROSENTHAL:
Yes, it's barely cooked. - Barely cooked. See that? So you won't have no texture. ROSENTHAL: Wow. That's just a brilliant thing. And you serve it at lunch
and dinner? - Yeah. ROSENTHAL: French people eat
an omelet for dinner. Yeah. I love that idea. Ludo's French, I'm a New Yorker,
that's how it is in L.A., and I love it here because
the world comes to me. Like Koreatown, and today
I want to bring someone here who's not so familiar with it. I'm fortunate to count
among my friends a man named Martin Short. (no audio) I think if you put all
the funniest people in the world in one room,
Marty might be the funniest. - What are... what kinda food
are we gonna eat tonight? ROSENTHAL:
Honestly, Korean. - Uh-huh... (laughs) ROSENTHAL: Do you wanna bring
any of your... - I'd like to bring some food. ROSENTHAL:
You want... (laughs) - I mean, with all honesty. ROSENTHAL:
Have you had Korean food? - Nope, because I've always
wanted to wake up and live the following day. ROSENTHAL: I know just the guy
to win Marty over. This is chef Roy Choi, America's
foremost Korean ambassador and he's got two new restaurants
in the Line Hotel. Downstairs is Pot,
where Roy does classic Korean, especially my favorite--
kimchi fried rice. - Kimchi is basically
sauerkraut, but instead of it being just salt and cabbage and
pepper and apples or whatever, it has spice in it. And so this has chili flakes,
garlic, ginger, green onions,
it has fish sauce, oysters. ROSENTHAL:
Oysters? - Yeah, and all of that
will allow for the cabbage to ferment. You can let this sit for two
months in your refrigerator and then take it out, then open
it and then basically piss off all the neighbors. ROSENTHAL: Maybe I should start
Marty off a little easier so I'm taking him upstairs to
Roy's rooftop spot, Commissary, where the menu's
more Americanized. Or, in Marty's case,
Canadianized. These are the basic ingredients
that you can order. - But the pictures
are like something that your gardener would show
you to say this is what's wrong
with the lawn, this is why we have to spray. I mean, we've got snails,
we've got... ROSENTHAL:
There's a picture of pasta. Where's a picture of pasta? What page are you on? I got two of the same. ROSENTHAL:
Yes. Don't worry about that. - All righty. ROSENTHAL:
Good. Wow. Look at that. Classy, huh? Cheers.
- Cheers. ROSENTHAL: Tub of alcohol. - Tub of alcohol. Mm... - That's good booze. The late Mickey Rooney used
to bathe in something this size. (laughs) ROSENTHAL: Are there any
pictures that you enjoyed? We could be really surprised
and delighted. - I think just coffee
and the check. ROSENTHAL:
I get it. - No, we haven't eaten yet,
that's right. ROSENTHAL: We want the steak,
we want the schnitzel. And if you wouldn't mind,
see if it's okay, Kimchi fried rice. - Kimchi rice. ROSENTHAL:
This may change your life. Have you ever had it?
- No. ROSENTHAL:
I love that. Okay. So, this hotel caters
to a young, hip crowd. And the restaurants also--
you see young Hollywood in here. What you call young Hollywood,
are you talking about the Biebs? ROSENTHAL:
The Biebs? Who are the Biebs? - Boy. Now that's the definition
of old Hollywood. ROSENTHAL:
Bieber! Bieber! I got it! I win! - Good grandma. ROSENTHAL: This would be
cool enough for him. - The wonderful Ashton Kutcher? ROSENTHAL: Yes, he would come.
- All the hipsters? ROSENTHAL: All right now this
came up from downstairs. Don't be scared. - Oh, gorgeous. Wow, this is good. Oh, my God, is it good. ROSENTHAL:
Isn't that great? This is something you've
never had before? - No. ROSENTHAL: I love that
you get to try to this, okay. The kimchi rice
is a perfect accent to Commissary's standard items,
like roasted vegetables and beautifully cooked
and sauced meats. - This is just... This is really delicious food. ROSENTHAL: This is his take on
California cuisine and he's celebrating
the fantastic produce, and raw materials that we have
to work with. - Because I have pressure
to stay thin, I'll be purging this later--
is that wrong? Is that a message you don't
want to? ROSENTHAL:
No, you do what you do. Look at you... you made short
order of that drink too, mister. You've been around there.
-(slurring): Ah, shut up Phil. Oooh, "Doris Roberts
is my friend." Who cares? I got friends. ROSENTHAL: This is
very innovative food, right? - Well this is my favorite,
actually. ROSENTHAL: The Korean?
- Yeah. ROSENTHAL:
Isn't that sauce amazing? - Yes. ROSENTHAL:
Go like this. (exhales) (groans) (rasping): Why you bastard. ROSENTHAL:
Those are his last words. ♪ ♪ Steve Nathan and I have been
friends for about 20 years. He started as a writer with me
on<i> Raymond</i> and he went on to run the show<i> Bones,</i> which scares me. And then I didn't see him
for a year or so and one day I'm reading about this great
new bakery in Santa Monica called Huckleberry. And I hear they serve
great breakfast, great lunch, great sandwiches,
great baked goods. Great everything. So I go in there, and there
is my friend Steve Nathan, and he's up to his elbows
in turkey meatballs! He's in the back,
I'm like, "Steve! Are things not going well?" "No," he says,
"I'm here for fun!" His daughter is Zoe Nathan,
arguably one of the best bakers in the United States. Everything she touches turns out
very, very well. - Let me get you an apron. ROSENTHAL: I'm so much more
comfortable on the other side. Eating.
- I know! Yes, and you will eat. You will eat eventually. ROSENTHAL: But you're saying
I have to work first. - Yes, you have to work. Put these in here. ROSENTHAL:
They put me to work right away. And Steve is more than happy
to make pancakes-- in fact, it's his recipe that
they use at Huckleberry. - We want to separate the eggs. ROSENTHAL:
Oh, I'm gonna stink at this. - No, no, no. ROSENTHAL:
Really, with the hands? Really?
- With the hands! ROSENTHAL: It's disgusting!
- No, it's not! ROSENTHAL:
You make the show<i> Bones,</i> so that's the most horrific... people dying in awful ways show,
right? - Yes, it's disgusting. ROSENTHAL: So this is right in
your wheelhouse. - This is my sequel. It's eggs. ROSENTHAL: The egg whites
are whipped up, and added to a mixture of milk, flour,
sugar, salt and vanilla beans. Most people don't make pancakes
by folding egg whites into the pancake. - I don't think so. The egg whites just make it
rise, it's really light, plumps up and is-is just great. ROSENTHAL:
That's a brilliant thing. ♪ ♪ <i> That's</i> a pancake! Look, people!
- That's perfect. That's what you want. ROSENTHAL:
So these are vanilla pancakes? - They're vanilla pancakes,
yeah. ROSENTHAL:
Look out, people! And this is where I hurt myself. Right off the griddle? - Right off the griddle. Taste it plain. ROSENTHAL:
It's so light and fluffy. You're like a genius! You've been wasting your time
making<i> Bones!</i> It's so good! It tastes like my childhood,
come on. ROSENTHAL: But her.. what
she doesn't say is that she had a terrible childhood. (imitates vomiting) (chuckles) (bell dings) - Okay, you guys have your first
order. ROSENTHAL: Seriously? Yeah! ROSENTHAL: All right! So, after my ten-minute
internship, I am a professional line cook
already. I predict this will go horribly. Now who gets these? Zoe?
- Yes, sir? ROSENTHAL:
Here's the... here's the thing. I'm bringing it out
to the people. Look at Zoe--
"You cannot represent me." - No, you're staying here! - No, no, no, I'm not! Come on, come on, Phil.
ROSENTHAL: We wanna watch. - Okay guys, I gotta tell you,
it's not a real order. But I didn't want you guys
to feel bad. ROSENTHAL: Liar! Liar! Horrible child! - Wait, I'm going to give it
somebody. Come on, we're giving them away,
we're gonna give them away. I didn't want you to feel bad! ROSENTHAL:
I don't want your pity! - I wanted you guys to have
a real full experience! ROSENTHAL: Well now it's ruined
because you lied! - Come on, we're giving them
away to a lucky customer. ROSENTHAL:
Do you like pancakes? - Yeah.
- There you go. ROSENTHAL:
So we made these, fresh. Zoe-- don't worry, Zoe Nathan
was like making sure we didn't poison anybody. This is our future. - Oh, my God. Those are so good. ROSENTHAL: Tastes so good.
- Tastes so good. ROSENTHAL:
The people who ate our pancakes? - Yeah, they loved them. They died. They died, I'm sorry. I think Zoe's misread
my enthusiasm for confidence and wants me to help some more. Maybe she's not so smart. - I'm gonna teach you how
to make kouign amann dough. It's similar to croissant dough. And we make little pies
out of 'em. ROSENTHAL: Kouign amann dough!
- Yeah. ROSENTHAL:
That was my stage name! (chuckles) Okay. So you're gonna turn them over,
and then you're gonna go in like this, in like this,
in like this, and then push like that. ROSENTHAL: I can't do that.
- I know. Okay. (laughs) ROSENTHAL:
Oh! - Right. A little bit, push them in
a little bit more. Don't be scared. Yeah, then that...
then that side. Yeah! Perfect! ROSENTHAL:
Like a mush ball. - What's really sad is they
don't look that much different. You know what I mean? ROSENTHAL: Well what would you
rather have: a kouign amann or Phil's mush balls? All right, I'm retiring. - Okay, give me your apron. ROSENTHAL: For the good of
your store, I'm retiring. - Hi, how's it going, guys? ROSENTHAL:
Hey, what do you got? - I got green eggs and ham here,
and this is brisket hash. ROSENTHAL: Oh.
- Brisket's for Phil. ROSENTHAL: Oh come on! - I'm gonna have a little bit
of this. ROSENTHAL:
Oh, oh! - Oh, my god. - There's so much more to come. ROSENTHAL: There's more to come?
- Oh yeah! ROSENTHAL: I need the banana
chocolate-- that I do need. - That's coming,
it's all coming. - Oh, you know what? I'm gonna have... ROSENTHAL: That's the height
of nerve I think. To say where's the other thing? - This is it?
ROSENTHAL: Yeah. ROSENTHAL:
Melts in your mouth. She's very generous. I mean that's even her motto,
is everything in generosity. My family is a little different. Their motto is:
everything inconvenient. - Oh, here's what you made. - Okay, this is what you made. ROSENTHAL:
Look how good we did! - Right?
ROSENTHAL: Yeah! - That's one of the best things
she makes so far. ROSENTHAL:
I have to say, I am a genius. - (laughing): Yes, you are. ROSENTHAL:
I'm usually modest. But I'm remarkable. - They're good, right? ROSENTHAL: I think...
I don't wanna say your days are numbered, but... From the pastries and donuts
to her green eggs and ham, to her freshly baked bagels,
there's no shortage of options. I could eat here every day,
if she'll just let me back in the store. From Huckleberry in Santa Monica
it's just a short trip up the coast
to a Rosenthal family favorite. Malibu, Malibu, Malibu. Malibu is iconic. Everybody has their image of
Malibu, and there's that-- there's the surfers and the
hoity toity beach houses and everything, but one guy,
Bill Miller-- another New York transplant--
may be the anti-hoity toity. You go in and you
feel like you're in a general store in Vermont, serving the best kind of
New York deli food with his spin on it. Then you walk out onto
the little patio, and the little picnic bench,
and you're in Malibu! My dad, Max Rosenthal,
is with us for the week. My mom sent him out here-- why? Because she said she needed
a vacation. So I'm taking him, Monica and
our daughter Lily to see Bill, and to have my favorite
turkey sandwich by the sea. - The Rosenthals are here! Oy, oy, oy.
ROSENTHAL: Oy, oy, oy. Excuse me--
Lily, Lily, Lily, Lily. My Lily, hi. ROSENTHAL:
Not everybody loves Bill. - Don't be difficult! Have you figured out
what you're eating yet? ROSENTHAL: I know what I want,
I came knowing what I want. He can be brusque, you know,
he doesn't suffer fools. I want the turkey
with the cranberry. - Don't be spoiled.
- I'm not. ROSENTHAL:
Is it fresh today, turkey? - No, it's a week old but you'll
never know the difference, and the green parts
you'll just cut away! I've had it with you so much. - I've had it with you! - I don't even wanna wait on you
anymore. - All right with the kibitzing,
I would like a veggie wrap. - That's it? We're done? Get out! ♪ ♪ ROSENTHAL: Bill roasts a fresh
turkey every day and takes full advantage of all the fresh
produce California has to offer. Worth a schlep out to the beach. - Look at him. Look at the puppy! Do the voice. ROSENTHAL (baby voice):
Look at the puppy. So how do you like California
so far? - What's not to like? (chuckles) - Tell him the first time
he came here with Helen. And we were driving
from the airport and he saw all the palm trees. ROSENTHAL: He was looking
at everything and, "Helen, look! Look!" "I'm looking, Max." "No, look! Look! You're not looking!" "Max, I'm looking,
what do you want?" "If you were looking, you'd be
saying 'ooh' and 'ah' more!" (laughs) - I don't want you to think...
I do this for everybody. ROSENTHAL: Whoa, look at
my favorite sandwich. This is fresh roast turkey with
cranberry, and brie and greens. Is that lovely? - Bill, that fried chicken's
amazing. - Great.
- It's good? - Delicious chicken. ROSENTHAL:
So, Bill, I just wanna tell the people
a little bit of your story. You managed big rock and roll
bands like... - Led Zeppelin,
back in the '70s. I was. - I like you more now.
(laughter) - KISS, Sinatra,
which was my favorite. Moody Blues. ROSENTHAL:
Wasn't Elvis in the mix, too? - And I did Elvis, and I was
with Elvis, but with Colonel. I was the Colonel's guy. So I was the tour manager
for all of these acts. And when I traveled overseas,
and we had a little extra time, I went to restaurants
and collected menus. I always knew that I wanted
to do something with food. And I thought it was going
to be this. Not a Jewish deli,
but a New York style deli. It's all comfort food. ROSENTHAL: You know this is
my favorite sandwich. - Really? ROSENTHAL:
I don't have to say that. - Did you hear this?
(laughter) ROSENTHAL: Bill, what do you
want the people to know about your philosophy of food? And the care that you put into
the place and...? You know, when they come in,
I really want them to know what they want to eat! (laughter) (indistinct chatter) ROSENTHAL: You know, when people
say, "Why is he so rude?" I... maybe it's you. (horns honking) Years ago the only reason people
went to downtown L.A. was to dump a body. But all that's changed. This is our Brooklyn now. The place is bustling with
new reasons to go down there. Even if one of those new reasons
is about 100 years old. - ♪ One, two ♪ ♪ One, two, three, four ♪ ROSENTHAL: What I love about
Grand Central Market is what I love about all the
other great markets that you visit in the world. This is where it's, you know,
a microcosm of life. Where so many cultures,
and ethnicities and foods are all coming together
and you can turn to the left and get a pork taco and turn to
the right and get wonton soup! It's phenomenal. If the farmer's market
on Fairfax is an outdoor country market,
Grand Central Market is an indoor urban market. A lot of the vendors coming in
now are hip and new, but we're in a building
that's from 1917 that's been designated
a historic landmark. Now my friend I want to turn
onto this place today is not a historic landmark,
she's a national treasure: Allison Janney. - Wait a second, is that just... ROSENTHAL:
That's just giant hunks of pig. - All right, I would do that. ROSENTHAL: Here you go. Simple. When you meet Allison Janney,
she's just one of the most delightful, fun, outgoing,
beautiful, terrific ladies you'll ever meet. Vitamin P.
- That's ridiculous. ROSENTHAL: And you forget when
you're with her, oh wait a minute, this is one of
the best actresses in the world! I'm not exaggerating. <i> Bueno.</i> <i> - Bueno, muy bueno.
ROSENTHAL: Muy bueno.</i> <i> Gracias, muchas gracias.
- Muchas gracias</i> ROSENTHAL:
You know what that is? - I don't wanna know
what that is. (chuckles) ROSENTHAL: To make the most
of the market, you gotta be at least a little
bit adventurous. So even if it isn't a fried pig
ear kind of day, it doesn't mean that we can't
try new things. - One dollar, open, put here. - One dollar? Really? I put it in my latte?
ROSENTHAL: Should I do it, too? - Let's do it. I think we should do it. ROSENTHAL: Is it like drugs? No drugs,
it's a ginseng extract. To get energy. ROSENTHAL: Yeah, we need that! Put inside. - That's gonna be awful. ROSENTHAL:
No, it's going to be delicious. - You try it first. ROSENTHAL: Okay, Allison,
anything you say. - Here, try it,
just take a sip of that. ROSENTHAL:
It's actually fine. - It is? ROSENTHAL: It doesn't add
a lot of flavor. - Okay, well that happened. ROSENTHAL:
Nice. - That tastes good! ROSENTHAL:
Yeah, it's fine! All righty! - All right,
now I've got the energy. ROSENTHAL: Allison Janney
has won six Emmys, two in the past year alone for two different shows
in the same year: <i> Mom</i> and<i> Masters of Sex,</i> in which she got
incredibly naked. I can't do that. Oh, we're running up
the calorie tote board. This is Belcampo,
an organic butcher from Oakland. This is all natural,
great grass-fed beef. That hot dog,
is that your hot dog? - Yeah. - We gotta try that. Dog and a burger. - I'm going to give you guys
fries too. They're awesome. ROSENTHAL:
It's only my favorite food, and the worst food for you. I try to tell everybody,
pick your spots. You with me today is a spot. We're gonna do it. - I didn't eat any breakfast,
I'm not gonna feel guilty. ROSENTHAL:
Tell us your health tips. - Every night in the '80s,
all I ate was pasta with pesto. That was the only thing I ate. It was the only thing I knew
how to cook in New York City when I lived there,
and I ate it every night. And I thought, "Well, surely, it's a meal that runners eat,
and they're thin." But I forgot
the running part, you know? It was like,
"Oh yeah, you gotta run." Oh, this looks delicious. Oh, my gosh. Look at that beautiful
sesame seed bun. ROSENTHAL:
Oh, look at that! Now we need everything that goes with that, yes. - Okay, now, are you a person who thinks that ketchup
on a hot dog is a sin? ROSENTHAL:
Not a sin. - You are, I can tell. ROSENTHAL: Not a sin,
but I don't talk to you no more. - House-made ketchup,
house-made aioli. - I'm just gonna split this too so you can put what you want
on your dog... ROSENTHAL: And you can put
the disgusting things that you like on yours. - Okay. ROSENTHAL:
Don't you love that? - Well, everyone has an opinion
in L.A. She said, "No such thing
as humane meat." ROSENTHAL:
I love that. Or manners, apparently. - Or manners. ROSENTHAL: Next up, Wexler's,
a modern take on the Jewish deli that also features
an old-timey treat. You take your homemade
soda fountain syrup, add a couple drops
of acid phosphate for snap, and your time machine
is ready to go. Can I buy you a phosphate,
Allison? - Why sure, Phil! ROSENTHAL: I feel like
I'm on a date in 1912. All right, here you go. - Say, that's a delicious
phosphate! ROSENTHAL: Say, Allison, do you
have a date for the prom yet? - I don't know! It depends on who's asking. ROSENTHAL: Oh, a friend of mine
wanted me to ask. - I could be free. If there's corned beef involved. ROSENTHAL: (laughs) Los Angeles, right? Not so bad. - Let me taste yours. ROSENTHAL: If you can...
that's great, right? - Oh, peanut butter. ROSENTHAL: Have another. - Let me finish this one first. Let me taste the bottom one. ROSENTHAL:
After we get our last licks in at the Grand Central Market,
I say goodbye to sweet Allison and head five minutes southeast to a section of town
called Boyle Heights. There are parts
of my adopted town that I've never been to. But I wanted to find
the best tacos in L.A., so I called upon food journalist
Bill Esparza. Ever since he wrote something
called the Tacopedia for<i> L.A. Magazine,</i> he's been
regarded as L.A.'s taco czar. If you're gonna try
a lot of tacos, you're gonna need
more than two guys, so I called up a buddy of mine
to come along. Larry Wilmore,
my friend for many years. He created<i> The Bernie Mac Show.</i> You knew him as a correspondent
on<i> The Daily Show,</i> and now he's the host
of<i> The Nightly Show.</i> He's a very funny,
very sweet guy, and he likes to eat. We learn right off the bat
that the best tacos in L.A. will not be found
in any restaurant. First stop, Guerilla Tacos, made by one of Bill's
favorite chefs, Wes Avila. - No one's doing anything
like this guy. ROSENTHAL: In L.A.? - Anywhere. ROSENTHAL: Anywhere! - He's from Pico Rivera-- it's one of the famous
Latino neighborhoods-- and he worked in France in one of the Alain Ducasse
restaurants. And then he decided,
"You know what? "I want to do my food, "but more from the perspective
of a Mexican-American "who's also grown up
with a lot of tradition but then has California
ingredients." - So these first ones
are calamari steak with chili de arbol,
a little pickled onions. - Wow, calamari steak. - Some fresh limes. ROSENTHAL: Mm. - What do you think? Great? - The spices keep hitting you. The spice says,
"Hey, wait, I'm not done yet. "I'm not done. Now I'm... no, no, no!" - Los Angeles probably has
more diversity in tacos than even Mexico City. - You got your Asian tacos here,
you got your black tacos, you got your
white people food tacos, you got all your different... ROSENTHAL:
That's Wonder Bread and ketchup. - Exactly.
- Here's another one, this is the beef brisket hash. - This is the one
I wanted to try. - It's got a little fried egg. - I saw this on the menu. Now, this is what
I'm talking about right here. This is very close
to a black taco. ROSENTHAL:
I could make an argument it's the most Jewish taco. - This is the Benetton ad taco. ROSENTHAL: This is the most
flavorful, beefy, eggy... I want to follow
this truck around like the Grateful Dead. I guess it's greedy
to want more. Is it wrong to ask? - No. - I got something for you guys. I'll get another round. ROSENTHAL:
Chef Wes calls an audible. I can assure you
that what came next is 100% grade-A,
non-white person taco. I got your next one
ready here, guys. Kampachi
with the local sea urchin. ROSENTHAL: Come on! - Santa Barbara. ROSENTHAL: Wow. Okay, technically
this is a tostada, but I'm not sending it back. - This is right up your alley. You love sushi
and you love tacos. ROSENTHAL: Here I am. Okay, what's next? - A traditional carnitas vendor. A family. The father, Momo, has been
doing this thing for 53 years, and he was trained in the kind of, like,
carnitas center of Michoacán, so I would imagine that
it's the best carnitas in the United States. I can't think of any... ROSENTHAL: Come on!
- It is! ROSENTHAL: I'm excited!
- Yeah! - "Carnitas El Momo." Give me some Momo. ROSENTHAL: This looks like, you know, a very
nondescript truck, and unless I was with you,
to be honest, I don't know that
I'm stopping at this truck. - This is keeping it real.
This is keeping it real. - Carnitas is usually
a whole animal. It's the whole hog. So you get the face, you get ears,
you can get snout... ROSENTHAL: Face is good. - And now you're gonna get the
nice big pig esophagus today. ROSENTHAL: What? - Oh, well, have you ever had
hog's maw before? - Absolutely. Yeah, come on. - (laughing) ROSENTHAL: We had a whole seder,
a whole seder built around... - I was asking him. - Phil's Jewish mother
in New York just passed out. - Here you go,
look at that. ROSENTHAL: Looky, looky. Wow. Cheers, boys. - Oh, man. Wow. ROSENTHAL:
Oh, my god. That is different carnitas. Wowee, wow, wow. Bill knows his stuff. - He does. He's the taco whisperer. ROSENTHAL:
I'm kind of in love with Bill. Don't tell him. It's so juicy and smoky
and savory and tender and shredded perfectly
and so delicious, and my mouth is watering
talking about it. Two dollars. Two dollars! - He gets up at 1:30
in the morning. ROSENTHAL: Mr. Momo? - Mr. Momo. - You're kidding me. ROSENTHAL:
How do you say "delicious"? - Riquisimo. ROSENTHAL: Riquisimo? - Riquisimo. ROSENTHAL: Riquisimo. World-class meal. - (speaking Spanish) You like it? ROSENTHAL: I do. It's possible to have a vacation and to have the experience
of travel right where you live. You can travel within your town. You can go to a restaurant
of a cuisine and a culture
that you never tried before and just try it. And maybe if we like
what we taste, we taste a little more. Other times, you just want
what's familiar-- for instance, Langer's,
my favorite Jewish deli in town and an L.A. institution
for over 67 years. Now, I'm from New York, and this place just isn't on par
with the delis I grew up with-- it's better. This might be the place
that said to me, "Okay, you can live here." If you were to pick a comedy
writer's single favorite meal, it might be this:
a pastrami sandwich. It even sounds funny. You might say we're fueled
by this kind of food, and Langer's
is the high-octane stuff. Now, this is a good day. This gentleman in the hat here is the most influential creator
of television in history: the great Norman Lear. You know he created<i>
All in the Family</i> and countless other
beloved shows, but in addition,
he also likes a sandwich. I was sitting at work one day
in the first season of<i> Everybody Loves Raymond.</i> My phone rang. They told me,
"Norman Lear's on line one." I couldn't even believe it. I picked up the phone
and I said, "Hello?" He said, "I hear we're fans
of each other." I said, "I don't know about you,
but I'm a big fan of yours!" He goes, "We should have lunch." And I dropped dead. We became friends. That was, I don't know,
18 years ago? Now, just having lunch
with Norman Lear should be enough for anybody,
but then this guy shows up. - This is my entrance. That's my entrance. ROSENTHAL: That's it? - That's all I've got. ROSENTHAL: That was very good. You're like Barbra Streisand
coming in. - I get that a lot. ROSENTHAL:
My introduction to Paul Reiser I believe was a movie
called<i> Diner</i> in 1982. So we're talking about
30 years ago, I thought... Sorry. Pastrami. - I think the beard is handsome. - You like it? - If they were collecting us,
you'd be a prize. - (laughs) They're collecting us? - Yeah, yeah, animals,
if they were collecting us. - I didn't know how far back
you were going. - (laughs) - How long have you been
in L.A.? - Uh, 50-couple... 52 years. - I've been here
30-something years. ROSENTHAL: 25. - Never been to Langer's. Let me tell you something, Phil tells me all the time,
"Oh, I've got this new show, "we're going to Paris,
we're going to Lisbon, "we're going to Tokyo. Would you like to be
on the show?" "Yeah, where are we going?" "Seventh and Alvarado." That's my trip. ROSENTHAL:
You're going to Langer's! The reason I wanted
to take you here is because this is the best
pastrami sandwich in America. There's one number you have
to know: it's number 19. Number 19. It's the pastrami, Swiss,
coleslaw, Russian dressing on the best rye bread
in America sandwich. There's only one thing
you have to know: it's number 19. - Maybe I'm gonna go different! - That's what my driver said. The driver,
the guy who's driving me here, said "They'll love you
if you say 'Number 19.'" - Is that right? - Now, I'm gonna be honest
with you... ROSENTHAL: You don't want it. - (laughs) I'll just have some Jell-O. I thought... I believed, maybe I'm wrong, that Swiss cheese
fights the pastrami. ROSENTHAL:
You would think that. You'd be wrong. - Swiss cheese on pastrami? It's Langer's,
it's not New York. It's the best. ROSENTHAL:
Listen, I'll get one, and if you want a bite,
you don't have to commit. - (laughs) - I'll have a number 19. ROSENTHAL: Me too, because
I don't like to make trouble, like some people. - I just want a regular
pastrami sandwich, and the Swiss cheese
that comes on a 19, I'd like you take my cheese
and shove it up his (bleep). Is that all right? - (laughs) ROSENTHAL: The whole thesis
of this episode is that Los Angeles
at the moment is the... - (voice mumbling on PA) BOTH: My flight is in. - Wow! Wow! (laughing) ROSENTHAL:
You're not so special. The comedy today isn't limited
to just the three of us. The owner of Langer's,
Norman Langer, he stops by to say hello. - Have you been here
since day one? - I got here
this morning at 9:00 - No, I meant... - (laughing) ROSENTHAL: But all kidding stops
when the sandwiches get here. Oh! Whoa. - Is this salad? I'm told to eat salad,
is that salad? - It's yellow salad. ROSENTHAL: Thank you. The world holds its breath. - Jesus (bleep). - As good as that? - I'll have the tuna. ROSENTHAL: (laughs) - That's unbelievable. ROSENTHAL: How about the... Did you get a little crispy
on the side? - I got the crispy on the side, I got the soft,
like a baby's butt, but then suddenly meat. ROSENTHAL:
Your metaphors are curious, but it is delicious. Listen, half of a sandwich's value
is the bread. This is something
we take for granted. It's not just
what's in the sandwich; the bread is half the sandwich! Tell us the secret
of the rye bread. - In the 1940s,
before my dad opened here, he opened a deli
in Palm Springs. And there was no Jewish bakeries
in Palm Springs, so he commissioned a bakery
here in Los Angeles to make rye bread for him, and it was brought
to Palm Springs every day by Greyhound bus. My dad had to find a way
to rejuvenate the bread, because it was day old by the time he served it
to everyone. So he created a process
of re-baking the bread. ROSENTHAL:
Which comes twice baked, that's where that comes from. - In essence, it's only
80% finished at the bakery. ROSENTHAL: I see. - So you had to tell them,
"Don't cook it all the way." ROSENTHAL:
This is not just... I'm not just saying this
because the man is sitting here. This is not just the best
pastrami sandwich that I've had, this is one
of the best sandwiches anywhere in the world. - Thank you so much. ROSENTHAL: It's so nice. - That's an unbelievable
sandwich. ROSENTHAL: Yeah? - Yeah. - Damn, that's good! ROSENTHAL: Very good. - I don't care
what anybody says. ROSENTHAL:
It's fantastic. - (yelling):
I think this is terrific! ROSENTHAL: (laughing) This is where we find out
Norman's lost it a little bit. We have men come
and take him outside. Look at that! Gentlemen, choose your weapon. - My body's a temple. Yes, well I hope
it's a reformed temple, because we're going in. Please don't get your
beard hairs in there. I haven't had it. - He's very old. Let him get in. Oh, it's a little more... It's not quite pudding, it's a little... ROSENTHAL:
It's kind of Jell-O-ish. - It's almost rice pudding. It's nearing rice pudding. - It's rice pudding adjacent. - What if that's what kills him,
wouldn't you feel bad? ROSENTHAL: (laughing) - You'll kick yourself
in the morning. "What killed Norman?" "The last bite of cake." - (laughing) ROSENTHAL: And... - I hope you're happy now,
schmuck. (ringing) ROSENTHAL: Hello? - Yeah, I'm here. Hold it. Do you see me now? ROSENTHAL: Mazel tov! - Look at that! ROSENTHAL: How are you? - Good, how are you? ROSENTHAL: You look very nice! - Stay back, stay back. - Okay, how's this? - That's good. ROSENTHAL: A little further. - (laughs) ROSENTHAL: No, you look
very good, actually. Being away from your husband
agrees with you. - Absolutely. I'm sure he feels the same way. How do you feel? ROSENTHAL: He likes it here. - I know! ROSENTHAL: He likes it,
he wants you to move. - No, he can move,
I'll stay and visit. ROSENTHAL: (laughing) - Back up. - Okay, what did you have? - Back up! You're getting too close. - (laughing) ROSENTHAL: Maybe he's not
coming home so fast. - I wouldn't want to do it
every day, but once a month would be fine. ROSENTHAL: Once a month,
you go take a trip? - No, once a month we Skype. ROSENTHAL: (laughing) - Trip? Are you kidding? ROSENTHAL: All right, I'm sending him back
because I know the truth: that you two lovebirds
can't stay apart for very long. - (laughing) ROSENTHAL:
How many years married? - 25 happy years,
and out of 56, that's not bad. (laughing) ROSENTHAL: Goodbye! I'll say this about LA: the chefs here have
a special bond to each other. They get together
socially anyway, but then they band together
for these causes, like this one. This one is called
Alex's Lemonade and it's for children's
cancer research, and it's my favorite event
of the year, not just because
of the good it does, but because this is some of
the best food you'll ever have. Cover me, I'm going in. There's Marc Vetri! You're my first stop. If I see you,
I know it will be good. - Mortadella sandwich. Mortadella. ROSENTHAL:
Thank you, my friend. - Fresh ricotta, hazelnut honey. It's sweet? It's crazy. ROSENTHAL: What's in here? - Mortadella! Hazelnut honey and ricotta,
that's it. ROSENTHAL:
Oh my god, that's good. Awesome, I'm gonna go eat
everything else now. John Besh from New Orleans,
this is a superstar! What do you got today? - This is a little
shrimp etouffee with some Andouille sausage and some cream cheese cavatelli. ROSENTHAL:
The way to do a food festival is to take a couple bites
and share it with other people. But not this one. We've gotta take a bite of this. - It's smoked and then fried,
enjoy. ROSENTHAL: Smoked and fried? - And then rolled
in honey butter. ROSENTHAL: And then rolled
in honey butter? You animals! My god! These other people can go home. - (laughs) ROSENTHAL: Live sea urchins
from Santa Barbara, yes? This is a high-ticket item. - The best part is
it's indigenous to California and it's, you know,
right up the road. The fact that we can just
pull it out of the ocean and serve it
is pretty awesome. ROSENTHAL: You're literally
an ad for California. - Are you gonna have a dog? ROSENTHAL: Pink's Hot Dogs,
this is Los Angeles. It's Los Angeles. There's lots
of four-star restaurants that I would push aside
to get at this. - Oh, boy. ROSENTHAL: You're doing
God's work, Mrs. Pink. Ladies, what are you doing? You're selling lemons? - Yes! ROSENTHAL: I'm buying! - Would you like to buy some? ROSENTHAL:
I'll do whatever you say! Jesus. Put some clothing on! I've done the entire
left side of the menu, hitting the right side. There's no better feeling
than giving for charity. - Get ready, my man! ROSENTHAL: What've you got? - You never can have
enough beef tongue. ROSENTHAL: What am I having?
- Ribollita. Ribollita is pan-fried soup. ROSENTHAL:
Smoked Cape Cod blue fish dip. Homemade duck agnolotti! Lamb tongue panini. This looks like porchetta.
- It is. ROSENTHAL: Pork wins. - Yeah, good. ROSENTHAL:
Look, there's TV's Sean Hayes, and he's helping Ludo! - Hi, Phil! ROSENTHAL:
Hi buddy, how are you? - I'm good,
I want to talk to you. ROSENTHAL:
I want to talk to you, but I don't want you
to cut your hand off. You made this? - I made that,
what do you think? It's for my new restaurant. ROSENTHAL:
Sean's House of Botulism. - Oh, they're right here. ROSENTHAL: Mm! This food festival is a perfect
metaphor for my life in L.A. The food is celebratory. It's art and culture and actually has the power
to do good. There's nothing more fulfilling than getting to combine
all your passions. And I want to show you
one more place that's doing amazing work. It's brilliant, it's beautiful,
and it's near to my heart. It's just outside Chinatown. It's called the Homeboy Bakery. It was started
by Father Greg Boyle, and what it does is very simple. Kids who have been in gangs, who have been in and out
of prison their whole lives or otherwise at risk,
they bake bread. It's almost biblical. - Amen. (applause) ROSENTHAL:
Father Greg and Homeboy offer these young men and women all sorts of help
in improving their lives, from educational
and medical services to legal assistance
and outside job placement. But the Homeboy Bakery, along with the Homegirl Café
run by at-risk women, is the group's main public face. This is Phil. What are you making? - Hola. - Cinnamon bread? ROSENTHAL:
That looks beautiful. - Okay, Phil, let the master
show you how to do this. You've got to have it
all the way to the edge... ROSENTHAL:
Who the hell are you? - I'm the director
of bakery operations. I show them what to do. ROSENTHAL: Some guy comes in
and starts... - So let me show you, otherwise if you don't have
the cinnamon on the edge, some people don't have cinnamon,
they only have the bread. ROSENTHAL: Gotta have it. - So then when you do it, the more rolls the better,
and you kind of keep rolling it. ROSENTHAL: Herb Fingerhut
knows what he's talking about. He's a seventh-generation baker
from Chicago. - There you go,
there you go. ROSENTHAL:
This is not some charity where they give the kids
a kind of remedial job to do. This is a very,
very fine bakery. Some of the best
restaurants in town want the Homeboy baked goods. Awesome. Come on! Awesome. I met a guy named Vidal, who had been in and out
of prison his whole life, and now he's been at Homeboy
for eight years. What are you making? - Challah. - We're gonna make
stuffed challah, yeah. ROSENTHAL:
You're talking my language. One of the things
Father Boyle has at the program is tattoo removal. When I came out of jail,
I was trying to get a job, you know,
because I have a family, and everywhere I would go, they would just see tattoos
all over my body, because I used to have tattoos
all over my face. ROSENTHAL:
You did? - Yeah, all over my face. ROSENTHAL:
But look what a job they did. You look at his face, you can't tell he ever had
a tattoo on his face. He looks better than I do. - I started from the bottom,
I started from maintenance. From maintenance,
I went to... I was working in maintenance
for two months, then I started doing muffins, and then from there, I started
working with the head baker. He was showing me
a little bit of everything, and next thing you know,
I know how to do everything. ROSENTHAL: You know
how to do everything? - Everything. This is like
my second family here. ROSENTHAL:
Vidal worked his way up to second in command under Herb. - All my friends, the ones that I know
since I was a kid, they all passed away,
you know? You know, since I got here,
I'm a better dad, I'm a better son,
I'm a better brother. This place helped me to be
a whole different person. ROSENTHAL:
The most beautiful thing was I'm rolling out this dough
with Vidal and I asked him
about his family, and he's got three kids
and I asked how they're doing, and he just looked at me
and he goes, "My girl's going to college." And you're able to send her
to college from this. - From here, yes. ROSENTHAL:
What do you have to say? That's... that's everything. That's everything. I'm very involved
in the food scene here and I know a lot of these chefs, and the chefs really care
about the community and they are a community
of caring people. And so this is
what you look for I think no matter
where you live: a sense of community. Nice to see you! I didn't love this place
when I first came because what I saw, you know,
wasn't that appealing to me, and I was a bit of a snob
coming from New York, I admit it. But there's
hidden treasures here. You just have to look
a little bit. Very easy to make friends here. Some people play football,
baseball, soccer, tennis. This is my sport. Try to keep up.
